Sunday, April 7, 2013
Virginia's legislature passed an amendment prohibiting some insurance companies from providing abortion coverage.
This week, Virginia’s legislature approved a measure by Gov. Bob McDonnell that prohibits certain health insurance companies from providing coverage for women seeking an abortion. The exceptions to the insurance coverage rule are in cases of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is in danger. While the new Virginia legislation isn’t as restrictive of abortions as recent legislation passed in North Dakota and Alabama, critics are concerned about the financial effect the legislation may have on a woman’s decision. Sen. Mark Herring (D-Loudoun) said, “Women should be able to make decisions about their own health care without interference from politicians here in the state Capitol.” The Virginia Society for Human Life, an anti-abortion group, …
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Terry McAuliffe said he thought supporting the compromise that passed the Senate on Saturday was crucial.
Former chairman of the Democratic National Committee Terry McAuliffe came to Arlington on Tuesday to praise the work of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. McAuliffe, the Democrat hoping to succeed McDonnell, said he spent hours on the phone calling members of both parties urging them to support a transportation compromise, which ultimately passed this weekend in the hours before the 2013 General Assembly session ended. "When you work on these major projects, it's not about a partisan agenda," McAuliffe told about a half-dozen reporters at a news conference on the 15th floor of the Sheraton Pentagon City. "This was a big deal. Was this a legacy item for Governor McDonnell? You bet it was." The event was designed to paint Republican Attorney …
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Virginia governor delivers prime time address Tuesday night.
The "American dream" is at stake in the November presidential election, said Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention Tuesday night. "I don't have to tell any of you: this is a tough economy. We all have friends, family and neighbors who've lost their jobs and homes," McDonnell (R) said. "Worse, they've lost their hope. And their lost hope is why we need a big change this November. This election is about restoring the American dream." Like many of the convention speeches Tuesday, McDonnell's address criticized a remark made by President Barack Obama (D) during a July campaign stop in Roanoke that Republicans say suggested business owners did not build their success on their own. "We need a …
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan will join presumptive GOP nominee in bid for president instead of Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who some say was on the short list.
Just more than two weeks before he's expected to receive a presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney announced Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan would join him on the ballot in the 2012 election, passing over Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who had been on the short list of many political experts. Romney will be in Manassas this afternoon on a campaign stop and McDonnell is scheduled to attend. (Go to Manassas Patch for live updates starting at 4 p.m. Saturday.) Romney was scheduled to make the announcement Saturday morning before 9 a.m. in Norfolk as he starts a tour of Virginia, an important swing state in this year's presidential elections, but Romney's campaign sent a press release earlier in the morning. Just days…
Thursday, July 12, 2012
As Virginia lawmakers disagree over Affordable Care Act provision, tell us: Would participating in the expansion help or hurt the state?
As Gov. Bob McDonnell considers opting out of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion, Virginia lawmakers are divided on whether the program would help or hurt the state. In a letter to McDonnell on Thursday, Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican who has announced a 2013 gubernatorial bid, encouraged the governor to reject the program, saying Medicaid expansion — which he says accounts for nearly 20 percent of Virginia's total general fund spending — would place "tremendous fiscal pressure on the Commonwealth and divert funds from other state programs, such as public education, higher education, public safety, natural resource protection and even other critically important health care programs." McDonnell sent a letter to Virginia …
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Governor says citizens should prepare for a multi-day power restoration and recovery effort.
UPDATE - Sunday, 7 a.m.: For a full update of conditions, outages, water restrictions and more across Nothern Virginia on Sunday, see this story: 290,000 Still Without Power in Northern Virginia Sunday Morning. --------- Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) declared a state of emergency Saturday morning as Virginia prepares for what he says will be a "multi-day event with the potential for further problems." At least 2.5 million people in the state lost power in the rare derecho storm, which ripped through the area with winds from 60 to 80 miles per hour around 10:30 p.m. last night. There were six fatalities - two in Fairfax County, the governor said. All were killed when trees fell on homes or cars. "This is the largest non-hurricane power …
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Gov. Bob McDonnell retreats from past statements, says mandating invasive procedure "is not a proper role for the state." Tell us: Is the amended bill better?
Republican lawmakers and the governor backed down from supporting a bill Wednesday that may have required women seeking an abortion to undergo an invasive ultrasound. After previously indicating his support for legislation that called for ultrasounds to determine the gestational age, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) said he would not sign a bill that would require women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound if it could not be obtained through an external one. "Mandating an invasive procedure in order to give informed consent is not a proper role for the state," McDonnell said in a statement. "No person should be directed to undergo an invasive procedure by the state, without their consent, as a precondition to another medical procedure." With the …
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Ultrasounds and Personhood distracting from more important issues like economy, U.S. Senate candidate says.
Former Virginia Governor Tim Kaine (D) says the 2012 General Assembly's attention to divisive social issues is distracting the commonwealth from more important issues such as the economy - and turning Virginia into the butt of many jokes. Kaine, former Democratic National Committee chair and a candidate for U.S. Senate, in Northern Virginia for an economic roundtable on Wednesday, says citizens are voicing their concerns as the General Assembly prepares to move forward on bills that give full personhood rights from the moment of fertilization and mandate vaginal ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion. "What I hear from our business leaders and owners is that they are tired of partisan games and distractions causing uncertainty and …
Friday, January 20, 2012
Virginia governor will campaign for Romney in South Carolina Friday afternoon and Saturday morning.
After his good friend Texas Gov. Rick Perry dropped out of the presidential race Thursday, Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell officially endorsed former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney Friday morning, on the eve of the South Carolina primary. "I'm delighted to be endorsing him," McDonnell said. "It's the right time, the first primary in a Southern state." "There were a lot of factors, but it's the right time to get out front and support who I think is the right person to beat President Obama," McDonnell said in a phone interview with reporters. McDonnell was in New York for economic development meetings and planned to fly to South Carolina to campaign for Romney at 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday morning, the day of the primary. Romney is the best …
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
State receives preliminary federal approval to toll large portion of Interstate 95.
Virginia was given preliminary approval by the Federal Highway Administration for a plan to impose tolls on Interstate 95 between Fredericksburg and the North Carolina line, Gov. Bob McDonnell announced this week. The amounts of the tolls have not yet been set, McDonnell spokesman Jeff Caldwell stated in an email. Despite that, the Virginia Department of Transportation projects a toll program could generate $250 million over the first five years and $50 million annually after that. The money would be used to pay for expansion, safety improvements and pavement reconstruction, among other things, according to the Governor's Office. Virginia was given one of three slots in a federal pilot program for its proposal. "All of this is based on …
Jackieh
11:51 am on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Sure we are...maybe vasectomies too. These are the old white men making rules for the women of Virginia. We ladies have to rebel and make sure we throw them out of office. And make sure Ken Cooch doesn't get elected. He makes Trans Vaginal Probe Bob look like a flaming liberal. more ›