Richmond
- Virginia Budget Bloat: Governor Spanberger Pushes Record Spending and New Taxes
Governor Abigail Spanberger has finalized a state budget for the 2026-2028 biennium that introduces a staggering two billion dollars in new public education spending. This massive financial commitment comes directly on the heels of a historic two point six billion dollar educational funding increase passed during the previous budget cycle. Fiscal conservatives across Virginia are […]
- Virginia’s $148.4 Million Special Education Expansion Sparks Calls for Stricter Fiscal Oversight
The upcoming fiscal year 2027 budget for the Commonwealth of Virginia includes a staggering $148.4 million allocation to more than double the Special Education Add-On. This massive financial injection expands per-pupil funding for special education students, representing a significant priority for state legislators. While providing adequate resources for vulnerable students is a shared moral value
- Virginia Taxpayers on the Hook for $10 Million Expansion of Renamed Special Education Bureaucracy
Virginia taxpayers are facing another significant budget expansion as state officials push forward a massive $10.0 million funding increase for the fiscal year 2027 education budget. The general fund appropriation specifically targets the newly rebranded Support for Students with Intense Support Needs Application, formerly known as the Special Education Regional Tuition program. This costly financ
- Virginia Secures Critical Tax Relief as Standard Deductions Rise for 2027
Hardworking families across the Commonwealth of Virginia are securing a critical financial victory as the state prepares to implement increased standard tax deductions for the upcoming years. Starting in tax year 2027, the standard deduction will rise to $9,200 for single filers and $18,400 for joint filers. This legislative move effectively keeps millions of dollars […]
- Virginia Delegate Jason Ballard Introduces Measure to Lower Fees for Concealed Handgun Permit Applications
Richmond, Virginia — During the 2026 session of the Virginia House of Delegates, Delegate Jason Ballard introduced House Bill 106. The legislation focuses on reducing the maximum fee that local law enforcement agencies may charge to process concealed handgun permit applications. Under the bill’s provisions, the overall maximum fee for obtaining a concealed handgun permit […]
- Virginia’s $207 Billion Budget Sparks Conservative Concerns Over Permanent Government Pay Hikes
The newly finalized Virginia biennial budget, an absolutely massive spending plan totaling between $205 billion and $207 billion, introduces significant permanent compensation increases for state employees across the board. Lawmakers in Richmond have officially approved a 3.5 percent annual salary increase for state workers and state-supported local employees across each of the next two fiscal […]
- Virginia Implements Historic Data Center Tax Amidst Rising Public Costs and Budgetary Battles
Virginia has officially implemented a first-of-its-kind statewide energy consumption tax on data centers as part of the FY2027-FY2028 biennial budget. The new policy levies a $0.011 per kilowatt-hour charge on electricity consumed by facilities housing massive server and network systems. Governor Abigail Spanberger championed the measure, stating it ensures the rapidly expanding industry pays its
- Virginia Budget Balloons with Unprecedented $577 Million Childcare Subsidy Expansion
The Virginia state budget has officially ballooned with a staggering $137.6 million increase in childcare subsidy funding. This massive allocation brings the total taxpayer support for childcare to an unprecedented $577 million over the current biennium. Prior to fiscal year 2024, no state general fund support was ever provided for childcare in Virginia, as the […]
- Virginia General Assembly Approves Measure Prohibiting Certain Ingredients in Cosmetics
RICHMOND, Va. — Legislation prohibiting the manufacture and sale of cosmetic products containing specific hazardous ingredients has been enacted in Virginia following approval by both chambers of the General Assembly. The new law, which takes effect on July 1, 2026, adds detailed restrictions to the Virginia Consumer Protection Act and aims to eliminate certain substances […]
- Virginia joins rooftop solar initiative to help residents trim electric bills
On Monday, Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced that Virginia is partnering with the nonprofit Switch Together to help bring down the cost of solar array purchases for homeowners who want to install them on their homes. The governor framed the move as a way to help Virginians lower their utility bills. The organization acquires the solar […]
- Virginia House Bill 86 Proposes Mattress Stewardship Program with New Recycling Fee
Richmond, Virginia — During the 2026 regular session of the Virginia General Assembly, attention turned to House Bill 86, which proposed the establishment of a Mattress Stewardship Program aimed at improving the management of discarded mattresses in the Commonwealth. Sponsored by Delegate Amy Laufer, the bill sought to amend the Code of Virginia by adding […]
- Virginia Lawmakers Quietly Extend Costly Refundable Tax Credit Through 2030
The Virginia state budget continues to expand at an unsustainable pace as lawmakers quietly extend a costly welfare provision disguised as a tax break. Through the third enactment clause of the 2026 Appropriation Act, the state government has officially extended the refundable Virginia Earned Income Tax Credit at twenty percent of the federal level through […]
- Spanberger unveils reformed practices for Va. prisons and council on corrections
A new council convened by Gov. Abigail Spanberger aims to help solve longstanding issues in Virginia’s prisons that residents and correctional officers have expressed concerns about for years. The Governor’s Community Partnership Council On Corrections, which Spanberger announced Tuesday, will bring together representatives from advocacy groups, faith-based organizations, healthcare and public saf
- Officials push for transparency on testing around Shoosmith Landfill
Local, state, and federal officials held a closed-door meeting on July 1 to discuss the next steps for managing Shoosmith Landfill in Chesterfield, which is leaking 50,000 gallons a day of toxic leachate and is poised to spur an “environmental catastrophe,” Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, said. Sen. Mike Jones, D-Richmond, on Wednesday stated on Twitter […]
- Four Virginia counties will pump almost 20 million gallons of water a day to Amazon.
How you look at something – the frame you use and your perspective – often influences what you see. This holds true with the issue of data centers and water use. Amazon recently reported that it withdrew a total of 2.5 billion gallons of water for data center cooling operations in 2025. That seems like […]
- State’s love affair with data centers is cooling
This post was originally published on this site.Data centers. Data centers. They are a necessity. We could benefit from data centers building in areas where there is a greater need, and doing more economic good, rather than rushing to build them at a jackrabbit’s pace. Virginia is home to one of the largest concentrations of […]
- Spanberger joins governors in Abortion Alliance
From support for legislation and ballot referendums to helping states stockpile abortion and miscarriage management drug mifepristone, a growing cohort of governors are banding together as the Abortion Alliance. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced Wednesday that she has joined the coalition. Members include California Gov. Gavin Newsom, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Gov. Wes Moore […]
- Abigail Spanberger Discusses Cannabis Regulation Needs
Abigail Spanberger has addressed the current status of cannabis laws in Virginia. Adults may legally use cannabis under existing statutes. A lack of retail regulation has led to what she describes as a gray area in enforcement and commerce. Discussions have included potential legislation to create structured oversight. Such measures could involve forming a dedicated […]
- John McGuire faces primary test as Democrats eye more competitive 5th District race
U.S. Rep. John McGuire may have breathed a sigh of relief after courts last month invalidated Virginia’s voter-approved redistricting amendment, which would have made the state’s 5th congressional District more favorable to Democrats. But the Goochland Republican still enters his first reelection campaign facing turbulence, including accusations that he has done little for constituents and […]
- Virginia’s abortion amendment faces legal challenges over procedural step, language
A legal challenge to Virginia’s pending reproductive rights amendment is headed toward a hearing later this month, with potential implications for two other pending constitutional amendments. At the center of Bansley v. Nardo is an argument that the clerk of the House of Delegates, Paul Nardo, failed to send copies of the amendment to circuit […]
- State budget extends Virginia higher education displacement commission funding for two years
Funding approved by Virginia lawmakers in the new state budget paves the way for two more years of work by a commission studying Black communities’ past displacement by Virginia colleges and universities and potential forms of redress. While final figures have not been determined, the commission — the only of its kind in the state […]
- Rejected Virginia student voter registrations, Judge approves settlement
A federal judge has approved a consent decree requiring Virginia election officials to accept certain voter registration applications submitted by college students, resolving a lawsuit that alleged students were being improperly denied registration over missing dormitory-related details. The agreement, approved last week by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, bars electi
- Virginia’s romance with data centers has cooled, but nobody benefits if there’s a full breakup
Data centers. Can’t live with them. Can’t live without them. But we could do with data centers slowing their jackrabbit pace of reproduction in congested suburbs and, instead, building where they could fill a need and do more economic good. Our romance with data centers has cooled in Virginia, home to the world’s greatest concentration […]
- Virginia schools push for local tax option as aging buildings strain rural divisions
Every time storms threaten the Tidewater region, Superintendent David Daniel worries the next round of severe weather could cripple Mathews County Public Schools’ aging environmental system, forcing classroom closures and creating safety risks for students. In one case, the storm did just that. Moisture overwhelmed the elementary school’s heating, ventilation and cooling system, causing water […]
- Virginia lawmakers return Monday to weigh Spanberger budget amendments before fiscal deadline
Less than 48 hours before the start of Virginia’s new fiscal year, the General Assembly will meet in Richmond Monday to consider Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s proposed amendments to the state’s two-year spending plan lawmakers passed one week ago. The House of Delegates will reconvene at noon to take up the governor’s amendments first, followed later […]
- Virginia General Assembly approves Spanberger’s budget amendments, ending monthslong impasse
With less than 48 hours remaining before the start of Virginia’s new fiscal year, the General Assembly on Monday approved a package of amendments proposed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger to the state’s two-year budget, formally ending a budget fight among the Democratic majority that had dragged on for months. The House of Delegates and state […]
- Residents wrangle over transmission line proposal for rural Virginia
GOOCHLAND, Va.—Deborah Blackburn leaned on her cane in a line to enter the Central High Cultural and Educational Complex, angst-ridden over a giant transmission line proposal for reasons that are common refrains here: It’s all to benefit data centers in Northern Virginia, and it will disrupt the rural character here outside Richmond. “We don’t want […]
- Kratom product sales to be regulated in Virginia
Del. Joshua Cole, D-Fredericksburg, never expected social media posts about a recreational drug would inspire a new consumer protection law, which he sponsored and was approved by Gov. Abigail Spanberger last month. Spanberger ceremonially signed Cole’s House Bill 360 on Tuesday, which creates new safeguards for the sale of kratom, a legal substance often used […]
- Virginia joins lawsuit to block EPA rollback of emission standards
Attorney General Jay Jones has joined 13 other attorneys general in a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its proposal to repeal emissions standards for ethylene oxide, or EtO — a chemical often used by commercial sterilization facilities for medical supplies and considered one of the most toxic chemicals regulated under the Clean […]
- Virginia House, Senate to meet Monday as budget deadline inches closer
The Virginia House of Delegates will convene Monday afternoon in Richmond, House Clerk Paul Nardo confirmed Friday. The state Senate will meet the same day, as both chambers work towards resolving the state budget, which must be finalized by June 30 or risk a government shutdown. The House had been scheduled to meet Thursday but […]
- 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
- Virginia revenue forecast jumps by $1.5 billion as budget talks continue
Virginia’s revenue outlook has improved by $1.5 billion over the next three fiscal years, giving lawmakers more breathing room as negotiations over a stalled state budget are set to continue in Richmond later this month. Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Monday afternoon released the updated revenue forecast she ordered last month, telling top legislative budget writers […]
- Richmond city and schools face scrutiny over 2 FOIA laws
One of the less noticed features of the Virginia Way is the long-running tendency of the commonwealth’s leaders to conduct their decision-making behind closed doors. While the Virginia Freedom of Information Act presumes all government business is by default public and requires officials to justify why exceptions should be made, too many Virginia leaders in […]
- Virginia officials urge hurricane preparedness as 2026 storm season begins
With the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season underway, Virginia officials are urging residents to prepare now for severe weather that can bring flooding, damaging winds, tornadoes and prolonged power outages across the commonwealth. State leaders gathered Wednesday at the Virginia Emergency Operations Center in Richmond for hurricane preparedness briefings and tabletop simulations meant to test coordi
- 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 […]
- Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee Declines to Oppose Three Proposed Constitutional Amendments
RICHMOND, Va. — The Republican Party of Virginia’s State Central Committee has voted to take no official position on three constitutional amendments that will appear on the November 2026 general election ballot. The decision has drawn criticism from within the party, including from Delegate Karen Hamilton, who argues it conflicts with the party’s platform and […]
- Governor Abigail Spanberger fires Virginia Tech Rector Rocovich, appoints Dominion Energy’s Edward Baine as replacement
Gov. Abigail Spanberger has removed Rector John Rocovich from Virginia Tech’s Board of Visitors, citing misconduct in a letter sent Wednesday. On Thursday, she announced that Edward Baine, executive vice president of utility operations and president of Dominion Energy Virginia, would replace Rocovich on the board for the remainder of his term, which ends in […]
- Virginia lawmakers are set to return to Richmond as budget deadline nears
Virginia lawmakers are set to return to Richmond this month for another attempt to reach a budget deal, with just days until the start of the new fiscal year and no agreement yet on the state’s next two-year spending plan. The House of Delegates is scheduled to reconvene its special session June 18 at 10 […]
- Is Dominion’s plan to merge with NextEra good or bad for Virginians?
Man, even the Pope doesn’t like data centers. In his new encyclical on artificial intelligence, Pope Leo XIV laid out the dangers of the mad rush to replace humans with AI. Amid the concerns for the dignity and future of humanity, he took a moment to mention the environmental damage involved: Current AI systems require […]
- SELC appeals to state supreme court over SCC approval of Dominion’s Chesterfield gas plant
The Southern Environmental Law Center, representing the Chesterfield County branch of the NAACP, Appalachian Voices, and Mothers Out Front, on Wednesday filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Virginia over state regulators’ approval of Dominion Energy’s Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC), a gas peaker plant fiercely opposed by the groups and residents that’s slated […]
- Spanberger weighs legislation to allow class action lawsuits in Virginia courts
(Photo by Getty Images) Gov. Abigail Spanberger is weighing whether to sign or veto legislation that would, for the first time, allow Virginians to file class action lawsuits in state courts — a shift advocates say would expand access to justice, but one that has drawn pushback over how far the change should go. Virginia […]
- Fairfax County Steve Descano and Stacey Kincaid Under Scrutiny Following Fatal Stabbing of Stephanie Minter
Hybla Valley, Va. — The February 23, 2026, stabbing death of 41-year-old Stephanie Minter at a Northern Virginia bus stop has intensified national debate over local immigration enforcement, prosecutorial discretion, and public safety in sanctuary-style jurisdictions. Minter, a mother from Fredericksburg, was found dead at a bus stop on Richmond Highway in Fairfax County’s Hybla […]
- Spanberger’s ICE actions deepen divide with Virginia Democrats
Gov. Abigail Spanberger within just 24 hours vetoed two legislative packages aimed at limiting federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in Virginia while simultaneously signing other measures targeting masked federal agents and issuing a sweeping executive order governing how ICE officers may operate on state property. The mixed actions frustrated and baffled some Democratic lawmakers
- Dominion just can’t kick its fossil fuel addiction
Flush with success after the SCC ignored legal deficiencies and approved the company’s plan for a large gas peaker plant in Chesterfield, Dominion Energy is pushing its luck with a proposal for a massively bigger gas combined-cycle plant. The 3,000 MW facility slated for Cumberland County would be Dominion’s biggest fossil fuel plant ever, the […]
- Virginia revenues surge despite job losses amid budget standoff
Virginia’s economy is showing increasing signs of strain from slower job growth, rising inflation and weakening consumer confidence, even as state revenues continue exceeding expectations and giving lawmakers more room to negotiate a stalled state budget, Virginia Secretary of Finance Mark Sickles said Tuesday. Presenting the administration’s latest economic and revenue update to the Senate […]
- Virginia governor signs Dominion-backed bills. All eyes on regulators now.
RICHMOND, Va.—Gov. Abigail Spanberger on Thursday signed legislation that directs regulators to assign electricity costs to data centers and allows Dominion Energy to spend $900,000 a mile burying local distribution lines. The bills from Senate President Pro Tem Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Del. Destiny LeVere Bolling, D-Henrico, could have also required data centers to cover […]
- New state law mandates review of Dominion’s load forecasting, as data centers raise concerns
Virginia State Corporation Commission members hear testimony concerning Dominion Energy’s proposed rate increase and plan to create a new rate class for data centers on September 2, 2025 in Richmond. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) Dominion Energy’s annual rate case in September prompted concerns from data centers about how fast the utility connects their industry […]
- Abigail Spanberger vetoes bills allowing public employees to collectively bargain working condition, wages
Gov. Abigail Spanberger vetoed collective bargaining legislation Thursday, drawing major criticism from some of the state’s largest unions and labor advocate groups. The governor previously expressed support for the bills that would allow more Virginia public workers to organize in unions and negotiate their working conditions and pay rates. Spanberger first sought amendments to Senate […]
- Over 80% of Virginia experiencing severe drought conditions
A farm in King William County in April 2020. (Photo by Sarah Vogelsong /Virginia Mercury) The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows the entirety of Virginia is experiencing some level of drought conditions right now. The majority of the state is classified as “severe drought” with the greatest deficits in the counties along the North […]
- 60 acres of Virginia Land Given for Free in Henrico for Black Virginians to Farm
Duron Chavis on land transferred to the Central Virginia Agrarian Community Land Trust. May 2026. (Photo by Shannon Heckt/Virginia Mercury) In a fallow field off the Virginia Capital Trail in Henrico County Tuesday morning, urban agriculture expert Duron Chavis walked through the grass alongside Parker Agelasto, a former Richmond City councilman who now leads the […]