AT SENATE PANEL, A CLASH OVER THE COSTS OF SHIFTING AWAY FROM CARBON

The Virginia Clean Economy Act, the Democrats’ energy omnibus bill designed to achieve Gov. Ralph Northam’s goals of reducing Virginia’s carbon emissions to zero by 2050, sparked sharp questions from senators Sunday over how the costs of shifting away from carbon should be calculated. “You can’t do this stuff for free,” said a visibly irritated Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw, chair of the powerful Commerce and Labor Committee, at an unusual Sunday meeting designed to clear the Senate’s legislative decks before the crossover deadline Tuesday.

WHAT LAWMAKERS HAVE DONE — AND WHAT THEY’RE STILL DEBATING

With this year’s late start to the General Assembly and 40% more bills filed than in 2019, Tuesday’s “crossover” deadline — when the House and Senate are supposed to turn over their bills to the other body for consideration — is looming larger and more intimidating than ever. Despite the new Democratic majority’s broad agreement on many priorities, the heavy workload already is forcing one key gatekeeper to put in an unusual Sunday meeting.

VIRGINIA WORKING TO TRANSITION FROM FEDERAL INSURANCE EXCHANGE TO STATE-BASED MARKETPLACE

Virginia legislators have been advancing a plan to transition from the federal health insurance exchange to the state’s own online marketplace as a way to save money and improve access to affordable insurance. Legislation would establish a state-based exchange so Virginia residents who purchase individual health plans can shop for coverage.

HOUSE DEMOCRATS ADVANCE BILL TO JOIN NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE COMPACT

A Virginia House committee passed Friday a National Popular Vote bill, bringing the measure back from the dead as the state legislature’s newly elected Democratic majority sought to join the compact that would render the Electoral College moot. The Virginia House Committee on Privileges and Elections approved H.B. 177 on a 12-9 party-line vote, sending the bill to the full House on a measure that would require the state’s electors to support the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, no matter the outcome of the state vote.

VIRGINIA POISED TO AID UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WITH DRIVER’S LICENSES, OTHER MEASURES

Several hundred thousand undocumented immigrants in Virginia could soon win permission to legally drive in the state, a life-altering reform that is part of a host of immigrant-related bills making their way through the General Assembly. As Tuesday’s deadline approaches for bills to “cross over” between the legislature’s two chambers before they can be sent to Gov. Ralph Northam (D), the newly empowered Democratic majority is pushing nearly 20 bills advocates say would make life easier for immigrant families across the state.

VA. LAWMAKERS KILL RIGHT-TO-WORK REPEAL, ‘FAIR SHARE’ PROPOSAL

Proposals to repeal or scale back Virginia’s right-to-work law, which bans compulsory union membership, are dead for the year. In the House, leaders of the appropriations committee avoided a vote Friday by simply not scheduling the bill for a hearing.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM PROMISES FALL SHORT, CRITICS SAY

As they took full control of the state legislature for the first time in more than two decades, Virginia Democrats promised bold changes to the criminal justice system. A month into Democratic leadership and halfway through the legislature’s whirlwind annual session, many advocates say lawmakers have fallen short on those promises.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS ADVANCE TENANT-FRIENDLY LAWS TO CAP LATE FEES, FORCE REPAIRS

A cap on late fees. More leverage to force repairs. A requirement that all large apartment complexes accept housing vouchers that many low-income residents rely on to pay their rent. Tenant-friendly laws are advancing through the Democratic-led General Assembly with bi-partisan support this year, a departure from the reliably pro-landlord attitudes of past legislative sessions. “It’s 2020, man, it’s a different world, but I think it’s about time we bring some parity in contracts with landlords and tenants,” said Sen. Bill Stanley, R-Franklin.

ASSEMBLY KILLS BILL THAT WOULD LET HENRY COUNTY VOTE ON MARTINSVILLE REVERSION

A Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee has killed two bills that would have allowed local residents to have a say in Martinsville’s reversion. House Bills 492 and 493 would have required approval from voters in both Martinsville and Henry County, respectively, before the city could surrender its charter and become a town within the county. The Charters subcommittee of the House Counties, Cities & Towns committee voted 5-3 last week to lay the bills on the table.

STATE BILL WOULD CREATE RECOVERY HIGH SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS COPING WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Kerri Rhodes knew her son, Taylor, had a substance abuse problem while he was attending Freeman High School in Henrico County. She would read texts between Taylor and his classmates discussing who had drugs and where to get them. Rhodes recalled that Taylor's sister was even approached in the Freeman library a few years ago by another student who offered anti-anxiety pills from a zip lock bag.

LEGISLATION KILLED THAT WOULD REGULATE COURT REPORTERS

Legislators have killed bills that would require state licensure of court reporters in Virginia. Introduced by Sen. Richard Stuart, R- Montross, Senate Bill 334 proposed to create the Virginia Board for Court Reporters as an independent board to “establish the qualification of applicants for licensure or registration” of court reporters in the commonwealth.

LAWMAKERS TRYING TO END LAW CRIMINALIZING COUPLES HAVING SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE

Lawmakers are closing a legal loophole that could charge unmarried people with a crime for having consensual sex. The House of Delegates passed a bill this week that aims to repeal the crime of fornication, which makes it illegal for people to have consensual sex outside of marriage.

TOWN HALL ATTENDEES QUESTION HUDSON ON CONSEQUENCES OF LEGISLATION

Ahead of crossover day, Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, met with constituents Friday evening to answer questions about the General Assembly session thus far. ... Hudson has had a number of bills pass the Virginia House of Delegates, including one that would remove salary limits on city councils statewide, one that reorganizes aspects of Charlottesville’s charter and a bill that would allow for ranked-choice voting in local elections.

COAL ASH BILL AFFECTS CARBO

Moving forward in the General Assembly is a bill that would require Appalachian Power Co. to dig up coal ash at its Clinch River power plant and dispose of it by the latest environmental standards.

GHOST OF HARRY BYRD HAUNTS VIRGINIA ASSEMBLY

The statue of Harry Byrd stands in a prominent spot in Capitol Square, watching lawmakers as they scurry from their offices to committee meetings and closed-door caucus meetings. It was erected in 1976, a time when memories of the segregationist governor and U.S. senator were still fresh among the Democratic majority. Now times have changed, and many people would like to see it removed and tucked away in a museum with a note explaining his plan to close public schools rather than integrate them.

REPUBLICAN GROUP HOPES TO CRAFT A WINNING MESSAGE IN BLUE NORTHERN VIRGINIA

At the Lil Havana Cigar Club in McLean, Va., Ron Wright laid out a birthday cake for Ronald Reagan. It was just hours before President Trump’s State of the Union Address, but Wright wasn’t hosting a watch party. He prepared for a monthly gathering of Republican cigar aficionados. This meeting is more than good conversation: it is Wright’s attempt to lift his party out of a rut in the suburbs.

BUTTIGIEG LAUNCHES DIGITAL AD BUY IN SUPER TUESDAY STATES

Pete Buttigieg is pushing into Super Tuesday and beyond with a round of digital ads in seven states, targeting counties that flipped from Barack Obama to Donald Trump in 2016 — shedding light on the former South Bend, Ind., mayor’s strategy in the next phase of the primary. Buttigieg, who has not yet built out a robust on-the-ground infrastructure in Super Tuesday states, is going up with a six-figure digital ad buy in Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Virginia.

GO VIRGINIA'S REGIONAL COUNCIL HAS 15 PROGRAMS FUNDED AND UNDER CONTRACT

Over the past two years, 15 programs have received grant funding from GO Virginia’s Region 2 Council in the following areas: Developing talent: Stopping the Brain Drain Strategy Development works to develop a complete talent attraction and retention program, aiming to keep graduates of the 25 colleges and universities in the region from moving away for jobs after they finish school.

INVESTIGATIVE BOARD THREATENS TO DECERTIFY HAMPTON ROADS REGIONAL JAIL IF IT DOESN’T TURN OVER DOCUMENTS

After Jamycheal Mitchell died in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail while suffering from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in 2015, state legislators passed a law giving a state board the power to investigate such deaths. Now that board is threatening to decertify the regional jail, which could force it to shut down, and request that state money for salaries be withheld if the jail does not turn over its internal investigations into more recent deaths.

SEN. WARNER VISITS FRONT ROYAL, DISCUSSES HEALTH CARE CONCERNS

With federal funding deadlines looming that help provide a wide range of health care, Sen. Mark Warner sat down with members of the local health care community to hear their concerns. Headlining the roundtable discussion Friday morning at Warren Memorial Hospital was a concern about the number of residency programs hospitals can support.

THE PATH TO MARS COULD RUN THROUGH LYNCHBURG, NASA CHIEF SAYS

The first astronaut to land on Mars may get there with the help of nuclear-powered rockets designed in Lynchburg. That’s according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, who spent this week meeting with representatives of the local nuclear services company BWX Technologies as part of the space agency’s ambitious goal of sending a manned mission to the red planet by the end of the next decade.

WATKINS NURSERIES' LAND SLATED FOR FORECLOSURE AUCTION

Properties owned by Watkins Nurseries Inc., founded in 1876 and run by the fifth generation of the Watkins family, are slated to be sold at a foreclosure auction later this month. A total of 342.3 acres of land in Chesterfield, Powhatan and Amelia counties — with a combined assessed value of $2.314 million — as well as vehicles and equipment owned by a sister company are scheduled to be sold at four different auctions at three locations on Feb. 20.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA’S NEW MARKETING EFFORT AIMS TO LURE AND RETAIN YOUNG TECH TALENT

Counties and cities have long competed to lure companies to invest and create jobs in their communities. Now the prosperous ones are vying to attract and retain young talent, especially in high-tech fields — because that’s what businesses today seek above all else. Among them is Northern Virginia, which is putting together an ambitious program to market itself to educated, tech-oriented millennials and Gen Zers.

REPORT: EASTERN VIRGINIA’S ECONOMY CONTINUES TO GROW IN 2020

The economy in Virginia’s Hampton Roads region is expected to continue to grow this year. And it’s mostly because of a surge in military spending. The projection came late last month from the Dragas Center for Economic Analysis and Policy at Old Dominion University’s Strome College of Business. The school issued a report on the region’s economy in 2020.

REDSKINS SEEK SPORTS BETTING LICENSE IN VIRGINIA

The Washington Redskins have deepened a multistate effort to secure a spot in the burgeoning sports betting industry, dangling to both Maryland and Virginia the prospect of building a stadium within their borders — so long as the team can offer wagering. Owner Daniel Snyder has personally appealed to multiple power brokers in both states over the past few weeks, according to people who met with him.

HOW BUSES WILL BECOME THE BACKBONE OF AMAZON HQ2 IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA

With Amazon’s promise of 25,000 new jobs in Northern Virginia over the next decade, transportation planners hope to move more commuters using a tried and true method. The bus.

WILLIAM & MARY ANNOUNCES $57M REVAMP OF ITS SPORTS COMPLEX

William & Mary has announced a $57 million revamp of the athletics complex where many of its sports teams play and train. The university in Williamsburg, Virginia, said in a statement this month that the project will include about 167,000 square feet of space that is new or renovated. The school said it will revitalize structures such as Kaplan Arena, which is where its basketball teams have competed for decades. But the project will also include a new 36,000-square-foot sports performance center.

WEST VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS ENCOURAGE CONSERVATIVE VIRGINIA COUNTIES TO 'VEXIT'

t's been 160 years since West Virginia seceded from Virginia. Now, some West Virginia Republicans are encouraging conservative counties that stayed behind to leave....Republican state Del. Gary Howell, who backs the broader bill, described his bill in an interview with CNN as the way to "prevent civil war," arguing that people have the right to "live the way they want."

VEXIT: ALMOST SECOND AMENDMENT HEAVEN, WEST VIRGINIA

A loosely connected band of Western Virginians are urging their home localities to consider undertaking an unusual measure to buffer themselves from potential laws and policies they argue will further marginalize the Commonwealth’s conservative regions.

WHY SECESSION IS THE TALK OF THIS PRO-GUN COUNTY IN VIRGINIA

A drive between Fairfax and Frederick counties is, in Virginia terms, like a trip back in time. As the highway pushes west, parking lots fade into pastures, workspaces into woodlands, suburbs into the vast Shenandoah Valley. Just an hour’s drive apart, the two counties feel like different states. If West Virginia gets its way, they could be.

REPORT: HAMPTON ROADS SHOULD PREPARE FOR 1.7 FEET SEA LEVEL RISE BY 2050

Hampton Roads could see more than a foot and a half of higher water levels by 2050 as sea level rise continues to accelerate, posing problems for much of the U.S. coastline, according to a new report. The report by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science shows the rate of acceleration increasing at 25 of 32 tide-gauge stations that researchers studied, including Norfolk’s Sewells Point.

LEGALIZING AIRBNB IN RICHMOND IS HEADED TO CITY COUNCIL

After nearly five years of discussion and study, legislation to legalize and regulate Airbnb and other short-term rentals in Richmond heads to the City Council on Monday, but a group of the rental operators in the city is hoping to delay the vote. The core issue is an amendment requiring Airbnb operators to live in their short-term rental property at least 185 days a year, or just over half the year.

ALL 500 CHESAPEAKE SCHOOL BUSES WILL HAVE STOP-ARM CAMERAS BY EARLY MARCH

The Chesapeake school division is installing 14 cameras on each of its 583 school buses starting this week. All of them will be in place by March 5. And if you’re caught passing a stopped school bus, it’ll cost you $250.

BLUE RIDGE TOWERS 'SLINGING STEEL' IN BEDFORD COUNTY

Progress on a highly anticipated project to expand high-speed internet access to residents in Bedford County is “moving along nicely” despite concerns about delays, according to those involved with the project. On Jan. 27, members of the Bedford County Board of Supervisors voiced concerns about a request from Roanoke-based Blue Ridge Towers to extend the deadline for completion to Aug. 14.

WITH LOTS OF MONEY AT STAKE IN CENSUS, LOWER RESPONSE RATE IN DANVILLE JEOPARDIZES FUNDING

The 2020 census is a high-stakes affair that can affect everything from federal funds to where businesses set up shop. Valerie Warner, partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, notes Danville has an under-count because some households have not taken the survey in past population counts.

THE NEXT FOUR YEARS? HOW ABOUT THE NEXT 40?

When a Pennsylvania freight company announced recently it will build a new logistics hub in Pulaski County, officials said that was the culmination of a year-long courtship. That same day, a California tea company announced it’s building a new factory in Franklin County, and officials said that was the result of a two-year search. In reality, both of these decisions date back much further.

THE EPA SHOULD DO ITS JOB AND HELP THE BAY

Sometimes, good intentions aren't enough. Sometimes, it takes enforcement of rules and real consequences to make things happen. When it comes to saving the Chesapeake Bay, this is one of those times. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should step up, fulfill its role and hold states accountable. With President Donald Trump in the White House, however, that’s unlikely to happen.

SORRY, BUT CASINOS ARE NOT GOING TO 'TRANSFORM' ANYBODY'S ECONOMY

Why is the General Assembly so hell-bent on allowing casinos, other than the fact that they have powerful lobbyists who have made lots of campaign contributions to both Democrats and Republicans? OK, we answered that. So let’s ask another question: Why are some localities so eager to get a casino? The answer to that seems pretty obvious, too: They’re desperate for the tax revenue.

PURSUE REGIONAL RESILIENCE FUNDING WITH URGENCY

Across Hampton Roads, the slow and steady rise of sea levels represents an existential threat to the way people live, work and play here. Forecasts predict that the water may rise by 1.5 feet from 1992 levels by 2050, a deadline now only 30 years away. That’s the conservative estimate. The reality may be far worse — and now seems more likely.

VIRGINIA MADE A MISTAKE BY EASING ITS ACADEMIC STANDARDS

The plunge in the reading scores of Virginia fourth graders in 1994 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), coupled with a decade of declining SAT scores, jolted the commonwealth into recognizing the need for more rigorous academic standards and accountability. Standards of Learning were put in place that set minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do, and statewide testing was mandated to measure whether students — individually and collectively — were actually meeting those expectations.

CASEY: BRISTOL CHURCH MEMBERS WENT TO RICHMOND TO BACK A CASINO. WHO PAID?

Capping a roughly five-minute presentation in Richmond on Tuesday morning, Bristol City Manager Randall Eads turned to the audience in the Virginia General Assembly’s Pocahontas Building. He asked that anyone present from the small city on the Virginia-Tennessee border stand if they supported a hotel-and-casino proposal in a derelict Bristol shopping center. A bunch in the hearing room rose to their feet, including a small group from Bristol’s New Hope Baptist Church — not your typical pro-gambling advocates.

HADDON: G3 IS THE RIGHT INVESTMENT AT THE RIGHT TIME FOR VIRGINIA

There was a time not too long ago when a high school diploma was sufficient to land a job with a family-sustaining wage and lasting security. But due to a changing economy and the rapid and often disruptive emergence of technology over the past 30 years, a high school diploma no longer is enough to guarantee a meaningful career.

Mitch Haddon is president and CEO of ColonialWebb Contractors Co., headquartered in Richmond.

MORSE: POLICY OR POSTURING? FOR DEMOCRATS ON ‘RIGHT TO WORK,’ IT’S HARD TO SAY

Collective bargaining, for public employees? End Virginia’s Right-To-Work status? Good grief, we’re doing that now? Yup. Under legislation passed in the House of Delegates on Thursday, public employees will be free to collectively bargain — and, yes, that includes teachers, policeman and firefighters. The Virginia General Assembly, operating now under new management, has quickly found its way into some very curious places.

Gordon C. Morse began his writing career with the Daily Press editorial page in 1983, then moved across the water to write opinion for The Virginian-Pilot. He later joined the administration of Gerald L. Baliles as the governor's speechwriter

CRAWFORD: ROCKY FORGE SITE IS CLOSE TO PERFECT FOR WIND ENERGY

Virginia is one of only nine states with no utility-scale wind power. Go in any direction from Virginia and you’ll find wind power, except Maryland, and they have impressive plans for off-shore wind. West Virginia, known traditionally for coal, has six wind farms. One in four people in the U.S. live in places now committed to 100% clean energy. It is time, Virginia.

Crawford is chair of the Roanoke Group, Sierra Club.

VINCI: SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA NEEDS HEALTH PROTECTION IN A WORLD OF VIRUS

Currently, here in the greater Roanoke area, three public school districts have closed their schools to protect against absences caused by virus infections including the common cold and the flu. Nearby Covington City schools, along with those in Alleghany and Bath Counties, were closed and treated with disinfectants to stem the further spread of disease.

Vinci is a retired environmental epidemiologist. He lives in Roanoke.

GOLDRICK-RAB: PROUD TO SEE VIRGINIA MODERNIZE EDUCATION POLICIES

American higher education has deep roots in Virginia, a state that has long recognized that education brings substantial economic and social benefits. But efforts to continue growing college attainment and economic stability must address the persistently high price of attending Virginia’s public institutions, including the community colleges where more than one in three undergraduates is enrolled.

Goldrick-Rab is a professor at Temple University and founding director of the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria.

OLIVE: CUTS TO TUITION GRANTS WOULD HURT SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA

I always enjoy when old phrases can provide color commentary during pivotal moments, without sounding too cliché. The nearly daily changes occurring in higher education are the most rapid in the history of the industry. They are forcing serious conversations at many institutions, especially rural, liberal arts institutions such as Bluefield College.

Olive is President of Bluefield College, which is located in Bluefield, Virginia.

SMITH AND GASTANAGA: DON'T TURN BACK NOW: PASS VIRGINIA'S BIPARTISAN GERRYMANDERING SOLUTION

Virginia has long been plagued by partisan and racial gerrymandering. For decades, politicians on both sides of the aisle have abused the map-drawing process that determines state legislative districts, drawing lines that firm up their own job security, shielding themselves from transparency and accountability, in effect, choosing their voters. The lines drawn after the 2010 Census were so badly gerrymandered along racial lines that they were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court last year

Smith is Vice President of Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a nationally recognized election law expert and Supreme Court litigator who resides in Rappahannock County. Gastanaga is the Executive Director of the ACLU of Virginia.

CONSTON: TUITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM A ‘GAME-CHANGER’

As Tidewater Community College’s new president, I would like to tell you why the “Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back” (G3) initiative, which represents a fraction of Gov. Ralph’s Northam’s proposed $135 billion budget, has my full support. Hampton Roads already feels like home to me after moving here just a few weeks ago. I am encouraged by the students here, the business leaders in this community and our state legislators in Richmond.

Marcia Conston became Tidewater Community College’s sixth president in January.

AMPY: VIRGINIA WORKFORCE DEPENDS ON FINANCIAL AID ACCESS

Last year’s decision by Amazon to open its second headquarters in Virginia, creating 25,000 high-tech jobs, has been accurately described as a game-changer. Several factors were cited as contributing to Amazon’s decision, but one stands out: Virginia’s outstanding higher education system.

Ken Ampy is an alumnus and former Board of Visitors member of Old Dominion University. He is CEO of Astyra Corporation.