With one fiery dissent, Fairfax County School Board members on June 12 approved a one-time bonus of up to $1,000 for many public school workers.
The $31.4 million cost of the bonuses comes from a state contribution of $19.7 million, to be matched by $11.7 million in local funds.
Virginia may need to enact more food safety requirements at the state level in response to cutbacks and deregulation efforts by the Trump administration, two legislators and several advocates said at a recent forum.
“We have historically, in my opinion, not done the kind of oversight we need to do. We’ve let the federal government do most of it,” Del. Mark Sickles (D-17) said during the press event on May 28.
Voters won’t cast their ballots in the Democratic primary election for Virginia’s 11th Congressional District for another year, but that hasn’t stopped early candidates from sprinting out of the gates.
Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw, who was the first Democrat to enter the race to replace retiring Rep. Gerry Connolly, has already garnered support from the incumbent congressman and former 10th Congressional District representative Jennifer Wexton.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin has delayed – if not outright killed – implementation of a bipartisan bill that requires data center developers to disclose noise and environmental impacts before receiving local approval.
Following Youngkin’s amendment [last] week, the requirement won’t go into effect until 2026 at the earliest.
Fairfax County officials are likely headed back to the drawing board after a veto of a bill that would have let Northern Virginia localities host a pilot program to reduce vehicle exhaust noise.
H.B. 2550, which was introduced in the Virginia General Assembly by local Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6), was one of 157 bills vetoed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday (March 24).
By OLIVIA DIAZ Associated Press/Report for America
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin said on Monday that he hoped to bolster Virginia’s rainy-day fund by $300 million in light of economic uncertainty surrounding the White House’s overhaul of federal jobs and its impact on the state’s workforce.
Democrats on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted yesterday (Tuesday) to send a letter to state leaders, asking for expanded unemployment coverage for federal workers having lost their jobs due to downsizing.
The maximum weekly Virginia unemployment-compensation rate of $378 is “one of the lowest in the country,” according to Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw.
The General Assembly has given the green light for state researchers to launch studies on removing books in public school libraries, the funding methodology used to determine judicial allocations and the total cost of coastal storm risk management.
The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts analysis and provides oversight of state agencies on behalf of the legislature, is responsible for the studies. Research completed by JLARC often prompts new legislative proposals and changes to governance.
Virginia school boards may soon have more control over how cell phones and smart devices are governed in classrooms. Legislation granting local districts the authority to craft their own policies cleared the General Assembly on Friday and now heads to Gov. Glenn Youngkin for consideration.
House Bill 1961, introduced by Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, and its companion measure, Senate Bill 738 by Sen. Stella Pekarsky, D-Fairfax, comes amid growing concerns over the impact of smartphones on children’s health. While research has linked excessive phone use to adverse effects on students’ well-being, advocates also recognize the role devices play in providing educational resources and communication tools.
A last-minute compromise in Richmond has kept alive one of the Fairfax County government’s key transportation initiatives of 2025.
Both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly approved language on Saturday (Feb. 22) allowing Fairfax and other Northern Virginia localities to host a pilot program focused on reducing vehicle-exhaust noise.
