VISUALIZATION: THE LIMITS OF PROPORTIONALITY

Rules adopted by House Republicans two decades ago – and affirmed by House Democrats this year – are intended to prevent the majority party from stacking committees with its own members. But there's no way to protect the minority from the rules of math. This visual shows how the rules give Democrats, who hold a five-seat majority in the 100-seat chamber, an overwhelming advantage at the subcommittee level.

PAROLE PUSH IN VA. STIRS DEBATE

Gov. Ralph Northam's push to reinstate some forms of parole in Virginia is stirring anger among crime victims and prompting dire warnings from Republicans about the danger of letting criminals go free. Twenty-five years after the state did away with the practice of releasing prisoners who had served a portion of their sentence, thousands of inmates could be eligible to get out under bills making their way through the Democratically controlled General Assembly.

ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS, DOMINION, BUSINESS ADVOCATES SEEK DEAL ON RENEWABLE ENERGY, CARBON EMISSIONS

Legislation to boost renewable energy production in the state and force electric utilities to wind down carbon emissions is working its way through the General Assembly, and precarious negotiations between environmental groups and the state’s utilities continued into the weekend. The bill, introduced by Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, would set renewable energy production targets for electric utilities like Dominion Energy to meet, with a final target of 100% by 2050.

PUBLIC SCHOOL ADVOCATES PRESS LEGISLATORS ON SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION ‘PRIORITY’

State legislators say they want to make fixing Virginia’s crumbling public schools a “priority.” Last week at the Capitol, they heard a few bills proposing ideas for how the state can assist localities to upgrade or replace schools, some of which date to before World War I. They’ve become familiar with the stories about ceiling tiles falling, mold, rainwater leaking through roofs and into classrooms, and broken HVAC systems prompting schools to close for days at a time.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS HAVE 20-PLUS GAMING BILLS TO CONSIDER

This Thursday marks the midway point of this year’s 60-day General Assembly session, but more than 20 gaming bills have yet to make it onto the House or Senate floor for discussion or debate.

ONGOING POTOMAC AQUIFER WORRIES DRIVE WAVE OF NEW LAWS

From banning hydraulic fracturing in the eastern part of the state to restricting the water reserves from which certain wells can draw, lawmakers in both parties and both chambers this session are moving to protect Virginia’s vulnerable Potomac aquifer.

SOME PARENTS DEMAND FEWER SCREENS IN SCHOOLS

...Maryland health and education officials released guidelines on using digital devices in school that include reminding students to take eye and stretch breaks and that encourage educators to offer collaborative learning assignments on and off the devices. Virginia lawmakers are considering a similar proposal that would require the state to seek advice from medical professionals to set guidelines on the use of digital devices in schools.

HOW A REPUBLICAN’S PROPOSAL TO REMOVE A STATUE IN RICHMOND MAY HAVE BACKFIRED

A conservative Republican lawmaker, irked that Democrats might mess with Virginia's Confederate monuments, filed a bill that boiled down to a dare: If you want to take down statues, start with one of your own. House Bill 1305 calls for ridding Richmond’s Capitol Square of a 10-foot statue of Harry Flood Byrd, the former Democratic governor, U.S. senator, kingmaker — and segregationist — who dominated Virginia politics for 40 years.

BLOOMBERG CAMPAIGN MAKES FIRST LOUDOUN PITCH TO LEESBURG LEADERS

Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are getting most of the attention from almost all of the Democratic hopefuls in the 2020 presidential race, but Michael Bloomberg is looking beyond those contests. On Monday, his top campaign representative was in Leesburg laying the groundwork for a Virginia victory on Super Tuesday. Former Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter is the national political chairman of Bloomberg’s campaign. On Monday, he stopped in at the Leesburg Diner

VIRGINIA IS FALLING BEHIND ON ITS PROMISES TO HELP MORE INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES LIVE INDEPENDENTLY

Virginia is behind on its promises to help more people with intellectual or developmental disabilities live on their own instead of in large institutions or group homes, a new review shows. But for the lucky few who get the help they need to live in their own apartments, that independence is priceless.

STEELWORKERS UNION MARKS MEMBERSHIP MILESTONE AT SHIPYARD, SEEKS CLOUT.

After landing his dream job at Newport News Shipbuilding, Justin Bates went through employee orientation on January 8. He ended up making history. The day included a presentation from United Steelworkers Union Local 8888 about the benefits of becoming a dues-paying member of the labor organization. “I’ve been in jobs where I really wish there had been unions,” the 32-year-old Newport News resident said.

TRUCKERS IN HAMPTON ROADS FRUSTRATED WITH PAPERWORK, ELECTRONIC MONITORING AND LOW PROFITS

A “bloodbath” in America’s trucking industry last year is hitting home right here in Hampton Roads. The first half of 2019 saw about 640 carriers go out of business nationally, which was up from 175 for the same period in 2018 and more than double the number of company closures in all of that year, according to Broughton Capital LLC, a transportation industry data firm.

DULLES GREENWAY TOLL HIKES COULD BE COMING, BUT WITHOUT MORE VA. STATE OVERSIGHT

As even higher tolls are on the horizon for Virginia’s Dulles Greenway, pressure is mounting to rein in those hikes — but a move to do just that failed to get the needed support in Richmond on Thursday.

TRAFFIC, ROUGH ROADS COST AVERAGE NO. VA. DRIVER 102 HOURS, $2,600 A YEAR

A new study finds that the roads, and the traffic, in Northern Virginia are costing drivers nearly $2,600 a year apiece, and each driver sits in traffic for an average of 102 hours a year — and the money to fix the problems may be drying up for an unintended reason.

CONNECTED VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY COMING TO VIRGINIA

Drivers of select vehicles in Virginia are going to be part of the initial deployment of next-generation “Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything” technology. The technology (C-V2X) will be used on Northern Virginia roads with a focus on work-zone warnings and red-light signal phase transmissions, according to a news release last week from Qualcomm Technologies, which has partnered with Audi of America and the Virginia Department of Transportation to launch the program.

VA. TECH NAMES CORNELL DEAN TO BE FIRST CHIEF OF ITS INNOVATION CAMPUS

The campus that Virginia Tech plans for the Potomac riverfront, linking graduate education with high-tech industry, resembles a venture Cornell University built in New York for much the same purpose. Now, the public university is hiring a senior official from Cornell to lead what Virginia Tech calls the Innovation Campus — a $1 billion project in Alexandria near the site of the new Amazon headquarters in Northern Virginia.

RU MISSING TARTAN CASE: EDITOR REMAINS STEADFAST, ASKS FOR APOLOGY

Radford University concluded its investigation in November of the approximately 1,000 copies of the student newspaper that went missing from its campus last semester — but there remain some who are not satisfied. Dylan Lepore — a senior and The Tartan’s editor-in-chief — wrote as much in a letter sent to President Brian Hemphill and published on the paper’s website Thursday.

CROWD AT KENTUCKY CAPITOL GUN RALLY SAYS THE SECOND AMENDMENT IS UNDER ATTACK

The crowd was mostly men and mostly armed. Many were wearing camouflage. And their rally Friday had one central theme: Kentuckians would resist any attempts to chip away at their Second Amendment right to have guns.....“We see what’s happening in Virginia and we may say to ourselves, 'That won’t be us here in Kentucky,'” said state Rep. Savannah Maddox, a Republican.

EXHIBIT AT LIBRARY TELLS STORIES BEHIND RICHMOND'S SKY-HIGH EVICTION RATE

Housing lawyer Janae Craddock is a year and almost 100 cases in. In an ideal world, her position at Central Virginia Legal Aid Society wouldn’t be needed, she said, and Richmond wouldn’t have the second-highest eviction rate — 11.4% — among large U.S. cities. But that’s not the case. “It’s not just ‘you didn’t pay your rent,’” she continued. “There’s typically a story there. There’s typically a reason why.

BIG FLOODING FIXES COMING FOR VULNERABLE EASTERN SHORE DRIVE IN VIRGINIA BEACH

A $95 million plan to protect neighborhoods near the Lynnhaven Inlet, one of the areas most at risk of current and future flooding in Virginia Beach, is beginning to become a reality. On the east side of Shore Drive, largely south of the thoroughfare, the city plans to construct three new pump stations and make several other improvements, including the deepening and widening of the Cape Henry Canal and raising Lynnhaven Drive.

FRANKLIN COUNTY SAYS NO TO BANNING FLAG IMAGE

A Virginia school system will continue allowing students to wear clothing bearing Confederate battle flag images after officials rejected a proposed ban of the gear — angering some black families and plunging the small, majority-white district into a heated national debate. The Franklin County School Board in January rejected a proposal that sought to bar students from wearing the Confederate flag on school property.

NEARLY $800,000 GRANT PROMISES BROADBAND EXPANSION IN PATRICK COUNTY

Patrick County is one of 12 projects across Virginia that will benefit from $18.3 million in grants from the Virginia Telecommunication Initiative Gov. Ralph Northam recently announced a grant of $798,283 that Patrick County offices can to put toward broadband expansion — and do it quickly.

ANOTHER GENERAL ASSEMBLY VOTE TO PERPETUATE SCHOOL DISPARITY

Last week, General Assembly committees took two votes to perpetuate a system of unequal schools in Virginia. That’s not how the legislators on one side of the issue would describe those votes, but it seems a fair assessment nonetheless. First, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee punted until next year consideration of a constitutional amendment that would require “equal educational opportunities” across the state.

VEXIT IS A TERRIBLE IDEA

The Old Dominion has made a lot of national news recently. The General Assembly’s flip from red to blue is creating turmoil in a state once considered a Republican stronghold. From sweeping new gun restrictions and late-term abortion bills to ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, Virginians in conservative rural counties have been blindsided by the array of liberal legislation emanating from Richmond.

GIVE LOCALITIES CONTROL OVER THEIR MONUMENTS

All across the Old Dominion are reminders of the commonwealth’s role in the Civil War: statues of Confederate generals and generic Confederate soldiers, schools named for the leaders of the Confederacy, highways with names evocative of the Old South. And in 2020, 155 years after the Civil War ended at Appomattox Court House, people are still battling over the meaning and purpose of the conflict.

ONE YEAR SINCE SCANDAL, VIRGINIA LEADERS PRESS ON

The nation’s eyes turned to Richmond a year ago as one of the most shocking and bizarre scandals in Virginia’s long and storied history threatened to undo the three most powerful elected officials in the commonwealth. That those men — Gov. Ralph Northam, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Attorney General Mark Herring — remain in office speaks to the uncommon and nebulous circumstances of the revelations, their determination to weather the storm and a public that, for the most part, turned its attention elsewhere.

TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY WILL BRING LOCALITIES TOGETHER

For years the counties, cities and towns in the Richmond region worked singularly to find solutions to major challenges, seemingly unable or unwilling to cross municipal boundaries to forge ahead in common cause. Notable exceptions include the Greater Richmond Convention Center and the Richmond International Airport, which brought together localities in the interest of the greater regional good.

A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH

We hope you like numbers because we have more of them today – all courtesy of the state’s latest population estimates from the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service at the University of Virginia. These may just look like numbers on a spreadsheet, but they really tell a story. OK, maybe not a story as riveting as “Game of Thrones.” There are no dragons here, but there’s plenty of life and death and general upheaval.

WHAT THE POPULATION ESTIMATES TELL US

The census comes in April, and by year’s end we’ll have a whole new set of numbers to pore through from the official head count, but right now we have the next best thing: The state’s official population estimates. These are a lot more than guesswork. They’re based on actual data — birth records, death records, housing permits, and the like.

VIRGINIA SEEKS TO HARNESS PROMISE OF WIND POWER

This is getting serious. Ørsted came to town on Tuesday and signed a lease for a piece of the Portsmouth Marine Terminal that could introduce a new future for Hampton Roads. “This is a big step towards making Virginia a leader in wind energy and offshore wind manufacturing,” said Gov. Ralph Northam. “With the Port of Virginia at its helm, the Hampton Roads region has the trained workforce and the nautical know-how to become a vital hub for offshore wind development.” OK, let’s start with the basics. What’s an Ørsted?

RIP, MR. PEANUT. WE WERE NUTS ABOUT YOU

A Virginia icon is apparently gone, leaving his admirers shell-shocked. Mr. Peanut, a feisty 104-year-old, apparently succumbed heroically, saving the lives of Super Bowl ad co-stars Wesley Snipes and Matt Walsh after his NUTmobile went off a cliff. Millions have watched the teaser on YouTube and Twitter

CASEY: A TALE OF TWO POLITICIANS FEELING THE HEAT

Let’s consider two politicians under great public scrutiny of late. The first is state Del. Chris Hurst, D-Montgomery. Early Jan. 26, a Christiansburg police officer pulled over Hurst on the U.S. 460 Bypass after witnessing his car swerve multiple times. Hurst had been at a party in Roanoke. He admitted he’d been drinking. His girlfriend was in the car with him. Hurst agreed to take some roadside sobriety tests — those are optional for a driver, by the way. Police said he passed some of them.

DYKE: GROW AND DIVERSIFY EVERY REGION OF THE STATE

Just over four years ago, Virginia’s senior business leadership came together to launch the GO Virginia initiative to bring attention to the need to diversify the commonwealth’s ailing economy. The stark economic facts driving that push were barely known and rarely acknowledged at the time. Virginia’s historical reliance on federal spending has always provided a cushion against national economic downturns — supporting good jobs and keeping state revenues strong. That changed dramatically

Jim Dyke is a senior adviser with McGuireWoods Consulting and serves on the board of GO Virginia, a statewide initiative for growth and opportunity in every region.

KIMSEY: MEDICAID EXPANSION IS TRULY CHANGING — AND SAVING — LIVES

Over the past year, more than 383,000 Virginia adults have gained access to high-quality health coverage through the expansion of the Medicaid program, empowering them to get their flu shots, obtain insulin to control diabetes and seek treatment for cancer. My colleagues and I at Virginia’s Medicaid agency gain inspiration from the everyday, hardworking people who share their stories with us.

Karen Kimsey is director of the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services.

FINNERTY: SUPPORTING MEDICAID DENTAL BENEFITS WILL CLOSE A COVERAGE GAP

All of us have witnessed images that sear our hearts and remain with us. One that I experienced was seeing hundreds of people huddled together at 4:15 a.m., wrapped in blankets to stay warm in the cold mist of an Appalachian mountain morning. I remember seeing the haze of their collective breath silhouetted against a sidewalk light post.

Patrick Finnerty served as Virginia’s Medicaid director for eight years. He is currently a board member for Virginia Health Catalyst and the founder of PWF Consulting.

WATSON: VIRGINIA GAMING: REGULATIONS AND REVENUE

One of the Virginia General Assembly’s areas of focus for 2020 is gaming. Multiple gaming-related bills have been filed within the first couple weeks of this legislative session and range in topic from pari-mutuel wagering to the lottery. As our elected officials decide what form gaming will take in the state, they must address the explosion of “grey market” games in the commonwealth.

Arthur Watson III co-founded Castle Hill Gaming in 2013 as CFO. Castle Hill develops, leases and manages Class II Electronic Gaming Machines at Native American casinos, and has offices in Charlottesville and in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

LURIA AND ROSE: WHY WE VOTED AGAINST THE WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

The most consequential decision a member of Congress can make is whether to send troops into harm’s way, and it is one we take seriously and personally. We both served in the greater Middle East and saw the impact of these intractable conflicts on our fellow service members and their families. Our military personnel are our nation’s most valuable asset; we must not send them into unnecessary war.

Elaine Luria serves the 2nd District of Virginia in the U.S. Congress. She’s a Navy veteran. Max Rose serves New York’s 11th District in Congress. He’s a veteran of the U.S. Army.

BALA: NORTHAM'S CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM INCLUDES A CRUCIAL CHANGE FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS

Last month, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced a criminal justice reform agenda for the coming legislative session. The proposed reforms include marijuana decriminalization, parole reform, and increased support for public defenders. One item on the list that might be easy to miss but would make an enormous difference is raising the age of direct file from 14 to 16.

Bala is the Criminal Justice Associate Director at the R Street Institute and a former Baltimore assistant public defender.

MILLER: REGIONAL BRAND BOASTS GREAT POTENTIAL

A months-long initiative led by the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce and Reinvent Hampton Roads resulted in a recommendation that our area code become the new code for our area. It’s all about marketing the greater Hampton Roads region with a concise, precise, easily recognizable identifier — akin to the NOVA branding tool for Northern Virginia.

Scott D. Miller is president of Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach.

KOCH: CASINO ESTIMATIONS DESERVE CLOSER SCRUTINY

Anyone tuned into the political scene is aware that state and local officials are eyeing the additional tax revenues they believe casino gambling might bring to their cities and the commonwealth. No matter that the respected Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts program reviews and policy analyses for the General Assembly, reports that the economic impact of casino gambling might be very small.

James V. Koch is Board of Visitors Professor of Economics Emeritus and president emeritus at Old Dominion University.

MORSE: NO ACCIDENT NORTHAM SURVIVED SCANDAL

You will find an exuberant Gov. Ralph Northam in Richmond these days, confidant, purposeful and looking, well, fully renewed. He’s been that way for some time, it happens, having quickly bounced back from his near undoing. It’s been a year since an embarrassing photograph, which had sat for decades unnoticed — or, at least, unremarked upon — emerged from Northam’s medical school yearbook. The two pictured souls, whoever they are, earned infamy instantly.

After writing editorials for The Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot in the 1980s, Gordon C. Morse wrote speeches for Gov. Gerald L. Baliles, then spent nearly three decades working on behalf of corporate and philanthropic organizations

HAYMORE: RIGHT TO WORK IS GOOD FOR EMPLOYEES, BUSINESS INVESTMENT AND JOB CREATION IN VIRGINIA

From growing up in Pittsylvania County to my time serving three governors, I’ve witnessed the importance of Virginia being a right-to-work state and employees having a choice on whether or not they join a union. For example, my paternal grandfather spent almost 40 years working at Dan River Mills, a unionized textile operation. Despite that longevity, he never joined the union. He didn’t join because he simply wanted to work every day, without interruption, to provide for his family.

Todd P. Haymore is managing director of Hunton Andrews Kurth’s public affairs consultancy.

NADEAU, SAMIRAH AND STEWART: HOUSING DENSITY MATTERS FOR AFFORDABILITY AND THE CLIMATE

As elected officials from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland, we are responsible for addressing the needs of our region in a coordinated way. A shortage of available, safe and affordable homes continues to be one of the most pressing needs of all our constituents. This housing shortage has contributed to a rise in rents, encouraged suburban sprawl and exacerbated traffic and transit issues.

Brianne K. Nadeau, a Democrat, represents Ward 1 on the D.C. Council. Ibraheem Samirah, a Democrat, represents Fairfax County in the Virginia House of Delegates. Vaughn Stewart, a Democrat, represents Montgomery County in the Maryland House of Delegates

SILBERBERG: ALEXANDRIA SHOULD BE A LEADER IN GOVERNMENT ETHICS

Through the years, there has been talk but little action when it comes to ethics reform. Politicians of all stripes need to pass ethics reform and rebuild public trust by keeping interested money out of policy decisions. But it’s harder than it looks to change the way money influences our political process.

Allison Silberberg, a Democrat, is a former mayor and vice mayor of Alexandria