DEMOCRATIC LEADERS RALLY BEHIND MINIMUM WAGE INCREASE, AGENDA ON GUNS, ERA, HOUSING, VOTING

Virginia Democrats on Tuesday stood united behind an 11-point agenda they hope to hash out and roll out during their first legislative session in power. Flanked by the Democrats who will lead the House of Delegates and state Senate starting Wednesday, Gov. Ralph Northam said the plan is the result of a “clear signal” from voters in November.

WAIT OVER, DEMOCRATS EAGER TO ACT IN VIRGINIA

The Virginia General Assembly that convenes here Wednesday will look different from any other in the body's 401-year history, with diverse Democratic leadership aiming to set a new course after a quarter-century of Republican dominance.

NORTHAM LAYS OUT DEMOCRATIC PRIORITIES IN 2020

Gov. Ralph Northam rolled out his party’s legislative agenda Tuesday morning during a news conference in Richmond, touting a progressive laundry list he and others say voters said they wanted for the commonwealth. “We’re here today to talk about the agenda that we are going to work for together in the session that starts tomorrow,” Northam said.

TOP ISSUES IN THE 2020 VIRGINIA LEGISLATIVE SESSION

Virginia lawmakers are kicking off a 60-day legislative session with Democrats in full control for the first time in more than two decades. Here’s a look at some top issues legislators will take up this year: GUNS Likely the most prominent debate this year will be on gun control, an area where Democrats have promised significant changes.

VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS SEEK HIGHER MINIMUM WAGE

State legislators made noise with their gun control proposals leading up to the 2020 General Assembly session but other issues, including minimum wage, appear to be moving to the front of the line. On Tuesday, the minimum wage coalition hosted a news conference in Richmond to address several bills aimed at increasing Virginia’s minimum wage starting on July 1.

DEMOCRATS PUSH TO RAISE MINIMUM WAGE IN VIRGINIA DURING 2020 GA SESSION

The push to raise the minimum wage in Virginia may bear fruit in 2020 after Democrats gained power at the General Assembly. Governor Ralph Northam and Virginia Democrats listed raising state wage standards as part of their package of legislative priorities one day before the 2020 session begins. Advocacy groups, emboldened by the new power balance at the State Capitol, said they plan to hold accountable state lawmakers who campaigned on helping low wage workers.

LAWMAKERS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN ELECTRICITY REGULATION BILL

Delegates Mark Keam and Lee Ware, a Democrat and a Republican respectively, are pushing a bill that could fundamentally change how electric utilities are regulated in Virginia. The Virginia Energy Reform Act would limit monopolies by only allowing them to oversee one part of Virginia’s energy infrastructure. Currently, companies like Dominion Energy control the entire process of how energy is created and distributed.

HUNDREDS OF PIECES OF LEGISLATION FILED AT THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND THERE’S MORE TO COME

Maybe it’s not scientific, but Shad Plank counts more than 900 House bills and more than 400 Senate bills already posted on the General Assembly’s Legislative Information System. That’s up from the 430-odd House and 330-odd Senate bills filed by this point last year (when bill filing started in the summer, rather than after Election Day, as is the case for the 2020 session). In 2018, which like this year will be a long 60-day session with bill filing starting only after Election Day, there were about 630 House Bills and 360 Senate bills filed by this point.

SCHOOL CHANGES, TEACHER PAY AMONG PROPOSALS FROM VIRGINIA LAWMAKERS

School funding, teacher pay, free tuition for some community college students and changes to school discipline rules are among the education-related proposals in Virginia’s General Assembly this year. Parents could even be guaranteed four hours of annual leave, which may be unpaid, to attend parent-teacher conferences or volunteer at school.

VIRGINIA LAWMAKER CALLS FOR STUDY INTO BLOCKCHAIN-BACKED STATE ELECTIONS

A lawmaker in Virginia has submitted a resolution that calls on the state government to study the use of blockchain in elections. The bill, pre-filed just before the end of the year by State Delegate Hala S. Ayala, calls for the state's Department of Education to "study the use of blockchain technology to protect voter records and election results."

PROPOSED LEGISLATION MAY CURB BUS DRIVER SHORTAGE

Proposed legislation could keep school bus drivers driving longer, by offering them a new incentive. House Bill 351, sponsored by Del. Robert Bell, R-Albemarle, would assess areas of the commonwealth for critical bus driver shortages, and if a school division is deemed in need, could allow qualifying bus drivers to continue driving and receive a retirement allowance.

BILL WOULD EXEMPT FARMERS MARKETS FROM MEALS TAX

Farmers markets and roadside stands could be exempt from meals taxes under a bill proposed by a Valley lawmaker. Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, is looking to exempt vendors at farmers markets and roadside stands whose annual income from such sales does not exceed $2,500 from meals taxes, which may be imposed by towns, cities and counties.

IN FLOOD OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY BILLS, PRESCRIPTION COST REGULATION AND PROTECTION FOR INCAPACITATED ADULTS

The pace of bill filings is picking up with hundreds of proposals a day flooding the Division of Legislative Services. Among the latest from the Peninsula delegation, Del. Shelly Simonds, D-Newport News, introduced her proposal for a state board to regulate the price of prescription drugs (an idea modeled on Maryland’s recent law) (HB 691).

NEWLY EMPOWERED VIRGINIA DEMOCRATS PROMISE ‘ACTION’

A historically diverse Virginia General Assembly is set to convene Wednesday, led for the first time in more than two decades by Democrats who are promising to enact a litany of changes. “Voters demanded action, and they have called for a legislature that works for them. And this session, they will get exactly that,” House Speaker-elect Eileen Filler-Corn said at a press conference Tuesday with Gov. Ralph Northam and other legislative leaders.

LOBBYING GROUPS DESCENDING ON RICHMOND FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Wednesday marks the start of a 60-day General Assembly session, and those with a passion for an issue — from guns to equal rights to the environment — will descend upon Richmond to lobby legislators and energize supporters.

FRESHMAN LAWMAKERS BRACE FOR HISTORIC GENERAL ASSEMBLY SESSION

When it comes to office space, the General Assembly is a bit like a law firm. Leadership gets the corner office on the upper floors. Freshman lawmakers like incoming Del. Rodney Willet (D-Henrico) end up a few floors down, in a cozier space. On Thursday, Willet and his staff moved in to their new digs.

PROSECUTOR QUESTIONS CRIME BILLS

Wise County/Norton Commonwealth Attorney Chuck Slemp says he is “deeply concerned” about several criminal justice proposals unveiled last week by Gov. Ralph Northam. ...Northam “has made clear that he wishes to see violent criminals released from incarceration early and to disarm law abiding citizens by restricting their constitutional rights,” Slemp asserted.

IN RICHMOND, MIKE BLOOMBERG CALLS ON NEW VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE TO PASS 'SENSIBLE GUN REGULATIONS'

Touting his history of advocating for gun control, Democratic presidential hopeful Mike Bloomberg visited Richmond the day before the legislature goes into session and urged Virginia lawmakers to take action on the issue.

BLOOMBERG, NORTHAM PUSH BACK ON GUN LAW ‘MISINFORMATION’

Democratic presidential hopeful Michael Bloomberg voiced strong support Tuesday for enacting new gun regulations in Virginia a few months after groups he backs spent millions of dollars helping Democrats win full control of state government. But the former New York City mayor said confiscating the military-style assault rifles already in circulation would be unworkable. And Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he has no plans to confiscate guns or cut electricity to gun owners

VCU POLL: SLIM MAJORITY SUPPORT GUN RESTRICTIONS

A new VCU Center for Public Policy poll finds a slim majority of Virginians favor stricter gun laws. This is one of the key issues the General Assembly will begin to tackle when lawmakers get back to work tomorrow. Fifty-three percent of those surveyed say gun laws should be stricter, thirty percent think they are about right, while seventeen percent think the laws should be less stric

VIRGINIA SENATOR INTRODUCES WAR POWERS RESOLUTION

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine is sounding the alarm on the escalating situation in the Middle East. Now, he’s taking action to make it clear the decision of going to war lies with congress. Kaine told reporters Tuesday, January 7, that he is not exaggerating when he says we are on the brink of war with Iran. The Democratic senator says it’s congress, not the president, who declares war.

LAWSUIT SEEKS TO EASE ADOPTION OF EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT

Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment have filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts aimed at clearing a legal path for adoption of the long-delayed constitutional amendment. Backers say they're wading into the debate over the amendment — which dates to the early 1970s — because Virginia is poised to become the decisive 38th state to approve the measure.

CLINE: 2020 WILL BE JUST AS BUSY AND EVENTFUL IN CONGRESS

Comments from area residents on climate change, national debt and gun control dictated most of the conversation at a nearly two-hour long town hall held Tuesday by Virginia’s 6th District Congressman Ben Cline. About 40 community members attended the event, and a majority rebuked comments Cline made regarding climate change, including that the “degree to which man is contributing to climate change is mixed.”

REP. BEN CLINE PREDICTS BUSY YEAR IN CONGRESS

As sixth district Rep. Ben Cline reflected Tuesday morning on his first year in Congress, he summed up his experience in one sentence: "If there's one thing you can't say about last year's Congress, it's that it was quiet."

CASINO PROPOSED FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY, VA.

Developer Steve Johnson and a federally recognized Cherokee tribe announced an agreement Tuesday to establish a proposed casino in Washington County, Virginia, just one day before the General Assembly convenes for a session that could see the state legalize casino gaming.

EASTERN BAND OF CHEROKEE INDIANS PROPOSES CASINO IN WASHINGTON COUNTY

A new tribal competitor has emerged in Southwest Virginia for the Virginia casino sweepstakes that is about to take center stage in the newly elected General Assembly. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians said Tuesday it wants to develop and operate a casino and resort in Washington County, less than a mile from the site of a proposed casino resort in Bristol.

DEVELOPERS OF PROPOSED CASINO BETTING ON COMPETITIVE PROCESS

Developers of a newly proposed second local casino are betting the state of Virginia will use competitive bidding to award casino licenses. On Tuesday, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Johnson Commercial Development announced an agreement to establish a casino on the currently undeveloped 350-acre portion of The Pinnacle commercial center in Washington County, Virginia. It would compete directly with the proposed Hard Rock Bristol Resort and Casino planned just a mile away

DOMINION PICKS SPANISH TURBINE VENDOR FOR MASSIVE OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT

Dominion Energy is planning to work with the Spanish company Siemens Gamesa to supply wind turbines for its massive offshore wind farm proposed near Virginia Beach, an agreement Dominion says could bring jobs and investment to Virginia.

DOMINION SELECTS VIRGINIA OFFSHORE WIND TURBINE SUPPLIER AMID PJM CAPACITY MARKET UNCERTAINTY

Dominion Energy said Tuesday it selected Siemens Gamesa to supply offshore wind turbines for its 2,600-MW installation off the coast of Virginia, but the project's economics could be challenged if the wind farm is excluded from PJM Interconnection's capacity market.

HUNTINGTON INGALLS GETS 2 DEFENSE CONTRACTS WORTH UP TO $907 MILLION

The Pentagon made its usual mark on the Hampton Roads economy last month, awarding contracts ranging from construction projects to office chairs, but nothing topped Huntington Ingalls Industries’ one-day performance on Dec. 20. That’s when the nation’s largest military shipbuilder received two Navy contracts potentially worth $907 million. One benefits HII’s Newport News shipyard, and the other boosts Ingalls Shipbuilding in Mississippi.

DUPONT INVESTING $75 MILLION AT ITS SPRUANCE PLANT IN CHESTERFIELD COUNTY

DuPont is investing more than $75 million to modernize and expand its manufacturing and technology presence at the company’s Spruance plant on Jefferson Davis Highway in Chesterfield County. The expansion will create about 60 new jobs over the next several years, Gov. Ralph Northam announced Tuesday afternoon.

SPEAKERS VOICE CONCERNS OVER BALLAD HEALTH

Turnout at an annual public hearing for Ballad Health’s Local Advisory Council (LAC) was smaller than it was a year ago, but the angst remained palpable as residents again voiced concerns about the regional health care system on Tuesday. A total of 20 speakers addressed the seven members of the 10-member council designated to help supervise Ballad Health

FREE COLLEGE WITH GRANTS FOR BASIC NEEDS

Advocates for increasing college attainment and equity say that free college programs need to cover more than just the cost of tuition. The Commonwealth of Virginia has a proposal that would do just that, although some are criticizing the proposal’s eligibility restrictions.

VUU ANNOUNCES $5,000 TUITION CUT

Virginia Union University will cut the yearly cost of undergraduate tuition by $5,000 beginning next fall in an apparent bid to attract more students and end a quiet, but dramatic two-year drop in enrollment. ...The tuition rollback appears to be almost unprecedented among the nation’s colleges and universities, where the norm has been annual tuition increases that outpace inflation. But with the total number of incoming freshmen and transfer students down by 50 percent and total undergraduate enrollment dropping to the lowest level in decades, VUU appears to have needed a game-changing move.

COURT TOSSES PERMIT FOR ATLANTIC COAST PIPELINE STATION

A permit needed to build a natural gas compressor station for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in Virginia was thrown out Tuesday by a federal court that found the state failed to adequately consider the potential health effects on a historic African American community. The unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a victory for opponents of a proposal to build the station in Union Hill, an unincorporated community that was founded by freed slaves after the Civil War.

4TH CIRCUIT VACATES STATE AIR PERMIT FOR BUCKINGHAM PIPELINE COMPRESSOR STATION

A federal appeals court dealt another blow to the Atlantic Coast Pipeline on Tuesday with a ruling that vacates a state air pollution control permit for a natural gas compressor station in Buckingham County for failing to consider the disproportionate health effects on the surrounding, predominantly African American community of Union Hill.

FEDERAL COURT REVOKES GAS PROJECT PERMIT IN WIN FOR HISTORIC AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY IN VA.

A panel of federal judges has thrown out the permit for a natural gas pumping station in the historic African American community of Union Hill in Buckingham County, saying state regulators failed to consider whether the facility would disproportionately affect a vulnerable population. The ruling is another setback for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, a controversial 600-mile, $7.5 billion project being led by Dominion Energy.

VIRGINIA PAVED OVER ITS LARGEST SEABIRD NESTING SITE FOR THE HAMPTON ROADS BRIDGE-TUNNEL EXPANSION

Twenty-five thousand seabirds have lost their 40-year-old nesting site on an island along the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. It just got paved over. A little over a month ago, crews finished paving the entire south island to prepare for the $3.862 billion project, a Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman said. A new island for the birds will not be constructed

DOCUMENTS SHOW HOW FARMVILLE, AND VA COMPANY, PROFIT FROM DETENTION CENTER

Although it’s the town of Farmville that holds the main contract with federal officials to house immigrants, it’s actually a private company that operates the facility. It owns the land and building, and subcontracts with the town. The company is called Immigration Centers of America, or ICA, and it’s owned by a realtor in Richmond.

ALEXANDRIA PLANS TO PURCHASE HISTORIC SLAVE PEN-TURNED-MUSEUM

On Monday, the Alexandria city government announced plans to purchase and renovate Freedom House, an Old Town museum that was once the headquarters for the largest domestic slave trading firm in the nation, Franklin and Armfield. The museum recants the brutal conditions of life in the former slave pen through first-person accounts and examines Alexandria’s significant role in the slave trade with bone-chilling replicas of shackles and whips.

COUNCILWOMAN WITHDRAWS PROPOSAL TO ALLOW GUN-FREE ZONES FOR GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS

Thomas Colson passed the gunman in the Virginia Beach mass shooting three times on May 31. The shooter never fired at him. Colson escaped the city office building without injury, but 12 others died and four more were wounded. On Tuesday night, Colson asked the council to allow city employees like himself to carry firearms at work. He feared for his life that day, and he is scared to go to work, he said.

CHINCOTEAGUE VOTES TO PROTECT GUN OWNER RIGHTS, BAR SECOND AMENDMENT RESTRICTIONS

The Chincoteague Town Council voted Monday night to explicitly support Second Amendment rights. The vote came during the council’s first meeting of 2020. During the meeting, nearly every seat in the chamber was filled by residents who came to show support for the Second Amendment

TO GENERATE MONEY TO FIX SCHOOLS, DANVILLE COUNCIL EYES SALES TAX HIKE

Danville residents might vote on whether to allow the city to levy a local sales tax to pay for capital projects for construction and renovations of its public schools. Danville City Council voted 6-0 to ask the Virginia General Assembly to allow the city to hold the referendum that would ask voters for permission to impose a 1% sales tax.

DANVILLE COUNCIL SENDS GAMING MACHINES REQUESTS BACK TO PLANNING COMMISSION

Danville City Council remanded five skill-based gaming machine requests back to the planning commission during its regular meeting Tuesday night. Councilmen James Buckner and Adam Tomer were absent. Councilman Fred Shanks moved that the items be tabled and sent back to the Danville Planning Commission until city officials can create regulations for indoor gaming.

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY RECONSIDERING ZONING ORDINANCE FOR INDOOR GAMING

On Tuesday, the Pittsylvania County Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend a public hearing at its next meeting regarding a change in the zoning ordinance that would require a special-use permit for all indoor recreation facilities.

INTERCITY BUS LINE COMING TO MARTINSVILLE

The Virginia Breeze bus company recently made a big announcement in time for the business’s second anniversary. Starting this year, it will offer lines from Martinsville to Richmond and from Danville to Washington, D.C. Part of the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation, Virginia Breeze is an intercity bus service

CAMPBELL SUPERVISORS APPROVE COUNTY'S FOURTH SOLAR FARM PROJECT

Following a flurry of approvals that began a little more than a year ago, Campbell County supervisors have approved the fourth solar farm in the county. At its Tuesday night meeting, the board of supervisors unanimously approved a proposal from project manager Charlie Falter to construct, operate and maintain a 500-acre solar energy facility east of Brookneal Highway in Gladys

RURAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS FACE TOUGH DISCUSSIONS ON CONSOLIDATION

Alleghany County Sheriff Dale Muterspaugh went on a crusade in 2004, pledging his department’s resources to find the primary victim of a massive vandalism case at the high school. In July, dive teams searching the bottom of Pike Pond found what they were looking for: the Brackman Cup, symbol of the fierce football rivalry between the county high school and the city high school in the county seat.

SESSION OF FIRSTS IN RICHMOND

Today marks Day 1 of the 2020 General Assembly session, and with it an array of firsts. It is the first time in nearly 30 years that Democrats hold control of the House of Delegates, Senate and governorship, leaving many senior legislators bracing for the impact that could happen throughout the 60-day session.

WHY RICHMOND WORKS (AND WASHINGTON DOESN'T)

When the General Assembly gavels in today, it will have a new Senate Majority Leader. It will have a new Speaker of the House and a new House Majority Leader and a lot of other new leaders, too, now that Democrats will be taking control of both chambers for the first time since 1995.

EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT: IT'S TIME, VIRGINIA

The Virginia General Assembly first acted on whether to approve the Equal Rights Amendment in 1973. Through 1982, the proposal never made it out of committee, according to the Library of Virginia. The amendment has resurfaced in recent years. Last year, it cleared the state Senate in bipartisan fashion but ultimately failed in a tied vote on the floor of the House of Delegates.

BILL WOULD ALLOW 529S PLANS TO PAY FOR VOCATIONAL TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION

Most parents of school-age children are familiar with 529 plans — those tax-advantaged savings accounts that can be used to fund qualified higher education expenses. The plans allow a saver to put aside money or purchase credits at participating colleges and universities to help pay future tuition costs and mandatory fees.

WILLIAMS: RICHMOND MOVES TOWARD THE RIGHT SIDE OF HISTORY

James Apostle Fields, born enslaved in Hanover County in 1844, escaped his owner after a brutal beating during the Civil War and fled to Union-occupied Hampton Roads. According to Encyclopedia Virginia, Fields pursued an education, ultimately joining the first class at what would become Hampton Institute, now Hampton University. He earned a law degree from Howard University before his 1889 election to the Virginia House of Delegates,

DEANGELIS: SUPPORT WORKING FAMILIES THROUGH FEDERAL AND STATE WORK CREDITS

Too many of Virginia’s low-income working people struggle to move ahead, or even to stay afloat, as their costs continue to rise faster than their pay, making it harder for them to provide for themselves and their children. That’s a problem we can’t afford to ignore. To strengthen our communities and our economy, we need to ensure that working people have a chance to move ahead and that their children have a chance to succeed. Fortunately, recent tax policy proposals offer a promising path forward.

DeAngelis is Coordinator of New River Community Action's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program

PETRINE: EFFICIENCY AND AFFORDABILITY GO HAND-IN-HAND

The success story that is Virginia’s system of higher education is the envy of virtually every other state in the country. The Amazon HQ2 announcement and the 2019 CNBC state business ranking, which named Virginia the best state in the country for business, each validate the compelling role higher education plays as a driver for business recruitment and retention.

Petrine is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Commonwealth Care of Roanoke, Inc., and is a former Rector of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors

CARRICO: VIRGINIA SHOULD KEEP AUTO INSPECTIONS

As a retired state trooper and outgoing chairman of the Senate Transportation committee, I want to share my concerns about the proposed elimination of the motor vehicle inspection program for Virginia.

Carrico represents the 40th Senate district, which stretches from Wythe County to Lee County. A Republican from Grayson County, he is retiring and today is his last day in office.

YGLESIAS AND MICKLEM: WHO'S IN NEED OF SANCTUARY?

Sanctuary means a place of safety — away from harm. Since the November elections in which both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly were flipped to Democratic control, the question facing many Virginia communities has been this: Are Virginians harmed by laws that would limit gun access to those who face mental health crises, commit intimate partner violence or threaten to commit serious acts of violence against self or others?

Jonathan Yglesias is the policy director at the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance. Ruth Micklem is the community initiatives manager at the Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance.

MCCLOUD: FAIR HOUSING’S TROJAN HORSE — SOURCE OF INCOME

When landlords choose between applicants for an apartment, they begin with two basic questions: 1) Can this person make the rent on time each month; and 2) Does the applicant pose a threat to neighbors or the community? That might seem simplistic, but that’s because it is really that simple.

Patrick McCloud is the chief executive officer of the Virginia Apartment Management Association