NORTHAM PROPOSES 68% BOOST TO K-12 SPENDING

Gov. Ralph Northam will propose a 68% increase over the already big bill for state support to public schools that’s required just to maintain Virginia’s basic Standards of Quality. Northam announced on Monday a total of nearly $550 million on top of the more than $800 million bill required to cover the every-two-year “rebenchmarking” calculation of what the state needs to contribute to local school boards to maintain standards.

NORTHAM'S $1.2 BILLION K-12 BUDGET INCLUDES TEACHER RAISES, BOOST FOR AT-RISK STUDENTS

Gov. Ralph Northam will call for $1.2 billion over the next two years to fund K-12 education, including additional funding for at-risk students and a 3% teacher pay raise. Northam detailed his education request at Richmond’s Huguenot High School, the last in a series of budget announcements before unveiling his plan Tuesday in a presentation to the legislature’s money committees.

NORFOLK STATE WOULD GET $143 MILLION EXTRA UNDER NORTHAM’S PLAN FOR HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES

In what he says is an effort to level the playing field, Virginia’s Democratic governor is proposing almost $300 million in new spending over the next two years at the state’s two public historically black universities. Under Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed two-year budget, Norfolk State University would get $143 million and Virginia State University $150 million, according to information provided by the governor’s office Saturday.

JLARC URGES BROADENING COMPENSATION FOR WORKPLACE INJURIES TO FIREFIGHTERS,

A new state study found what many Virginia firefighters and public safety employees say they have long argued — the state’s workers’ compensation system unfairly blocks them from receiving the health benefits they deserve for the diseases and injuries they suffered in doing their jobs. The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission recommended Monday that the General Assembly consider changing state law to add two forms of cancer — and potentially a third — to the list of diseases presumed related to workplace exposure for firefighters.

A STATE LAW IS MEANT TO TAKE CARE OF FIREFIGHTERS WITH CANCER — BUT IT’S NOT WORKING THE WAY IT SHOULD

Firefighters have long complained that a state law meant to assure their bills are paid when they get work-related cancers isn’t helping the way it should. And a state review says they’re right. The law says that when firefighters get leukemia as well as breast, pancreatic, prostate, rectal and throat cancers, they should be presumed to be the result of their work.

VOTERS WANT TIGHTER PAYDAY, TITLE LOAN RULES

Three quarters of Virginia voters favor tighter regulation of payday and car title lenders, a new survey by the student pollsters at Christopher Newport University's Wason Center found.

VIRGINIA DELEGATE RESUMES FIGHT FOR STUDENT JOURNALIST PROTECTIONS

A former journalist turned delegate filed a bill for the upcoming General Assembly session that aims to ensure First Amendment protections for student journalists. Del. Chris Hurst, D-Blacksburg, introduced HB 36 to protect the rights of student journalists from censorship and student media advisers from punishment. The 12th District delegate first introduced the bill in the 2019 session with co-patron Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, but the bill died in a subcommittee vote, 5-3.

ANIMAL WELFARE ADVOCATES PREPARE FOR 2020 ASSEMBLY

The past year was a good year for animal welfare advocates at the General Assembly. “Overall, [last year’s] General Assembly brought significant victories for Virginia’s dogs and cats,” said Matthew Gray of the Virginia Humane Society. Legislators mandated that pets receive more room to roam if tethered outside.

OFFICIALS TACKLE PROBLEM OF EVICTIONS ACROSS VIRGINIA

Martin Wegbreit has known for a long time that Richmond has a problem with evictions, but a 2018 New York Times article brought national attention to the issue. It said the city’s eviction rate was more than 11% — three to four times the national average. “The only thing that really surprises me about evictions in Richmond is how surprised everybody else is,” said Wegbreit, the director of litigation at the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.

UVA LAW PROFESSOR HELPS COMMONWEALTH OVERHAUL RACIALLY DISCRIMINATORY LAWS STILL ON THE BOOKS

A Charlottesville man is helping the commonwealth overhaul racially discriminatory laws still on the books. University of Virginia Professor Andrew Block serves on the governor’s Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law. Block is using his experience as an attorney and the former director of the Legal Aid Justice Center’s ‘JustChildren Program’ to help overhaul Virginia’s laws.

VIRGINIA OKS 45 WATER QUALITY PERMITS ON EASTERN SHORE

The State Water Control Board recently approved groundwater withdrawal permits for 45 poultry facilities on Virginia's Eastern Shore. Many of the approvals came with special conditions that, while designed to maintain a sustainable aquifer, put financial and regulatory pressure on farmers.

SEN. WARNER WANTS TO SEE IMPROVEMENTS AT HAMPTON VA IN 90 DAYS

Sen. Mark R. Warner made another house call on the Hampton VA Medical Center Monday and, unlike past visits, he emerged in a decent mood. Or as he succinctly put it: “My head is not exploding today.” Make no mistake, the Virginia Democrat still sees problems at the overburdened hospital.

SPANBERGER, LURIA — VULNERABLE VA. DEMOCRATS — WILL VOTE TO IMPEACH TRUMP

The two most vulnerable Democrats representing Virginia in Congress say they will vote to impeach President Trump, complicating their quest for reelection in districts that voted for the president in 2016.

SPANBERGER SAYS SHE WILL VOTE TO IMPEACH TRUMP

Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, said Monday that she is planning to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Spanberger, a former CIA officer, said in a statement that after reviewing the findings of the investigation and evidence, she believes the president abused the power of his office by “soliciting foreign interference in the 2020 election” and obstructed the congressional inquiry.

RIGGLEMAN SUGGESTS IMPROVEMENTS TO BENEFIT HEMP FARMERS IN LETTER TO SEC. OF AGRICULTURE

Congressman Denver Riggleman sent a letter to the Secretary of Agriculture to discuss potential changes to the implementation of the U.S. Domestic Hemp Production Program. Riggleman's letter to Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, the letter suggested improvements to benefit farmers and align the rules with the realities that hemp farmers face while growing.

GOVERNORS TO FEDS: STOP FIRM FROM FISHING IN CHESAPEAKE BAY

Governors in nine states along the Atlantic coast are urging the Trump Administration to stop a company that makes fish-oil supplements and other products from fishing in Virginia waters. A letter sent Friday from those governors echoes concerns of fishing regulators who say Omega Protein defied harvest limits in the Chesapeake Bay.

NORTHERN VIRGINIA'S TECH TITAN

Bobbie Kilberg, already an alum of four Republican presidential administrations, was staying home to raise her fifth child in 1998 when she reconnected with a former White House colleague. The executive recruiter came to her with an opportunity: the CEO slot at the Northern Virginia Technology Council....In the two decades since, Kilberg has grown the council to more than 350,000 members and 1,000 local companies.

AMAZON CONFIRMS LAND PURCHASE

It’s nearing Prime time for Suffolk. Amazon, long believed to be interested in putting a fulfillment center in the Hampton Roads region, has purchased nearly 95 acres of land in Northgate Commerce Park, close to Interstate 664 and just a few miles from the Port of Virginia.

I-66 TOLL MONEY SHIFT COULD BE KEY TO MAJOR VRE, METRO AND AMTRAK EXPANSION

A piece of Interstate 66 toll money could be the key to major Metro and Virginia Railway Express improvements. Virginia officials and the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission are in the final stages of negotiations to dedicate a portion of toll revenue to construction of a new Metro station or tunnel(s) near Rosslyn and the construction of a second Long Bridge freight and commuter rail span between Virginia and D.C.

NEW PUBLIC BUS ROUTE BETWEEN DANVILLE-DC AND MARTINSVILLE-RICHMOND TO LAUNCH THIS SPRING

As the Virginia Breeze bus line enters its third year of operation this winter, the state Department of Rail and Public Transportation announced Monday that the intercity bus service will expand to Richmond and the U.S. 29 corridor in the spring.

PROPOSED DANVILLE-D.C. BUS ROUTE WOULD STOP IN CHARLOTTESVILLE

A proposed state bus route soon could take riders from Charlottesville to Washington, D.C. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation is planning to roll out an expansion of the Virginia Breeze in the spring. The Virginia Breeze started in 2017 and travels between Blacksburg and D.C.

LOUDOUN COUNTY TO INVEST MORE THAN $15 MILLION TO UPGRADE RURAL INTERNET

Western Loudoun resident Joe Domino says he has invested at least $750 in hopes of having reliable broadband service. He also pays around $100 a month only to get lower download speeds than his neighbors in eastern Loudoun. As someone who often works from home, Domino is desperate for more reliable service.

RRHA EXTENDS EVICTION FREEZE THROUGH JANUARY

The eviction freeze for Richmond’s public housing communities has been extended. On Monday, CEO Damon E. Duncan told the housing authority’s Board of Commissioners that no families living in RRHA properties would face eviction through January 2020. Last month, Duncan announced a moratorium on evictions through the end of the year.

NORFOLK PLANS TO AMEND CASINO DEAL

Norfolk wants to change the agreements it made with the Pamunkey Indian Tribe, after studies have indicated the scope of the tribe’s proposed casino is likely to be far smaller than advertised. A new economic analysis by city staff and the proposed amendments to the deal — most significantly, asking that the Pamunkey give up the ability to build a tribal casino and proceed only with a commercial casino — were unveiled Monday night.

VIRGINIA SHERIFF’S CHARITY POTENTIALLY VIOLATED FEDERAL TAX RULES

A charity operated inside the Culpeper County Sheriff’s Office is potentially violating federal tax rules by helping support the sheriff’s re-election campaign, according to a two-year investigation by the News4 I-Team. The sheriff’s office is also drawing scrutiny from citizens and a taxpayer watchdog group for using county jail inmates to work at the home of the sheriff’s brother to support one of the charity’s fundraisers.

PULASKI COUNTY APPROVES SECOND AMENDMENT SANCTUARY RESOLUTION AS MONTGOMERY COUNTY HEARS FROM FULL HOUSE

Nearly 800 citizens erupted in applause as the board of supervisors unanimously passed a motion changing its resolution to become a Second Amendment “supportive” county to a “sanctuary” county. The change was made at the request of Fairlawn citizen Gary Hughes — the first to contact the county about the designation back in November — because he felt the word “sanctuary” had a more meaningful impact to legislators in Richmond.

CLEAN UP VA. CAMPAIGN REGULATIONS

Money and politics — you can’t say one without the other. The role of money in our political process has been a concern since the dawn of the Republic, but fears about the influence of dollars have grown in the last several decades as attempts at reform initiated in the aftermath of the Watergate scandal that drove Richard Nixon from office have quietly been rolled back.

VALLEY NEEDS HANGER TO KEEP BEING HANGER

Thankfully, Emmett Hanger knows how to reach across the aisle. He's proven it time and time again since the Mount Solon Republican was elected to serve in the Virginia Senate 24th District back in 1996.

STRIP-SEARCH OF GIRL SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED

AN 8-YEAR-OLD girl was strip-searched before being allowed to visit with her father at Buckingham Correctional Center. There is so much wrong with that, and with the chain of events that allowed it to happen, that it’s difficult to know where to begin.

BRISTOL CASINO LEADERS DESERVE OUR THANKS

Hard Rock International announced in late November that it will operate the proposed Bristol Resort and Casino planned for the Bristol Mall. That’s cause for celebration throughout the region, and it’s high time to salute the Bristolians who made the deal possible.

A NEW TECHNOPOLIS

For the past two days, we’ve been delving into a recent report on the best places in the world for technology start-ups, in hopes we’d glean some insight that might apply on a smaller scale here in this part of Virginia.

SCHRAGGER: IT’S TIME FOR HOME RULE IN VIRGINIA

In 1969, the drafters of the new Virginia Constitution included a proposed provision stating that “a charter county or a city may exercise any power or perform any function which is not denied to it by this Constitution, by its charter, or by laws enacted by the General Assembly. ...”

Richard Schragger is the Perre Bowen Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law and a senior faculty fellow at the Miller Center for Public Affairs.