Does Youngkin's stance on vaccine and mask mandates remain the same with a new variant causing concern?
The latest in Virginia politics.
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Glenn Youngkin remains steadfast in his opposition to mask and vaccine mandates
Americans found out just how powerful governors in this country really are when the pandemic began and they shut down nearly everything in their states to try and curb the spread of COVID-19. Now with a new variant of the virus spreading and causing concern for what is to come this winter, Virginia will be transitioning to new executive leadership at the beginning of the new year.
Virginia was the only state during the pandemic to have a medical doctor as governor. On Jan. 15, however, Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin will be sworn in as Virginia’s next governor.
Youngkin, a former finance executive, strongly encouraged his supporters to get the vaccine during the campaign — however, he also pushed back against any type of mandates for the shot or masks enacted by current Governor Ralph Northam.
A spokesperson for Youngkin referred Virginia Scope to his recent comments on the Joe Thomas show when asked if his stances on COVID-19 protocols remain the same as they did during the campaign. “I’m gonna choose every authority that I have as governor in order to combat what I believe are not correct mandates and therefore I’m gonna rescind them,” Youngkin said during the interview with Thomas.
Earlier this year, Northam issued an executive order requiring anyone within a public school building to wear a mask. He also mandated that state employees be vaccinated or receive weekly Covid tests. Youngkin pushed back against both of those orders during his campaign for governor and is continuing to do so now. “I will rescind Executive Order 18 for state employees, they will not be mandated to wear masks or get vaccines,” Youngkin told Thomas.
The gov-elect continued during the interview to say that he will drop the requirements for students to wear masks in schools by leaving the choice up to parents, a big theme from his campaign. “I will appoint a new health commissioner and we will rescind the public health order that requires kids in K-12 education to wear a mask in order to attend both public and private schools,” Youngkin said. “This has been my position, this continues to be my position that we in fact are going to respect the individual ability to make these decisions with regards to the vaccine and particularly with parents’ ability to make decisions with regards to their children.”
Youngkin’s staff told Virginia Scope on Monday that they do not have an official statement as to who will serve as health commissioner under the new gubernatorial administration.
The Omicron variant was first discovered in South Africa and is beginning to be found in other countries around the world. It is not clear yet whether the current vaccine will be effective against protecting individuals from serious illness if they contract this new variant.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, stressed over the weekend that Americans need to take this time to prepare for the new variant to start spreading here.
“As we all know, when you have a virus that has already gone to multiple countries, inevitably it will be here,” Fauci said. “The question is: Will we be prepared for it?”
Youngkin’s inauguration date is Jan. 15.
Bills filed so far in the Democratic-majority state Senate
Five bills have been filed in the Democratic-majority state Senate so far ahead of the 2022 legislative session in Richmond. This chamber is the only real line of defense for Virginia Democrats to stop Republicans from enacting their agenda now that they control the Executive Branch and House of Delegates.
So far there are four bills from two Republicans and only one that is Democratic-sponsored. (It is early, there will be a lot more to come.)
For this week, all of the Senate bills are in one place below:
SB 5 Virginia Freedom of Information Act; Virginia Parole Board member votes.
Sponsor: Senator David Suetterlein (R)
Provides that individual votes of the members of the Virginia Parole Board are public records and subject to the provisions of the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.
SB 4 Emergency Services and Disaster Law; limitation on duration of executive orders.
Sponsor: Senator David Suetterlein (R)
Limits the duration of any executive order issued by the Governor pursuant to his powers under the Emergency Services and Disaster Law to no more than 45 days from the date of issuance. The bill provides that if the General Assembly does not take any action on the rule, regulation, or order within the 45 days during which the rule, regulation, or order is effective, the Governor shall thereafter be prohibited from issuing the same or a similar rule, regulation, or order relating to the same emergency. Under current law, once issued, such executive orders are effective until June 30 following the next regular session of the General Assembly.
SB 3 Elections; absentee voting; ballots to be sorted and results to be reported by precinct.
Sponsor: Senator David Suetterlein (R)
Provides that absentee ballots processed at a central absentee precinct must be sorted by the precinct to which the voter who cast the absentee ballot is assigned and that the resulting vote totals from such ballots must be reported separately for each voter precinct.
SB 1 Paid family and medical leave program; Virginia Employment Commission required to establish.
Sponsor: Jennifer B. Boysko (D)
Requires the Virginia Employment Commission to establish and administer a paid family and medical leave program with benefits beginning January 1, 2025. Under the program, benefits are paid to eligible employees for family and medical leave. Funding for the program is provided through premiums assessed to employers and employees beginning in 2024. The amount of a benefit is 80 percent of the employee’s average weekly wage, not to exceed 80 percent of the state weekly wage, which amount is required to be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the statewide average weekly wage. The measure caps the duration of paid leave at 12 weeks in any application year. The bill provides self-employed individuals the option of participating in the program.
SB 2 School principals; incident reports.
Sponsor: John A. Cosgrove, Jr. (R)
Requires that school principals report to law enforcement certain enumerated acts that may constitute a misdemeanor offense and report to the parents of any minor student who is the specific object of such act that the incident has been reported to law enforcement. Under current law, principals are required to make such reports only for such acts that may constitute a felony offense.
What could Glenn Youngkin as governor actually do to alter admissions at TJ? - Washington Post
by Hannah Natanson
During his campaign, Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) placed a spotlight on education, even promising to alter the admissions system at one specific high school: the vaunted Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
Youngkin told The Washington Post this fall that he wants to undo recent revisions to the admissions process at the school, a prestigious magnet STEM institution in Fairfax County known as TJ. The changes, including the elimination of a notoriously difficult admissions test, were meant to boost diversity at the school, which has historically enrolled very few Black and Hispanic students.
Youngkin inheriting massive rail projects - Inside NOVA
Virginia’s transportation system was far from the biggest issue during the gubernatorial election, and Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin spoke sparingly on the campaign trail about his vision on public transit and passenger rail.
But his administration will inherit the most ambitious rail project in the state’s recent history, with some wondering whether the incoming Republican shares his predecessor’s vision for passenger rail in Northern Virginia and across the state.
Southwest Virginia lawmakers give preview of focuses for 2022 session - WSET
by Maggi Marshall
In a little more than a month, state lawmakers will head to Richmond for the 2022 General Assembly.
As of Monday, folks are able to begin to get a sense of what the focus of next year's session may be, because lawmakers have to pre-file bills initially by the end of the day Monday.
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