Virginia Public Radio

Spring is the season when Virginia’s local governments put the finishing touches on their own budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st.  But they’re finding it difficult to craft their spending plans without knowing exactly how many dollars they will receive from the state—which is unknown due to the state budget impasse.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, they’re trying to get the job done, anyway—and in some cases, with consequences to local taxpayers.

 

Representatives of Virginia Clean Cities joined car manufacturers and industry experts at a Richmond Expo to showcase new technologies and vehicles powered by natural gas. They say such vehicles can produce significantly lower levels of emissions than traditional fuel sources….and that switching one waste truck has the pollution-reduction impact of removing 325 cars from the road. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, the advocates also say the idea of switching to natural gas for public and private fleets is catching on across the Commonwealth.

The ACLU of Virginia wants to prevent a situation like that in 2012 where 31 protesters were arrested for straying outside a designated area on the state’s Capitol Square. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the organization is now calling on Governor McAuliffe through a letter to completely revise the regulations that limit citizens from expressing their views to lawmakers and other public officials.

Listening to some of the tales of how people obtained copies of their birth certificates is like hearing the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, recount his journey into Mordor. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, Governor McAuliffe says Virginia is now writing a new chapter—by making those documents accessible through any DMV office.

The Virginia Senate has passed its version of the state budget for the next two fiscal years, which begin on July 1^st.  Senators introduced the spending bill proposed by Governor McAuliffe, then added their own touches—including Marketplace Virginia, the private-insurance alternative to Medicaid expansion. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, by the end of the day the Senate and the House were no closer to resolving their budget stalemate.

To approve a budget, the same bill must pass both houses of the General Assembly—or one bill must be sent to a conference committee.  House conferees said the Senate needs to take action on the House budget before the process can move forward.

The Senate Finance Committee has rejected the traditional Medicaid expansion in Governor McAuliffe’s proposed budget in favor of its own alternative, “Marketplace Virginia.”  The Senate plan would use federal funds to provide private health insurance for residents who make under 139 percent of the poverty level.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, GOP House leaders are not sold on the idea. 

Many Virginians go into the military hoping to retain skills that will provide career opportunities once they leave the armed forces. But homeless and jobless rates continue to rise because Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are finding it difficult to get certification or college credits for their training to qualify for civilian jobs.  But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, at least one group studying the issue is developing short-term solutions to this problem.

Slightly more than two months after taking office, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe is responding to questions about ethics reform …as former Governor Bob McDonnell awaits a trial this summer involving gift-giving.  The scandal prompted the General Assembly to pass and send to the Governor new ethics reform legislation, which now awaits his signature, amendments, or veto.  Tommie McNeil reports.

Facing a national transportation budget crisis, some elected leaders are using a Virginia transportation-funding compromise as an example for Congress to take action. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, it’s the Commonwealth’s Lieutenant Governor who’s leading the charge.

The House of Delegates was hard at work Tuesday night…and following lengthy debate, approved a new state budget for the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years. It’s the only budget bill that’s moved forward so far during the Special Session that began on Monday. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, House conferees incorporated some of the items they discussed during initial budget negotiations with their Senate counterparts.

Virginia’s new voter ID law that limits access to the ballot without the proper photo ID will soon go into effect, and the State Board of Elections is tasked with informing the public about the new change before the November elections. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the Board’s strategy includes launching a voter outreach, marketing, and public awareness campaign well before then.

Agencies relying on state funding are hoping that when Virginia lawmakers reconvene next week for a Special Session, they’ll be able to set aside their differences and pass a budget.   As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, while Medicaid expansion is a huge sticking point, it’s not the only issue where lawmakers have some philosophical differences.

Critics are attacking Governor Terry McAuliffe today for selling access to his office – offering opportunities to meet with him and other leaders in exchange for payments of up to $100,000.  Sandy Hausman has details.

A federal judge has denied a request by former Governor Bob McDonnell’s defense attorneys to limit the prosecution’s involvement in a separate, CIVIL case filed by shareholders of Star Scientific.  McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, have pleaded “not guilty” to federal charges of improperly promoting the company’s dietary supplement in exchange for gifts from its former CEO, Jonnie Williams … and they maintain that the civil case IS relevant.  Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan has more details from the federal courthouse in Richmond. 

The judge later granted a defense request for subpoenas of documents pertaining to investigations of Star Scientific by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Over the last several weeks, Governor McAuliffe has had the daunting task of reviewing 834 bills that were passed and sent to him by the General Assembly. As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, one stack of legislation on his desk addresses public safety concerns, including creating a new crime for a vindictive act that’s peculiar to the digital age: “revenge porn.”

It appears that while state lawmakers have lots of work to do in hashing out a compromise over Medicaid, they have made some progress with education reforms that relate to the budget.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the General Assembly revised the Standards of Learning assessments, charter school enrollment policy, and the process to measure schools using an A through F grading system.

In less than two weeks, state lawmakers return to Richmond to craft a two-year budget that some hope will include a compromise on Medicaid expansion. But Virginia Education Association leaders say while they’re at it, that will also be the best opportunity to re-evaluate how to fund education. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the VEA says that while Medicaid expansion seems to be the theme of this year’s session, next year it ought to be education, and now’s the time to get a head start on it.