State and National Government
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is promising sweeping changes to the state’s criminal justice reforms that include decriminalizing marijuana, softening the penalties for people caught stealing smaller-dollar items, and reducing the number of Virginians whose driver’s licenses are suspended.
Northam, a Democrat, said at a news conference in Richmond Friday that he’s backing an overhaul of the state’s criminal justice reform that he said would make it more “equitable” and “compassionate.”
He wants to do away with criminal charges for people caught possessing marijuana and instead implement a $50 fine. Northam also wants to raise state’s felony theft threshold from $500 to $1,000 and reducing the number of crimes whose punishments include driver’s license suspensions.
The 2020 legislative session starts next week. Democrats are set to have complete control of the Statehouse for the first time in more than two decades.
Northam’s proposal is likely to face pushback from Republicans, who have pointed to the state’s low crime and recidivism rates as proof that the current criminal justice system is working.
2020 is just around the corner, and with it, the start of the presidential caucus and primary season. Virginia Tech Political Science Professor Bob Denton says whoever wins the Democratic party’s nomination will have to convince many voters the economy is not as strong as the numbers suggest. WFIR’s Evan Jones has the story:
Photo: AOC.gov
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said Monday that he will push for legislation replacing Virginia’s statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee housed in the United States Capitol.
The governor filed a drafting request for a bill that would outline the process for removing the statue — one of Virginia’s two in the National Statuary Hall Collection — and selecting a replacement, Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said. The disclosure from Northam’s office came in response to questions about a letter from two Democratic members of Congress that called on Northam to make replacing the statue part of his agenda for the legislative session that begins next month.
“As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but also confront our history,” U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton and A. Donald McEachin wrote in a letter released Monday. “As part of this responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history by raising up the voices, stories, and memories of minorities and people of color.”
Yarmosky said Northam’s office had previously discussed the issue with McEachin and Wexton’s offices “and we look forward to continuing to work with them and all others who are committed to making Virginia open, inclusive, and equitable.”
She said additional details about the legislation would be announced later.
The National Statuary Hall Collection consists of 100 statues, two each from all 50 states, that honor notable people in their history. Virginia’s other statue is of George Washington.
“Virginia’s decision to donate the statue of Lee was a part of a national
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Gov. Ralph Northam’s office said Monday that he will push for legislation replacing Virginia’s statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee housed in the United States Capitol.
The governor filed a drafting request for a bill that would outline the process for removing the statue — one of Virginia’s two in the National Statuary Hall Collection — and selecting a replacement, Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said. The disclosure from Northam’s office came in response to questions about a letter from two Democratic members of Congress that called on Northam to make replacing the statue part of his agenda for the legislative session that begins next month.
“As Virginians, we have a responsibility to not only learn from but also confront our history,” U.S. Reps. Jennifer Wexton and A. Donald McEachin wrote in a letter released Monday. “As part of this responsibility, we must strive for a more complete telling of history by raising up the voices, stories, and memories of minorities and people of color.”
Yarmosky said Northam’s office had previously discussed the issue with McEachin and Wexton’s offices “and we look forward to continuing to work with them and all others who are committed to making Virginia open, inclusive, and equitable.”
She said additional details about the legislation would be announced later.
The National Statuary Hall Collection consists of 100 statues, two each from all 50 states, that honor notable people in their history. Virginia’s other statue is of George Washington.
“Virginia’s decision to donate the statue of Lee was a part of a national effort to rewrite the history of the South’s secession and rehabilitate the image of Confederate leaders,” said a press release from Wexton’s office.
Wexton and McEachin’s letter mentioned a number of Virginians who “would better represent our Commonwealth in the U.S. Capitol,” including civil rights lawyer Oliver Hill and educator and orator Booker T. Washington.
The two noted that other states have recently reconsidered their representation in the collection. Florida, for instance, recently replaced its statue of Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith with one of civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune.
Virginia’s Junior Senator says the Christmas season shows why the U.S. should be accepting of refugees. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Some experts say growth in the economy gives President Trump a good chance at reelection in 2020. WFIR’s Ian Price asked an economics and public policy professor how much credit Trump should get:
Virginia’s K-12 education budget proposal is being hailed as a historic investment. But teachers’ groups claim the plan doesn’t provide school staff members with a living wage. WFIR’s Ian Price has more:
Rep. Morgan Griffith
Congressman Morgan Griffith says the nation’s FISA court needs to do more than write a letter condemning FBI misconduct. Griffith wants the court to impose sanctions on those people deemed responsible for misleading it. He says that would be far more effective as a future deterrent. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
This comes after the court’s presiding judge publicly criticized some top FBI officials for numerous abuses of the process involving applications to surveil the Trump campaign. Congress established the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to help investigate foreign threats. Griffith says the court should impose sanctions on those people deemed responsible for misleading it. He says that would be far more effective as a future deterrent than a letter. Griffith also expect Congress to consider revisions to the FISA Act in the future.
