More stringent towing ordinances could be coming to Arlington as two bills targeting “predatory” practices are set to become law.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) has signed off on two pieces of legislation — both backed by Arlington lawmakers — allowing Northern Virginia local governments to set tighter restrictions on tow operators. This move could allow Arlington to implement changes to its towing ordinance originally approved in 2016 but later nixed by the state legislature.
Two key pieces of legislation backed by one of Arlington’s state senators got the ax in Richmond last week.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) on Thursday vetoed bills that would have legalized the sale of retail marijuana in Virginia and raised the state’s minimum wage. State Sen. Adam Ebbin (D), who represents part of Arlington and Fairfax County as well as Alexandria, co-sponsored both bills.
Rep. Don Beyer is taking a leading role in Congress to address what he says is one of the most pressing issues this century: the regulation of artificial intelligence.
This year, Beyer (D-Va.) and a bipartisan group of colleagues intend to tackle a variety of AI-related issues, including the creation of deep fakes, copyright infringement and enhancing privacy protections.
Arlington’s Virginia General Assembly representatives notched several preliminary victories this legislative session.
The state House and Senate are now in “crossover” — where bills that started in the House are considered by the Senate and vice versa. Bills that pass both chambers will be sent to Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who will either pass them into law or veto them.
Del. Adele McClure is quickly making her mark in the Democrat-controlled Virginia legislature, just weeks after taking office.
The 2nd District representative’s first legislative success of her tenure came last week when the House of Delegates narrowly approved her bill to broaden the state’s minimum wage protections to include farm and temporary foreign workers.
A new bill in the Virginia General Assembly would give the Arlington County Board the authority to change its structure without seeking further approval from state lawmakers.
Del. Patrick Hope’s HB 1225 would allow the Board to decide if it should retain its 5-member, at-large form of government or consider altering the size, to between three and 11 members, and changing to a district-based representation model. It would also allow the County Board Chair to be elected by popular vote for a 4-year term where currently, the practice is to rotate the chairship among members yearly.
The 2024 legislative session will start in two weeks and, in advance, the Arlington County Board and local delegates and senators have hammered out their shared priorities for the session.
A week and a half ago, Board members approved its package of legislative priorities for the 60-day session, including two new additions.
Widespread speed cameras and more funding for prosecutors are two emerging priorities for Arlington County during the upcoming legislative session.
The Arlington County Board got a first look at its legislative priorities during a meeting last night (Tuesday). They cover a range of topics, from funding for improving public transportation to tackling the behavioral health crisis crippling Arlington and the state.
Arlington Public Schools is mulling support for legislation that would allow localities to prevent vape shops from opening up near schools.
This is the first time the idea for such a bill has been considered as part of the School Board’s annual legislative package, according to Frank Bellavia, a spokesman for the school system. The package has not yet been approved by the Board.
Rep. Don Beyer is standing up for donkeys everywhere and trying to save their hides.
Last Tuesday, the Congressman re-introduced legislation that would effectively ban the sale and trade of donkey-hide gelatin, otherwise known as ejiao.
Two bills that would have given online-only local news publications like ARLnow some of the same privileges afforded legacy media outlets failed in Richmond over the past few weeks.
In the House of Delegates, HB 1920 would have included online local news publications that employ at least one full time journalist in an exemption from local Business, Professional, and Occupational License (BPOL) taxes.
(Updated at 8:50 a.m. on 11/17/22) Arlington County is looking to the state legislature to help with some key priorities, including combating malicious 911 calls and predatory towing.
These are two of many issues that the county intends to have local legislators lobby for in the upcoming 2023 Virginia General Assembly session, which runs for 45 days beginning on Jan. 11, 2023.
