RICHMOND, Va. -- RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Leaders of the Democratic-controlled Virginia General Assembly said Wednesday that they reached an 11th-hour compromise with Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to extend negotiations over the state budget in an attempt to avert gridlock. The move marks a change in course from what had been expected as recently as Tuesday and was made in an effort to reduce tensions surrounding the budget negotiations, top leaders said. Youngkin and Assembly Democrats, at odds over tax policy and other provisions of the next two-year spending plan, have spent the weeks since the ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. -- The way localities can choose to help pay for new school construction and renovation is up for debate this week at the Virginia General Assembly. Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) vetoed a bill passed by the Democratic-controlled General Assembly that would have allowed Virginia cities and counties to add a one-percent sales tax to fund school construction and renovation projects if approved by voters in a referendum. A 2021 report found over half of Virginia's schools are over 50 years old and replacing them would cost around $25 billion. "We know from a state perspectiv ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the Democratic lawmakers who control the Virginia General Assembly have spent months at odds over taxes. The way to find compromise and get a new two-year budget done on time, Youngkin said Monday, is to set aside talk of cuts or increases for now and simply stick with the tax policy status quo. In a speech in Richmond, the governor outlined a lengthy package of amendments to the budget the General Assembly sent him in March, including a proposal to eliminate a new lawmaker-backed sales tax on digital goods and services. He also laid out co ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed 88 bills Friday and vetoed 11 others, including legislation that advocates said would have helped protect women and medical practitioners from potential extraditions related to abortion services that are legal in Virginia. Youngkin said in a statement that the measures would undermine the nation's longstanding legal framework for extraditions. But in a move that surprised some observers, the governor signed separate legislation, which is supported by abortion rights groups, that prohibits the issuance of search warrants, subpoenas or court or ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. -- Savannah Morris was only 15 years old when she received a life-changing diagnosis. "I was in the middle of high school, it was the spring of my sophomore year," she reflected. That's when she found out she had Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease. She's had several surgeries in the 10 years since her diagnosis, and now, she must wear an ostomy pouch every single day. She said she pays roughly $150-200 about every two weeks, out of pocket, for new pouches. Though she'll stay on her parents' insurance, she worries about how she'll afford the pouches, as well as medica ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed two top Democratic legislative priorities on Thursday: bills that would have allowed the recreational retail sales of marijuana to begin next year and measures mandating a minimum wage increase. The development did not come as a surprise. While Youngkin had not explicitly threatened to veto either set of bills, he told reporters he didnt think the minimum wage bill was needed and had repeatedly said he was uninterested in setting up retail marijuana sales. In 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state to legalize marijuana, adopt ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin announced Tuesday he had vetoed 30 pieces of gun-related legislation, including measures that would have halted the sale of certain semi-automatic firearms. Youngkin's vetoes, which drew criticism from Democrats, were not surprising. But the governor had been vague enough on the issue that he had left even gun-rights groups with a degree of uncertainty about how he would act on the dozens of bills the Democratic-controlled General Assembly sent him during this year's session. Youngkin also announced Tuesday he was proposing amendments to si ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. A former Virginia lawmaker was arrested over the weekend on felony gun and drug charges and a misdemeanor charge of violating a protective order, according to a sheriff's office official and jail records. Matt Fariss, who had served in the House of Delegates as a Republican since 2012 before running unsuccessfully last year as an independent, was booked at a Blue Ridge Regional Jail facility early Sunday, online jail records show. He faces charges of possession of a Schedule I or II drug, a felony, possession of a Schedule I or II drug while possessing a firearm, also a felony, a ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed nearly two dozen pieces of crime and law enforcement legislation, including measures that would have expanded credits for inmates to get out of prison early and allowed some immigrants who are not U.S. citizens to become police officers. Youngkin announced his final action on a total of 60 bills late Wednesday, including 36 he signed into law, two he amended and 22 he vetoed. The Republican governor rejected the bills because they would weaken criminal penalties and undermine public safety," he said in a statement announcing his vetoes. He ..read more

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) Top legislators in the Virginia House of Delegates are disputing Gov. Glenn Youngkins claim that an independent consultant they hired gave a clean bill of health to his proposal to lure two Washington sports teams to the city of Alexandria. Youngkin, a Republican, has hosted a series of campaign-style events in recent weeks to rally public support for the deal and turn up the heat on legislators, especially Democratic Sen. L. Louise Lucas, a leading opponent. The Democratic-controlled General Assembly wrapped up its session earlier this month without approving the proposal ..read more