State General Assembly
-
Lawmakers approve budget without Youngkin’s costly arena project or tax cut for the rich
The Senate approved a new, two-year state budget on Saturday which includes pay raises for teachers, increased funding for education, and more. Gov. Youngkin, however, says the document needs “a lot of work” before he’s willing to sign it.
-
Youngkin signs gay marriage bill, blocks gun safety and reproductive rights bills
Although Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill meant to enshrine the legality of same-sex marriage, he vetoed or recommended major changes to bills surrounding reproductive and voting rights, gun control, book bans, and more.
-
Bill to legalize recreational marijuana sales heads to Youngkin’s desk
If Gov. Youngkin signs the bill, sale of the drug would begin on May 1, 2025, and the products would be taxed at a rate of up to 11.6%—with 8% going to the state, 2.5% going to a local option tax, and 1.1% to K-12 education.
-
What’s inside the VA legislature’s proposed budgets
Both chambers rejected Youngkin’s proposed cut to the income tax rate— which would have benefited the wealthiest Virginians—and his proposed increase to the sales tax rate. Instead, they’re calling for that funding to go towards raising teacher pay.
-
VA Dems send bill protecting same-sex marriage to Youngkin’s desk
Companion bills SB 101 and HB 174 were introduced in the event that the US Supreme Court reverses its landmark 2015 decision that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, something that’s been theorized could happen following the Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, another landmark case.
-
VA Dems advance bills to strengthen reproductive rights, block anti-abortion bills
Democrats passed bills to protect patients and abortion providers against legal action and to expand access to contraception. They rejected a near-total abortion ban and another proposal to prohibit state funding from going to any hospital or facility where abortion care is provided.
-
Democrats pass bills to raise Virginia’s minimum wage to $15 per hour
State Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), who introduced SB 1, has warned Youngkin that he’d see a change in the Democrats’ “cooperative tone” if he vetoes the minimum wage bill.
-
What ‘Crossover Day’ means for bills in the Virginia General Assembly
“Crossover Day” in the Virginia General Assembly is the day in the legislative session bills must pass by in their respective chambers in order to be considered in the other chamber. In other words, a bill must pass in the House of Delegates before it can even be considered in the Senate, and vice versa.…
-
VA Dems reject abortion bans, increase access to contraception
Democrats defeated a near-total abortion ban introduced by Republicans and passed a bill to improve access to contraception by eliminating certain copays, cost-sharing requirements, reimbursement requirements, and coverage delays.
-
Virginia Dems push bills to raise teacher pay
A 2023 study from the Virginia Education Association (VEA) found that estimated average teacher pay in the commonwealth was just over $62,100 annually—more than $6,300 below the estimated national average for the job.
