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Va. governors make board appointments; legislators confirm them. How’s the process work?
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Virginia Democrats have brokered many deals during his soon-ending four-year term, but have also frequently been at odds on policy issues, reflected most recently in the legislature’s rejection of several of the governor’s appointments to Virginia’s governing boards and commissions. Virginia law gives governors the power to appoint and remove people to these groups. Like his predecessors, Youngkin has appointed hundreds of people to serve on roughly 300 public commissions and boards. Over the past year, Senate Democrats have rejected 30 of Youngkin’s appointments to boards and commissions . . .
Senate Democrats consider blocking more Youngkin university board appointments as he exerts influence
Gov. Glenn Youngkin made his latest round of university board appointments on June 20, giving him complete control over the bodies that govern Virginia’s institutes of higher education. Democrats are making moves to block Youngkin — who ran on education issues and has focused on removing race and gender-related concepts from K-12 — as they fear he may try to further his legacy of reforming higher education during the last year of his term. The new appointments come as Senate Democrats wage a legal battle over the confirmation status of eight previous appointees they rejected in a Senate panel on June 9. Democratic lawmakers are considering blocking more appointees as they say Youngkin is wielding them like proxies and exerting more influence on universities than previous governors.
How Hampton Roads sheriffs are working with ICE
As federal authorities ramp up immigration enforcement tactics across the country, data from local sheriffs’ offices shed light on how frequently Hampton Roads law enforcement have turned over inmates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Immigration detainers are a key tool used by ICE to take custody of people arrested by local law enforcement. Detainers are requests to local law enforcement to hold a person in custody for up to 48 hours past their scheduled release to give federal authorities time to pick them up them for possible deportation proceedings. Most sheriff’s offices in the Hampton Roads region have policies in place that not only outline how to question an inmate’s immigration status, but also allow for 48-hour detainer holds.
From VPAP New Episode: The Virginia Press Room Podcast
In the latest episode of the podcast from VaNews and VPM, Michael Pope is joined by Kate Seltzer of The Virginian-Pilot, Andrew Kerley of The Commonwealth Times, and Dean Mirshahi of VPM News. They discuss the week's top headlines: Youngkin says Homeland Security Task Force has removed 2,500 violent criminals, Senate Democrats clash with Youngkin over university board appointments, and Richmond City Council vote delayed again for civilian police review board. Tune in for insights and analysis on Virginia politics. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Virginia Lottery continues to embrace its gaming oversight role
In just the past decade, Virginia has become one of the nation’s top states for gaming and most of the state’s oversight is handled through the Virginia Lottery — an agency that has grown 20% larger to accommodate those responsibilities. Today the lottery oversees its traditional lottery ticket sales and drawings, online iLottery play, the state’s three casinos — with another in Norfolk now under construction — and a robust sports betting program with 14 licensed operators.
Henrico’s housing trust fund wraps first year with homes sold, more on the way
One year in, Henrico’s multimillion-dollar investment to help improve housing affordability in the county is beginning to pay off. Henrico’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund program, launched last July with a $60 million cash contribution from the county, has finished out its initial year with its first homes sold and dozens more in the pipeline or under construction. . . . Henrico’s goal is to produce 750 new homes that are affordable to first-time buyers at as low as 60% AMI over the program’s first five years, using the $60 million in unbudgeted tax revenues that were generated specifically from data centers in the county.
Certain Aetna health insurance plans leaving the Affordable Care Act marketplace next year
Starting next year, Aetna clients in Virginia and other states will no longer be able to purchase individual or family health insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace. The ACA is a 15-year-old federal law that allows people who don’t have employer-provided insurance to purchase their own through the ACA marketplace. Congress also created associated tax credits that have helped some offset those costs even further. Over 261,000 people in Virginia have Aetna healthcare, according to the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services.
Yancey: Nothern Virginia is ‘at a critical crossroads,’ which means rural Virginia is, too
An office complex in Fairfax County recently changed hands, and taxpayers across rural Virginia ought to be alarmed. Why should we care who owns Tysons International Plaza? We don’t. We should, though, care about what the new owners paid for it: 60% less than the previous owners had bought it for just eight years ago.
Virginia Intermont campus owners pay off Bristol taxes
The owners of the former Virginia Intermont College property, on Friday, paid off its current and delinquent Bristol, Virginia, tax bills — effectively negating a city lawsuit filed Thursday. John Kieffer, a local attorney representing U.S. Magis International Education Center, delivered cashier’s checks totaling $353,484 to city Treasurer Angel Britt’s office at noon Friday. ... The funds arrived at TACS on Thursday, the same day Bristol Virginia filed action in Circuit Court seeking control of the property due to non-payment of taxes under provisions of a new state law designed to address vacant, blighted properties.
Following shoplifting charge, bond revoked for ex-Middletown treasurer accused of embezzlement
Middletown’s former treasurer and town manager had her bond revoked Thursday after she was arrested last week for shoplifting from a Martin’s grocery store in Frederick County. Rebecca Louise Layman, 52, is set to stand trial in November on 12 felony counts of embezzling from Middletown. Authorities have not disclosed how much she allegedly took from the town, but Frederick County Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Heather Enloe said Thursday that the amount is “in the six figures.”