The Senate bills -- SB617 and SB618 -- introduced by Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton -- passed on party-line votes a week after Democrats took Senate control and reorganized several committees, including Health and Education. The issue has the state legislature split, as both measures attempt to overturn laws that were passed in 2012 and 2013 under a Republican-controlled General Assembly.
The Senate bills -- SB617 and SB618 -- introduced by Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton -- passed on party-line votes a week after Democrats took Senate control and reorganized several committees, including Health and Education. The issue has the state legislature split, as both measures attempt to overturn laws that were passed in 2012 and 2013 under a Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Two abortion-related bills were passed this past week by The Virginia Health and Education Senate Committee a day after the House of Delegates struck down a pair of identical measures in committee. The issue has the state legislature split, as both measures attempt to overturn laws that were passed in 2012 and 2013 under a Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Two abortion-related bills were passed this past week by The Virginia Health and Education Senate Committee a day after the House of Delegates struck down a pair of identical measures in committee. The issue has the state legislature split, as both measures attempt to overturn laws that were passed in 2012 and 2013 under a Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Transparency Virginia, a nonprofit, nonpartisan legislative watchdog group, released a report last Tuesday highlighting "murky practices" and "disturbing" findings from the 2015 General Assembly session with regard to unrecorded votes and short notices for committee meetings.
Election Day concluded and women now have the biggest representation in the General Assembly in the history of Virginia politics.
Four women gained seats and pushed the total of female-held seats to 30. The Senate added two more female representatives.
It's now up to the governor to sign legislation passed by the General Assembly that seeks to stymie sexual assaults on college campuses by requiring higher-education employees to report such incidents and by creating sexual assault response teams.
It's now up to the governor to sign legislation passed by the General Assembly that seeks to stymie sexual assaults on college campuses by requiring higher-education employees to report such incidents and by creating sexual assault response teams.