Senate Democrats remain a brick wall and Amazon is bringing more jobs to Virginia
The latest in Virginia politics
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The Rundown
Early voting data from Virginia comparing 2021 to previous years has been released by TargetSmart
Senate Democrats killed several bills that were aimed at rolling back the new voting access laws passed in recent years
Amazon is set to open a new facility in Virginia with 500 new jobs
US Senator Tim Kaine comments on Biden’s sanctions against Russia
A national gun group endorsed Rep. Bob Good (R) for the GOP nomination in VA-05
TargetEarly releases early/absentee voting data for Virginia
The following graphics of early voting data in Virginia was provided by TargetSmart, a Democratic political data and data services firm.
The Senate’s Democratic Brick Wall was back on Tuesday
Senate Democrats blocked several pieces of legislation from the House that was aimed at rolling back voter access.
The following bills were killed by the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee Tuesday:
HB34 (Campbell) - Repeals availability of ballot drop-boxes
HB39 (P. Scott) - Restricts early in-person voting to the two weeks before Election Day
HB46 (Ware) - Reinstates photo ID requirements and repeals the permanent absentee voting list
HB185 (Ransone) - Repeals same-day voter registration opportunities
HB196 (Webert) - Repeals the permanent absentee voting list
HB956 (LaRock) - Requires absentee ballots to be returned to the registrar by closing of the polls on Election Day to be counted, removing the ability to postmark the ballot by Election Day
HB1090 (Webert) - Reinstates photo ID requirements
“Virginia Republicans continue the false narrative of preventing election fraud to institute restrictive and unfair blocks to the ballot box,” Majority Leader Dick Saslaw said. “Bolstered by the Big Lie, the attacks on voting rights come from a place of exclusion instead of inclusion. Killing these bills today signifies Senate Democrats’ resolve to a fair and free democracy.”
Caucus Chair Mamie Locke said: “Restricting access to the ballot box has been a tool used for over a century to keep certain communities from participating in their government. Making sure every Virginian can vote uninhibited resulted in record election participation, and makes us a more whole democracy where each and every one of us can be represented in our government. I’m proud Senate Democrats’ progress over the past two years will be preserved for future elections in the Commonwealth.”
United States Senator Tim Kaine released a statement on the sanctions placed against Russia by President Biden
“I commend President Biden for taking action to punish Putin’s blatant violation of international law and affront to Ukraine’s sovereignty. This is a crisis of Putin’s own making, and he must reverse course immediately by withdrawing troops back to Russian territory and refraining from further aggression.
“But if Russia continues to take steps to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty, the U.S. must work in lock-step with our international partners to impose additional crippling sanctions. We will not stand for Russian aggression.”
Amazon is bringing 500 new jobs to Virginia
According to an announcement from the governor’s office, Amazon will be launching a new 1 million-square-foot non-sortable fulfillment center in Augusta County. The facility at 32 Trader Road in Fishersville will be responsible for picking, packing, and shipping bulky or larger-sized customer items such as patio furniture, outdoor equipment, or rugs.
The new facility is expected to be operational in spring 2023 and will add 500 new jobs to Amazon’s existing workforce of more than 30,000 full- and part-time employees in the commonwealth.
“Jump starting the economy is a top priority for my Administration, and we celebrate the 500 new jobs in Augusta County and a strengthened partnership with Amazon,” said Governor Youngkin. “Amazon’s new fulfillment center in Virginia is a testament to the commonwealth’s exceptional infrastructure, competitive business costs, and long-term commitment that I’ve made to make sure we are developing talent and training workers to make Virginia the best state for business.”
The National Association for Gun Rights Political Action Committee is endorsing U.S. Representative Bob Good in Virginia District 5
"The National Association for Gun Rights PAC is proud to endorse Bob Good for re-election to United States House of Representatives District 5 in Virginia. Good has crafted and sponsored multiple pro-gun bills currently under consideration in the 117th Congress. He relentlessly defends the Second Amendment and fights back against gun control schemes coming out of the D.C. swamp. Bob fearlessly speaks out in defense of gun rights and the value of the right to keep and bear arms in opposing tyranny,” said Dudley Brown, Director of NAGR-PAC.
House GOP strips elections department of voter education funding; Senate Democrats block GOP election bills - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Mel Leonor
A budget proposal from House Republicans is seeking to slash $2.7 million in proposed funding for the Virginia Department of Elections to pay for a voter education campaign seeking to dispel misinformation about the integrity of the state’s elections.
Following baseless claims from Republicans that the 2020 election was rife with fraud, the department last year launched an education campaign to inform voters about how the state’s elections are conducted, to refute false information and answer common questions about the voting process.
‘An executive order is not an indictment:’ Former AG on Miyares investigation of Loudoun Co. schools - WTOP
by Neal Augenstein
On the day he was sworn in as Virginia’s attorney general, Jason Miyares tweeted a news release that he was opening up an investigation into Loudoun County Public Schools, because, in his words, the school system “covered up a sexual assault on school grounds for political gain, leading to an additional assault of a young girl.”
Miyares launched his investigation under the authority of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Executive Order 4, which said, “The Loudoun County School Board and school administrators withheld key details and knowingly lied to parents about the assaults.”
Some Democrats look to scale back overtime law they passed last year - VPM News
by Ben Paviour
Last year, House Democrats cheered the passage of a bill that backers said would make it easier for employees who were denied their overtime wages to get relief in court. This year, the bill’s sponsor and a handful of other Democrats are joining Republicans in voting to scale back some of those rules. Labor advocates say the move would reduce protections for workers while backers of the changes say they’re necessary to clean up a bill that didn’t align with its stated goals.
Del. Mike Mullin’s (D-Newport News) Virginia Overtime Wage Act gives many workers a right to sue in state rather than federal courts if they weren’t paid overtime they were due. Federal lawsuits are “an expensive and time consuming process,” Mullin said in a committee last year, describing state courts as a smoother path. Mullin repeatedly said his bill was otherwise broadly aligned with federal overtime rules. “It mirrors what we already have in federal law,” he told a Senate committee in February 2021.
Virginia's elite colleges are booming. Others are struggling to find students. -Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Erik Kolenich
The University of Virginia received nearly 51,000 applications from high school seniors this year, breaking a school record for the second straight year. Down Interstate 81, Virginia Tech set a record, too, with 45,000 applicants.
But while the state’s most prestigious public colleges are flourishing, others are struggling to find students. The number of undergraduates at Radford sunk 23% in four years, while Longwood lost 22% and Virginia Commonwealth University slid 9%.
Senate Democrats draw battle lines with Youngkin over economy and budget - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Michael Martz
Senate Democrats drew clear battle lines with Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday over the state of Virginia’s economy and the next two-year budget.
In a sometimes testy exchange with Secretary of Finance Steve Cummings, leaders of the Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee made clear they regard funding of essential public services as a higher budget priority than the governor’s aggressive plan for cutting taxes.
Earle-Sears, echoing Allen Iverson, asks: 'Is that what we're talking about - practice?' - Richmond Times-Dispatch
by Andrew Cain
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears playfully channeled Allen Iverson at the end of Tuesday’s Senate floor session, riffing off of the basketball great’s famous 2002 rant about practice.
Earle-Sears spoke after Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax City, urged senators to turn out for a basketball practice Tuesday evening ahead of next week’s annual Capitol Square Basketball Classic against the House of Delegates to benefit the VCU Massey Cancer Center. Members of the House and Senate also personally donate to the cause.
A bill could prohibit long-term solitary confinement in Virginia prisons - Virginian-Pilot
by Katie King
Natasha White was baffled as she watched many Americans struggle with quarantine restrictions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She had experienced another kind of isolation — solitary confinement — so much worse in prison.
“Solitary confinement is a 1,000 times more traumatic than that,” said White, who spent four years in solitary at a New York prison before being released in 2016. “You don’t have the luxury of your home, or the people quarantining with you.”