Author
Virginia Democrats reshape Court of Appeals with eight new appointments
Virginia Democrats quadrupled the number of Black judges and doubled the number of women on the state’s Court of Appeals with the election of eight new judges Tuesday. Members of the party said the selections would make the court the most diverse in the state’s history. “I think it’s important that when individuals look at […]
Virginia school bus drivers left in limbo as state demands they pay back unemployment benefits
Thousands of school bus drivers around Virginia who turned to unemployment benefits to weather the pandemic are being asked to pay the state back — a financial demand drivers say has filled them with anxiety, stress and dread. “How the hell am I ever going to come up with over $7,000 for the state of […]
Facing pressure from lawmakers, DMV says it’s still not ready to resume walk-in service
A year and a half into the pandemic, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles is still operating on an appointment-only basis. Some state lawmakers, angered by wait times that can last months, say it’s time for that to change. “I get complaints all the time about DMV and people not being able to get in,” […]
Virginia Democrats meet in private to choose finalists for eight Court of Appeals appointments
Democrats in the Virginia House and Senate met privately Wednesday to choose finalists for eight open positions on the Virginia Court of Appeals, prompting GOP lawmakers to accuse the party of breaking tradition by holding secret group interviews. “I can’t think of a single instance in which we’ve had a judicial candidate come and appear […]
The Va. House GOP came up with a spending plan. It lasted 2 minutes.
Republicans in the Virginia House of Delegates offered their own proposal Tuesday for how to spend billions in federal rescue funds, floating a plan they said would ban door-to-door vaccination campaigns, give $5,000 bonuses to every police officer in the state and limit how students are taught about race and discrimination. After a two-minute floor […]
Virginia moves to restart eviction protections after federal moratorium lapses
Virginia Democrats are moving to restart state-level eviction protections one month after allowing them to lapse. The step comes as a federal eviction moratorium ends and President Joe Biden’s administration chastised states for not implementing their own moratoriums. “There is no excuse for any state or locality not to promptly deploy the resources that Congress […]
Virginia Department of Corrections announces plans to de-privatize prison health care
After struggling for decades with rising health care costs and complaints about shoddy medical care, the Virginia Department of Corrections plans to end its contract with the private medical provider that serves about half of the state’s prisons. In a letter earlier this month to department staff, Director Harold Clarke wrote that he planned to […]
Lobbyists load Va. lawmakers onto private jet to kick off push to loosen slots laws
A coalition of gambling companies hoping to get slot machines back into Virginia convenience stores and bars kicked off its legislative push this week with a private flight for four lawmakers to Chicago. While the plush jet raised some eyebrows — Virginia politicians have generally eschewed gifts of private air travel after scandal consumed former […]
Virginia attorney general announces plan to hire state’s first cannabis lawyer
Attorney General Mark Herring says he plans to hire a lawyer dedicated to marijuana law now that the state has legalized the drug. The new addition to his staff would serve as a subject-matter expert as the state’s new Cannabis Control Authority, which Gov. Ralph Northam appointed Monday, begins work developing regulations that will govern […]
First surprise medical bills head to arbitration under Virginia’s new balance-billing ban
Doctors and hospitals are up 2-1 over insurance companies as the first three disputes resolved under the state’s ban on balance billing emerge from arbitration, according to a report released this month by state regulators. The new approach, which went into effect Jan. 1, removes patients from fights between providers and insurers over unexpected medical […]
Virginia Republicans have been warning Democratic control was bad for business. CNBC disagrees.
After Democrats took control of the General Assembly in 2020, a common refrain emerged among Republicans who opposed legislation that raised the minimum wage and added new anti-discrimination protections for employees. “The Democrat majority has done much to diminish Virginia’s reputation for being America’s ‘best state for business,’” said Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment, R-James […]
Five years later, Virginia prison still not meeting terms of court-ordered settlement over shoddy medical care
A new court appointed monitor’s first review of operations at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women suggests the state isn’t close to meeting the terms of a five-year-old legal settlement over poor health care and a spate of inmate deaths . The report, filed earlier this year in a federal court case that’s closing in on […]