State and National Government
Conservation groups in Virginia say President Donald Trump’s rollback of protections for streams and wetlands will lead to more pollution in the nation’s drinking water. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Republicans want to block a federal court from approving a new legislative map until the U.S. Supreme Court rules on whether it’s even needed. Speaker Kirk Cox asked the high court Thursday to delay a lower court’s plans to approve a new map after a Jan. 10 hearing. The Supreme Court agreed last month to hear an appeal from Republicans who are trying to preserve state legislative districts that have been struck down as racially discriminatory. A lower court is moving ahead with plans to implement a new map, and a court-appointed expert released potential maps last week for consideration. Cox said having the lower court approve a new map only to have it discarded later by the Supreme Court would confuse voters.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Republicans are pushing to make sure former Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s records from his time in office are available to the public if he runs for president. House Republican leaders are backing legislation that would require the Library of Virginia to catalog and make public gubernatorial records within a year of a governor leaving office. Records from past administrations currently spend years in limbo. They are not subject to public record requests while the state library processes them. The library is currently still processing records of former Gov. Tim Kaine, who left office in 2010. The library says it lacks the resources to move any faster. McAuliffe, a Democrat who left office in January, is exploring a potential 2020 presidential run.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam wants to boost state spending on school counselors as a way to keep kids safer. The Democratic governor announced Thursday that he plans to ask the Republican-controlled General Assembly to approve $36 million in new spending to hire more school counselors and better address students’ emotional needs. Northam said he also wants to spend $3.3 million to help increase safety training for school officials, including active shooter drills. Republican leaders have pledged to make school safety a key topic of next year’s legislative session and are also recommending additional spending on counselors and training. Northam is set to present his full budget plan to lawmakers next week. The new legislative session starts Jan. 9.
The mother of the women killed two summers ago at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville by James Fields Junior says Heather Heyer’s death is part of the ongoing Civil Rights movement. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
The CEO of Google says his company creates search algorithms without regard to any political ideologies, but Roanoke Congressman Bob Goodlatte and many other Republicans sounded less than convinced yesterday in Washington. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones.
Mark Herring
Its official – Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring says he’s going to run for governor. That from the Associated Press, after the Democrat told the Washington Post he’s planning to run in 2021. Virginia does not allow governors to seek consecutive terms, meaning current Gov. Ralph Northam cannot run for re-election. Herring became attorney general in 2014. He easily won re-election last year and has been a frequent critic of the president and a vocal supporter of same-sex marriage, immigrant-friendly policies, and stricter gun control. Other Democrats who may run for governor in 2011 include Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
Photo: Eileen Filler-Corn Twitter
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia House Democrats have picked Del. Eileen Filler-Corn to be their new leader, a move that could help pave the way for her to become the state’s first female House speaker. House Democrats announced Saturday they had elected Filler-Corn to replace House Minority Leader David Toscano. He had recently announced plans to step down from a leadership position. Roanoke Delegate Sam Rasoul was among others who had expressed an interest in the position.
Democrats need to win two seats next year to claim a majority. The party has done well in recent Virginia elections thanks to voter antipathy toward President Donald Trump. An ongoing legal battle could also produce a Democrat-friendly legislative map for next year’s elections.
Filler-Corn is a director of government relations at a lobbying and consulting firm and lives in Northern Virginia.