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The message being sent by State Senate Democrats is clear: Work with us, or else. “This is nothing new. Four years ago, every single Republican voted against the budget. In 2004 the Republicans held up the budget until May. In 2007 the Republicans held up the budget until June. We still have four months to…
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The State Senate voted 21-19 on Tuesday to pass an amended version of legislation mandating that women seeking abortions in Virginia first undergo an otherwise medically unnecessary ultrasound procedure. Critics called the original version of the legislation, which had mandated an invasive transvaginal ultrasound be performed, “state rape.” State Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax, called the…
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Following the passage of House Bill 29 and House Bill 30 in the House of Delegates, Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) today designated six delegates to serve as members of the Committee of Conference for the 2010-12 and 2012-14 biennial budgets. Speaker Howell named Delegates Lacey E. Putney (I-Bedford), M. Kirkland “Kirk” Cox (R-Colonial Heights),…
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Adjournment of the 2012 Session of the General Assembly, scheduled for March 10, is rapidly approaching, and we are in totally uncharted waters. The Senate versions of the caboose budget bill that covers the remainder of the current fiscal year and the budget bill for the 2012-2014 biennium have been defeated in the Senate. The…
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Republicans in the United State Senate have used arcane legislative rules to their advantage the past two years to fight from the minority anything substantive that Democrats want to do from coming to fruition. Republicans in Virginia are now crying foul that their Democratic counterparts are riding an arcane rule related to the 20-20 split…
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Six Republicans joined Senate Democrats in effectively voting down legislation that would define “personhood” at conception and could in turn outlaw all abortions and some forms of FDA-approved birth control. A 24-14 Senate vote returned the bill to a Senate committee for consideration in the 2013 General Assembly session. The vote was another defeat for…
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The State Senate on Tuesday passed House Bill 189, which Virginia Democrats say will set the Commonwealth backwards by codifying and expanding the ability of state-funded child-placing agencies to discriminate against gay and lesbian Virginians seeking to adopt. “We have been talking about conscience. But whose conscience are we talking about? My conscience is offended whenever the…
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Gov. Bob McDonnell is recommending a series of amendments to the controversial legislation that would require women seeking to abort a pregnancy to undergo an invasive ultrasound procedure beforehand. “Having looked at the current proposal, I believe there is no need to direct by statute that further invasive ultrasound procedures be done,” McDonnell said in…
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Around 1:45 pm on February 10, the governor of Virginia addressed W&L’s Mock Convention. Thirty minutes later, the governor concluded his remarks and headed to inspect the new Devils Backbone Brewing Company on US 11. As he descended the stage steps, the attorney general of Virginia was preparing his climb to address the convention –…
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The Virginia House of Delegates voted Monday to advance HB1, a bill that confers legal “personhood” at the moment of conception. Without a subcommittee hearing, the bill emerged from the full Courts of Justice Committee late Friday night – the last possible time for new legislation to be considered during the current session. “Yet another…
