🎉 Best news!

Virginia’s former “top cop” doesn’t have the ability to recognize AI nor the sense not to blindly share it as if it’s real. Let’s hope he wasn’t personally in charge of cybersecurity.

Some changes this year (it’s different with a trifecta!) but 💙 to see so many repeat names at top of the scorecard, incl. @henson4virginia.bsky.social, @marcussimon.com, @hopeforvirginia.bsky.social, @kathykltran.bsky.social, @jenniferboysko.com, @ebpforva.bsky.social, @barbarafavola.bsky.social

Congratulations to this year’s top most progressive VAPLAN scorecard legislators (both need to get on Bluesky), Del Cousins & Sen Carroll Foy! (And it was just as I was finishing up the work on this year’s scorecard that I noticed they both also topped the 2024 scorecard!!) vaplan.us/drumroll-ple...

🚨Be on the lookout soon—hopefully before the end of today—for the 2026 VAPLAN progressive legislator scorecard! Who do you think will score near the top this year?

Week 9 newsletter is up! Summing up the long overdue legislative wins, the timely legislative responses to current events, and a few missed opportunities. vaplan.us/week-nine-it...

Seems all okay, the legislature as a whole hasn't adjourned sine die until both chambers do. Senate GOP wanted to amend to ensure 48 hours notice before being called in to special session (budget must be posted 48 hours in advance anyway).

Bit of a kerfuffle as House has adjourned sine die before Senate had a chance to vote on joint resolution for special session.

Final passage in Senate of conference report on @kathykltran.bsky.social & @ssurovell.bsky.social public sector collective bargaining. Incl home health care workers. Excl non-service workers at universities (faculty, health, etc.) Cannot collectively bargain health care if under the state plan.

And that’s a wrap on the Fairfax casino bill. The second conference committee report, limiting it to essentially Tyson’s, by referendum of the voters, has now passed both chambers.

And there’s the Senate vote to accept that second conference committee report on “skill games.” So that’s passed. Really disappointed with this version especially. I hope the Governor makes some substantive changes.

House approves 2nd conference report on the Fairfax casino—not the temporary, pop-up version in yesterday’s report, but the original one in Tyson’s after a referendum of Fairfax voters.

Super strange vote to reject conference committee report on Del Simon bill to clarify code on whistleblower protections at work. Very uncool.

The skill games bill is like a freaking zombie. The House version 2nd conf committee report died, the Senate version passed, but then didn’t actually pass because it creates a tax and needs a majority of those elected and the vote didn’t meet that. That votes been reconsidered.

House at recess. Bills still in conference: ⏺️ Public collective bargaining ⏺️ "Skill games" ⏺️ FFX casino ⏺️ Safe storage of guns in cars And a few others

House and Senate still really struggling on an agreement on safe storage of guns in cars. (Original bills as passed differed pretty significantly, so unsurprising.) Second committee of conference.

New 2nd conference committee report up for Fairfax casino bill. Quick skim looks like no more temporary pop-up, narrowed back to Tyson’s, FFX referendum req (not req majority in magisterial district). Very similar to what passed Senate in the first place. lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/121201...

On Senate floor, @ssurovell.bsky.social reads email he received from a member of recently murdered Stephanie Minter's family, thanking him for his service & for his words following her murder. Surovell says GOP senators need to STOP using her name to support policies they don't agree with.

Second committee of conference on casino bill!! (Presumably means they don't have the votes for the pop-up casino from the first report) Also second committee on skill games, whose first conference report was rejected by House

House approves conference report on @helmerva.bsky.social bill to create task force to study VMI’s response to SCHEV report recommendations on racism, sexism, distancing itself from Lost Cause, etc. Bill supported by VMI leadership.

Skill games conference report NOT approved by House floor!!

FINAL PASS @paulkrizek.bsky.social Marijuana market compromise: Start Jan. ‘26 (S), violations: misdemeanor first two, felony after (H), illicit market tipline, licensing regulation of intoxicating hemp VDACS—>Cannabis Auth., add’l tax 6% + optional 1-3% local (H), 40% revenue—>early childhood ed.

Substantial changes announced in conference report to HB286 ( @helmerva.bsky.social ) bill re: National Guard; now cannot be used to interfere with elections, legislature can investigate and review their deployment, they create annual report on their accomplishments. It passes House.

After GOP Del Garrett rants in House, @katrinacallsen.com defends her campus gun ban bill, asked for by univ. law enforcement & appr. by ROTC "I am so sorry for the family of Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, and I am so sorry that his name is being used on this floor for political purposes."

On last day of session, Del Hodges waxing poetic on House floor about dandelion wine and fireflies (something something about rural vs urban economic engine) and playing clip from old Newlywed Game show of woman who sent husband to doctor for catching urban.

Surprised they reached an agreement on House vs Senate skills games, they were very far apart. Limit of 25,000 games (higher than what House wanted and lower than Senate) VA Lottery runs (vs ABC), $5 maximum wager (House wanted $1), opt OUT by referendum (House wanted opt in).

I haven’t quite had a chance to read the 300 or so page conference committee report on marijuana marketplace (although from my last reading the House and Senate weren’t that far apart anyway) but it passed the Senate and will get the House vote tomorrow.

Good thing we didn’t save anything important for 8pm on this Friday night. Just the conference report on the marijuana adult use recreational marketplace. 😆😂😭☠️

Senate adopts conference committee report on Fairfax casino, which would now create a temporary pop-up casino in Tyson’s. Still needs to pass the House, which has already adjourned for the day.

Conference report on Fairfax casino bill. Sounds like it’s back to Tyson’s, but as a TEMPORARY site. 🧐 Not sure I can imagine what a temporary casino looks like—is that a pop-up casino? 😆 lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/121070...

Conference committee report adopted (ie the bill passes!) on @jcole4va.bsky.social bill allowing development of affordable housing on property owned by religious organizations.

Party-line vote on protecting workers from heat stress. ( @lashrecseaird.bsky.social )

Have probably mentioned this before, but I first met @brianasewellva.bsky.social years before she became a delegate, advocating for paid family medical leave to come to Virginia. And so, I admit to shedding a little tear today, because I am so proud of her hard work in bringing this to pass:

Paid sick leave comes out of conference and passes the Senate!

So funny how the legislators just fully ad lib their way through conference committee reports that no one else has read, saying almost nothing of substance about what has changed, and then everyone votes. I guess as long as the lobbyists or advocates are happy...🤷🏻‍♀️

Data center tax exemptions come from 2008 & 2010 bills (GOP patrons). Scheduled to end 2035. Exemption for data centers that result in new capital investment of $150m+, creation of 50+ new jobs paying 1.5 times+ area wage (reduced to $70m & 10 jobs if in a distressed locality).

The Senate pages are debating a bill they wrote to create a fund under VA Dept of Conservation & Recreation to help defray the costs (professional historians and Indian law attorneys) of federal recognition for Native American tribes. 🥹 5-year cost: $300,000-400,000. It passes!

House Approps Chair says no budget agreement on time: I’m sorry to report that there will be no such agreement at this time. The other body does not believe an agreement can be reached w/o ending the data center tax break. This is not a position the House can or should agree to.

Not really sure what happened with the turtle bill. Sen Marsden said they couldn’t get the sub in time from DLS (the sub was to turn into a study, which is dumb anyway). It wasn’t even in conference though, so seems they coulda gotten it into conference today to give more time?

@ltgovhashmi.bsky.social takes a point of personal privilege to speak about the hand crafted silver water urn donated by the late LG Edward Echols’ family in his honor in 1916. “It was used to deliver water to the senators when they grew thirsty from their debates about turtles and crabs."

FINAL FREAKING PASSAGE OF THE RIGHT TO CONTRACEPTION! Thank you @delciaprice85.bsky.social and Sen Carroll Foy for finally getting this important protection for Virginians! And thank you in advance to @abigailspanberger.com for signing this into law!

@jetforva.bsky.social urges the House floor to support his bill to establish the Virginia Boys and Men (not to be confused with Boyz II Men) Advisory Commission, saying 🎶 “I’m down on my knees begging you please” to vote for this.

As Del Delaney, patron of long-awaited and urgently-needed Prescription Drug Affordability Board bill moves final passage of her bill, she stumbles slightly on her words, Speaker @donscott757.bsky.social says "I’d be nervous too if I was making history!” 🍾🥂

This vote was reconsidered yesterday, and today passes with a re-enactment clause added on the floor so that it will go into conference; in other words the final version of this bill still pending.

Because it’s a little sad that the @paulkrizek.bsky.social House version of the bill to allow balcony (or elsewhere) small portable solar panels passed a week ago and got all the 🥳🎉🍾 let’s give a little cheer once again that now @ssurovell.bsky.social’s Senate cognate finally passed today!

Some dripping-with-hypocrisy GOP floor speeches the last couple weeks with important clap-backs by @delciaprice85.bsky.social and others prompted me to dig into the LIS archives and write this:

🌞Final passage of @lopez4va.bsky.social bill to create the Clean Energy Innovation Bank to help facilitate investments in clean energy projects.

Cute (and aptly named) Delegate Oates is so excited, she’s been waiting since 11:00 am to be able to pun that the Senate amendments “beef up” her bill on liens by livery 🐄🐎 stable keepers.

OMG. Hadn’t noticed this former-Sen Ebbin bill to remove designation for a racist AF song as Virginia’s “state song,” but it just passed with half the GOP delegates REALLY WANTING to cling to this racist shit (Senate unanimously voted to get rid of it).

Bipartisan (left libertarian + right libertarian?) kill of Sen Diggs bill to add retired law enforcement officers to those permitted to review speed camera citations. Del Garrett and @samrasoul.bsky.social speak against, and the bill dies. (Senate passed 31-9 with the nays all GOP.)