By KATE MASTERS, Virginia Mercury
In a year when the General Assembly passed sweeping LGBTQ-friendly legislation, it’s a relatively low-profile health bill that has opponents questioning whether the state is going too far in its protections for transgender Virginians. The Senate Commerce and Labor committee voted 12-2 on Monday to report a bill from Del. Danica Roem, D-Manassas, that would ban health insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage based on a patient’s gender identity or transgender status. The legislation, which passed the House 54-41, is expected to clear the Senate in a similarly party-line vote.
By MEGAN PAULY, WCVE
The governor and lawmakers are working to address racial disparities in Virginia’s maternal mortality rate. Right now, Black women in the commonwealth are three times more likely to die from pregnancy complications than white women.
By ALEX KOMA, Washington Business Journal (Subscription required for some articles)
Northern Virginia localities could soon have the ability to spend more money on Metro service increases after state lawmakers approved a bill that tinkers with the dedicated funding agreement for the transit agency.
By MAURA MAZUROWSKI AND PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
Of the 29 judicial candidates interviewed at the General Assembly Feb. 21, one in four was a prosecutor. Five were elected commonwealth’s attorneys. During interviews held by the combined House Courts and Senate Judiciary committees, the heavy tilt toward the prosecution was a tipping point for some legislators.
By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
A proposal to increase the minimum auto liability limits in Virginia that gained solid support in the state Senate was killed on a close vote in a House committee. Facing opposition from the insurance industry and taxicab companies, Senate Bill 664 was rejected on a 10-9 vote in the House Labor and Commerce Committee.
By KAREN GRAHAM, Loudoun Times
Legislation to amend Middleburg's town charter appears poised to pass Virginia's General Assembly. Senate Bill 541, introduced by local state Sen. Jill Vogel (R-Va.-27th), passed the Virginia Senate Feb. 2 by a vote of 40-0 and passed the House Subcomittee on Counties, Cities and Towns by a vote of 22-0 on Feb. 28. It is awaiting a full House vote. Middleburg Town Administrator Danny Davis said the small Loudoun County town requested a charter amendment to clarify the roles of the mayor and town administrator
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
Richmond would have to start working on a short-term plan and long-term fix for city sewage flowing into the James River during heavy rains under legislation headed to Gov. Ralph Northam.
By NOLAN STOUT, Daily Progress (Metered Paywall - 25 articles a month)
A Virginia Senate committee has killed a bill by Del. Sally Hudson, D-Charlottesville, to remove salary limits on city councils statewide. Last week, the Senate Committee on Local Government had a tie vote on the bill, HB 1108, effectively killing it.
By DAVID MCGEE, Bristol Herald Courier (Metered Paywall - 15 articles a month)
The Virginia House of Delegates on Tuesday overwhelmingly rejected a legislative amendment to extend the life of a Southwest Virginia power plant.
By PETER VIETH, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (Subscription required for some articles)
New Virginia criminal discovery rules are set to go into effect this summer, but if they don’t, the General Assembly has a back-up plan. A measure now making its way through the state Senate would put criminal discovery procedures in the state code if the Supreme Court’s approved rule package does not become effective as scheduled
By MARK BOWES, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Petersburg’s two top prosecutors with more than 45 years of combined experience will take the bench as judges in Virginia’s 11th Judicial District later this year after winning the approval of the General Assembly.
By AMY FRIEDENBERGER, Roanoke Times (Metered Paywall - 18 articles a month)
The General Assembly elected a handful of judges for Western Virginia on Tuesday but held off picking someone to fill a vacant seat on the Roanoke Circuit Court at the center of a dispute among legislators. The divide among the Roanoke Valley delegation has made it difficult to elect a judge to succeed Judge William Broadhurst, who retired effective Sunday.
By MICHAEL MARTZ, Richmond Times-Dispatch (Access to this article limited to subscribers)
Six people formally expressed interest in serving on the State Corporation Commission, but General Assembly committees have only interviewed two publicly. Jehmal Hudson, director of governmental affairs at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and Sam Brumberg, counsel to the Virginia-Maryland-Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives, appeared before the House Labor and Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce and Labor Committee on Monday ...
