Category: General Assembly
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A Curious Appointment
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin has appointed Banci Tewolde as director of the Dept. of General Services (DGS). She will fill the vacancy created by the sudden departure last December of Joe Damico, who had served as deputy director for 16 years and as director for the last six years. It is a curious appointment for a…
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VCEA Fans and Foes Both See Failure Looming
By Steve Haner There is a growing recognition that the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA) as written is going to fail. Both those who strongly believe in its goal of ending the use of hydrocarbon fuels, and those who consider that idea nothing but fool’s gold, see major problems on the horizon. There is also…
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Senator Lucas’ “Big Gamble”
by Kayla Owen Virginia state Senator and Chair of the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, Louise Lucas, is known for her love of casinos, skill games, and other gambling enterprises. Her greatest political gamble may be unfolding before our eyes this week. When Virginia’s biennial 2024-2026 budget was signed on May 13, 2024, just…
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Clean Economy Act: A Refresher on What it Does
By Steve Haner A senior Democratic state senator is leading an effort to review and possibly revise the 2020 Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), which orders the future elimination of hydrocarbon fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) used in making electricity. His goal is to conduct a stakeholder process and bring legislation to the 2025…
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Now Fix the Clean Economy Act, Governor
By Steve Haner Governor Glenn Youngkin recently flew to Louisiana to join with other Republican governors in criticizing President Joe Biden’s energy policy, especially the president’s hostility to hydrocarbon fuels. Youngkin and the rest gathered at an oil refinery to make their point that oil and gas should not go away in the decades to…
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Acorn to Oak: “Free” Military Dependent Tuition
By Steve Haner Virginia’s political leaders are embarked upon another of their occasional efforts to clean up their own mess, in this case scrambling to restore a generous tuition waiver at Virginia’s public universities for family members of certain veterans. It is being touted as a benefit for Virginia “gold star families” of the fallen.…
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Youngkin, Miyares State California EV Mandate Never Adopted for Virginia
By Steve Haner Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) and Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) announced today that Virginia will no longer comply with the California air regulations that will restrict and eventually eliminate the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles. The announcement is sure to set off a political and legal firestorm as fierce as…
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Gas Tax Tops 40c Per Gallon, Up 150% in Four Years
By Steve Haner Virginia’s motor fuel taxes rise again July 1, finally breaching 40 cents per gallon for gasoline. Four years ago the tax was 16.2 cents per gallon, but former Governor Ralph Northam (D) signed 2020 legislation to both increase the tax and to begin automatic annual inflation adjustments. The tax becomes 40.4 cents…
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Shown the Door, Petersen Calls Out COVID Fascists
By Steve Haner Reading Chap Petersen’s biographical “Rebel,” it is pretty easy to understand why a year ago his fellow Democrats threw him out of office in a primary. In fact, the mystery is that he survived as long as he did. The book tells a history that many would like to ignore or actively…
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Four Years In, Energy Subsidy Helping Very Few
By Steve Haner Four years after approval, a state program to provide lower electricity costs to low income families is still struggling to get going. Administrative costs have far exceeded any actual benefits to utility customers to date. It is called the Percentage of Income Payment Program (PIPP) and was created by the 2020 General…
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Challenging the Fact-Free Narrative on RGGI
By Steve Haner The numerous falsehoods in a recent Richmond Times-Dispatch story about the carbon tax so loved by Virginia Democrats start right with the headline. It states that Virginia’s decision to withdraw from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative “is costing millions.” The figure of $150 million per year is then mentioned, apparently simply quoting…
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Greasing the Skids for the Budget
by Dick Hall-Sizemore The Virginia General Assembly can be efficient when it puts its mind to it. Consider the 2024 Special Session that convened on Monday. The House convened at noon and adjourned at 3:15. The Senate stayed around a little bit longer. It convened at noon and adjourned at 3:51. (Technically, both houses actually…
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Youngkin Kills Tax Hikes, Still Gets Record Budget
By Steve Haner After much political theater, the Virginia General Assembly and Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) have now compromised on a $188 billion state budget based simply on the revenue projected from current tax law, with neither tax hikes nor tax reductions. Making those revenue projections slightly more optimistic eased the path. With both…
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No Need to Call the Budget Bluff
by Dick Hall-Sizemore Governor Youngkin and General Assembly leaders have reached a deal on the budget for the next biennium. Based on press reports, it is difficult to say who won this battle. That’s the hallmark of a compromise. The process started off in December with the governor saying the state had more than enough…
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The Budget Do-Over: A Game of Chicken?
by Jock Yellott Speaking off-the-cuff at a Charlottesville/Albemarle Bar Association lunch on April 18, 2024, Senator Creigh Deeds offered some pointed remarks about Governor Youngkin. The Governor and the General Assembly had just the day before agreed to scrap the budget and the Governor’s proposed amendments and start over from scratch in May, averting a…