Governor Glenn Youngkin on Monday night finished acting on the more than 1,000 bills passed by Virginia lawmakers during the 2024 legislative session, signing nearly 800 bills into law.
In total, Youngkin signed 777 bills into law. The governor made amendments to an additional 116 bills, sending them back to lawmakers for further review, and vetoed 153.
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A March poll of Virginia Republicans found Lt. Governor Winsome Sears is the current favorite candidate to succeed Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2025, with Attorney General Jason Miyares currently behind by more than 25 points.
The Cyngal pollsters claim Sears “holds an impressive 28-point advantages over Miyares on the governor’s ballot,” with 43.5 percent of support from Republicans. While Miyares had a distant 15.8 percent of support, a decisive 40.7 percent of those polled said they remain undecided.
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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares celebrated a victory on Friday after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) halted the enforcement of its new climate changes rules for publicly traded businesses that were imposed by the Biden administration.
The coalition of 25 attorneys general originally sued the Biden administration to block SEC rule changes that require publicly listed businesses report what the government considers climate change risks. A press release from the attorney general notes companies would be forced to “release a plan to adapt to climate agenda recommendations” under the proposed rules.
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Though lawmakers applied pressure to the governor this week by publicly calling on him to act, companion bills creating a Prescription Drug Affordability Board for Virginia were conspicuously missing from the list of 150 bills he signed on Thursday evening.
The Senate bill, introduced by veteran Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, is meant to reduce the price of expensive medications for Virginians. SB 274 would authorize an appointed board to restrict what the state and other payers pay manufacturers for certain drug products in the commonwealth. Those medications are then sold to wholesale distributors, government purchasers, or pharmacy benefit managers, next to pharmacies, and finally, to the consumer.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin has just days to act on a bill that would legalize controversial skill games, which are often compared to slot machines, before lawmakers return to Richmond on April 17.
Lawmakers last month approved the legislation to authorize and tax skill games machines throughout the commonwealth, which proponents ague are distinct from gambling because the outcome is partially determined by a player’s skill. Critics argue they are functionally the same as slot machines.
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Virginia agricultural producers may stand to receive more funding from the Department of Agriculture’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program, as the organization announced another $1.5 billion is available for eligible conservation and climate projects throughout the country.
The program looks to help producers implement “climate-smart agriculture,” or farming practices that replenish natural resources and minimize climate change. This latest tranche of funding comes from the Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, which the Biden administration has dubbed the “largest climate investment in history.”
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Governor Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday announced a veto of legislation that would have mandated “environmental literacy” education across the commonwealth’s schools.
The governor vetoed HB 1088, which would have mandated the Virginia Board of Education to create or purchase “instructional materials on climate change and environmental literacy that are based on and include peer-reviewed scientific sources.”
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Governor Glenn Youngkin was accused of using his veto power to “punish” Democratic lawmakers who contributed to the defeat of his plans to build an arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals in Alexandria, Virginia.
After Youngkin vetoed Democratic-led bills to enact a $15 per hour minimum wage and regulate the legal sale of marijuana in the commonwealth, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) suggested the governor is using his veto to punish his political opponents but conceded to 13 News Now, “Nothing that [Youngkin] did was unexpected.”
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Governor Glenn Youngkin on Friday vetoed bills to regulate marijuana and raise the minimum wage, which were positioned by Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly as possible bargaining chips in negotiations to build an arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals in Alexandria, Virginia.
The arena project was officially pronounced dead last week, when Monumental Sports and Entertainment announced a deal with Washington, D.C. to stay in the nation’s capitol for decades on Wednesday.
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Representative Bob Good (R-VA-05) stated on Saturday that voters in his congressional district “could care less” about a recent endorsement received by his primary challenger, State Senator John McGuire (R-Goochland), framing his opponent’s supporters as “establishment moderates.”
Good told cable news outlet CNN he was unfazed by the recent endorsement of McGuire by Representative Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03), who recently endorsed the Republican’s primary challenger.
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Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed bills Thursday that would have raised Virginia’s minimum wage to $13.50 per hour in 2025 and $15 in 2026.
The companion bills were among the first to be prefiled by General Assembly Democrats, indicating their status as high-priority legislation.
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Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday vetoed legislation that would have created a state-regulated market for recreational marijuana sales.
The Old Dominion currently permits qualified patients to secure marijuana for medical purposes and in 2021 legalized its use and cultivation by residents aged 21 and older, though it has not yet approved a framework for legal retail sales, according to The Hill. The measure would have set up the process to permit the market to open in May of 2025 and set up a maximum tax rate of 11.625%, the Associated Press reported.
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Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares on Wednesday blamed the Biden administration for “refusing to fix” the illegal immigration crisis after two illegal immigrants were arrested for sex crimes against children in the commonwealth.
The attorney general made remarks about the illegal immigration crisis following the arrest of Isauro Garcia Cruz and Renzo Mendoza Montes, who are both illegal immigrants accused of crimes against children.
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Wildlife conservationists say that a recent uptick in deaths of these endangered whales corresponds with the development of offshore wind projects that are part of President Joe Biden’s climate agenda.
A coalition of conservative groups has filed a lawsuit against federal agencies and their top officials and the company planning to build what is expected to be the world’s largest offshore wind project.
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Virginia is beginning to experience some of the impacts from the cargo ship crash that brought down Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, closing a vital shipping lane leading to one of the eastern seaboard’s busiest ports.
Shortly after on Thursday, Gov. Glenn Youngkin offered to assist neighboring Maryland. Within hours, the commonwealth’s ports were already preparing to absorb some of the diverted shipping traffic.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin on took action regarding 67 pieces of legislation Tuesday, with a number of gun control bills vetoed, amended or signed by the governor.
Youngkin said in a statement his actions represent a balance between advancing public safety and “protecting the right of law-abiding Virginians to keep and bear arms.”
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Democratic leaders from the Virginia General Assembly held a press conference on Monday to discuss the state of negotiations to pass a budget for the commonwealth, raising claims about the governor’s behavior and aptitude during the negotiations.
Various Democratic leaders declared themselves the “adults in the room” during budget negotiations, claimed Governor Glenn Youngkin lacks political aptitude and accused his administration of acting like “spoiled brats” while refusing to respect the separation of powers.
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Following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is offering assistance to the state of Maryland.
The bridge spans over the Patapsco River and supports part of I-695, one of the major arteries around Baltimore.
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The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Friday the conviction of Democratic activist and former congressional candidate Derickson Lawrence of fraud charges related lies he told to obtain over $25,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and the misuse of over $230,000 entrusted to his company to process another firm’s payroll.
Despite his business operating in Virginia, Lawrence ran in the Democratic Party primary to represent New York’s 16th Congressional district in 2018, ultimately losing to former Representative Eliot Engel.
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Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly are reportedly working on plans to build a new facility for the Washington Capitals and Wizards in Fairfax County after the defeat of proposed legislation to build the arena in Alexandria.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Fairfax) pitched a plan to use the money from a new casino in Fairfax County to build an arena, according to The Washington Post. Surovell’s plan reportedly has the support of the company seeking to build the casino, as well as political consultant Ben Tribbett, who the outlet reported also works for Senator L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth).
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After months of research and investigation into what it would look like to build a small modular nuclear reactor in Southwest Virginia, Gov. Glenn Youngkin revealed the region may not be selected for Virginia’s first SMR after all.
“There may be other places around Virginia that may be better suited for the first one,” Youngkin said. “We’re looking at places across the commonwealth. I do firmly believe that Virginia will be the first state to have a small modular reactor in a commercial fashion.”
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Governor Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday announced that he vetoed 22 crime bill passed by Democrats in the Virginia General Assembly that he said “would have undermined public safety” in the commonwealth.
Youngkin confirmed the 22 vetoes in a press release announcing action on 60 bills. In addition to the vetoes, Youngkin signed 36 bills into law and made amendments to two.
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Virginia State Senator L. Louise Lucas acknowledged in a Tuesday interview that Governor Glenn Youngkin could veto the budget proposed by lawmakers, but nonetheless insisted any compromise that would fund the creation of the Potomac Yards arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals is a “non-starter.”
In her Tuesday interview with WTOP News, she acknowledged Youngkin’s remarks indicating “he may have to veto the budget,” calling it “his prerogative.” Still, she pledged, “at no point will I ever be in a position to say I am going to commit state tax dollars for an arena that’s going to benefit billionaires,” calling it “a non-starter for me.”
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A Monday report suggests Governor Glenn Youngkin could veto legislation legalizing skill games throughout the commonwealth as a casualty of his fight to build the Potomac Yards arena and bring the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards to Virginia.
Noting the governor’s comments last week declaring Democrats’ vision for Virginia is “let’s tax everybody as high as we possibly can, let’s put a pot shop on every corner, and let’s put a slot machine in every 7/11,” the Washington Post reported the controversial skill games bill could be vetoed due to its association with State Senator L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth).
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A lawsuit brought by religious and faith-based organizations against Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares was settled on Monday, with the parties forming a settlement that drops a requirement for the groups to hire non-Christians.
The conclusion of Cavalry Road Baptist Church v. Miyares was announced by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), whose attorneys represented two Virginia churches, three Christian schools and a pregnancy center network.
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Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin reportedly encouraged voters on Wednesday to consider delivering their 2024 mail-in ballots directly to a post office as the United States Postal Service (USPS) continues to suffer unexplained delays and disappearances of mail.
McEachin made the remarks to 6 News Richmond when discussing a new investigation into the USPS issues in Richmond. She was asked about the mail-in ballots after suggesting the problems with mail delivery could be placed highly within the postal service.
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A bipartisan group of lawmakers from Virginia are shedding light on mail delivery service in the commonwealth, with the Richmond Regional Processing and Distribution Center under audit from the U.S. Postal Service inspector general.
The distribution center has been plagued with delays and disruptions, leading to veterans having to wait weeks to receive medication. The lawmakers authored a letter to the IG to highlight the issues ahead of an anticipated report and recommendation.
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Virginia has taken in more than 650 refugees from Afghanistan in the past five months as that nation continues to reel after President Joe Biden’s 2021 withdrawal of American troops.
According to a report on refugee resettlement from October 2023 through February, 655 Afghanis now call Virginia home. That is the most of any country of origin for the 1,295 refugees recently resettled in Virginia.
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The biennial budget proposed by Virginia lawmakers contains a provision that would forbid the commonwealth from conducting an audit of the 2024 presidential results in November.
While Virginia law mandates a “risk-limiting audit” be administered after every presidential election, an amendment proposed by the General Assembly seeks to declare, “a risk-limiting audit of a presidential election or an election for the nomination of candidates for the office of President shall not be conducted.”
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The Right on Transparency coalition is asking five states to stop restricting public records requests based on residency.
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Tennessee and Virginia all are known to restrict records requests based upon residency. The coalition has published model policy to change those laws.
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A Democrat in the Virginia General Assembly claims Governor Glenn Youngkin has refused efforts to bargain his Potomac Yards arena for the Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals.
Youngkin’s office reportedly told State Senator Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville) that the governor has no interest in signing legislation that would create a legal market for marijuana in the commonwealth, even though Virginia legalized the drug in 2021.
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Governor Glenn Youngkin twice referred to the budget proposed by the Virginia General Assembly as “backward” in remarks made Monday, setting the stage for a showdown with Democratic lawmakers in April.
Youngkin first said the commonwealth’s lawmakers created a “backward budget” in a post to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
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Police in Fairfax County are reportedly refusing a request by Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard to reissue ceremonial police academy graduation documents after they were signed in Chinese. English was declared the “official language of the Commonwealth” in 1996.
The graduation certificates were signed by Major Wilson Lee of the Fairfax County Police Criminal Justice Academy, who according to NBC 4 Washington is Chinese-American. Lee has reportedly held the position for more than a year, but the outlet explained the Herndon Police Department only recently received its first batch of new graduates from the academy since Lee began his tenure.
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Students at Roanoke College will soon be able to major in “cannabis studies.”
The private Virginia college will begin offering a major and minor this upcoming semester.
Program Director DorothyBelle Poli told The College Fix via email that majors can “go directly into the industry as growing/analysis scientists” or “as business owners with more knowledge (most likely double majoring in business at this time).”
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Governor Glenn Youngkin on Friday acted on more than 80 bills approved by the Virginia General Assembly. In total, the governor signed 64 new bills into law, amended 12 and vetoed eight.
Youngkin called the 64 bills he signed into law “bipartisan” and “a clear demonstration of what can be achieved when we set politics aside and work together for Virginians” in a statement.
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Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Friday banning legacy admissions at public colleges in the state.
Several states have moved to eliminate legacy admissions, which are admissions based on prior familial attendance to a school, after the fall of race-based admissions at the Supreme Court in June 2023. The bill passed the Virginia Senate with bipartisan support, 39-0, and passed the state’s House of Delegates 99-0, and has now been signed by Youngkin.
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Despite Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s best efforts to promote the $2 billion entertainment district deal he announced in December, the General Assembly isn’t buying it.
The House of Delegates and state Senate released their negotiated proposed budget on Thursday, and it didn’t include funding for the “Glenn Dome.”
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Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Sears on Thursday reportedly declined to endorse former President Donald Trump when asked by reporters in a move just hours after Governor Glenn Youngkin formally announced his endorsement for the former president.
Sears was apparently asked about a potential Trump endorsement while walking to the Virginia Senate, and reporter Graham Moomaw reported she replied, “Everyone has to make their own decision.”
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A poll of Virginia Republicans released Tuesday shows the majority would be less likely to support Governor Glenn Youngkin in the future if he does not veto a bill expanding a federal drug program which makes funding available for hospitals to provide care for illegal immigrants.
The Tyson Group poll asked Virginia Republicans if they would be more or less likely to support Youngkin in the future “if he strengthened a program that subsidizes healthcare for illegal immigrants?”
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Another Virginia Democrat suggested Governor Glenn Youngkin will need to approve a partisan bill that would allow the commercial sale of marijuana in order to secure key support for a bill to fund the construction of an arena for the Washington Wizards and Washington Commanders in Potomac Yards.
Virginia Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) told Axios on Tuesday that he has “been very clear” with Youngkin, and explained, “if the governor would like the arena, that cannabis has to be part of the discussion.”
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A former postal carrier for the United States Postal Service (USPS) pleaded guilty on Friday to stealing hundreds of pieces of mail in an episode that may explain part of the delivery issues that prompted a bipartisan response from Virginia’s federal representatives.
Former USPS postal carrier Wendy Lawrence of Richmond, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ), stole hundreds of pieces of mail from “over 180 victims.” She then removed “gift cards, checks, and other items of value” and used the information to engage in other criminal activity.
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The Virginia General Assembly approved a unified bill that would legalize controversial skill games throughout the commonwealth on Friday. Critics, who argue the devices would institutionalize gambling throughout Virginia, have called for Governor Glenn Youngkin to veto the bill.
After the Virginia House of Delegates and State Senate passed wildly differing versions of legislation to legalize skill games, the General Assembly agreed on combined legislation that limits bars and other places that sell liquor to four machines and truck stops to 10 machines. Lawmakers also seek to impose a 25 percent tax rate on proceeds generated by the machines.
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Former President Donald Trump made a campaign stop in Richmond ahead of Virginia’s presidential primary, taking his aim at the November election and President Joe Biden.
The rally marked Trump’s second stop after speaking in North Carolina earlier in the day. The former president vowed to “make a big play for Virginia” come November.
Despite the Super Tuesday matchup only days away, Trump appeared to have moved past the primaries, failing to mention former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley by name.
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The right to serve as law enforcement shouldn’t belong solely to U.S. citizens, but also to individuals who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, according to Senate Bill 69.
The legislation passed the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate.
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A University of Virginia professor on Monday canceled her class to support a walkout on campus timed to coincide with voting on a student referendum calling on the school to divest from companies with ties to Israel.
“I’m writing to let you know that I am canceling class today in solidarity with the ‘Yes on Divest Walkout’ that the UVA Apartheid Divest Coalition organized. I realize this issue is polarizing right now, so I want to take a moment to let you know why I made this choice,” Christa Robbins, an associate professor of art history at UVA, wrote in a Monday email to students, reported the Daily Caller, which obtained a copy of the memo.
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Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin reportedly offered Senator L. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) more than $300 million in toll relief for Hampton Roads in exchange for her approval for the Potomac Yards Arena to be built for the Washington Commanders and Wizards to move to the commonwealth, according to a Tuesday report.
The governor and his office “have privately pitched a $322 million plan for toll relief in Hampton Roads,” according to The Richmond Times-Dispatch, which reported the offer the Youngkin administration privately outlined the offer to lawmakers, and noted the total is more than three times the $92 million plan requested by Lucas.
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A spokesman for Governor Glenn Youngkin expressed “serious concerns” about both bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly to allow skill games in convenience stores and bars throughout the commonwealth, citing a series of potential issues with the legislation in a statement provided to The Virginia Star.
The administration’s concern about skill games comes amid calls to veto the legislation, and as The Star publisher John Fredericks warns that inaction by the governor could be a “presidential killer” should Youngkin run for the White House in 2028.
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The Virginia General Assembly is considering a bill that would see taxpayers spend millions to help companies build infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) in “distressed” parts of the commonwealth.
HB 107 by Delegate Rip Sullivan Jr. (D-Arlington) passed in the House of Delegates with 71 votes in favor on February 8, and most recently advanced through the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor on February 19.
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Rich Goszka, a staff representative with the Southern States Police Benevolent Association, sent a letter to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin and members of the Virginia General Assembly urging the opposition of any attempts that aim to legalize skill games.
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The Virginia Senate narrowly passed a bill on Friday that would legalize assisted suicide in the commonwealth, with one Republican joining the chamber’s Democrats to pass the legislation in a narrow victory.
SB 280, introduced by Senator Ghazala Hashmi (D-Richmond), would allow any Virginia citizen who is diagnosed with a terminal disease to “request” a doctor to “prescribe a self-administered controlled substance for the purpose of ending the patient’s life,” according to a summary of the bill.
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