State Senate
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Big Pharma pushes Youngkin to veto bill establishing a Prescription Drug Affordability Board
The board would have the power to review drug costs and limit how much state agencies, health plans, and individuals pay for certain prescription medications.
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Op-Ed: Virginia’s new Democratic majorities pass key bills to improve your lives, but will Youngkin sign them?
The 2024 Virginia General Assembly regular session has wrapped up. It was a peculiar session from the outset, with Democratic majorities in the House and Senate but a Republican governor who has already shown an inability or unwillingness to work across the aisle. On top of that, with a huge influx of new members in…
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Here’s where reproductive rights bills stand in VA now that session has ended
Gov. Youngkin has until April 8 to either sign, veto, or recommend amendments to bills that would protect patients and abortion providers against legal action, expand access to contraception, protect menstrual data that’s stored on third-party apps, and more.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
