State and National Government
There will no legislation to start allowing retail sales of recreational marijuana later this year in Virginia – General Assembly House Republicans today killed legislation intended to do that, arguing that there is not enough time to craft the complex legislation. They promised to address it next year. A Democrat-majority Senate proposal that would have started sales this fall by medical providers and hemp processors was the only viable bill on the topic put forth. Adult possession is currently legal in Virginia but there’s no way to buy recreational marijuana.
Ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, Virginia’s Governor is offering the countries leader some advice. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Ed Lynch- Hollins U. photo
A former member of the Reagan White House team and the Political Science department chair at Hollins University says Russian president Vladimir Putin is likely to roll those tanks and troops further than the two eastern Ukraine provinces. The story from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s hefty legislative agenda has been dealt a series of expected blows in the first half of the General Assembly session by the Democrat-controlled Senate. The chamber has voted down close to 20 of the Republican’s priority bills on education reform, tax cuts, and labor law. But the newly inaugurated governor maintains an optimistic view of what’s possible before the legislature finishes its work. In an interview this week with The Associated Press, he emphasized that since his priorities cleared the GOP-controlled House by a legislative midpoint deadline, there’s still time to find a compromise with the Senate. He says he sees “a ton of momentum” across his agenda.
Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.)
Before he headed to Germany yesterday to meet with European allies about the crisis on the Ukraine-Russia border, US Senator Mark Warner – chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee – spoke about the type of sanctions that might have an impact. More from WFIR’s Gene Marrano:
With the General Assembly half-way through this year’s session, our political analyst says Governor Youngkin has learned in a hurry that achieving results in Richmond has required some quick adjustments. You may remember that as soon as he was inaugurated, Youngkin issued a series of Executive Orders aimed at fulfilling campaign promises, and that immediately raised the ire of Democrats who still control the State Senate. Virginia Tech Professor and WFIR Political Analyst Bob Denton says Youngkin has quickly adapted in efforts to gain sufficient support for passage of at least some of his key goals. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
Photo: David Suetterlein Facebook
For the third time in as many years, the Virginia Senate has passed legislation that would make public the votes of Virginia’s powerful Parole Board. Roanoke County Republican Senator David Suetterlein’s Bill number 5 passed the Senate today with the highest level of bipartisan support yet and now heads to the Republican-controlled House of Delegates. The legislation would make the actions of the Parole Board public and bring their reporting procedures in line with other Virginia government boards. Eighteen of the 21 Senate Democrats joined all of the chamber’s Republicans in supporting the bill’s final passage.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has apologized after mistaking one Black legislator for another in a text message. Youngkin issued the apology after Sen. Louise Lucas called attention to the mistake on Twitter. She noted that she received a text message from Youngkin congratulating her for a floor speech connected to Black History Month. But it was another African American woman, Mamie Locke, who gave the speech, not Lucas.
On Friday, Lucas sent out a tweet with pictures of herself and Locke, saying, “Study the photos and you will get this soon!” Lucas told The Washington Post that she initially planned to keep Youngkin’s gaffe private but reconsidered after a bitter debate between Youngkin, a Republican, and Senate Democrats over their refusal to confirm former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler as the state’s Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources.
When Lucas responded privately to Youngkin’s text message earlier in the week informing him of the mistaken identity, Youngkin responded with an apology, according to the Post: “Goodness … so sorry about the confusion,” he wrote in a text response. “I will send her a note. Thanks for the note back!” His office issued a public apology on Friday after the mistake became public, telling news outlets: “I had the floor speeches on while doing too many things at once earlier this week. I made a mistake and I apologized to Senator Lucas.”
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — On a bipartisan vote, a Virginia Senate committee has approved a compromise measure that would repeal part of the sales tax on groceries. The proposal doesn’t go as far as Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin has called for — a full repeal of both the state and local portions of the tax. But it would end the 1% that the state collects and the .5% that funds transportation, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported late Thursday.
The measure that passed 13-2 would also exempt menstrual products from the sales tax. It wouldn’t repeal a 1% local option tax that goes to local governments. The measure needs to clear the Senate floor before it heads to the Republican-controlled House.
Other pieces of the governor’s tax agenda are not advancing in the Senate, which is under Democratic control. A proposal to reduce the state gas tax for 12 months was defeated 12-4, the newspaper reported. And the Senate finance committee previously sent a proposal to double the standard deduction on income tax to a study.
Pieces of Youngkin’s tax agenda are also advancing in the House. The two chambers will have to eventually reach a compromise to send legislation to the governor.