An effort by Fairfax County officials to crack down on excessively loud vehicle exhaust systems is facing an uncertain future in Richmond, where state legislators recently voiced concerns about the possible costs.
The powerful Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations voted 10-4 Monday night (Feb. 17) to send the proposed legislation to the State Crime Commission, which will study its provisions and report back later to the General Assembly.
For the fourth consecutive year, Virginia lawmakers have sent the governor a bill allowing all localities to impose a 1% sales tax for school construction. Now, all eyes are on Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has vetoed similar measures before.
Youngkin, who has historically opposed these tax proposals, will once again review the legislation. After the last session, he blocked the measure, citing the state’s existing efforts to fund school construction and concerns over its impact on taxpayers.
The legislation to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino isn’t officially dead, but it appears to be in active need of resuscitation.
A House of Delegates appropriations subcommittee’s decision to pass by Senate Bill 982 after a 30-minute hearing on Wednesday (Feb. 12) brought celebratory statements from the community groups and local elected officials who had vocally opposed the proposal to allow a casino in Tysons.
Lawmakers deciding on a controversial bill to develop a casino and entertainment complex in Tysons Corner tabled a decision Wednesday after House leadership moved the bill between House committees for consideration.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s Senate Bill 982 would have added Fairfax County to the list of Virginia localities eligible to develop a casino that backers say would bring jobs and revenue for the county and commonwealth.
Concerns by Fairfax County officials helped convince state lawmakers to take a deeper look at proposed changes to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) rules intended to make decision-making at the local-government level more transparent.
The measure patroned by state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-39) had sailed through the Virginia General Assembly’s upper chamber unanimously on Jan. 31.
Discussion of legislation permitting a referendum on a Tysons casino has moved to the powerful House Committee on Appropriations.
Members of the House Committee on Local Government were directed by Speaker Don Scott (D-88) yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) to send the bill to the chamber’s appropriations committee without acting on it.
Its future remains uncertain, but legislation in Richmond could bring the towns of Herndon, Vienna and Clifton more money to spend on environmental and social-service initiatives.
A bill patroned by Del. Marty Martinez (D-29) would allow Virginia towns to get a portion of the plastic bag tax revenue collected by their surrounding county. After passing the House of Delegates on a 52-45 vote on Jan. 23, the measure advanced from a Senate Committee on Local Government on a party-line tally of 8-7 on Monday (Feb. 10).
Fairfax County and other localities across the state may get more time to address state-mandated limits on public accessibility for some criminal records.
Legislation moving toward likely adoption in the Virginia General Assembly will give local governments an additional 12 months — until July 1, 2026 — to implement changes to the current expungement process that had been mandated four years ago.
With the federal government slashing its workforce and attempting to freeze billions in funding, Virginia lawmakers are bracing for impact. House Speaker Don Scott (D-Portsmouth) on Tuesday evening announced the formation of an Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions, a bipartisan panel tasked with assessing the economic fallout and crafting solutions to protect the commonwealth.
“This is not about politics — it’s about protecting Virginia’s workforce, economy, and essential services,” Scott said in a statement. “With nearly 145,000 federal civilian employees and even more federal contractors calling Virginia home, we depend on a strong partnership with the federal government to provide critical services. The federal administration’s announced plans to ‘drain’ the federal workforce and the pause in federal funding raise serious concerns for Virginia’s economy and the ability to maintain essential services.”
Legislation that would give Fairfax County the authority to ask voters to allow a casino is heading to the Virginia House of Delegates.
After a passionate debate that split Fairfax County’s typically unified delegation, the contentious bill from Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) to add the county to the short list of localities eligible to host a casino passed the state Senate today (Tuesday) by a 24-16 vote.
