IN THE NEWS:

After our episode on retirements, we learned of two more members who say they won’t be coming back, former Speaker Eileen Filler Corn and Senator Lynwood Lewis. That makes thirteen House members who say they will not run for reelection, and another thirteen say they won’t run for reelection in the House because they're running for the Senate.

The State Corporation Commission has outsized influence over how electric utilities are regulated, and the three member commission currently has only one member. That's because Democrats and Republicans can NOT agree on appointments. But does this inability for the SCC to regulate certain industries mean better outcomes in the face of climate changes?

Whole milk was prohibited from school cafeterias a decade ago as part of the Department of Agriculture's School Lunch Program as part of the Obama administration Let's Move initiative. Now people are starting to second guess that idea, including Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat from Northern Virginia’s 7th District. But does this really matter?

At the Watercooler:

- Republican Delegate Matt Fariss of Campbell County is facing two felony charges
- Both Democrats and Republicans are both having a hard time getting people to run for the Loudoun County School Board as it comes under heavy national right-wing scrutiny.

Trivia: What was the name of the Nazi leader who ran for governor in 1965?


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Due to calculation errors, Virginia's Department of Education made a $200 million mistake in estimating basic aid for local school divisions this year--which caused schools to budget for far more than they're likely to get. The General Assembly wasn't able to agree on a budget before the regular session ended--and their compromise "skinny budget" accounts for only $16 million of the $200 million deficit.

How did the error happen, what can be done to fix it, and where does it leave Virginia's school systems? This week, Thomas and Michael are joined by Laura Goren, Director of Research and Education at the Commonwealth Institute, as well as Chad Stewart, the Policy Analyst at the Virginia Education Association, to explain.

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Michael will be speaking at the Arlington Historical Society about The Byrd Machine in Virginia this Thursday, March 9.

IN THE NEWS:

The Department of Education's $200 million mistake in estimating school aid still hasn't been fixed--what analysts are saying and how the General Assembly's initial "skinny budget" doesn't go far enough to solve the problem.

Virginia’s superintendent of public instruction, Jillian Balow, has resigned--and Governor Youngkin still hasn't answered why, despite facing direct questions about what went down.

According to a new poll, Governor Youngkin's job approval is at 57 percent, and his unfavorability rating is at 35 percent. The poll also explores interesting head-to-head matchups between President Biden and prospective 2024 Republican presidential candidates in Youngkin, De Santis, and Trump.


At the Watercooler:

- Delegate Lamont Bagby has won the Democratic firehouse primary for Jennifer McClellan’s Senate seat.
- Amazon pauses development on its HQ2 in the face of remote work.

Trivia: What's the name for the old-fashioned practice of political candidates serving booze to voters. Hint: BLANK the BLANK with BLANK


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Chaz Nuttycombe of CNalysis joins Michael to run through the list of state Senators and Representatives who won't be seeking re-election next year, and why--from redistricting to spending more time with family, next year's General Assembly will look starkly different from the one we've come to know.


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IN THE NEWS:

Almost a dozen House members are running for the Senate, so they are not running for reelection in their House districts. And more than a handful of other House members are not seeking reelection at all.

When the House and Senate have different versions of the same bill, they send it into a committee of conference -- a way to get all the key players together and resolve differences. Those conference committees happen in secret. They are not open to the public or the press, and that's a lack of transparency that's worrisome to many.

Delegate Ken Plum of Reston has seen it all, literally as the longest serving member of the House of Delegates. He’s seen Democrats in power, Republicans in power and he even was around to witness the last gasp of the Byrd Machine. Michael had a chance to talk with Delegate Plum about his career before he retires.



At the Watercooler:

The firehouse primary for Jennifer McClellan’s Senate seat, which features Dawn Adams, Alexsis Rodgers and Lamont Bagby
New leadership for the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association

Trivia: How many Confederate statues are CURRENTLY in Capitol Square?


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This week Dylan Bishop, attorney and lobbyist with Eckert Seamans, joins Thomas and Michael to discuss the status of marijuana legalization in Virginia, the mix of cannabis-related bills in the General Assembly this year, and the "mess" that currently exists around retail marijuana and hemp regulation.

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IN THE NEWS:

The Idaho Stop: Senator Deeds proposed legislation that would give local governments authority to adopt local ordinances giving cyclists more leeway at stop signs--something that would benefit cyclists, drivers, and pedestrians alike. But the momentum of the legislation stalled after House Republicans voiced their concerns.

A bill to make the Chincoteague pony the official state pony of Virginia has faced opposition from the Southwest delegation, whose members also have wild ponies roaming their districts.

A new Democratic resolution would have Virginia acknowledge its sordid past of grave-robbing Black cemetaries for medical experimentation in the 1800s. But a Republican-controlled House panel rejected the bill last week.



At the Watercooler:

• The casino bill is dead for now, which is good news for the potential of a Richmond casino.
• In the absence of formal abortion legislation, Democrats are attempting a rules-change maneuver to force floor discussion of abortion and put both Republicans and Democrats on the record for where they stand.

Trivia: The end of the General Assembly session is known as sine die. That’s a Latin expression for what?


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On this week's live-to-tape game show, Michael sits down with Delegate Alfonso Lopez, Delegate Marcus Simon, and Alexandria Assistant City Manager Sarah Taylor to get their takes on a variety of hot topics--from the Petersburg casino to corporate tax cuts to secret recordings and the prospect of a state pony.

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IN THE NEWS:

Advocates for people incarcerated in Virginia prisons say it shouldn’t be a financial burden for them to stay in touch with their family. Now lawmakers are moving forward with a compromise bill that doesn't mandate free telephone calls, but does provide some oversight of those lucrative telecommunications contracts.

Governor Glenn Youngkin is working with House Republicans to have a proposal now under consideration that would give $350 million in corporate tax cuts. Senate Democrats say they have no appetite for it.To work out their differences, a handful of senior lawmakers will meet behind closed doors in a secret conference committee that's not open to the public or the press.

In support of recent bills to legislate the contents of school libraries, Delegate Tim Anderson had teenagers removed from the House chamber so he could read from explicit passages from books he thinks are inappropriate. Thomas and Michael discuss the disturbing trend toward book-banning in Virginia and nationwide.



At the Watercooler:

• In the US Senate, Tim Kaine introduced the Reproductive Freedom for All Act.
• A Democratic House member who was so angry about her bill being killed without a hearing that she surreptitiously recorded the chairman of a committee--as well as the many abortion bills never got docketed in the Republican-led House.

Trivia: When did Virginia bring back the mace that gets paraded down the House of Delegates?
Mark Greenough: Why does the House of Delegates have a mace?

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Several bills passed the state House this session that would harm transgender kids--as well as all 1.2 million students in Virginia. This week, Thomas and Michael are joined by Bo Belotti, an activist and National Recruitment Director for the Trans Radical Activist Network. They talk about the harm of a bill that would require student athletes to verify their genitalia with adults before being able to compete in sports, as well as one that would require schools to notify parents of their child's transition. They also cover Delegate Danica Roem's fierce rebuttal to these bills that left many proponents without answers.

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Sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia