A bill from Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3) seeking to limit law enforcement collaboration with federal immigration enforcement has received minor adjustments from Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Lopez’s HB 1441, and companion bill SB 783, ban state and local law enforcement agreements with federal immigration enforcement and limit when state and local law enforcement can cooperate.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) announced today that she did not sign dozens of tax bills into law — because the General Assembly never passed them and they never reached her desk.
Monday’s announcement came hours before the 11:59 p.m. deadline for the governor to act on more than 1,000 bills that did pass this session, and two days after President Donald Trump accused Spanberger of imposing a wave of new taxes.
A $25 minimum wage proposal in D.C. could push some restaurant workers into Northern Virginia in the short term and, in the long term, potentially drive businesses to relocate as well, the head of the region’s restaurant association says.
The Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington — an outspoken opponent of D.C.’s Initiative 82, which sought to phase out the tip credit for tipped workers — is opposing One Fair Wage’s proposal to raise the District’s minimum wage to $25 per hour by July 2029.
As Arlington gears up to potentially explore governance-change options, the fate of two constitutional offices may hang in the balance.
Not yet publicly discussed much by governance-change advocates: whether to go the Fairfax County route, folding operations of Arlington’s treasurer and commissioner of revenue into the county government’s general operations.
More outreach to Latino, older and younger voters is needed if Arlington wants the community to more fully embrace ranked-choice voting, new survey data suggests.
The majority of respondents — 66% — said they either strongly or somewhat supported the voting format in a government-funded voter survey conducted immediately after the November general election. Only 26% were strongly or somewhat opposed, and the remainder were undecided.
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.
While questions around congressional redistricting will remain unresolved for months, campaigns for two seats that could represent Arlington are in full swing.
For now, all eyes are on an April 21 statewide referendum on whether to authorize dramatically redrawn districts for the U.S. House of Representatives. But that isn’t stopping candidates, political parties and officials in Arlington from launching into election season.
Falls Church officials are awaiting developments in Richmond to determine whether the city’s Planning Commission will get back powers that the General Assembly stripped last year.
However, legislation to restore the old arrangement could face an uphill battle.
New legislation advancing in the General Assembly seeks to address overlooked challenges for men and boys amid growing concerns about educational, career and mental health outcomes.
The House of Delegates Rules Studies Subcommittee has recommended a bill from Del. Josh Thomas (D-21) to create a permanent Boys and Men Advisory Commission that would issue annual reports with legislative recommendations. Thomas says it would be the nation’s first commission with this focus.
Before Arlington moves to change its form of government, it needs to educate more residents on what the current structure is and why reforms might be needed, one County Board member believes.
“Walk down a street in Ballston, Columbia Pike, anywhere — most folks will look at you like a deer in the headlights” when governance is brought up, Julius “J.D.” Spain, Sr., said at the Jan. 13 Arlington County Civic Federation meeting.
Northern Virginia Democrats were in high spirits at the inauguration of Gov. Abigail Spanberger this weekend, looking toward new opportunities for a variety of bills held back by the previous administration.
Legislators and political observers expect fewer vetoes and more collaboration with Democratic policymakers — including those in Northern Virginia — under Spanberger, a centrist Democrat who emphasized bipartisan solutions to issues like housing and health care costs on the campaign trail and in her inauguration speech.
Representatives of both the business community and organized labor voiced skepticism at a recent forum that an end to Virginia’s right-to-work law is on the horizon for 2026.
“Right to work is not a big thing to us right now,” said Don Slaiman, political coordinator for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 26.
