Virginia Mercury | FFXnow

Published March 13, 2025 at 3:45PM

The Virginia State Capitol building (file photo)

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.

Countywide

General Assembly passes bill giving schools more say on classroom phone rules

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published February 25, 2025 at 8:15AM

Woman types on smartphone (via freestocks/Unsplash)

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.

Countywide

School funding showdown looms as legislature sends sales tax bill to Youngkin again

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published February 14, 2025 at 3:00PM

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announces Alarm.com expansion in Tysons in February 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

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.

Countywide

House tables push to add Fairfax to eligible casinos list in Virginia

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published February 13, 2025 at 9:00AM

Sen. Scott Surovell presents his bill to make Fairfax County eligible for a casino to a House Appropriations subcommittee in February 2025 (via Virginia General Assembly)

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.

Countywide

Virginia moves to protect economy from federal workforce crisis

By Markus Schmidt / Virginia Mercury

Published February 5, 2025 at 1:15PM

The Virginia State Capitol building (file photo)

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.”

Countywide

Toll breaks for Virginia drivers? Lawmakers weigh costly proposal

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published January 31, 2025 at 9:00AM

A sign displays the current cost of using the I-66 Express Lanes from Vaden Drive in Oakton (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

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.

Countywide

Lawmakers target misuse of ‘homeless’ designation in high school sports recruitment

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published January 22, 2025 at 8:15AM

Hayfield Secondary School (staff photo)

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.

Countywide

Legislation to translate K-12 assessments into multiple languages advances in Virginia

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published January 15, 2025 at 9:45AM

A student takes a school test (via Ben Mullins on Unsplash)

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.

Countywide

Judge deems Youngkin’s actions to withdraw Virginia from RGGI ‘unlawful’

By Charlie Paullin / Virginia Mercury

Published November 20, 2024 at 3:30PM

Gov. Glenn Youngkin speaks at Google's office in Reston in April 2022 (staff photo by Jay Westcott)

Floyd County Circuit Court Judge Randall Lowe determined Wednesday Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin acted unlawfully by withdrawing Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a program aimed to reduce climate changing emissions that has funneled hundreds of millions to the state to deal with the impacts of extreme weather events.

In his five page opinion, Lowe wrote that “the only body with the authority to repeal the RGGI regulation would be the General Assembly. This is because a statute, the RGGI Act, requires the RGGI regulation to exist.”

Countywide

Virginia weighs in as Metro area task force considers solutions to support region’s transit network

By Nathaniel Cline / Virginia Mercury

Published September 25, 2024 at 3:45PM

A train at the Vienna Metro station (staff photo by Angela Woolsey)

More than 80% of people surveyed in the National Capital Region said they “support more and better transit services, even if it requires higher investment by the region,” according to a survey conducted by two advisory groups associated with a regional task group’s effort to create a new funding plan for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (Metro).

Under a proposed funding plan known as Scenario 1, the advisory groups said the region would have to generate an additional $645 million to cover all the transit agencies in fiscal year 2028, with 70% of the funds for capital investments.