For Virginians who spend hundreds of dollars on tolls each month, relief could be on the horizon — if lawmakers can stomach the price tag.
A proposal to ease toll burdens for frequent drivers and low-income residents cleared a key hurdle in the state legislature this week, as a House Transportation subcommittee advanced the measure for further review.
The push to allow a casino in Fairfax County has officially entered new territory.
After tabling similar legislation proposed by state Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35) last year, the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee voted 9-6 this morning (Tuesday) to report Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell’s (D-34) bill to add the county to Virginia’s list of eligible casino hosts to the full chamber.
Virginia lawmakers are moving forward with a bill to crack down on the misuse of the “homeless” designation by school officials to recruit student athletes. House Bill 1656, introduced by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, also prohibits officials from accepting money or gifts intended to influence a student’s decision to transfer schools for athletic purposes.
The legislation narrowly advanced to the full House on an 11-10 party-line vote in the House Education Committee. No lawmakers spoke on the bill ahead of the vote.
Update — At its Wednesday, Jan. 22 meeting, the Virginia Senate General Laws and Technology Committee voted 11-3 with Sen. Adam Ebbin, the committee’s chair, abstaining to advance the bill to authorize a casino in Fairfax County to the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee.
Earlier: A bill that would make Fairfax County eligible for a casino is again making headway through the Virginia Senate.
Virginia students would be allowed to take the state’s annual learning assessments in a language other than English under a bill that advanced out of a House Education subcommittee on Tuesday.
Del. Laura Jane Cohen, D-Fairfax, introduced the legislation, after the Virginia Board of Education recently made changes to include more testing results from English learners, who have typically been excluded because of the language barrier, into a school’s accountability calculations.
As the No Casino Coalition embarks on its second year of lobbying, it has learned some lessons in political realities.
Among them: Be careful when accepting help from anonymous sources.
Advocates for a referendum to allow a casino in Tysons have a formidable ally in the General Assembly this year.
State Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) is carrying the 2025 bill to add Fairfax County to Virginia’s short list of casino-eligible localities, taking over from Sen. Dave Marsden (D-35), who introduced legislation in 2023 and 2024.
State legislators representing Fairfax County are taking the lead on major issues in the Virginia General Assembly’s 2025 session, filing proposals addressing reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, gun control and election reforms.
Originally slated to begin yesterday (Jan. 8), the legislative session has been delayed by water service issues in Richmond stemming from the snowstorm on Monday (Jan. 6). Lawmakers will now convene on Monday, Jan. 13 and remain in session through Feb. 22.
Under current Virginia law, adults placed into a guardianship or conservatorship are automatically deemed ineligible to vote. One Northern Virginia legislator, backed by a key advocacy group and a number of affected individuals, is working to change that.
State Sen. Barbara Favola (D-40) has introduced legislation that would eliminate the automatic stripping of voting rights of those who come under a guardianship.
Almost two years after talks of a casino in Fairfax County’s Silver Line corridor emerged, prospective developer Comstock Companies has publicly commented for the first time on its plan for a gaming and entertainment hub in Tysons.
The proposal represents “an opportunity to bring an entertainment anchor” to Tysons, Comstock Executive Vice President for Development John Harrison told community members Tuesday (Jan. 7) at an online forum hosted by the Fairfax County NAACP.
