Prominent voting rights advocates are applauding a new executive order returning Virginia to a multistate voter roll program and limiting when voters can be removed from the rolls before elections.
An executive order signed earlier this week by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) reverses Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R)’s 2023 decision to leave the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a nonpartisan organization that shares voter registration and identification data between 26 member states.
The Virginia General Assembly passed every bill in Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s “Affordable Virginia Agenda” before adjourning its 2026 session over the weekend — though lawmakers left Richmond without a budget deal.
The 16-bill package, which Spanberger and Democratic legislative leaders announced in December, targets the cost of housing, healthcare and energy. Arlington Dels. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D) and Patrick Hope (D) each carried legislation in the package.
Virginia flags will fly at half-staff tomorrow (Saturday) in honor of Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, the ROTC instructor killed in a shooting at Old Dominion University on Thursday that the FBI is investigating as an act of terrorism.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger ordered flags on all state and local buildings lowered from sunrise to sunset on Saturday, citing Shah’s “decades of devoted and selfless service to his community, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the United States of America.”
Legislation to ban the sale of assault-style weapons is among a raft of gun control bills heading to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) as the Virginia General Assembly session ends tomorrow (Saturday).
Many of the firearm-related bills advanced by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly aren’t new, but faced vetoes from former Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R). They’re expected to fare differently under Spanberger, who has indicated support for legislation such as ghost gun bans, more restrictions on gun access for people convicted of domestic violence crimes, and strengthened red flag laws.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Nearly two decades ago, Virginia gave tech companies a tax break on equipment and software, and they began to build. The state became a data center hub, and they kept building. Residents bemoaned the noise while they built some more. Artificial intelligence boomed, and the power grid strained — still, more building.
Now, amid a growing national pushback on data centers, Virginia senators have voted to end a projected $1.6 billion annual tax break, requiring the industry to resume paying a minimum 5.3% sales tax. The proposal has left some opponents warning that it would bring construction of data centers in Virginia to a screeching halt.
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger delivered a Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address yesterday (Tuesday), questioning whether the president was improving affordability and keeping Americans safe.
Spanberger took aim at Trump’s policies including tariffs, the One Big Beautiful Bill passed by Congress, federal immigration enforcement tied to the deaths of two Americans, federal workforce reductions through DOGE, withholding of the Epstein files, and the threat of a war with Iran.
Arlington’s five-member legislative delegation heads into the General Assembly’s home stretch with a large number of its bills still alive.
Among the most successful was Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3), who got 21 pieces of legislation through the House of Delegates before crossover, the period when bills move to the opposite house for consideration.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week, just months after resoundingly winning an office previously held by a Republican.
The Democratic rebuttal will immediately follow Trump’s address to Congress next Tuesday, offering the party’s most high-profile opportunity to deliver a countermessage.
Virginia’s minimum wage is on track to continue increasing over the next two years.
Two companion bills — SB1 and HB1 — have passed both chambers and are expected to go to Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D), who has indicated that she will sign them into law.
Democratic-led states are increasingly pushing back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown — and Virginia is the latest to join in.
The Virginia Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would place hefty guardrails on any proposed 287(g) agreements allowing local law enforcement to carry out federal immigration functions. The bill still must go to the House.
The severe winter storm expected to arrive tonight in Northern Virginia will likely bring days of slippery conditions on Arlington’s streets and sidewalks, authorities warn.
A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at 11 p.m. tonight ahead of around 6-10 inches of expected snow, sleet and ice. Up to 14 inches of accumulation is possible in the region, with snow expected to turn to sleet tomorrow morning and freezing rain by Sunday evening, according to the Capital Weather Gang.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger has declared a state of emergency ahead of this weekend’s snowstorm, which is expected to bring power outages along with heavy accumulation throughout Virginia.
The newly inaugurated governor signed an executive order today declaring an emergency “due to severe winter weather,” with the most severe impacts expected Saturday and Sunday. The D.C. area is likely to get more than 5 inches of snow, with double-digit accumulation also possible, according to a Winter Storm Watch issued today.
