Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Supporters 'optimistic' about bill becoming law next year.
The Virginia DREAM Act — legislation that would have allowed children of illegal immigrants to receive in-state college tuition — has died in Richmond, but supporters are optimistic the bill will pass next year. "I was encouraged," said Del. Tom Rust, R-Herndon. "The bill has never gotten this far before. In fact, it's never gotten anywhere. I was encouraged by the response. It got a lot of support. I will be introducing it again next year, and I will be working on it between now and then." For the past seven years, similar legislation has died in a House subcommittee. This year, though, the measure enjoyed bipartisan, unanimous support on the subcommittee level, and it then passed the full House Education Committee with a 17-4 vote. It …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Arlington delegate's legislation, modeled after federal DREAM Act, moved forward Tuesday night.
A bill that would allow certain undocumented students to receive in-state college tuition in Virginia cleared a key legislative hurdle Tuesday night and could see further consideration Wednesday morning. "This has been a very good day for this issue," state Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, told Patch late Tuesday. "I'm overjoyed that it's gotten this far. But the fact is that we've got a lot of work to do still. And I'm going to continue working with Republicans and Democrats to hopefully bring this home." Lopez introduced legislation modeled after the federal DREAM Act. Lawmakers on Tuesday combined it with a similar bill put forth by Del. Tom Rust, a Herndon Republican and chairman of the House Higher Education Subcommittee, and …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Several Northern Virginia districts would become more competitive for Republicans under plan, decried by opponents as unconstitutional.
A Republican-led effort to redraw Virginia's state Senate districts would essentially dilute the voting power of Arlington in the General Assembly and turn a number of Democratic-controlled areas in Northern Virginia into future political battlegrounds. The surprise move late Monday took advantage of the absence of 79-year-old Harry Marsh, a Democratic state senator and civil rights leader who was attending the second inauguration of President Barack Obama. With Marsh absent, the redrawn map passed the Senate 20-19 on a party-line vote. Democrats and progressive organizations have already decried the rushed legislation as unconstitutional. Virginia redraws its legislative boundaries every 10 years and that must win Justice Department …
Saturday, January 19, 2013
After introducing gun safety legislation, the pair hope to prove a point by purchasing a 30-round extended clip without background check.
State Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, and Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, have introduced a package of gun safety legislation that includes requiring universal background checks on prospective firearms purchases (SB 1232 / HB 2025) and tightening restrictions on the sale of weapons to the mentally ill (SB1109 / HB 2221). To drive home their point, the two Northern Virginia lawmakers purchased guns from a private seller at a gun show without a background check and made videos of the transactions. At a news conference this week in Richmond, Ebbin displayed a 30-round ammunition magazine he bought for $20. "Buying a 30-round magazine should not be as easy as buying a candy bar,” he said in a news release. He pointed out a 30-round magazine was…
Friday, July 27, 2012
The 45th House District Nominating Committee convened on Thursday to organize a caucus to nominate a candidate for the Virginia House of Delegates.
Just days after Gov. Bob McDonnell called for a special Sept. 4 election to fill the soon-to-be empty 45th District seat in the Virginia House of Delegates, Democrats in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax have laid the groundwork for a last-minute caucus to choose a nominee. The 45th District includes Alexandria, parts of southern Arlington County including Fairlington, and a portion of the Huntington-Belle Haven area of Fairfax County. The seat is being vacated by Del. David Englin, who recently announced his resignation effective Aug. 31. On Thursday evening, the nominating committee decided to offer two opportunities for registered voters to participate in the caucus. Craig Fifer, chairman of the 45th House District Nominating Committee…
