Don Scott
- Debate Emerges Over Off-the-Record Meetings in Virginia
Virginia Democrats are considering allowing secret meetings out of the public eye. This consideration has led to a debate on whether transparency in state government might be affected. The discussion focuses on the implications for open proceedings. The topic involves the nature of off-the-record political meetings. One aspect highlighted is that gatherings involving more than […]
- House Passes Updates to Senate Bill 126 on Incumbent Filings
Richmond, VA — The Virginia House of Delegates has passed modifications to Senate Bill 126, introducing targeted adjustments to election filing deadlines for incumbent officeholders. During chamber proceedings, Delegate Marcia Price presented details on the legislation, which establishes clearer parameters for how current officeholders must manage their candidacy paperwork. Key Provisions of t
- Separate Tax Rates for Land and Improvements in Fredericksburg
The 2026 Virginia General Assembly session featured the introduction of House Bill 72, a piece of legislation focused on modifying real property tax rules for the City of Fredericksburg. The bill was prefiled on December 31, 2025, and officially offered on January 14, 2026, after being ordered printed. Upon introduction, it was referred to the […]
- Measure Allowing Localities to Revert Local Election Schedules
Delegate Rob Bloxom has introduced House Bill 51 in the 2026 Virginia House of Delegates session to amend provisions governing the timing of certain local elections. The legislation would alter Section 15.2-1400 of the Code of Virginia and repeal the second enactment clause from Chapter 103 of the 2021 Acts of Assembly. This change targets […]
- Virginia budget impasse threatens school funding, poses potential staffing challenges
If state leaders don’t finalize the budget by July 1, Virginia school leaders say there will be insufficient funding for special education, at-risk students, educator compensation and student services. (Photo by Getty Images) Virginia’s education leaders say they are optimistic about the proposed K-12 funding in the state budget, but their outlook is tempered by […]
- Virginia House Advances Legislation Updating Historical Horse Racing Revenue Distribution
In the 2026 session of the Virginia General Assembly, the House of Delegates approved House Bill 49, a piece of legislation that modifies the distribution of revenues generated from pari-mutuel wagering on historical horse racing. The bill amends Section 59.1-392 of the Code of Virginia to expand the recipients of the percentage of wagering proceeds […]
- Here’s what House lawmakers want to require of data centers to keep their sales tax break
Del. Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, walks the House floor towards the dais after being re-elected Virginia House Speaker in January 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/ Virginia Mercury) As lawmakers work behind closed doors to finalize the state’s $212 billion budget before the next fiscal year begins in July, negotiations hinge on whether the data center […]
- Virginia Democrats seek emergency injunction from US Supreme Court in redistricting fight
The U.S. Supreme Court building. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom) Virginia Democrats on Monday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revive the voter-approved redistricting amendment struck down last week by the Supreme Court of Virginia, escalating the fight over the state’s congressional map to the nation’s highest court with the 2026 midterms inching closer. In […]
- Virginia Democrats File Typo-Riddled Motion Seeking U.S. Supreme Court Review After State Court Strikes Down Redistricting Amendment
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Democrats have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene in a high-stakes redistricting dispute after the Virginia Supreme Court nullified a voter-approved constitutional amendment on procedural grounds, a development that preserves the state’s current congressional maps for the 2026 midterm elections. The Virginia Supreme Court ruled 4-3 on May 8, 2026, […]
- Virginia House Debates Leadership Structure for New Distributed Energy Resources Task Force
Helmer’s comments focused on Recommendation 3 within the bill, arguing that board-chosen leadership aligns with standard practices for such advisory groups. The exchange highlighted procedural nuances in establishing the task force, which would include representatives from utilities like Dominion Energy, environmental organizations, local governments, and industry experts. These entities are pivot
- Virginia Marijuana retail plan in limbo after lawmakers reject Spanberger changes
In Virginia, the future of a legal, regulated market for adult-use marijuana remains in limbo years after possession was legalized. (Photo Illustration by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Five years after Virginia legalized simple adult possession of marijuana, lawmakers are at an impasse over how to finally stand up a legal retail market, after the General Assembly […]
- Supreme Court of Virginia strikes down redistricting amendment, keeps current maps in place
The Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond on April 27, 2026. (Photo by Samantha Willis/Virginia Mercury) The Supreme Court of Virginia on Friday struck down the voter-approved redistricting amendment, upholding a lower court ruling that had declared the measure unconstitutional less than 24 hours after last week’s special election and briefly halted its implementation. The […]
- Democrats fail to pass budget
This post was originally published on this site. In politics, there are some days when whole months can happen. The General Assembly reconvened on Wednesday, April 22, and it was one such day. It never stops. What is the common factor? I think it’s Democrats who make bad decisions. You would think that a $50-million […]
- FBI raids Sen. Louise Lucas’ Portsmouth office, marijuana business
State Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, on the Senate floor at the Virginia Capitol in Richmond. Federal agents on Wednesday raided Lucas’ Portsmouth office and adjacent cannabis business as part of a court-authorized FBI search operation. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) Federal agents on Wednesday morning raided the Portsmouth office of state Sen. Louise Lucas, one […]
- Virginia Delegate Lopez Critiques School Curriculum Limits in House Address
Lopez pointed to Youngkin’s inauguration day actions, where the governor issued multiple executive orders, including one targeting inherently divisive concepts in curricula. This order sought to end teachings promoting ideas associated with critical race theory, such as claims of inherent racial superiority or oppression. Lopez described these as an ill-defined mandate setting sights on race […]
- Virginia Supreme Court weighs challenge to redistricting amendment
The Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond on April 27, 2026. (Photo by Samantha Willis/Virginia Mercury) The Supreme Court of Virginia on Monday heard arguments over whether Democrats followed constitutional requirements in advancing a voter-approved redistricting amendment, zeroing in on disputes over election timing, public notice requirements and the scope of a special session last […]
- Data center tax exemption changes still holding up Virginia budget
Virginia House Speaker Don Scott (left) and Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas speak with reporters on Wednesday. (Photo by Charles Paullin/Inside Climate News) This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News (hyperlink to the original story), a nonprofit, non-partisan news organization that covers climate, energy and the environment. Sign up for their newsletter here. […]
- Early poll is sobering for Spanberger, but it’s a wake-up call, not an epitaph
Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks with reporters outside the Executive Mansion in Richmond earlier this month. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury) The first report card on Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s still brand-new term is in, and she can’t be happy with it. I’m hearing she’s decidedly unhappy. A new survey by the Washington Post and George Mason […]
- Virginia Supreme Court Prepares to Hear Challenge to Narrowly Passed Redistricting Amendment
The amendment stems from Democratic efforts in the General Assembly to revisit congressional maps drawn in 2021 by the state Supreme Court. Those maps, created after a 2020 voter-approved measure established an independent commission, resulted in a configuration reflecting Virginia’s competitive politics, approximately 7 Democratic-leaning districts to 4 Republican-leaning ones. Proponents of the
- Virginia lawmakers recess special session without a budget deal
The Virginia state Capitol in Richmond, where lawmakers convened Thursday for a special session to finalize the budget. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury) The Virginia General Assembly convened for a special session Thursday to finalize the state’s $212 billion budget, but recessed after just a few hours without a deal, underscoring deep divisions within […]
- GOP’s hope to undo Virginia’s new redistricting power grows after judge halts maps
Supreme Court of Virginia in Richmond, Va. (Photo by Parker Michels-Boyce for The Virginia Mercury) After losing Tuesday’s closely watched redistricting referendum, Virginia Republicans are now shifting their focus to the courts, arguing the legal fight — not the ballot box — will ultimately determine whether the measure stands. That legal fight escalated late Wednesday, […]
- Va. lawmakers OK governor’s tweaks to major bills, reject health and labor bill amendments
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger speaks with the press as lawmakers deliberate her changes to their bills on April 22, 2026. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/ Virginia Mercury) Virginia lawmakers met Wednesday to weigh Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s amendments to dozens of bills passed this year, reflecting both shared goals and differing views on some of the […]
- Early voting underway for Virginians to weigh in on congressional redistricting plan
This post was originally published on this site.Virginians can now begin voting on whether the state should temporarily redraw its congressional districts as part of a rare springtime special election. The step, tied to a proposed constitutional amendment, comes after Virginia’s General Assembly approved the measure, followed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s signing. Former President Barack […]
- Virginia Democrats’ 10-1 map proposal heads to Gov. Spanberger’s desk
Virginia’s General Assembly approved a proposal to redraw the congressional map, which favors Democratic candidates for 10 of 11 commonwealth districts. Next stop for the prototype redistricting is the Democratic Governor. Abigail Spanberger’s desk. The governor can sign the entire bill, veto a specific item, amend the legislation, or choose not to act at all. […]
- Virginia Lawmakers Clash Over Redistricting Process as Kilgore Champions Status Quo
The 2020 amendments created independent bipartisan commissions for legislative and congressional redistricting, passing with approximately 65% voter support.
- House committee advances bill to study VMI’s public funding status
Virginia lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill creating a task force that would examine whether the Virginia Military Institute should remain a publicly funded, state-sponsored institution, marking the most consequential legislative step yet in a debate over the school’s governance and culture.
- Senate Republican Caucus Celebrates Court Victory Protecting Virginia Voters and the Redistricting Commission
In October 2025, House Speaker Don Scott reconvened the 2024 Special Session—originally called by Governor Youngkin solely for budget purposes
- Right to killing babies bills highlight key reproductive health care debate in this year’s elections
Killing Baby Fetus’s access is an issue resonating loudly within Virginia’s public and political spheres this year and last week, it manifested through state lawmakers contrasting Virginia’s twice-failed attempt to protect access to birth control medications against a similar measure that recently sailed through neighboring Tennessee’s legislature.
- Marty Martinez’s Retail Theft Repeal Bill Stalls at Virginia House
A bold attempt by Delegate Fernando “Marty” Martinez (D-Leesburg) to repeal Virginia’s stringent organized retail theft law met an abrupt halt during the 2025 legislative session, as the House of Delegates opted to punt the issue to the Virginia State Crime Commission for further study.