State and National Government
Virginia lawmakers are preparing to open another General Assembly session, and when they do, they will consider a renewed effort to approve the federal Equal Rights Amendment. A recent poll shows strong support across Virginia, as WFIR’s Evan Jones reports:
Governor Ralph Northam has big plans as the General Assembly gets ready to reconvene on January 9 – including several billion dollars in new spending. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
As of midnight Saturday, a partial government shutdown went into effect – one that could last until 2019. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
From a Governor Northam’s office: Governor Ralph Northam today issued a letter to President Donald Trump urging work with Congressional leaders to end the current partial government shutdown, writing “a shutdown of any kind negatively impacts Virginia’s economy and inflicts real harm on federal workers and contractors throughout the Commonwealth.”
Virginia is home to 130,000 federal workers, many of whom work for agencies and departments affected by the current shutdown. Governor Northam is pushing the president to “fully consider the impact that a shutdown has on the lives of Virginians.”
Click here for full text of the letter.
Gov. Ralph Northam
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam has called on state lawmakers to end the suspension of driver’s licenses of people with unpaid criminal or traffic court debt. During a speech on his state budget plan this week, Northam said people often don’t pay court costs because they can’t afford it. He said suspending their driver’s licenses for the unpaid fees makes it even more difficult for them. The change could affect more than 600,000 drivers in Virginia and millions of others in states around the country that have similar laws. Advocates who have pushed for a change in the law say it unfairly punishes poor people. The Legal Aid Justice Center of Virginia has sued over the practice. The group argues that the law violates due process and is unconstitutional.
When the Virginia General Assembly reconvenes next month, one of the new issues facing legislators is whether to legalize sports betting. A recent poll from Christopher Newport University finds 63% of Virginians questioned approved legalizing sports betting — especially if the additional revenue it provides goes to education. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
President Trump is reportedly close to signing a Farm Bill that’s passed both chambers of Congress. Which one lawmaker in Virginia says is good for the Commonwealth, as WFIR’s Ian Price reports:
Gov. Ralph Northam
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is asking state lawmakers to approve a budget plan to gives raises to teachers, tax breaks for families making up to about $50,000, and socks away hundreds of millions of dollars into savings accounts. The Democratic governor presented his state spending plan Tuesday to members of the Republican-controlled General Assembly. Northam says the state has a unique opportunity to make long-needed investments in affordable housing, clean-water projects and other areas thanks to a projected windfall in state taxes caused by last year’s federal tax overhaul. The governor wants to expand tax credits for low-income workers. Republicans have advocated returning more of the projected windfall to taxpayers. Lawmakers will take up the budget proposal when the legislative session starts in January.
Photo: Corey Stewart Facebook
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – The Virginia Republican who lost the U.S. Senate race last month and also lost primaries for two statewide races in recent years says he’s stepping back from statewide elections. The Washington Post reports that Corey Stewart announced his decision to Republican Party activists and leaders at a weekend retreat in Norfolk. About 350 people attended the gathering, down from about 500 in recent years. Republicans haven’t won statewide since 2009.
Stewart lost to Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine last month. Previously, he ran unsuccessfully for Republican nominations for governor and lieutenant governor. During his campaigns, Stewart embraced Confederate monuments and associated with white supremacists. Stewart says he’s stepping back from statewide races for at least a couple of years. He hasn’t ruled out a re-election bid for the Prince William Board of County Supervisors.