After every General Assembly session, I write to my friends and report my impressions of the session. I’ve done this ten times, and this one may be the hardest yet because it was such an...

That’s a wrap. Almost. The General Assembly finished its business and adjourned Saturday evening. We finished on a high note: the House and Senate came together and passed a historic budget that reflects our Democratic...

We have one week to go, but the pace isn’t slowing down. We have a lot to accomplish this week, including–hopefully–coming to an agreement with the Senate on the budget. I am pleased to report that 22...

This was budget week. The regular post-crossover rhythm of amending and voting on bills continued, but the big focus was on finalizing our amendments to the Governor’s introduced budget. Suffice it to say that in...

Tuesday was crossover. In less than 36 hours the House passed more than 300 bills. Some bills generated little debate and were unanimous. Others were hotly contested, triggering vigorous debate on the floor. One such...

The week before crossover is always a bit frantic. And this one surely was. This was the last week bills could be heard in committees to make it to the floor. I spent many hours...

As we head toward crossover one of the hottest, most controversial issues in the General Assembly is the Casino bill. My phone and email have been lighting up with constituent comments — all of them negative. Yesterday afternoon Senator...

The House and Senate have to finish all their work on bills in their respective chambers by February 6. That day is known as “crossover.” It is coming quickly, so I am hard at work...

Time flies when you’re passing bills! What a week it was. Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day–known here in Richmond as “Lobby Day”–and it included a slew of meetings with gun safety activists and...

And that’s a wrap. Sort of. In what has become a familiar story, the General Assembly did not finish its business within the six weeks it was supposed to. While we adjourned “Sine Die” Saturday...

It’s been quite a week. After crossover, the House hears all of the bills that passed the Senate. Some are similar or even identical to bills that have already passed the House. Others, however, are...

Tuesday was crossover. In the span of 36 hours the House of Delegates passed more than 200 bills. Some were unanimous and uncontentious, showing that we still can find common ground and govern our state...

The week before crossover is always frenetic. And this one certainly was. The week started with a hearing on my HB1582, a bill to compensate Mr. David Kingrea for his wrongful conviction and incarceration for a...

Another week in the books. As crossover approaches on February 7, my team and I are working hard. This week was dominated by spirited debate on issues ranging from EVs in Virginia to what our children...

Another week in the books. This week was as busy as the first. On Monday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the House Democratic Caucus held a press conference unveiling our gun violence prevention agenda. It...

And…. we’re off! The first week of a General Assembly session is always very busy. Especially during a short session, since we will accomplish more in the next six weeks than some other state legislatures...

Governor Youngkin’s effort to rid our K-12 classrooms of what he calls “divisive concepts” has been one of the most controversial topics of this session. When he says, “don’t focus on race” he means “don’t even talk about race.”...

Who’s the Snowflake Now? Governor Youngkin’s effort to rid our K-12 classrooms of what he calls “divisive concepts” has been one of the most controversial topics of this session. When he says, “don’t focus on...

Ukraine We don’t do foreign policy in the General Assembly. That is not our job. Our responsibility is the Commonwealth of Virginia. But the bubble we sometimes find ourselves in here in Richmond surely cannot...

A Rocky StartIt is no secret that Governor Youngkin’s administration is off to a rocky start. According to a poll from the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University (CNU), Virginia voters disagree...