VaNews
February 26, 2020

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** VPAP Visual A 12th Seat May Have to Wait ([link removed])
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The Virginia Public Access Project

Virginia's population barely kept pace with the national average during the last decade. This means Virginia is not expected to be among those states that will add seats in the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2020 Census. Virginia last picked up a congressional seat in 1992, bringing the state's total to 11.
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** For Luria and Spanberger, a Sanders nomination would complicate reelection ([link removed])
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By JENNA PORTNOY, Washington Post (Metered Paywall - 3 articles a month)

Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.) wasted no time in denouncing presidential candidate Bernie Sanders this week after he said he would skip the annual conference of the pro-Israel American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “Senator Sanders’ comments only contribute to the divisive rhetoric often used when discussing the issue of Israel’s right to exist,” Luria said in a statement Tuesday
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** Virginia Democrats poised to pass public bargaining measures ([link removed])
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By SARAH RANKIN, Associated Press

Newly empowered Democratic lawmakers in Virginia appear poised to extend collective bargaining rights to at least some public workers, a historic change backed by labor unions and opposed by business associations and many of the state’s local governments. Democrats in the traditionally business-friendly state are split, though, on how many public employees should be included.
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** Virginia lawmakers vote to ban offshore oil drilling ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

Virginia is moving to block drilling for oil off the state’s coast under legislation that passed through both the House of Delegates and state Senate this week. The bills say Virginia state agencies cannot grant leases or easements for any pipelines or other infrastructure for oil and gas produced offshore under a permit or lease from the federal government.
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** Senate panel puts off redistricting decision by advancing alternative to constitutional amendment ([link removed])
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By MEL LEONOR, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Kicking the can down the road, a Senate elections committee on Tuesday heard two conflicting alternatives to political redistricting and advanced both. Senators on the committee declined to deal a death blow to House Bill 1256, introduced by Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News. It would revamp the process for drawing of legislative and congressional boundaries to eliminate the legislature’s sweeping power over redistricting, without amending the state constitution.
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** Omni Homestead reveals plans for rehabilitation of Jefferson Pools ([link removed])
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By ALISON GRAHAM, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

Omni Homestead revealed plans Tuesday for its rehabilitation of the Jefferson Pools in Warm Springs....Bath County ordered the historic bathhouses in Warm Springs to be closed in October 2017 after the county’s building inspector saw rotting structural joists and framing. The concrete foundations were also deteriorating, and the buildings were deemed unsafe. The bathhouses — one for men and one for women — were built in the 1800s around natural hot springs and for years underwent only minimal repairs to maintain their historic simplicity.
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** Amazon's delivery robots are green-lit for Virginia ([link removed])
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By JONATHAN CAPRIEL, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) package delivery robots could soon hit Virginia's sidewalks and roadways. The General Assembly has made quick work of a bill that would clear the way for Scout, Amazon's six-wheeled delivery robot, to operate in the commonwealth. The legislation was adopted by the House of Delegates Tuesday by an 88-12 vote. It unanimously cleared the Senate Feb. 11.
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** EXECUTIVE BRANCH
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** Virginia One of 39 States Investigating Vaping Giant Juul ([link removed])
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By WHITTNEY EVANS, WCVE

Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring has signed on to a multi-state investigation into the marketing and sales practices of e-cigarette maker Juul Labs, Inc. The coalition of 39 states is looking into whether Juul targeted youth in its marketing campaigns as well as the company’s claims about the nicotine content of its products and the effectiveness of those products as smoking cessation devices.


** GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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** Senate panel punts on Virginia joining states pushing popular vote over Electoral College ([link removed])
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By JUSTIN MATTINGLY, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

Virginia will not join an effort this year to decide the presidential election by the popular vote instead of the Electoral College system. The Senate Privileges and Elections Committee voted 14-1 on Tuesday to carry over to the 2021 General Assembly session House Bill 177 from Del. Mark Levine, D-Alexandria.
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** Virginia Democrat's Pro-Labor Legislation Could Leave Behind Vulnerable Workers ([link removed])
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By ROBERTO ROLDAN, WCVE

Lenka Mendoza has spent the better part of two decades as a domestic worker, cleaning homes and hotels. For a short time she worked as a nanny, taking care of children. “There was a lot of affection for them,” Mendoza said. “Sometimes they would call me ‘mom’ and I would have to remind them ‘I'm not your mom!’” Some of the other places she’s worked have not been as rewarding. Mendoza, who moved to Prince William County from Peru, said many times the pay from house cleaning wasn’t even enough to afford her own child care.
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** Virginia limits where people can drive after DWIs. That could soon change. ([link removed])
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By DAVE RESS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

A bill that would let some Virginians with restricted licenses after a drunken-driving conviction drive wherever they want, as long as they have a device in their car that won’t let them start it if they fail a breathalyzer test, passed a key hurdle this week.
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** Second chance: Senate Finance backs transportation authority for Richmond area ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The Richmond area is a step closer to creating the regional transportation authority it declined to pursue seven years ago, when the state adopted a sweeping transportation funding package that included new taxes for priority projects in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee voted 15-1, with one abstention, on Tuesday to create the Central Virginia Transportation Authority ...
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** Lawmakers Want to Help Mobile Home Owners Facing Displacement, High Fees ([link removed])
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By YASMINE JUMAA, WCVE

There are about 600 mobile home parks in Virginia. While they offer affordable homeownership, advocates say it comes with a cost: uninhabitable park conditions, and a high risk of displacement. Mobile homes are the only remaining non-subsidized form of affordable home ownership in the country. But a 2016 survey of mobile home parks in Central Virginia found that many of them are in disrepair.
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** Rabid Animal Bill Advances ([link removed])
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By JESSICA WETZLER, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

A bill requiring an owner of a rabid animal to quarantine it after receiving an order to do so has reached the Senate floor after the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously endorsed it. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, sponsored the legislation, which would would charge violators with a misdemeanor if their potentially rabid dog or cat were to stray from their premises.
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** Lawmakers Pave the Way for More Needle Exchanges ([link removed])
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By MALLORY NOE-PAYNE, WVTF

Thanks to legislation that’s now on it’s way to the Governor’s desk any Virginia locality will be able to start a needle exchange. The bill also makes it easier to get those new sites up and running.
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** Ban on Labeling Plant-Based Beverages "Milk" Advances in Senate ([link removed])
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By ALAN RODRIGUEZ ESPINOZA, WCVE

A bill from the House of Delegates that would define milk as only something which comes from a hoofed mammal passed the Senate Finance Committee. It now heads to the full Senate for a vote. The bill would prohibit plant-based products such as almond or coconut milk from being branded as “milk.” Proponents of the change say it would benefit struggling dairy farmers.


** FEDERAL ELECTIONS
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** Early Voting for Presidential Primary On Pace to Break Recent Record ([link removed])
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By BEN PAVIOUR, WCVE

Virginians are voting in record numbers ahead of Tuesday’s Democratic presidential primary, according to data from the Department of Elections. More than 24,000 voters have already cast absentee ballots so far a week out from the primary, and nearly 57,000 Virginians have requested absentee ballots. The numbers are on pace to eclipse any primary from either party since at least 2000, including the roughly 26,000 absentee votes cast four years ago.


** STATE GOVERNMENT
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** Regulators approve Dominion battery pilots as interest in energy storage grows ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

As the General Assembly shows an increasing interest in bulking up Virginia’s energy storage capacity, the State Corporation Commission has signed off on three pilot projects proposed by Dominion Energy to explore the potential batteries have to transform the electric grid.


** CONGRESS
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** Disparity in deaths of black mothers gets renewed attention on Capitol Hill ([link removed])
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By ROBIN BRAVENDER, Virginia Mercury

Erica McAfee nearly died while giving birth. She had already lost two babies — a son and a daughter — and had experienced complications during her most recent pregnancy....McAfee survived, but many other black women in Virginia are dying due to pregnancy complications at a rate that’s more than twice as high as white women, according to data from the Virginia Department of Health.


** ECONOMY/BUSINESS
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** Amazon leases more Crystal City space, with plans to occupy former PBS headquarters ([link removed])
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By ALEX KOMA, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

Amazon.com Inc. is gobbling up more office space in Crystal City, signing a lease for another full building owned by frequent partner and current landlord JBG Smith Properties. The tech giant is now set to occupy another 272,000 square feet at 2100 Crystal Drive, according to a letter from JBG Smith CEO Matt Kelly to his company’s shareholders released Tuesday.
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** James City County announces 180 new jobs, $77.5 million investment ([link removed])
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By STEVE ROBERTS JR, Daily Press (Metered Paywall - 1 article a month)

James City County has announced Navien Inc., a condensing technology company, will establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility for water heaters and boilers at the former Lumber Liquidators facility in the Stonehouse Commerce Park. The company will expand the building’s square footage to nearly 900,000 square feet, invest $77.5 million and hire 180 people, according to a James City County news release.
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** Coal units to be retired in King George, Chesterfield, as pressure to transition from fossil fuels grows ([link removed])
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By SARAH VOGELSONG, Virginia Mercury

Even before major legislation that would set a timeline for the closure of all of Virginia’s coal plants clears the General Assembly, two coal-burning facilities in Chesterfield and King George have announced retirements.
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** 'Wonder Woman 1984' spent big bucks in N. Va., D.C. ([link removed])
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By MICHAEL NEIBAUER, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)

The production of "Wonder Woman 1984" spent roughly $30 million between Virginia and D.C., of which it received back about $1.6 million through the two jurisdiction's tax incentive programs.
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** Can Restaurants Stomach Higher Wages? ([link removed])
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By IAN MUNRO, Daily News Record (Metered Paywall - 5 articles a month)

Local restaurant owners said a minor bump in wages would have little impact on their businesses, but some foresee higher prices for consumers if a proposal to eventually make the minimum wage $15 an hour is successful. House Bill 395 would raise the minimum wage to $9 an hour on July 1 and increase the minimum wage by $2 an hour each year until reaching $15 an hour on July 1, 2023.
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** Loudoun County winery takes top prize in Virginia wine competition ([link removed])
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By RICH HUNTER, WTOP

Central Virginia wineries dominated the 38th annual Virginia Wineries Association Governor’s Cup wine competition, but the top winner was a wine from Loudoun County. Of the 12 wines that made it to the Governor’s Cup case, the ultimate winner Tuesday was the 868 Estate Vineyards in Purcellville, which won the top prize for its 2017 Vidal Blanc Passito. Gov. Ralph Northam presented the winner with the Governor’s Cup at an event held at the Main Street Station in Richmond.


** LOCAL
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** Micro-cottage plans move forward in Loudoun County town despite concerns ([link removed])
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By NEAL AUGENSTEIN, WTOP

Loudoun County, Virginia, often tops national wealth rankings, but a shortage of affordable housing poses a problem — and not everyone can agree on a solution. On Route 7, near Loudoun County’s Round Hill community, plans to build a 28-unit micro-cottage community on the site of the former Weona Villa Motel are moving forward, despite some concern from neighbors about increased traffic and reduced property values.
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** Following Long Lines And Ballot Issues In 2018, Chesterfield Says Its Ready For 2020 Primary ([link removed])
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By IAN M. STEWART, WCVE

In the 2018 Election, Chesterfield County had the largest number of online complaints of any locality in the state. The county says its learned from past mistakes and is ready for Super Tuesday and the November election. Long lines, accessibility, and equipment issues were the most common complaints.
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** Richmond councilwoman calls for FBI investigation of city ([link removed])
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By MARK ROBINSON, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)

A Richmond councilwoman wants the FBI to investigate why her top political donor has not received approval to build a subdivision in the South Side district she represents.
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** Magruder Boulevard — named after a Confederate general — to be renamed for Neil Armstrong ([link removed])
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By LISA VERNON SPARKS, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

Magruder Boulevard, named for a Confederate general, is about to be renamed for an astronaut. Hampton City Council expects to vote Wednesday on a resolution to rename the 3.3-mile roadway Neil Armstrong Parkway.
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** Virginia Beach scooter wars: 4 companies vying for turf ([link removed])
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By STACY PARKER, Virginian-Pilot (Metered Paywall - 2 articles a month)

The dearth of e-scooters in the city is only temporary. They’re coming back this spring. Virginia Beach recently received proposals from four companies that want to rent out the zippy contraptions, which have been banned since the City Council passed an ordinance last fall requiring e-scooter companies to obtain a franchise license.
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** Supervisors field militia proposal for Washington County, Va. ([link removed])
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By JOE TENNIS, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)

Chase King wants a militia in Washington County, Virginia. “In times of need, we must be able to count on each other,” King told the Washington County Board of Supervisors during a presentation at Tuesday’s regular board meeting.

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** CGI
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eVA - Advancing State and Local Contracting and Business Opportunities for Small, Women and Minority Businesses. Visit eVA, Virginia’s eProcurement Portal ([link removed])


** EDITORIALS
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** State parks getting help they richly deserve ([link removed])
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Free Lance-Star Editorial (Metered Paywall - 10 articles a month)

A variety of legislative issues addressed by the General Assembly this year have seen different outcomes than in past years due to the Democratic majorities in both chambers, leading to some Republican hand-wringing. But one change in course that should be cheered from every corner is the expansion of funding for Virginia State Parks.
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** End the waiting game on prescription drug prices ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

We’ve heard the stories of Virginians rationing or skipping medications because of how much they cost. We’ve seen sensible solutions to address issues in the American marketplace that force families to choose between lifesaving treatments and household essentials.
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** To revitalize Navy Hill, lessons can be learned from nearby places ([link removed])
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Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

On paper, the cities of Richmond and Hopewell have little in common. According to 2018 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, Richmond’s population (228,783 vs. 22,596) is 10 times larger. Hopewell’s median home value for 2014-18 ($119,700 vs. $220,700) is about half as high. But in practice, they’re both working toward a common goal: downtowns that are full of vitality.


** OP-ED
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** Hicks: “ Expand Virginia’s non-carbon power capability by building a small modular reactor ([link removed])
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By TOM HICKS, published in Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)

In 2016, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a combined operating license to Dominion to build and operate a first-of-a-kind, large, 1.5 giga-watt boiling water nuclear reactor (North Anna Unit 3) at its existing nuclear site on Lake Anna. Construction of this large reactor plant has not been started and because of the anticipated cost it is doubtful that this plant will ever be built.

Hicks is an engineering consultant who worked with Dominion Energy on the North Anna 3 license application.
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** Dio: Northam and General Assembly can light the way toward lower emissions ([link removed])
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By SUSAN DIO, published in Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)

The states have long been pioneers of progress in America, running experiments that help us discover solutions to our toughest challenges. Virginia has a chance to tackle the defining issue of our time: climate change. Leaders in Richmond should seize the opportunity by embracing two regional initiatives: the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which is lowering emissions in the power sector, and the Transportation and Climate Initiative

Susan Dio is chairman and president of BP America.
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