virginiamercury.com – Charlotte Rene Woods, Nathaniel Cline – 2025-03-24 16:13:00
by Charlotte Rene Woods and Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury March 24, 2025
Monday was Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s deadline to take action on the roughly 900 bills that Virginia’s legislature approved to send his way. Monday afternoon saw over 300 signatures and a handful of vetoes, while he had until 11:59 p.m. for his other signatures, amendments and vetoes to be posted on Virginia’s Legislative Information System.
Youngkin vetoed for the second straight year a widely backed bill to raise Virginia’s minimum wage that would have allowed it to climb from $12.41 per hour to $13.50 per hour by January 2026, and reach $15 by January 2027.
Democrats, including the bill patron Del. Jeion Ward, D-Hampton, and various advocates insisted that the increase is necessary to keep pace with rising living costs. However, Republicans and other critics warn it could burden businesses.
The governor’s veto excluded a statement.
Ashley Kenneth, president and CEO of the progressive Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, said in a statement that the governor’s veto will continue making Virginia unaffordable for many working families and deepening barriers to economic opportunity for Virginians.
“Working people in Virginia drive our economy and deserve to be paid a fair wage for a fair day’s work,” Kenneth said. “Yet some businesses continue to exploit their workers through low pay that does not allow them to meet their basic needs.”
Prescription Drug Affordability Board proposal defeated again
The proposal would have created an independent, nonpartisan board of medical and health experts tasked with analyzing data to set payment limits on drug prices within state-sponsored health plans.
While Democrats have largely led the effort to establish a board, some Republicans, including Del. Ellen Campbell, R-Rockbridge, who co-sponsored the bill, have lent their support.
“Big Pharma has gotten away with charging hardworking Virginians outrageous prices just so they can stay alive,” said Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, who has been a key champion of the bill in the House of Delegates.
No statement was attached to his veto by the time of this publication. Previously, Youngkin described the proposal as “noble in its intent” but warned it could “limit access to treatments and hinder medical innovation” when he rejected the bill last year.
Other opponents of the bill included the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a prominent trade group that has lobbied against the bill and expressed skepticism about it.
Charise Richard, a senior director of state policy at PhRMA, stressed in an interview last week that PDABs are relatively untested, despite their surge in recent years.
Though at least 11 states have implemented such boards, Maryland was the first. Last fall the board approved a process to set an upper limit payment to cap drug costs on state health plans, its overall set up has been slow since its 2019 establishment and it’s not yet yielded the cost-savings at the core of its mission. An effort this year to expand the board resulted in heated debate in Maryland’s legislature.
Certain firearms will still be allowed in public areas
The governor vetoed an effort to prohibit assault firearms from being carried in public areas.
Senate Bill 880, carried by Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, would have prohibited certain firearms, including semi-automatic center-fire rifles, from being carried on any public street, road, alley, sidewalk or any other place everyone can go, with some exceptions, the proposal states.
The current law prohibits certain shotguns, semi-automatic rifles and pistols from being carried in specific localities and when they are loaded.
His bill would have created standards of responsible conduct for members of the firearm industry and required them to establish “reasonable controls” regarding the selling and marketing of firearms. The companion bill, carried by Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, was also vetoed.
Solar canopy bill rejected
A proposal from Del. David Bulova, D-Fairfax would have allowed localities to include solar canopy requirements for applicants seeking local developments.
Solar canopies are structures over parking lots that provide shade to parked cars and generate electricity through solar panels on top. While the state law wouldn’t have required localities to include this idea in local ordinances, it would have empowered localities that wanted to do so.
Though the bill passed with bipartisan support, it was ultimately vetoed.
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www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 11:38:00
(The Center Square) – Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earles-Sears accuses her Democratic opponent for governor, Abigail Spanberger of hiding a trust; Spanberger says it only holds her home—and ethics experts say she may not have needed to report it.
The Dispute centers on a home Spanberger and her husband placed in a trust in 2017, which her campaign says produced no income and was legally exempt from disclosure.
With both women vying to become Virginia’s first female governor, the accusation has quickly turned into a fight over ethics, transparency and what voters expect from their candidates.
“Members of Congress do not need to report assets from a non-income producing trust where they are an administrator that does not receive income or have any beneficial interest in the trust,” said Delaney Marsco, ethics director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
“Personal residences that do not earn income are not required to be disclosed,” a campaign spokesperson said, “so Abigail did not disclose her family’s only home—as doing so would make their home address publicly available.”
They added that when the home was placed in a trust, “Abigail filed her disclosures in accordance with House ethics rules, which do not require her to disclose her role as a trustee of a living trust holding only her family’s home.”
Earle-Sears has publicly slammed Spanberger on social media, accusing her of “dodging tough questions” and “hiding a $900,000 trust fund.”
“She’s a typical politician,” Earle-Sears wrote in apost on X, questioning whether Virginians can trust Spanberger if she’s “willing to lie about this.”
The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to a request for comment beyond public posts.
The accusation signals an early campaign strategy from Earle-Sears, who has so far leaned into sharp, combative messaging to define Spanberger as the race for the governor’s mansion heats up.
Under House ethics rules, members of Congressare not requiredto disclose personal residences or non-income-producing assets held in a trust as long as they receive no financial benefit. They must report liabilities such as mortgages and disclose trustee roles only if the position involves an organization or generates income.
Virginia requires statewide candidates to file a Statement of Economic Interests, but similar to federal rules, personal residencesare typically exemptif they don’t produce income. The state form focuses on business ties, investments and income sources—leaving out non-commercial trusts like the one Spanberger’s team says holds her home.
www.youtube.com – 13News Now – 2025-04-18 06:11:37
SUMMARY: The weather forecast for the upcoming days shows temperatures above average, with highs reaching 79°F today and possibly 86°F tomorrow. Sunday will remain warm with temperatures in the upper 70s, but a backdoor front may cause a slight afternoon cool down. Easter Sunday will see dry conditions in the morning but potential severe storms in the Midwest. Monday will be mild, but showers and storms are expected Tuesday through Thursday. By Friday, conditions should improve, with temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s as the week ends. Skies will be mostly clear today, with light winds from the south.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-17 14:09:00
(The Center Square) – Local races for school board, sheriff and county supervisor are bringing in big money across Virginia, with some candidates already raising tens of thousands of dollars ahead of the 2025 elections.
Over $170,000 has already poured into Virginia’s board of supervisors races, according to finance reports compiled byThe Virginia Access Project. The latest filings show a small group of local candidates pulling in five-figure hauls months ahead of the primaries.
Botetourt County’s Dirk Padgett, a Republican running for an open seat in the Amsterdam District, has raised over $8,000. His opponent, Tim Snyder, has raised $1,200.
In Montgomery County, Todd King is facing a primary challenge from Dale Buckner, who raised $211 in the first quarter, while King raised a reported $22,000.
Jason Capelle of Orange County raised the most, with a reported $31,375 in the first quarter. Capelle brought in donations from business leaders and developers and has no challenger heading into the election.
Duane Adams, the incumbent chairman of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors, will also not face a primary challenger and reported raising $17,271, all transferred from a prior campaign account.
Insheriff races, the biggest total so far came from Chesapeake’s Dave Rosado. He raised nearly $70,000 in the first quarter and ended March with more than $114,000 in the bank. His top donors include construction companies, campaign consultants and local businesses.
Richmond Sheriff William Burnett raised about $52,000 in the first quarter, with major contributions from Leipertz Consulting and several family contributors
Virginia election dates for 2025:
May 2: Early voting begins in the June primaries.
June 17: Primary elections are held.
Nov. 4: Virginians vote for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, members of the House of Delegates and multiple local offices.
