For the second consecutive year, bills aimed at legalizing cannabis retail sales have passed through both the Virginia House and Senate. Past story: Bill to legalize retail marijuana sales advancing through General Assembly

The Fort Chiswell Animal Park has been a staple in the Wythe community for over 20 years. Currently, a bill in the Virginia Senate poses a potential threat to their operations, as well as to zoos across the commonwealth.

A leading Democratic Virginia legislator says proposed legislation to help pave the way for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals to relocate to northern Virginia is dead.

Republican David Suetterlein has announced his victory in the race for the Virginia Senate District 4 seat.

Find election results for the Virginia Senate race on Nov. 7 2023 here.

Kathy Beery (D), Joshua Huffman (L), and Mark Obenshain (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 2 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

Jade Harris (D) and Christopher Head (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 3 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

P. A. “Trish” White-Boyd (D) and David Robert Suetterlein (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 4 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

Robert W. Beckman (D) and T. Travis Hackworth (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 5 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

Deborah I. “Renie” Gates (D) and William M. “Bill” Stanley, Jr. (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 7 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

Deborah I. “Renie” Gates (D) and William M. “Bill” Stanley, Jr. (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 7 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

Donna M. St. Clair (D) and Mark J. Peake (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 8 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

R. Creigh Deeds (D) and Phillip A. Hamilton (R) are vying for the Virginia Senate District 11 seat in this year’s Virginia general election on Nov. 7, 2023.

10 News sat down with David Suetterlein to learn about his priorities if elected and his message to voters.

The primaries are over and the race to represent Virginia in the House of Delegates and Virginia Senate heats up.

DeAnthonty L. “D.A.” Pierce (D), P. A. “Trish” White-Boyd (D), and Luke W. Priddy (D) are vying for the Virginia House of Delegates District 11 seat in this year’s Primary Election on June 20, 2023.

Across Southwest and Central Virginia, people are voting in three contested primary races for a chance to vie for a seat in the Virginia Senate this upcoming November.

Masks no longer being mandatory for students in Virginia is taking another step forward.

Democrats who narrowly control the Virginia Senate stuck together Tuesday and voted unanimously against approving former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator Andrew Wheeler to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's Cabinet.

Two Democrats in the Virginia Senate joined with Republicans on Monday to defeat a measure that would have eliminated hundreds of mandatory minimum sentences.

The Virginia Senate rejected the governor’s amendments to a bill that restricts the gun rights of anyone convicted for assault and battery of a family member.

RICHMOND, 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.

Virginia’s attorney general doesn’t feel a recent lawsuit filed by a Republican candidate for governor has merit to be heard in court. On Monday, Mark Herring filed a motion to dismiss in Virginia Sen. Amanda Chase’s lawsuit seeking to overturn her censure by the Virginia Senate that occurred on January 27, 2021. Herring feels that the Virginia Senate, “acted entirely consistently with its own rules when considering and approving the resolution of censure,” according to his motion. I will continue to do so in a way that I feel helps people to listen. I don’t think I’ve said or misspoken,” said Chase, who represents Virginia’s 11th district.

Virginia continues on the path of possibly getting rid of the death penalty. The Virginia Senate has passed Senate Bill 1165 that would abolish the death penalty. The Democrat-controlled Senate chamber approved the bill on a 21-17 vote Wednesday after a lengthy, emotional floor debate. The House Courts of Justice Committee approved the bill in a 15-6-1 vote. Ad“For me it’s incumbent that we abolish the death penalty because now the state is actually operating in secret, she said.

ROANOKE, Va. – Though a school reopening bill passed the Virginia Senate, the virtual component is getting mixed reactions from school superintendents and teachers. If Grayson County uses Virtual Virginia, it could cost the district about $1,200 a year per student. “If you want a virtual component then you need to put some money in the SOQ [Standard of Quality] to cover that virtual component and not leave us shorthanded,” he said. “This is going right back to no child left behind unfunded mandates from years ago.”AdWilmore said this piece of legislation is micromanaging and Henry County Schools agrees. As a parent and a teacher, Franklin County High School Teacher Kim Ellis said virtual learning needs to be on the table because of safety.

RICHMOND Va. – The Virginia Senate has passed a bill that would abolish the death penalty. If passed into law, the measure would mark a major policy change for a state that has historically carried out numerous executions. The Democrat-controlled chamber approved the bill on a 21-17 vote Wednesday. Ralph Northam has said he supports a full repeal, and a House version of the bill is advancing in that chamber. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Virginia has executed nearly 1,400 people in more than four centuries, more than any other state.

RICHMOND, Va. – After a lengthy and impassioned floor debate, the Democrat-controlled Virginia Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would require every local school division to make both virtual and in-person learning available to students. AdThe chamber passed the bill, which would not take effect until July 1, on a 26-13 bipartisan vote. At least one similar but more narrow bill aimed at students without adequate internet access failed during last year’s special legislative session. Virginia currently has a patchwork approach to schooling, with some public and private schools offering in-person learning while others offer only virtual school. Northam, a Democrat and a physician, recently rolled out new guidance aimed at getting more public schools open for in-person instruction.

LYNCHBURG, Va. – The woman who was censured by the Virginia Senate is standing by her words. I don’t think I’ve said or misspoken,” said Chase, who represents Virginia’s 11th district. We can’t make seditious comments or insightful comments. Many of the comments that Senator Chase made were in line with that,” said Bell, who represents Virginia’s 13th district. AdChase, who is also running for governor, says she plans to sue the Virginia Senate.

DUBLIN, Va. – UPDATEThe results are in, Travis Hackworth has won the Republican primary for Virginia’s 38th District. Hackworth raked in 1,932 votes and is replacing Sen. Ben Chafin, who died from COVID-19 complications on Jan. 1. In total, 5,485 people voted in the special election. A special election has been set for March 23 to fill the empty seat. The names on the GOP ballot included Jony Baker, Dhad Dotson, Travis Hackworth, Elijah Leonard, Kimberly Lowe and Tamara Neo.

In this Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 file photo, Virginia State Sen. Ben Chafin, R-Russell, listens to debate on the floor of the Senate during the session at the Capitol in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)RICHMOND, Va. – We now know when Virginians will head to the polls and fill a currently vacant Virginia Senate seat. Ralph Northam announced that a special election in the 38th Senate District will happen on March 23 to fill the seat held by Sen. Ben Chafin before his death on Jan. 1. The last day for candidates to file to appear on the ballot is January 22, 2021. Information regarding candidacy requirements can be found on the Department of Elections website. This district contains Bland County, Buchanan County, Dickenson County, Russell County, Tazewell County, Pulaski County, Radford and parts of Smyth County, Wise County and Montgomery County.

Complete Virginia Senate debate between Sen. Mark Warner and Daniel GadePublished: September 23, 2020, 7:24 pmSen. Warner and his Republican challenger, Daniel Gade, took part in a debate on Sept. 23, 2020. NBC News' Chuck Todd moderated the debate, that was hosted by NBC4 in Washington, D.C.

RICHMOND, Va. – A Virginia Senate committee killed legislation on Wednesday to require employers to provide up to two weeks paid sick leave for workers who need to quarantine due to COVID-19 exposure or infection, according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch. The Senate Commerce and Labor Committee voted 14-1 to not pass the paid leave requirement during the General Assembly’s special session to address Virginia’s coronavirus public health emergency. Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) was the only one who voted against the motion to kill the bill. Elizabeth Guzman (D-Prince William), would require businesses with more than 25 employees to give two weeks of paid leave to workers who have COVID-19 or need to take care of family members who contract it. “We have no business placing additional stress on our businesses at this period of time,” said Norment.

RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Senate approved wide-ranging police reform legislation Thursday that would prohibit the use of chokeholds, restrict no-knock search warrants, and expand the grounds to decertify law enforcement officials who commit misconduct. The legislation, Senate Bill 5030, passed along party lines, and includes many of the measures protesters around the country have called for since the May 25 police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Democrats hailed it as a landmark achievement they said preserves public safety while promoting civil liberties and addressing urgent needs. Other aspects of the bill would require police to issue warnings before firing weapons and prohibit shooting at moving motor vehicles. Some Republican senators cast the bill passed Thursday as a disaster for police officers that would empower criminals and cost innocent lives.

RICHMOND, Va. A controversial bill is moving forward during the current Virginia General Assembly special session. On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate voted 21-15, completely along party lines, to pass Senate Bill 5032, which would allow an assault against a law enforcement officer to a misdemeanor if the person attacked is not hurt. Summary of Senate Bill 5032[Defund police? Passionate debate marks start of Virginia General Assembly special session]The bill also removes mandatory minimum 6-month jail sentence for assaulting a police officer. NAYS-- Chafin, Chase, Cosgrove, DeSteph, Dunnavant, Hanger, Kiggans, McDougle, Newman, Norment, Peake, Pillion, Ruff, Stanley, Suetterlein--15.

Ralph Northam announced a Virginias mask requirement, Republicans in both the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate spoke out against the decision. Hypocrisy has become the hallmark of Ralph Northam and his administration. It is unconscionable to require businesses to enforce a government mandate under threat of sanction from government agencies. Through his own actions the Governor has squandered his capital as a physician whose advice people would be willing to follow. Virginians would be much more likely to follow the suggestions of a leader who instills confidence and leads with consistency.

RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Senate has advanced two pieces of Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed gun-control measures after previously rejecting them. The Senate voted Wednesday to advance legislation that would require gun owners to report to police any lost or stolen firearms and to toughen the penalty for leaving a loaded, unsecured firearm in a reckless manner that endangers a child. Northam’s office agreed to water down both measures in order to to win support of some Democrats who rejected earlier versions. Lawmakers are set to give final passage in coming days to seven out of eight gun-control bills backed by Northam.

RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia Senate has blocked one of Gov. Ralph Northam’s top gun-control bills, making it another measure the Democratic governor supports that may not pass the legislature. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Monday against a bill that would make it a felony to “recklessly leave a loaded, unsecured firearm” in a way that endangers a minor. The legislation is one of eight gun measures that the governor has urged lawmakers to adopt. Virginia has become ground zero in the nation’s raging debate over gun control and mass shootings as a new Democratic majority has pledged to put strict new limits in place.

RICHMOND, Va. – On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate passed the controversial red flag gun law bill. ORIGINAL STORYOne day after more than 20,000 gun rights supporters staged a spirited demonstration outside the Capitol, a passionate debate in the Virginia General Assembly ended with a gun control proposal advancing. Changes passed on a vote along party lines for a Democrat-supported bill that would institute a red flag law, which would let law enforcement officers take guns from people believed to be a danger to themselves or others. Democrats are pleased that the red flag bill, also called extreme risk protective orders, is moving forward. “The red flag bill is one of the worst bills I’ve ever seen come through this chamber,” said Sen. Bill Stanley, a Republican representing Franklin County.