Virginia Politics Week in Review
A look at everything that happened in Virginia politics this week.
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Today’s Sponsor: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Inspection Report citing a critical violation, “… a 6 day-old piglet died from starvation and emaciation due to [Virginia Tech’s] failure to ensure it received a sufficient amount of food…. The piglet had been removed from its mother per a research protocol…. On day 4, the pig was described as sitting in the corner, quiet and with its head hanging down…. At no time in the 6 days were additional steps implemented such as calculating nutritional needs to maintain body weight, increasing the food offered via syringe or other method, measuring glucose levels, measuring hydration levels and/or fluid intake, or conducting weight checks. On day 6… the pig was found dead. On necropsy, the pig was… emaciated and the death was attributed to prolonged starvation.” The university was not fined or penalized.
Nominees chosen for special election
Tammy Brankley Mulchi won the Republican nomination for SD-09 Tuesday night. She was retiring state Sen. Frank Ruff’s pick for the spot. She is his former staffer, and he endorsed her to replace him in his retirement announcement.
Tina Wyatt Younger won the Democratic nomination. SD-09 is a strong Republican district, according to VPAP.
Youngkin presents budget proposal
Gov. Youngkin wants to cut income taxes and raise the sales tax in proposed Virginia budget - AP
Youngkin proposes Virginia budget that cuts income tax, raises sales tax - Washington Post
Youngkin's proposed education budget 'unacceptable,' says Kamras - RTD
Del. Kim Taylor’s victory confirmed
Del. Kim Taylor’s (R) HD-82 victory was confirmed in a recount Tuesday night.
Her opponent, Kimberly Pope Adams, released a concession statement Wednesday. “I would like to congratulate Delegate Taylor on her re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates,” Pope Adams said. “This race was far closer than many anticipated, and we petitioned for this recount to ensure every eligible voter had their ballot counted. With the final results in, it is now clear we came up just short.I want to say thank you to everyone who voted for me, contributed to my campaign, volunteered, and went out and knocked doors. I also want to thank the election officials who have worked tirelessly to count the votes, as well as the Dinwiddie Circuit Court and all of their staff.”
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is endorsing a Republican in VA-07
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson endorsed Derrick Anderson for the VA-07 Republican nomination.
"I'm endorsing Derrick Anderson because he's fought for his country as a Special Forces Green Beret and he's clearly ready to fight again as a Congressman,” Johnson said. “Derrick was born and raised in Virginia's 7th District, which means he understands exactly what the district needs. Derrick will outwork his opponents and flip this critical seat in the fight to grow the Republican Majority in the U.S. House. I'd ask that Virginians join me in supporting Derrick Anderson for Congress – we need more good people like Derrick in Washington."
A long list of Republicans are running for this nomination — but Anderson and Cameron Hamilton are the likely frontrunners.
Willet and VanValkenburg introduced a bill to hold parents accountable for firearms
Del. Rodney Willett (D-Henrico) and Sen.-elect Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) filed companion bills to hold parents accountable if a child uses their firearm.
The legislation would impose a class one misdemeanor on a firearm owner if a minor uses their weapon to commit a crime, brings it onto school premises, or intentionally or with gross negligence causes bodily injury and harm to themselves or another person.
“We can and must do more to keep our kids safe from senseless gun violence here in Henrico, the Commonwealth, and across the nation,” VanValkenburg said. “We know that when responsible gun owners store their firearms and ammunition safely, it reduces both intentional and accidental firearm injury and death.”
The bill would also make it a felony if the firearm owner knows or reasonably should have known that the child within close proximity to the weapon has been charged, convicted, or adjudicated of a violent crime or the subject of a school-initiated threat assessment where the threat is moderate, high, or eminent.
A proposal would provide harsher penalties for soliciting a prostitute
Del. Kim Taylor (R) filed a bill to increase the penalty for soliciting a prostitute.
HB 51 would increase the penalty from a Class 1 misdemeanor to a Class 6 felony for a third or subsequent offense of solicitation of prostitution from an adult. The bill also makes it a Class 5 felony to solicit prostitution from any minor. Under current law, any person who solicits prostitution from a minor is guilty of a Class 6 felony if the minor is 16 years of age or older or a Class 5 felony if the minor is younger than 16 years of age. Finally, the bill increases the fines for certain offenses related to sex trafficking from $100 to $1,000 and from $500 to $2,500, respectively.
VanValkenburg and Helmer seek to ban legacy admissions to Virginia colleges
Sen.-elect Schuyler VanValkenburg (D) and Del. Dan Helmer (D) filed legislation that would ban any institution of higher education in Virginia from providing preferential treatment to a student based on a familial relationship with an alumnus or donor.
“As a high-school teacher, I see firsthand that Virginia has a world-class higher education system that provides hundreds of thousands of students a pathway to good paying jobs and the middle class,” VanValkenburg said. “This legislation would bring more fairness to Virginia’s colleges' and universities' admissions process, ensuring first-generation and low-income Virginia students are not at a disadvantage and making the process more merit-based.”
Melody Cartwright announced she is running in HD-48
Melody Cartwright announced on social media that she will be running as a Democrat in HD-48. Eric Phillips earned the Republican nomination during a mass meeting last week.
“I am running for the Virginia House of Delegates, 48th District because my motto is ‘no election unopposed’ – To have a candidate just walk into the position without any contest seems undemocratic and unjust – I am giving the voters in HD 48 a choice,” Cartwright said with her social media announcement.
Outside group sends memo to NRCC showing how Segura would be frontrunner for VA-10 nomination if he runs
According to a memo obtained by Virginia Scope, Juan Pablo Segura would have a large name identification advantage if he runs for the VA-10 GOP nomination.
Segura polled at 49%, Mike Clancy at 14% and Brooke Taylor polled at 9%.
VHHA Invests in Statewide Public Education Campaign
According to statewide polling and focus group research conducted this year by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association (VHHA), the majority of Virginians don’t know that consumer-friendly reforms protecting patients from surprise medical bills, promoting health insurance and hospital price transparency, and enabling people to receive good faith price estimates before scheduled hospital procedures exist.
VHHA is launching a new campaign to inform the commonwealth of these reforms.
“Patients are at the center of everything we do at hospitals. Their well-being is our utmost priority,” said Eric Deaton, Ballad Health Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, who serves as Chair of the VHHA Board of Directors. “We strive to make patients active participants in their care through open dialogue and sharing information. The ‘Control Your Care’ campaign is a natural extension of that approach and an investment in helping equip Virginians with information they can use in personal health care decision making.”
The campaign includes a website, ControlYourCare.com, with information about consumer-focused healthcare reforms, links to state and federal laws and descriptions of what the laws do, and other tools to serve the public. This campaign will be supported with statewide digital and broadcast advertising to help raise public awareness about the availability of these resources.
Race to replace Rep. Jennifer Wexton in Northern Virginia gets crowded - WaPo
by Antonio Olivo
With the glare of the November elections fading, voters in Northern Virginia’s 10th Congressional District are set to be flooded with campaign brochures, TV ads and knocks on their doors by candidates looking to discuss the 2024 race.
So far, 11 Democrats and two Republicans are seeking their party’s nomination in June, hoping to succeed Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), who has announced that she is not seeking reelection for health reasons.
Bob Good prepares for fight as new hard-right leader after controversial moves inside House GOP - CNN
By Melanie Zanona, Alayna Treene and Manu Raju,
During last week’s chairmanship election for the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Bob Good was directly pressed by board members on perhaps one of his most controversial moves inside the GOP: backing Ron DeSantis over Donald Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary.
Good’s response, according to a source familiar with the conversation, was that he would ultimately get behind Trump if he is the GOP presidential nominee, but explained he thought it was better to have a candidate who could serve eight more years instead of four, which is why he threw his early support behind the young Florida governor.
Richmond's mayoral race is less than year away — here's who is running so far - RTD
by Em Holter
With one election cycle finished, another campaign season is underway. Virginia Public Access Project data shows four residents have filed paperwork to begin fundraising for the Richmond mayor’s race in November. They are seeking to fill the position being vacated by Mayor Levar Stoney, who is term-limited. Stoney announced this month that he is running for governor.
Beginning Jan. 2, candidates can start gathering signatures to appear on the ballot. A total of 500 signatures of registered voters are required to be submitted by April 4.
Here’s a look at the four so far:
Virginia to close four prisons, reassume control of sole private prison - Virginia Mercury
by Sarah Vogelsong
The Virginia Department of Corrections will close four prisons and take control of the state’s only privately operated prison this summer, officials said Friday.
Augusta Correctional Center, Sussex II State Prison, Haynesville Correctional Unit #17 and Stafford Community Corrections Alternative Program will close July 1, 2024. The department said the closures are intended “to enhance employee, inmate, and probationer safety, to address longstanding staffing challenges, and in consideration of significant ongoing maintenance costs.”
The University Uprooted a Black Neighborhood. Then Its Policies Reduced the Black Presence on Campus. - ProPublica
by Brandi Kellam and Louis Hansen, Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO, and Gabriel Sandoval, ProPublica
More than most public colleges, Christopher Newport University in Newport News, Virginia, is the embodiment of one person’s vision.
Paul Trible was CNU’s president from 1996 to 2022, serving almost three times as long as anyone else. He remains a distinguished professor at the school and its highest-paid employee, making more than half a million dollars a year. A former congressman and U.S. senator, Trible took over a young university and transformed it from a commuter school into a residential campus. He boosted the school’s endowment from $300,000 to $64 million. Construction during his presidency included a student union, dormitories, a theater and concert hall, a baseball stadium and a chapel. The CNU library underwent major renovation and was renamed after Trible and his wife.
Youngkin's proposed education budget 'unacceptable,' says Kamras - RTD
by Anna Bryson
Richmond Public Schools Superintendent Jason Kamras said he is dismayed to be facing substantial budget reductions for RPS under Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s proposed budget.
Richmond Public Schools would face a $5 million reduction in its current budget and a nearly $21 million decrease in state funding for next school year. The losses are driven, in part, by the rise in Richmond’s Local Composite Index calculation, which measures a locality’s ability to pay and was among the most unfavorable in the state.
Record number of new Virginia legislators means more work for lobbyists - Radio IQ
by Brad Kutner
Virginia legislators gathered in a committee meeting room in the new legislative building in late November to discuss the workload of the state's lobbying oversight board.
“Registrations are going up and emails are going up,” said Stewart Petoe, the Executive Director Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council and its main legal advisor. “I’m gonna do the best I can, but if something happens to me there could be problems.”
The emails and phone calls his office was getting, as well as the more than 20 annual training sessions he helps facilitate, are part of the state’s lobbying system.