BREAKING NEWS
Bill to allow localities to hold referendum on sales tax increase for schools passes House vote
Read full article: Bill to allow localities to hold referendum on sales tax increase for schools passes House voteSchool funding has become a topic of conversation over the years and one local legislator is trying to help some of the shortfalls.
Proposed bill to require Martinsville reversion referendum vote advances in House
Read full article: Proposed bill to require Martinsville reversion referendum vote advances in HouseVirginia lawmakers are considering a bill that would require Martinsville citizens to vote whether or not they want the city to revert to a town.
Virginia bill could require school districts to implement ‘panic alarm’ for life-threatening emergencies
Read full article: Virginia bill could require school districts to implement ‘panic alarm’ for life-threatening emergenciesThe bill is similar to legislation called 'Alyssa's Law', named after a student who was killed in the 2018 Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
Montgomery Co. man continues fight for compensation after wrongful conviction, serving time as sex offender
Read full article: Montgomery Co. man continues fight for compensation after wrongful conviction, serving time as sex offenderA Montgomery County man is continuing his fight for justice after being wrongfully convicted of a sex crime he didn’t commit.
Virginia lawmakers pass long-overdue budget bill with tax rebates, extra aid for schools
Read full article: Virginia lawmakers pass long-overdue budget bill with tax rebates, extra aid for schoolsThe politically divided Virginia General Assembly has approved long-overdue budget legislation, sending it to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
People in prison expecting an early release, staying behind bars because of a budget amendment
Read full article: People in prison expecting an early release, staying behind bars because of a budget amendmentPeople are upset and want to see a change to the budget amendment that the General Assembly passed which keeps more than 500 people from getting released.
Bye, bye, balloons: Certain balloon releases prohibited in the Commonwealth
Read full article: Bye, bye, balloons: Certain balloon releases prohibited in the CommonwealthWith the Smith Mountain Lake Pirate Days event coming on July 16, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is reminding Virginia citizens of the new regulation that went into effect on July 1, which bans citizens from intentionally releasing or discarding any non-biodegradable or non-photodegradable balloons outdoors in the Commonwealth.
Marijuana, facial recognition, other laws take effect July 1
Read full article: Marijuana, facial recognition, other laws take effect July 1Most of the legislation passed earlier this year by the divided Virginia General Assembly and signed into law by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin will take effect Friday.
Sen. Tim Kaine cosponsors legislation to eliminate racial, ethnic health inequities
Read full article: Sen. Tim Kaine cosponsors legislation to eliminate racial, ethnic health inequitiesThe office of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine announced Tuesday that he has cosponsored the Health Equity and Accountability Act.
Virginia lawmakers pass bill requiring in-person learning
Read full article: Virginia lawmakers pass bill requiring in-person learningRICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Senate has given final approval to legislation that would require schools to provide full-time, in-person instruction as the coronavirus pandemic drags on. The chamber voted 36-3 Thursday, sending the measure sponsored by GOP Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant to Gov. The bill would require districts to offer a full-time, in-person option for students, with limited exceptions. If a school has high levels of coronavirus transmission, it could temporarily revert to virtual learning. The bill also says school districts “may” provide fully remote virtual instruction, under certain conditions.
Former UK leaders unite to slam Boris Johnson on Brexit plan
Read full article: Former UK leaders unite to slam Boris Johnson on Brexit planFILE - In this Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019 file photo, former British Prime Ministers Tony Blair, left and John Major attend the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in Whitehall in London. One major element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement is the section related to ensuring an open border on the island of Ireland to protect the peace process in Northern Ireland. The issue proved thorny during the more than two years of discussions it took to get a Brexit deal done, as the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland is the only land link between the U.K. and the EU. As a result, the two sides agreed there would be some kind of regulatory border between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland. Major and Blair, who both vociferously opposed Brexit, said the planned legislation puts the 1998 Good Friday agreement that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland at risk.
Virginia lawmakers pass protections for LGBTQ people
Read full article: Virginia lawmakers pass protections for LGBTQ peopleRICHMOND, Va. – Virginia lawmakers have passed comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that advocates say makes the state the first in the South to enact such protections for LGBTQ people. The measures advanced on bipartisan votes in both chambers Thursday. Each chamber still must take up the other’s measure in procedural votes before the legislation can be sent to Democratic Gov. The legislation prohibits discrimination in housing, public or private employment, public spaces and credit transactions on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. Advocates praised the passage of what they called urgently needed landmark human rights legislation.