State and National Government
Governor Youngkin’s proposed state gas tax moratorium died Wednesday in Richmond when it failed to get out of a Democratic-controlled Senate committee. The governor had proposed suspending the 26-cent tax this summer for 90 days. But Youngkin says he remains hopeful some form of a gas tax moratorium will become part of a new state budget once lawmakers can agree upon one. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
(From Kimberly Lowe Twitter)
Potential 9th District Republican Congressional candidate Kimberly Lowe went to a Federal Court in Richmond today, requesting it give power to the Virginia Department of Elections to intercede “when a party commits fraud to prevent ballot access.” Lowe tells WFIR she has enough valid signatures to run against Morgan Griffith in the June primary. The Franklin County resident claims that Virginia code allows for the nominee to lose ballot access is fraud is proven – if true, that could make Kimberly Lowe the Republican party 9th District nominee in November. We have reached out to the district GOP party chair for comment; Adam Tolbert threw out more than 500 of Lowe’s signatures last week, meaning Lowe did not reach the 1000 signature minimum.
Roanoke City Council will appoint someone to fill Robert Jeffrey Jr.’s seat on Monday. WFIR’s Ian Price has more.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A bill that will require Virginia schools to notify parents if their children are assigned books or other materials with sexually explicit content was among more than 100 measures Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law this week, his office said Friday.
Youngkin held up the measure as part of an effort to fulfill a campaign pledge to empower parents’ involvement in their children’s education.
In a statement, he said he was pleased to sign it into law, “along with many other bipartisan bills that will enhance education, improve public safety, provide tax relief, and make government work better for the people of Virginia.”
The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, was one of Youngkin’s legislative priorities. It tasks the Department of Education with developing model policies for parental notification and making them available to school boards by July 31. Each school board must adopt the policies by Jan. 1, 2023, according to the measure, which uses a definition of sexually explicit content that already exists in state law. It also requires that students be given an alternative assignment at a parent’s request.
Democrats who objected to the bill argued that it smacked of censorship and that valuable pieces of literature would be targeted. Supporters emphasized that no books were being banned or censored and that the bill simply allows parents to be notified of explicit materials.
The measure cleared the Democrat-controlled Senate after two moderate Democrats joined with Republicans to advance it. It passed the GOP-controlled House on a party-line vote.
Youngkin faces an action deadline next week for measures passed during this year’s regular session of the General Assembly. Youngkin can sign or veto bills or send them back to lawmakers with proposed amendments. He has vetoed only one so far, according to the online legislative information system — a local policing oversight measure that involved only Arlington County.
Among the other measures the governor signed into law this week:
— A bill extending for at least two years the ability for dining establishments to sell cocktails to go. That flexibility was initially offered as a way to help businesses struggling with the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
— A bill permitting hunting on public land on Sundays, as long as it takes place more than 200 yards (180 meters) from a place of worship.
— A series of animal welfare bills proposed in the wake of violations uncovered at a Cumberland County dog-breeding facility.
Virginia lawmakers return to Richmond today for a special session, one that Governor Youngkin called mainly to pass a two-year state budget. Democrats and Republicans have not been able to agree on how much money the state should spend — or how much some taxes might be reduced. Among the items on the table: a proposal to suspend Virginia’s 26-cent-a-gallon gas tax for three months. Youngkin estimates his plan would mean more than $400 million in lost revenue, but he says Virginia has more than $14 billion more on hand than previously projected. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin today announced that Virginia’s unemployment rate fell to 3.2% in February while total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 21,300 jobs. The Commonwealth’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.2% is 1.4 percentage points below the rate from a year ago. The labor force increased by 14,138 to 4,291,990, as the number of unemployed residents decreased by 3,330 to 136,004. The number of employed residents rose by 17,468 to 4,155,986. Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continues to be below the national rate, which fell from 4.0 to 3.8 percent.
Governor Glenn Youngkin spoke to students at Liberty University this morning, where he said a culture of extreme partisan politics is not ideal. Youngkin did work in a few campaign themes from 2021 – like parent’s choice on mask wearing and how issues regarding race should be taught in public schools. He also advocated for a tax cut during the General Assembly special session that convenes on April 4th.
