Friday's political news
Anderson apologizes, bipartisan effort to investigate parole board, VA passes the Voting Rights Act, plus so much more.
Welcome to FRIDAY! Below are the top stories in Virginia politics.
GOP Chairman Rich Anderson apologizes to statewide candidates
The chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, Rich Anderson, sent an email Wednesday night directly to all of the Republican candidates running for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, or Attorney General. In the email, Anderson apologizes for the way that the State Central Committee process has transpired and he vows to change the way the party’s governing committee operates after November. He also provides an update on talks with Liberty University to host the nominating convention.
Excerpt from the email:
A team of SCC members who have advocated for a convention has been working with LU officials on arrangements, moving toward a final contract that will be reviewed by our RPV General Counsel and signed by me. As you may now know from media reports, LU’s Office of Communications and Public Engagement issued a press release earlier today clarifying that it had not yet reached final agreement with our SCC team and RPV officials on details that would lead to a final contract. That press release can be seen here: https://www.liberty.edu/news/press_release/statement-regarding-the-rental-of-liberty-university-controlled-off-campus-parking-lots-for-virginia-gop-convention/
The press release and the situation that precipitated it are troubling and follow the prolonged period of uncertainty that has been inflicted on your campaigns over the last three months by continual SCC infighting, division, and disagreement. My personal commitment to each of you has been—and will continue to be—a fair and level playing field that neither favors nor disfavors any candidate. I want a process that all candidates and Virginia Republicans can trust and which permits selection of our three statewide nominees on the basis of merit.
As state party chair, I speak on behalf of RPV in expressing my deepest apologies to each of you for the situation that has been created by the SCC and which your campaigns have had to endure over the last three months—culminating in today’s press release by LU. You deserve better than this, and I intend to fix it for the remainder of this nomination cycle and into the general election campaign after we select our three nominees.
Legislation hopes to expand broadband access for low-income students
By Josephine Walker
Capital News Service
RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia General Assembly passed legislation in an effort to expand broadband internet access to low-income students across the commonwealth.
Senate Bill 1225, proposed by Sen. Jennifer Boysko, D-Fairfax, authorizes school boards to appropriate funds to partner with private companies for the purpose of implementing and subsidizing broadband internet access for low-income and at-risk students.
“Distance learning during the pandemic has left these students struggling not just with homework but with classwork and lessons as well,” Boysko said before a House panel.
The reduced rate broadband would be eligible for students who qualify for child nutrition programs and other programs that are recognized by the school board as a measure to identify at-risk students. That means programs that are funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, such as the schools’ breakfast, lunch and after school snack programs.
VIRGINIA GOVERNOR CANDIDATE SAYS IT’S TIME TO ‘TREAT POVERTY LIKE THE EMERGENCY IT IS’ - The Appeal
by Eoin Higgins
Jennifer Carroll Foy is running for Virginia governor this year with the crisis of inequality in mind. “Poverty has to be treated as the emergency that it is,” she told The Appeal.
Carroll Foy, a former public defender who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2020, is running on a platform that includes extending an eviction moratorium, changing zoning to balance density with affordable housing, addressing disparities in the quality of public education, and ensuring Virginia has a 100 percent net zero emissions standard as part of a broader climate change policy.
Senators make bipartisan call for new investigation of Parole Board following report - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Patrick Wilson and Mark Bowes
Two state senators want a select committee formed to investigate “serious damaging allegations” of wrongdoing by the Virginia Parole Board following a revelation this week of new documents related to how the board handled the release of a man who killed a Richmond police officer in 1979.
WTVR-TV in Richmond reported Tuesday on the previously unreleased records from the Office of the State Inspector General, the watchdog agency that found last year that the parole board and its former chairwoman violated state law and board policies in granting release to Vincent Martin.
GOP gubernatorial candidate Kirk Cox Joins Virginia Legislators in Calling for Accountability for the Parole Board
"What started as a thirteen-page report became a heavily redacted six-page report. How did that happen and are there key details that have been purposely shielded from the eyes of the public?" said Cox "Members of the Parole Board failed to follow the letter of the law and to provide full transparency to the people it serves. The Inspector General has a responsibility to the people of the Commonwealth, and must hold those guilty accountable for violating the policies of the Parole Board and the law. Virginians deserve to know what the Northam Administration knew about this and whether or not they played a part."
Republican candidate for Attorney General, Del. Jason Miyares (Virginia Beach) also released a statement on the parole board:
“The now unredacted Inspector General's Report confirms the truth: the Democratic controlled Parole Board broke the law by letting cop killer Vincent Martin back on our streets. The Parole Board violated the law and someone needs to be held accountable. Life without the possibility of parole on today’s Virginia means cop killers like Vincent Martin get out of prison. We desperately need an Attorney General who will be a check and balance on one party, liberal control in Richmond.”
Virginia Is Poised To Approve Its Own Voting Rights Act - VPM News
by Ben Paviour
Nearly eight years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, Democrats in Virginia are poised to enact state-level legislation they say would boost voter protections.
Backers of the Virginia Voting Rights Act say it's the most comprehensive bill of its kind — and the first in the South. The legislation cleared a final vote on Thursday and now goes to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam.
Democratic LG hopeful Elizabeth Guzman celebrates Senate passage of limited paid leave bill
By Zachary Klosko
Capital News Service
RICHMOND,Va. — After four years and multiple bills, Del. Elizabeth Guzmán, D-Woodbridge, is on the cusp of being able to secure paid leave for some Virginia workers.
“It feels really good,” Guzmán said. “I think about the amount of people who are going to get this benefit and how they will have peace of mind to stay home and take care of family members if they are unwell.”
The Virginia Senate passed an amended version of the delegate’s legislation that mandates paid sick leave for some in-home health care workers. The substitute bill heads back to the House, where the initial bill passed on a 54-46 vote. Guzmán said she will encourage delegates to approve the substitute and send the amended bill to Gov. Ralph Northam.
Virginia budget deal includes 5% raise for teachers and state employees - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Michael Martz
Teachers, state employees and state-supported local employees would receive raises of 5% in the next fiscal year, with additional money for state police salaries and a bonus for correctional officers, under a budget agreement reached by House and Senate leaders late Wednesday.
The deal includes almost $64 million in state funds to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for home health care providers to pay for increases in the minimum wage on May 1 and Jan. 1.
Virginia Budget May Underfund Poor Schools, Overfund Rich Ones - VPM News
By Alan Rodriguez
Schools throughout Virginia have seen a decrease in student enrollment during the pandemic, as many students face attendance barriers, and some parents withdraw their children from the public education system in favor of homeschooling or private schools.
The sudden enrollment declines automatically triggered budget reductions to a range of critical school programs. Gov. Ralph Northam’s proposed budget, put forth in December, suggests cutting around $27 million statewide for special education, $20 million for English language learners and $6 million for prevention, intervention and remediation programs over the next two years.
U.S. House Passes Bill to Afford LGBTQ+ Americans Equal Protection Under Law
A bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to pass legislation to expand protections for and prevent discrimination against LGBTQ+ people in Central Virginia and across the country.
In 31 states, a person can be denied access to education because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. LGBTQ+ Americans can also be denied housing in 27 states. The current patchwork of protections is often insufficient to prevent discrimination of LGBTQ+ people in education, housing, employment, and other areas of daily life.
“In America — in 2021 — LGBTQ+ people can be denied access to an education, a mortgage, or a job because they found the person they love — or because they have the courage to stand firm in who they are,” said Virginia Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-07), a cosponsor of the equality act. “This Equality Act is about more than equality — it’s about righting wrongs, reasserting our commitment to equal rights, and making sure every person is treated with dignity and has the same rights. Tonight, I’m thinking of the thousands of Virginians who’ve waited far too long to see progress on this legislation. I hope they know that their voices are being heard, and I promise to keep fighting for them. I urge our colleagues in the Senate to think of these families when considering this legislation— and to move this bill to the President’s desk as soon as possible.”
Northam’s push to reopen schools meets sharp criticism in Portsmouth as board mulls a proposed return - Virginian-Pilot
By Sara Gregory
Portsmouth elementary and middle school students could return to the classroom in April, but high school students would finish the year virtually under a new plan presented Thursday.
If approved by the School Board, these plans would replace existing ones that call for a phased return only after the rate of positive cases in the city — currently 16.8% — falls below 10%.
With deadline looming, Virginia lawmakers still negotiating marijuana legalization bill - Virginia Mercury
by Ned Oliver
With a Saturday deadline approaching, state lawmakers in the House and Senate are still working to resolve differences over landmark legislation that would legalize recreational marijuana in Virginia.
As of Thursday evening, it was unclear whether the two chambers would be able to reach an agreement on the bill, which Gov. Ralph Northam has made a priority in his final year in office.
Attorney General Mark Herring’s statement on the passage of automatic expungement legislation by the General Assembly that is now headed to the Governor to be signed into law
“Each of us is more than our worst mistake, and we cannot allow Virginians’ lives to be dictated by one mistake. For too long, Virginia’s laws would not allow someone to move on from a mistake they had made years ago, regardless of how much they had grown, who they’d become, or what they’d done for their community since,” said Attorney General Herring. “With this new ‘clean slate’ legislation, Virginia will now be a place of second chances, and a place where someone can grow, give back to their community, and move on from something they may have done years ago.
“Automatic expungement and clean slate laws are something that I have been pushing for years and I’m so proud that it is finally happening in the Commonwealth. I want to thank my colleagues in both the House and the Senate, and especially Majority Leader Charniele Herring and Senator Scott Surovell, for being strong partners in helping to pass this important legislation. I look forward to continuing to work with you as we pursue our goals to make Virginia a more fair, equal, and just place.”
The NAACP of Virginia stopped short of total praise for the expungement legislation:
“The Virginia NAACP is encouraged by the passage of expungement reforms passed by the Virginia General Assembly that now head to Governor Ralph Northam’s desk for his signature.
While we celebrate today’s milestone of progress, the Virginia NAACP remains firm in its position that there should be no additional barriers to obtaining automatic expungement once an individual qualifies: no court fees, no petitions, no attorney fees, no hearings.
Until Virginia removes the systemic barriers that will continue to disproportionately impact Black Virginians following this law’s enactment, the Virginia NAACP will not rest or be silent.”