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Virginia lawmakers approve bipartisan spending plan
Weeks of Virginia state budget drama ended Monday with pledges of bipartisan goodwill as the General Assembly passed a compromise two-year spending plan that boosts funding for education and other priorities without increasing taxes. Votes in both the Senate and the House of Delegates were nearly unanimous. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who had raised the specter of an unprecedented state government shutdown by vowing not to sign the budget the legislature passed in March, rushed Monday to sign the new document after a special one-day legislative budget session.
GOP attorneys general, including Miyares, sue Biden administration over rules on gas-powered trucks
A large group of Republican attorneys general on Monday took legal action against the Biden administration and California over new emissions limits for trucks. Nebraska Attorney General Mike Hilgers is leading the group of GOP attorneys general who filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to overturn an Environmental Protection Agency rule limiting truck emissions. … States that joined Nebraska’s latest action against the EPA [include] … Virginia.
Yancey: You can’t say this word in some movies. But you can put it in a sign for all to see.
A year ago, my home county of Botetourt — like many others — was roiled by a controversy over library books. The specific concern was that children could walk into any county library and, with no supervision, find books that some considered obscene — and which certainly had some sexual content. The group BRACE — Botetourt Residents Against Child Exploitation — said it was not advocating book banning. “What we ARE proposing,” the group says on its website, “is the establishment of sensible and reasonable community standards. … And this is not about free speech. The Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment does not protect obscenity.” People can differ about whether the books in question — the group listed 26 on its website, many with LGBTQ+ themes — are, indeed, obscene. However, we as a society have generally agreed that not everything is appropriate for all age groups.
Virginia Tech student helps lead push for women’s health legislation
At 20 years old, Aarushi Khanna played a central role in getting new legislation passed in Virginia. The Virginia Tech student is an ambassador for the Pad Project, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to menstrual products in places where supplies are limited, and to increasing education on women’s menstrual health. Khanna was one of several activists who pushed for the passage of House Bill 1221, which would allow for all schools in Virginia to provide menstrual education as part as overall health instruction for students middle school-age and up.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs $188B, 2-year budget in quick special session
Virginia lawmakers passed a $188 billion budget Monday, using unexpected tax money to fund spending increases General Assembly Democrats proposed in April, instead of a new digital sales tax that they had been at loggerheads over with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. When compared to the last two-year budget, the budget increases education funding by $2.5 billion; has a 3% raise for state employees, teachers, and support staff; and increases funding for child care by $500 million, according to a Senate summary.
Federal official celebrates rural broadband effort in Stafford
Richland Baptist Church in Stafford County was crawling with federal officials and black SUVs on Monday, but the contingent was there to celebrate, not investigate. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and her troops, along with Comcast and Stafford officials, descended on the property to tout a public–private partnership that brought high-speed broadband to the western part of the county. “While over 650 homes may seem like a small number to some, I assure you it is huge for us and means the world to our residents,” said Meg Bohmke, chair of the Stafford Board of Supervisors.
UVA’s last-minute update to tent regulations document creates confusion, frustration
In the days after police forcibly cleared a pro-Palestine encampment near the University Chapel, a last-minute edit to a list of guidelines — from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety — related to the use of tents on Grounds has been the subject of questions and debate. According to University administrators, a document on the office’s website outlining fire safety regulations for tents contained an inaccurate clause that exempted recreational tents from permit requirements. University officials said the document was updated for accuracy, as official University policy requires all tents to receive permits prior to their use on Grounds. Administrators said the encampment violated this policy.
UVa administrators and faculty paint conflicting pictures of May 4 encampment clearing
At a University-run virtual town hall Tuesday and an independently organized faculty-led town hall Thursday, administrators and faculty presented differing accounts of the events of May 4, when police forcibly cleared a pro-Palestine encampment near the University Chapel. The details contested between the town halls included the clarity of the University’s tent policy, aggressiveness of protesters, provision of medical treatment and the presence of suspicious individuals at the encampment.
What to know about Virginia’s newly revealed budget deal
It took a little while, but Virginia’s Democratic-led General Assembly and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin have come up with a budget deal both sides can apparently live with. Legislative documents outlining the agreement were released Saturday morning to allow the budget to be voted on today when lawmakers return to Richmond for a special session focused on finishing the budget. The special session is happening because Youngkin and Democratic leaders spent months publicly sparring over budget priorities and didn’t come to an agreement last month under the state’s usual timeline to pass a budget.
Letter: Vendor warned Petersburg about lawsuit potential for accepting pre-approval casino bids
At least one of the five companies bidding for Petersburg’s casino business raised questions with the city about soliciting bids for the development based on hope that the state legislature would allow Petersburg to get it. In a Feb. 21 letter to City Manager March Altman, The Warrenton Group said they raised the questions because when the city called for the bids, its fate as a casino host city was still in the hands of the Virginia General Assembly.