The Virginia PTA and the Virginia Education Association have joined together to launch a new public awareness campaign called “Put Kids First.”

VEA President Meg Gruber pointed out that before the recent recession, Virginia ranked number one in the nation on the “chance of success” index for children, but that the state has now fallen to 9th place.  And in spite of rhetoric at the Capitol about “holding the line” on education cuts, state funding has actually dropped  16% since 2009,when inflation is taken into account. Gruber said the new campaign aims to help the public recognize the troubling signs:

Gruber said elected leaders claim to be “friends of education”… so parents, teachers, and the public must compel them to take action to reverse these trends. The organizations will hold a rally in support of public education at the State Capitol on April 18th.  More information can be found here.
Here’s the full audio of the news conference in Richmond:

Sen. Dick Saslaw argues for the resolution.

Virginia governors would be allowed to run for a second, consecutive term of office under a constitutional amendment that has passed the state Senate. The revision would change a tradition that has left Virginia as the sole state in the nation to forbid its governor from running for re-election. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, the 24 to 15 vote for passage did not break down along party lines.

A coalition of Virginia civil rights and community organizations marched in downtown Richmond over the weekend.

In advance of the General Assembly meeting tomorrow, the march called for several legislative reforms including an independent review board to handle issues of police misconduct and the implementation of police body cameras.

While many in opposition to body cameras site both cost and privacy concerns, the majority of protestors believed the transparency of cameras would help rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement.  Intern Reporter James Perla was there.

Lynchburg prosecutor Michael Doucette at podium, Gil Harrington is far right

Campus police would be required to notify their local commonwealth’s attorney within 48 hours of starting a sexual assault investigation under a bill that’s been introduced at the General Assembly.  Several measures have been proposed since November, when Rolling Stone magazine published allegations of rape at the University of Virginia.  This bill was first introduced several years ago to make public college campuses safer and help victims obtain essential support.

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Ahead of next week’s start of the Virginia General Assembly Session, GOP lawmakers are rolling out new initiatives in public education.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, one reform is a revamped version of an unpopular law—which they say should be more useful to parents and stakeholders.  

Former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell has been sentenced to two years in prison for corruption. He’s due to report to prison by February 9th.

The judge’s punishment was far below the 10 years prosecutors wanted, but still more than the community service that  the former governor and hundreds of supporters asked for.

Speaking to reporters after the sentencing, McDonnell said he was a fallen human being.

But McDonnell reiterates that he never betrayed his oath of office.  He says he disagrees with the jury’s verdict, and his attorneys have already begin the appeal process with the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

McDonnell’s wife Maureen faces sentencing February 20th, after being convicted on eight counts of corruption.

You can hear his complete comments to the media following the sentencing.

September 2014, Richmond, VA

When he’s sentenced tomorrow will a former Virginia Governor get a slap on the wrist with community service or a short time in prison for 11 corruption convictions—or will U.S. District Judge James Spencer sentence him to a lengthy stint behind bars?

Tommie McNeil reports, one analyst says it’s probably the latter, and it will be interesting to see whether Bob McDonnell will remain free as he appeals his convictions.

It’s been almost a year since former Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe took office as Virginia Governor, and many agree is that he’s hit the ground running. But while McAuliffe is proud of the work he’s accomplished thus far, some say he’s tripping over some obstacles-either of his own making or from a GOP-led legislature. Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil has more from the State Capitol.

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Despite criticism from gun-rights advocates and GOP legislative leaders, Governor McAuliffe is not retreating on a package of gun control measures that he has proposed for the upcoming General Assembly session.  And as Tommie McNeil reports, the Governor ays this was one of his campaign promises, so no one should be surprised.

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Political junkies looking for a good read may find one in an exposé of insider political language by two veteran journalists. It’s called “Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang and Bluster of American Political Speech.”   The light-hearted book also has a serious purpose.  Tommie McNeil reports.

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Recent reports about the growth of transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft would suggest that their success pits them directly against traditional taxi drivers. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, a representative from the taxi industry says that’s not what’s behind a rally in Richmond….where they called for more fairness for taxicab drivers.

A gubernatorial panel created to propose ethics reforms has recommended revisions to Virginia laws on redistricting, as well as an amendment to the state Constitution that would revise the way legislative districts are drawn.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, the Governor’s Commission to Ensure Integrity and Public Confidence in State Government left no doubt that it considers the current process to be overtly partisan and unfair.

Praises, tears, accolades, and stories of lives renewed are par for the course in a church setting. But although the venue was a church in Richmond, the occasion was the long-awaited restoration of rights for three Virginians who are among the thousands who have— and will have—their rights restored by Governor McAuliffe. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil explains, although the process is still not automatic, the governor has made it simpler.

Governor McAuliffe told the General Assembly’s money committees Wednesday that while they made great strides in closing the state’s budget shortfall, much more needs to be done to secure Virginia’s future. As Virginia Public Radio Tommie McNeil reports, it’s why he will continue to implement nearly 954 million dollars in spending cuts over the biennium and work to advance his vision for the upcoming session.

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Governor McAuliffe says when he addresses lawmakers about the state’s budget this week, he intends to talk about his new economic development package. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, his initiative includes legislative proposals that the governor says are necessary to reduce the Commonwealth’s reliance on federal dollars.

The Commonwealth’s Attorney General has some advice for Virginians who plan to do lots of holiday shopping—especially over the Internet and with a credit or debit card.  He says scammers love this time of year–and therefore, it’s up to you to be extra vigilant.  Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil explains how.

It’s back to the drawing board for a slightly revamped State Board of Health, which now has new political appointees. The Board has decided to study and amend abortion clinic regulations that have only been in effect since last year. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the regulations’ defenders say the inspections have uncovered unsafe conditions, while abortion-rights advocates say the rules may force clinics to close.

Sticking to his promise not to discuss or attack any other potential 2016 presidential candidate, former Democratic U.S. Senator Jim Webb today [Wednesday] did discuss where he believes the U.S. needs improvement—and where his own party has contributed to the dysfunction in Congress.  More from Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil.

Virginia Crime Commission Members

In spite of recent stronger penalties, traffickers are still smuggling Virginia’s low-tax cigarettes to other states—especially to New York City, where demand for the Commonwealth’s cigarettes is soaring due to the city’s high excise taxes.

Some estimates suggest that 21 percent of Virginia cigarettes end up in other states, where profits are so high that many criminals would rather sell tobacco than heroin. But the State Crime Commission is recommending a different tactic to deter the traffickers.

August, 2014

In court documents released late yesterday, the federal judge who presided over the corruption trial of former Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, rejected a request by the former first couple for a new trial.  Judge James Spencer also denied their request to throw out their guilty verdicts—with the exception of one conviction against Maureen.  Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil has more details.

Co-chairs Delegate-Scott Lingamfelter and former Delegate Joe May

Virginia universities have invested at least one-billion-dollars in highly sophisticated, expensive equipment for research and development. Some allow entrepreneurs to have access to that equipment and school expertise for a fee. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, a panel of lawmakers and experts is working to craft state policies to expand such opportunities in a way that benefits businesses, universities, and taxpayers.

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When Americans think of terrorism, they often envision 9-11-style attacks or some other extreme act of violence. But the nation’s enemies don’t just hail from a specific part of the world, and Americans are under attack every day—not by air, land, or sea, but electronically through data breaches and hacking. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, that’s why the commonwealth’s Cyber Security Commission is focusing on discovering vulnerabilities and strengthening the state’s databases.

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A Virginia child advocacy organization has a new take on “No Child Left Behind”—that is, making sure all children in Virginia have health insurance. And while that IS possible right now, Voices for Virginia’s Children says that could change in the very near future if federal lawmakers don’t act.  Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports.

Virginia schools are increasingly confronted with youth who exhibit challenging behavior. And while schools sometimes use physical restraint and seclusion to de-escalate a crisis, the state does not have any explicit laws or regulations that govern their use. As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, that concerns the Commission on Youth, which is recommending legislation to require the Board of Education to formulate new rules and restrictions.

Governor McAuliffe with Commission Members

Although they’re not quite final, the Governor’s Commission on Integrity and Public Confidence in State Government is just about ready to submit its recommendations to Governor McAuliffe to meet his December 1st deadline.  But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, one of the lingering issues is how to change the process for determining legislative districts and prevent gerrymandering.

Virginians still have until December 1st to submit their thoughts to the EPA on its proposed Clean Power Plan. One environmental organization says it has already collected more than 210,000 comments from residents who support the proposals to speed up the elimination of the carbon footprint here. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the group also says if people are really environmentally conscious, they don’t have to wait for the government to take action.

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The State Crime Commission is wrestling with how to craft balanced legislation that addresses the growing problem of underage teens who take sexually explicit images of themselves and send them to others. The members’ concern is heightened by some widely published cases—including a Louisa County “sexting” ring involving 100 teens and 1,000 images of minors posted on Instagram. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, they’re also concerned that the penalties in existing laws designed for adult child predators may be too steep for teens.

It does not appear that Virginia lawmakers have a clear idea of how to house and treat thousands of people who are developmentally and intellectually disabled after the federal government ordered four of the five state facilities to close as part of a settlement with the Department of Justice. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the debate isn’t about whether it’s right to house them within their communities, but whether the state can pay for adequate facilities to fit all their needs.

The Boneta Bill
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The Virginia Outdoors Foundation has agreed to act as a mediator in a property rights dispute between a Fauquier County farmer and the Piedmont Environmental Council.  Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports that depending on the outcome, some farmers say the case could have a negative impact on the state’s conservation easements program and create a hostile environment between landowners and government entities.

Virginia voters head to the polls today to elect a U.S. Senator, their member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and a number of local offices in various localities. They also must make a decision on a state constitutional amendment—whether to authorize local property tax exemptions for the surviving spouses of military members who were killed in action. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, voters must also present a valid photo ID when they go to cast their ballots.

 

More information on acceptable forms of identification and ALL of the candidates on the ballot can be found on the Virginia Department of Elections website at: elections.virginia.gov. Voters who don’t bring photo IDs can still cast provisional ballots, then present valid IDs to their local registrars by Friday at noon.

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Virginia’s Senate race hasn’t attracted the outside spending it did in 2012. Capitol Hill reporter Matt Laslo has the details…

Imagine being a Virginia resident obtaining an Ivy League education at a school such as Harvard—without having to pay all the costs associated with an out-of-state college experience. While that may not be possible at that specific university right now, a new state law authorizing on-line education reciprocity agreements between Virginia and other states could make that a reality in the near future. Tommie McNeil explains.

The Virginia Commission on Youth is scrutinizing the practice of finding new homes and transferring custody of adopted children—while bypassing state oversight and safeguards.  The practice—known as “re-homing”—was uncovered through last year’s Reuters and NBC News investigation, which found an underground market for adoptive parents who no longer wish to care for their adopted child.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, the panel’s focus is  on mitigating the reasons that some adoptive parents change their minds.

Centers for Disease Control

The possibility that a now-deceased Ebola patient could have spread the virus to fellow travelers as he waited in a Virginia airport has prompted several state lawmakers to ask Governor McAuliffe to use his authority to impose travel restrictions on Dulles Airport. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the state’s Health Commissioner cautions against overkill … and says Virginia’s health professionals are doing everything they can to keep the situation under control.

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Warner and his Republican challenger, Ed Gillespie, squared off  in their final debate of the campaign season.

Although the two men are vying for the U.S. Senate seat held by Warner, the Virginia General Assembly and ethics questions surrounding the resignation of former state Senator Phillip Puckett were drawn into the debate.

Federal investigators have been looking into allegations that some Republicans may have offered Puckett a job on the Virginia Tobacco Commission in exchange for his resignation, which switched control of the state Senate to the GOP.  Gillespie brought up a recent Washington Post story reporting that Warner had called Puckett’s son and discussed job possibilities for Puckett’s daughter.

Warner explained that he has been a friend of Puckett and his family for nearly 20 years:  He  added that he spoke with Puckett himself the next day and it was clear that he had made up his mind. Warner later told reporters that he was asked to call Puckett’s son by Democratic state Senator Dick Saslaw and Governor McAuliffe’s chief-of-staff, Paul Reagan.

The “People’s Debate” in Richmond was televised statewide and sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Virginia, AARP of Virginia, WTVR-TV, and WCVE-Public Television.  The Libertarian candidate, Robert Sarvis, was not invited to participate in the debate.

Spending on support functions at Virginia’s public colleges and universities is one reason that higher education costs have escalated over the last two decades.  That’s the conclusion of the latest report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which has been studying why the costs of a college education have soared.  The study also found that improving organizational structure and purchasing strategies could help rein in those costs.

Accused of unconstitutional gerrymandering, Virginia’s General Assembly was told last week by a federal district court in Richmond that it must redraw its Congressional map next year because too many black voters are “packed” into one majority-minority district.  But state lawmakers could actually avoid a contentious debate and not address the issue at all during their next session. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, it is possible.

While it is true that many Virginians do not have health insurance, that number is dwarfed by those who don’t have affordable access to oral health facilities and dentists. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, because poor dental hygiene also leads to other health problems, Virginia lawmakers are now studying the most feasible ways to address the problem.

Attorney General Mark Herring and Plaintiffs Carol Schall and Mary Townley celebrate.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to review the 4^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling against Virginia’s same-sex marriage ban is already having an impact.  The 4^th Circuit issued its mandate early Monday afternoon, and same-sex couples began lining up at local courthouses to get married.  One of the couples who successfully sued to overturn the state Constitution’s marriage provision renewed the vows that they had first taken in another state.  Anne Marie Morgan reports.

Commission members in Richmond

Citing the embarrassment that Virginia is still suffering from recent events—which referred to the convictions of former Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife on federal corruption charges—Governor McAuliffe has signed an executive order creating the Commission to Ensure Integrity and Public Confidence in State Government. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the commission is tasked with making recommendations that do not just pertain to gift-giving, but also how judges are appointed, and legislative district lines are drawn.

Modern DNA testing of biological evidence left in files decades ago by a now-deceased Virginia scientist has exonerated 11 individuals who had been convicted of felonies. At the direction of the General Assembly, the State Crime Commission has been trying to track down and notify 975 convicted suspects of their more recent test results. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, although the DNA testing and notification project has been ongoing for more than a decade, the project is still not finished.

Just before the start of the General Assembly’s Special Session to debate Medicaid expansion, a state employee could be overheard saying about lawmakers: “They probably won’t get anything done–this will just keep going.” As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, based on early floor debates in the House of Delegates, that person may be right—at least as it pertains to Medicaid expansion.

Attorney General Mark Herring announces the lawsuit in front of the John Marshall Courts Building in Richmond.

State Attorney General Mark Herring has announced a  $1.15-billion lawsuit against some of the world’s largest commercial banks for allegedly committing fraud against Virginia taxpayers during the nation’s frenzied real estate bubble.

The court documents—which were filed earlier this year but just unsealed—accuse the banks of bundling both sound and risky mortgages into toxic securities that were then fraudulently sold to the Virginia Retirement System.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, when the real estate bubble burst, the value of the state pension fund plummeted.

The lawsuit was filed in Richmond Circuit Court against 13 banks, including Citigroup Global Markets, Countrywide Securities, and Goldman, Sachs.

Governor McAuliffe and General Assembly leaders have struck a deal to cut the state budget to cover an unexpected 2.4-billion-dollar-revenue shortfall.  The agreement taps the state’s Rainy Day Fund, while closing a 346-million-dollar gap this fiscal year, and 536-million-dollars the next.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, the Governor stressed the bipartisan nature of the accord—flanked by GOP state lawmakers and the Democratic co-chair of the Senate Finance Committee.

The General Assembly had planned to hold a special session to debate Medicaid expansion on Thursday.  However, Speaker Howell said lawmakers will also take action on new legislation to reconcile and finalize the biennial budget.

Flooding is not just a coastal problem. If you reside in a low-lying area prone to flash flooding, you know that during any torrential downpour–not just in a hurricane season–you’re vulnerable. Insurance companies know it as well, and individuals and business are sometimes required to buy flood insurance AND pay higher premiums. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, now one General Assembly panel is tasked with studying the problem and finding ways to mitigate the sometimes exorbitant costs.

Young Midlothia Singers, Virginia War Memorial

With Richmond’s tallest buildings as a backdrop on the site where the Commonwealth formally honors its war dead—Virginians held a remembrance service for those who died 13-years ago  in the September 11^th attacks … and presented a civics lesson to citizens who may take being an American for granted. Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports.

While states prepare for the next Affordable Care Act open enrollment period, Virginia lawmakers say they’re not happy that almost a quarter of a million Virginians who are already insured are learning—or about to find out—that their current insurance policy will no longer be in effect. More from Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil.

The legislative panel formed to examine and help improve Virginia’s mental health system spent hours learning foundational facts about mental illnesses, treatments, how the state’s system of care works, and how it is funded.  One consensus that seems to be emerging among the joint subcommittee’s members is that there’s a disparity in services across the Commonwealth. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, while the multi-year study continues, panel members hope to endorse some recommendations for the next General Assembly session.