Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) has recommended changes to bills on immigration enforcement from a Fairfax County state senator.
State Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D-37) had introduced Senate versions of the bills to restrict federal immigration enforcement in certain places, prevent law enforcement from wearing masks and ban state and local law enforcement agreements with federal immigration enforcement.
One local state lawmaker announced plans today (Monday) to seek a newly-drawn Congressional seat if Virginia’s redistricting amendment is approved by voters later this month.
Saddam Azlan Salim, a Democrat who has served in the state Senate since 2023, joins a crowded primary field for the proposed 7th Congressional District that includes two other state lawmakers and a former Virginia first lady.
With less than two weeks left in the Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session, three bills authored by a Fairfax state senator that would “end ICE abuses” still have a chance to become law.
Each of the bills introduced by state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim (D), which would place state-level restrictions on federal immigration enforcement activities, await action by the House of Delegates at large before potentially heading to the governor’s desk.
Legislation allowing local governments to regulate or ban the use of gas-powered leaf blowers is facing an uphill climb in the Virginia General Assembly.
A measure by Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) was deferred until the 2027 session by a vote on Friday (Jan. 30) in the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns.
With the nation’s eyes on Minneapolis after residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti were fatally shot by federal agents this month, Democratic lawmakers have become increasingly critical of the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to immigration enforcement, with some calling for Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem’s impeachment.
In Richmond, state Sen. Saddam Azlan Salim is pushing three pieces of legislation that he says will keep “the chaos, lawlessness, and violence that we have seen perpetrated against Minnesotans from coming to Virginia.”
Democratic lawmakers on Monday advanced a sweeping slate of gun safety proposals — many of them previously vetoed by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin — as they test whether Virginia’s new Democratic governor, Abigail Spanberger, will take a more favorable view of firearm restrictions.
Over nearly four hours, the Democratic-led Senate Courts of Justice Committee approved more than half a dozen bills tightening rules on assault-style firearms, gun storage, concealed carry reciprocity, ghost guns and weapons in public spaces, while rejecting the lone Republican proposal that would have increased mandatory minimum sentences for repeat firearm offenses.
An expanded Democratic majority in the Virginia House of Delegates could bode well for a revived bid to let local governments ban gas-powered leaf blowers.
When the General Assembly convenes this month, Del. Rip Sullivan (D-6) recently confirmed to FFXnow that he intends to reintroduce legislation authorizing localities to prohibit or regulate the machines after previous attempts faltered along party lines.
After Virginia Democrats exceeded expectations in yesterday’s elections, optimism is high among Fairfax County lawmakers.
Flipping each of Virginia’s statewide offices with Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones winning, respectively, for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general was only a portion of the party’s statewide success on Election Day.
A bill to raise Virginia’s minimum wage got the ax in Richmond despite the support of three Fairfax County state senators.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed legislation on March 28 that would’ve increased the minimum wage from $12 to $15 an hour by 2026. Sens. Jennifer Boysko, Saddam Salim and Adam Ebbin, who all represent parts of Fairfax County, were among several Democrats to sponsor the bill.
In the latest round of action on bills, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed 100 bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly, including one to protect Virginians from unlawful discrimination, hate crimes and antisemitism. The governor vetoed four others, including one to create civil penalties for shop owners who fail to advertise they are selling invasive plants that could harm other species.
Among the 100 bills signed is a measure that will codify a recommendation by the Commission to Combat Antisemitism that Virginia revise its laws to better protect Jewish citizens from hate crimes, along with Muslims, Sikhs and other ethnic-religious groups.
