State and National Government
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine has ended speculation. Continue reading
Rep. Morgan Griffith
“Cleaner” legislation and a century-old rule back in place as a budget cutting tool. Both were concessions a local Republican Congressman says he and fellow Freedom Caucus members wanted in place before voting “yes” for Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House last week. Morgan Griffith spoke with WFIR’s Gene Marrano this week:
Democratic lawmakers in Richmond say Governor Youngkin can make all the budget proposals he wants, but there are stark differences on how much of Virginia’s budget surplus should be spent — and how much should go into tax cuts. The Youngkin administration is forecasting a $3.6 billion budget surplus for the current fiscal year, and the governor proposes $1 billion in personal and corporate tax cuts. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Governor Youngkin’s State of the Commonwealth again stressed one of the issues widely credited for is election 14 months ago — education and parental rights. As WFIR’s Evan Jones reports, some of his proposals are likely to gain bipartisan support, but certainly not all:
State lawmakers begin this year’s General Assembly session Wednesday and as it gets underway, retired Virginia Tech Professor and WFIR Political Analyst Bob Denton expects a mix of bipartisan cooperation on some issues — and plenty of political positioning on others ahead of November’s legislative elections. Denton says lawmakers can agree on some tax cuts, along with increased state spending for education, mental health and workforce development. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Joe McNamara
The General Assembly session the convenes in Richmond tomorrow will be bi-partisan by necessity – with each party controlling a chamber. A Salem-based delegate talks about this year’s “short session” and what’s on his agenda, as WFIR’s Gene Marrano reports:
Photo: David Suetterlein Facebook
State lawmakers return to Richmond Wednesday for this year’s General Assembly session, and among the many proposals to be considered is one from a local lawmaker regarding minors’ online privacy. Republican State Senator David Suettlerlein has authored a bill that would ensure that tech companies cannot collect, trade or sell online material from anyone under 18 without informed parental consent. The State Senate is Democratic-controlled and Suetterlein is a Republican, but he has been able to see many of his bills in recent years receive sufficient bipartisan agreement for passage, and he believes he will find similar support for this proposal. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
