Progressive Point Archives

E.W. Jackson doubles down on his divisive hate speech

Published 3 minutes ago

May 22, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Virginia's newly minted Republican lieutenant governor nominee E.W. Jackson says his faith and values inform his conservative stances on issues such as abortion and marriage -- and some of his past statements...

Cuccinelli, Ramadan, and Byron changing their tune on transparency under pressure

Published 23 hours ago

May 21, 2013 Virginia Lawyers Weekly reports, "Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says he will no longer routinely advance the contention that his office is not subject to the state Freedom of Information Act. Cuccinelli had included a disclaimer...

Cuccinelli/Jackson/Obenshain fully focused on turning back the clock on women's rights

Published 1 day ago

May 20, 2013 NBC News reports, "Virginia Republicans this year are conducting an intriguing experiment in Virginia, a state Obama has twice carried in presidential contests, that's elected Democrats to U.S. Senate seats the last three times senate elections...

Restricting women's reproductive freedom is the cornerstone of Cuccinelli's career

Published 4 days ago

May 17, 2013 This morning ProgressVA released our "2013 GOP Convention Guide, Limited Women's Health Edition. The guide details the records of candidates for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General on women's reproductive rights and access to health care....

Cuccinelli's tax plan is a burden for VA families

Published 6 days ago

May 16, 2013 The Washington Post editorializes, "IF HE'S ELECTED governor of Virginia this fall, Ken Cuccinelli II (R) promises $1.4 billion (at a minimum) in state tax cuts, though he neglects to explain how he would do so without...

Cuccinelli's ultimate goal is to end choice

Published May 15

May 15, 2013 The Huffington Post reports, "Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the political arm of the national family planning provider, launched a series of web ads on Wednesday that aim to keep Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli out of...

Cuccinelli undermined gun safety requirements

Published May 14

May 14, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "The number of non-Virginians obtaining state-issued concealed handgun permits has boomed in the four years since Ken Cuccinelli sponsored legislation making it clear that online testing meets the legal training requirement for them......

It's pay to play in Richmond

Published May 13

May 13, 2013 The Roanoke Times reports, "The only thing the state has ever told a judge about a politically connected firm's request to throw out a $1.7 million tax bill is that the company's argument is 'a legal...

Ken Cuccinelli's Mitt Romney math doesn't add up

Published May 10

May 10, 2013 The Washington Post editorializes, "LIKE MITT ROMNEY, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II wants to cut taxes -- by a lot. Like Mr. Romney, Mr. Cuccinelli, the Republican candidate for governor, promises this would not reduce...

Cuccinelli's lame excuses

Published May 9

May 9, 2013 NBC Washington reports, "Virginia Attorney General and GOP gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli provided a fuller explanation Wednesday for why he failed to initially disclose gifts he accepted from the CEO of a company that's now under...

Cuccinelli's tax plan prioritizes ideology, cuts home front programs

Published May 7

May 8, 2013 NBC News reports, "Ken Cuccinelli... unveiled a major new tax plan on Tuesday, and it very much resembles proposals by GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney... Per the website for Cuccinelli's plan, the attorney general would help...

Fracking risks water supply and natural heritage

Published May 7

May 7, 2013 The Roanoke Times reports, "Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli took his campaign for governor to the Roanoke area today, telling a group at Titan Cement in Troutville that he favored allowing hydro-fracking for natural gas in the George Washington...

Star Scientific corruption in our Commonwealth's government growing

Published May 6

May 6, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "When Gov. Bob McDonnell traveled to South Carolina in January 2012 to endorse GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Secretary of the Commonwealth Janet Vestal Kelly flew there separately. Kelly also flew to...

Obamacare means new health care opportunities for over 600,000 Virginians

Published May 3

May 3, 2013 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "Starting October 1, over 620,000 low-to-moderate-income Virginians will have new options to find out how to access quality, affordable health insurance, according to a recent report from Families USA, a national nonprofit group that...

Making public schools about performance not profits

Published May 2

May 2, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "The Carroll County School Board plans to end its partnership with the contractor that operates Virginia's largest full-time statewide virtual school, effectively shutting down a program that serves more than 350 students....

Cuccinelli and McDonnell making a legacy of lavish gifts and getaways

Published May 1

May 1, 2013 The Washington Post editorializes, "The troubling questions about the McDonnell-Cuccinelli-Williams affair are mounting. Did the governor and his wife accept unreported gifts from Mr. Williams in return for political favors? Did Mr. Schneider's role as whistle-blower...

Cuccinelli's campaign is a textbook case of a conflict of interest

Published Apr 30

April 30, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Former Executive Mansion chef Todd Schneider told FBI agents and state investigators more than a year ago that he had information of 'wrongdoing' by Gov. Bob McDonnell and first lady Maureen McDonnell...

Cuccinelli forgot over $13K in gifts and giveaways

Published Apr 29

April 29, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli Friday said his amended state economic disclosure forms show gifts he received from Star Scientific Inc. chief executive Jonnie Williams he hadn't reported before... 'I declared everything I remembered...

Progressive Point: Government for the people or the powerful

Published Apr 26

April 26, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "The war of words over ethics and disclosure issues in Virginia's gubernatorial race continued Thursday as Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe proposed tightening the commonwealth's rules on gifts to elected officials. McAuliffe's announcement came amid scrutiny of gifts given...

Progressive Point: Virginians who have paid their debt deserve a second chance

Published Apr 25

April 25, 2013 From the Virginian Pilot: "Garland Wright speaks for many felons who are trying to regain their right to vote. Yes, he knows he was a criminal. Now he's trying to be a better citizen.... He's now 56 and a...

Progressive Point: Cuccinelli's "just trust me" on conflict of interest not good enough

Published Apr 24

April 24, 2013 The Loudoun Times reports, ""This weekend Ken Cuccinelli asked Virginians simply to trust his judgment that he saw no need to investigate whether he or Governor Bob McDonnell violated state law when they failed to properly disclose...

Progressive Point: Anti-Choice Extremists Attempt to Rewrite Cuccinelli's Anti-Women's Health Record

Published Apr 23

April 19, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "A group opposed to abortion announced Tuesday that it is launching the first radio ad of the Virginia governor's race. Women Speak Out Virginia, a political action committee affiliated with the antiabortion group Susan B. Anthony...

Ken Cuccinelli now synonymous with conflict of interest

Published Apr 19

April 19, 2013 WTVR reports, "Ken Cuccinelli is facing criticism over buying stock in a company known as Star Scientific months after that company sued the state of Virginia as the Washington Post reported. 'Was this a conflict of interest?,'...

91% of Americans support background checks, 46 Senators support gun lobby special interests

Published Apr 18

April 18, 2013 The Huffington Post reports, "[T]he U.S. Senate failed to muster sufficient support Wednesday for a gun-buyer background check bill that's supported by nearly 90 percent of Americans... The amendment failed 54 to 46, falling short of...

The big corporations buying stock in Cuccinelli

Published Apr 17

April 17, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "The conservative attorney general also collected several large contributions from the energy sector. That includes $50,000 from Ohio coal company Murray Energy Corp., as well as $25,000 apiece from CONSOL Energy, the political...

Virginians support a vote to keep guns out of the hands of criminals

Published Apr 16

April 16, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "As Virginians remember the Virginia Tech slayings six years ago today, two U.S. senators will push a compromise to expand background checks for firearm purchases. The bipartisan measure, sponsored by Sens. Pat...

A day when everyone should be #proudtopay their fair share

Published Apr 15

April 15, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "From about 1965 to 2003, a large majority of Americans felt their taxes were 'too high.' In recent years, however, more and more Americans believed their taxes fair. There have even been...

Virginia's Board of Health bends to Ken Cuccinelli's bullying

Published Apr 12

April 12, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "The Virginia Board of Health today gave final approval to regulations that will require Virginia's existing abortion clinics to adhere to the building rules for hospitals. The 11-2 vote followed an hour...

Virginia families' need for affordable health care coverage now is growing

Published Apr 11

April 11, 2013 The Roanoke Times reports, "The number of Virginians covered by health insurance through an employer declined by nearly 10 percent over the past decade, according to a report released this week... 'When less people are insured,...

Nothing to do with women's health, everything to do with politics

Published Apr 10

April 10, 2013 Style Weekly reports, "Women's rights activists are mobilizing in Richmond this week while the Virginia Board of Health prepares to finalize new regulations that are expected to close many of state's 20 abortion clinics. A coalition...

Cuccinelli and McDonnell's corporate crony problem

Published Apr 9

April 9, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell on Monday would not say whether members of his family have received gifts from Jonnie R. Williams Sr., the CEO of Star Scientific Inc., other than a wedding gift...

Commonwealth gun households support common sense background checks

Published Apr 8

April 8, 2013 The Washington Examiner reports, "In the four months since a gunman massacred 20 children and six adults at a Connecticut elementary school, a deep national divide over how best to control gun violence left states scrambling...

Virginia needs leaders who will put us back to work

Published Apr 5

April 5, 2013 The Huffington Post reports, "The grips of sequestration are just now beginning to be felt and the effects are already quite dramatic. Organizations and companies have begun laying off workers, while many more have decided not...

Cuccinelli sticks his nose into Virginians' bedrooms

Published Apr 4

April 4, 2013 The Washington Blade reports, "Virginia Attorney General Kenneth Cuccinelli has filed a petition with the 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Richmond asking the full 15-judge court to reconsider a decision by a three-judge panel...

McDonnell's abortion ban takes attacks on Virginia women even further

Published Apr 3

April 3, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "A Senate fight is brewing over Gov. Bob McDonnell's amendment to ban abortion coverage from being sold through a new federally run health insurance exchange. The bill faces an uncertain outcome in the...

VA supports a criminal background check for every gun sale

Published Apr 2

April 2, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Despite months of negotiations, key senators have been unable to find a workable plan for near-universal background checks on gun purchases -- an idea that polls show nine in 10 Americans support....

Ken Cuccinelli's professional and personal impropriety

Published Apr 1

April 1, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II failed to disclose for nearly a year that he had substantial stock holdings in a company, even though disclosure is required by law and his office...

Common sense laws to prevent gun violence aren't controversial in our Commonwealth -- just in Congress

Published Mar 29

March 29, 2013 The Associated Press reports, "President Barack Obama pressed Congress on Thursday not to forget the heartbreak of the Newtown elementary school massacre and "get squishy" on tightened gun laws, though some lawmakers in his own Democratic...

Cuccinelli's crusade is contrary to the values that drove the abolition of slavery

Published Mar 28

March 28, 2013 Talking Points Memo reports, "Virginia Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Ken Cuccinelli's (R) habit of invoking the abolitionist movement in discussing his opposition to President Obama's health care policy is attracting the ire of the local...

Richmond conservatives demonstrate yet again disregard for Virginians' right to vote

Published Mar 27

March 27, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Virginia is on its way to becoming a photo identification voting state. Gov. Bob McDonnell moved the Old Dominion in that direction this week by signing into law legislation requiring voters to show...

McDonnell inserts his ideology into women's private reproductive health decisions

Published Mar 26

March 26, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to prohibit abortion coverage through insurance plans purchased through the federally run health care exchange that will serve Virginia. The Republican governor added the amendment to health reform...

Speaker Howell misleads on Medicaid

Published Mar 25

March 25, 2013 The Roanoke Times reports, "Millions of Americans will finally have access to adequate medical care next year under an expansion of the government-funded Medicaid insurance program. As Virginia leaders debate whether to participate, it's disheartening that...

Cuccinelli and crony capitalism

Published Mar 22

March 22, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "A lawsuit against the state of Virginia by a nutritional supplement maker whose stock comprises Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's total investment portfolio is raising questions about the Republican's potential conflicts of interest....

Furloughing working Virginians to keep tax loopholes for the wealthy

Published Mar 21

March 21, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Craig Lewis spent 10 years in the Navy in Hampton Roads and another 17 working for the service as a heavy equipment operator at Norfolk Naval Station. He hasn't gotten a raise in...

Cuccinelli compares his crusade against women's health to ending slavery

Published Mar 20

March 20, 2013 The Associated Press reports, "Virginia Democrats pushed two deeply emotional hot buttons Tuesday in the state's gubernatorial race, slamming Republican Ken Cuccinelli for equating the nation's bloody reckoning over slavery with today's anti-abortion movement. Nearly eight...

Cuccinelli's campaign plan: attack Virginia workers

Published Mar 19

March 19, 2013 The Washington Examiner reports, "Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli plans to tie Democrat Terry McAuliffe to labor groups early and often in the Virginia governor race in hopes of winning support in a state with a...

Cuccinelli's ideology bears little resemblance to real solutions or our priorities

Published Mar 18

March 18, 2013 The Washington Post opines, "VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL Ken Cuccinelli II, the presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee, is the state's most prominent elected official to oppose the landmark transportation bill enacted by the General Assembly this year. Because...

Working background checks protect law-abiding gun owners

Published Mar 15

March 15, 2013 The News & Advance opines, "When a poll conducted among voters shows 89 percent favoring one response over another, you can be fairly certain the people's response is accurate and widely held. And that exactly is...

Cuccinelli panders to CPAC, loses mainstream Virginians

Published Mar 14

March 15, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Two former Northern Virginia Republican delegates, and another from Richmond, have come out in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe. They include Del. Vince Callahan Jr., who served 40 years in the...

Paul Ryan's new budget, same as Mitt Romney's rejected budget

Published Mar 13

March 13, 2013 ThinkProgress reports, "As you may recall, we had an election last year in which Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan, and their ideas were soundly rejected by voters. Well, one person appears to have not gotten the message:...

Conservative priorities: corporate welfare over healthy families

Published Mar 12

March 12, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Unintended consequences have come due for state agencies and local governments that have used part-time employees to regularly work more than 30 hours a week. For the first time, government employers will...

McDonnell prioritized privatizing schools over student achievement

Published Mar 11

March 11, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Robert F. McDonnell ran for Virginia governor promising to reform public schools by offering parents more accountability and better teachers and giving them greater school choice by growing the state's tiny list...

Cuccinelli's transportation position serves his politics, not our priorities

Published Mar 8

March 8, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "SINCE WORLD WAR II, 10 of Virginia's 11 attorneys general have run for governor. Nine of those 10, Democrats and Republicans alike, resigned to do so, and for good reason: They were loath to...

Stopping the right-wing agenda to end access to reproductive health care

Published Mar 7

March 7, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "The state Board of Health will hold a hearing Thursday to solicit comments on proposed rules that would compel Virginia's existing abortion clinics to comply with the same building requirements as new...

Obstructing Medicaid Expansion

Published Mar 5

March 5, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Virginia Gov. Robert M. McDonnell (R), under attack by his erstwhile conservative allies for having overseen the enactment of a desperately needed tax increase for transportation, is trying to protect his right...

Repeal of DOMA is an issue of fairness

Published Mar 4

March 4, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Sens. Mark R. Warner and Timothy M. Kaine, D-Va., on Friday underscored their support for same-sex marriage by signing an amicus brief filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, challenging Section 3 of...

Extending the essential protections of the Violence Against Women Act

Published Mar 1

March 1, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "The Republican-controlled House on Thursday approved an updated version of the Violence Against Women Act that includes new protections for gay men and lesbians, part of an effort by GOP leaders to...

VA families deserve an AG that fights for us, not right-wing politics

Published Feb 28

February 28, 2013 The Washington Examiner reports, "Virginia Democrats attacked Republican Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli on Wednesday for jumping onto the anti-sequestration side at the last minute. Cuccinelli on Tuesday came out against the $1.2 trillion in defense and...

Background checks work and are backed by gun owners

Published Feb 27

February 27, 2013 The Associated Press reports, "The Republican chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said Friday that he's interested in writing legislation this year improving background checks for gun buyers and cracking down on illegal firearms sales. In...

Business leaders say Cuccinelli is too extreme

Published Feb 26

February 26, 2013 The Politico reports, "Two prominent northern Virginia business leaders got into a heated exchange with Virginia Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli in front of a few hundred top GOP donors at a closed-door meeting Friday, multiple...

Our Commonwealth needs a balanced plan that protect Virginia jobs

Published Feb 25

February 25, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "The Obama administration released further details Sunday of how Virginians would be affected by spending cuts set to start in four days, even as it pressed for a compromise to head them off....

Conservatives score political points off attacking unions, working families

Published Feb 22

February 22, 2013 The Virginia Legislative Information System reports the State Senate yesterday approved HB1385, legislation sponsored by Del. Barbara Comstock (R-McLean) that would remove companies' and employees' ability to choose the method by which they vote to organize...

Bob McDonnell should follow Gov. Scott's lead and expand health care access

Published Feb 21

February 21, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell all but ruled out expansion of Medicaid in Virginia on his watch at almost the same moment that fellow Republican Gov. Rick Scott endorsed it in Florida... The governor's...

Making it harder for seniors, students, minorities and the poor to vote

Published Feb 20

February 20, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Democrats in the Virginia House and Senate say their Republican colleagues are attempting to make it harder for the state's voters to cast a ballot with legislation pending in the final days...

Protecting the 2nd Amendment means keeping guns from criminals

Published Feb 19

February 19, 2013 The Daily Progress editorializes, "The [background check] system works, but it also demonstrates -- in a startling and, for some, an ominous manner -- just why we need a system... Since 1989, the system has prevented...

McDonnell continuing his attacks on reproductive rights

Published Feb 18

February 18, 2013 State Senator Ralph Northam in the Richmond Times-Dispatch writes, "In 2012 Virginia found itself the object of national ridicule and outrage after launching an onslaught of attacks on women's health -- including an unprecedented and unnecessary...

Conservative anti-health crusade is devastating for Virginia women

Published Feb 17

January 17, 2013 The Washington Post reports a "Republican-run committee rejected Democratic efforts to repeal new year-old laws mandating pre-abortion ultrasound exams and holding abortion clinics to standards hospitals must meet... But by the same ratio, the committee refused...

Cuccinelli doubling down on right wing rhetoric

Published Feb 15

February 15, 2013 The Hill reports, "While many Republicans have called for the party to seek the middle following their 2012 losses, the GOP's standard-bearer in the key swing state of Virginia wants the party to double down on...

For Valentine's Day, conservatives gift VA new voting restrictions and disregard for voters

Published Feb 14

February 14, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "A requirement that all Virginia voters present photo identification at the polls moved a step closer to passage today. State Sen. Mark Obenshain's bill (SB1256) was endorsed by a House subcommittee, 5-1, and...

Virginia conservatives kill LGBT anti-discrimination legislation

Published Feb 13

February 13, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Every year, they come to the Capitol, and every year they go away disappointed. A dozen speakers pleaded with a House subcommittee Tuesday to approve legislation that would prohibit discrimination against state employees...

McDonnell's latest attack on reproductive rights

Published Feb 12

February 12, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Even as health benefit exchanges bring the promise of more medical coverage for Virginians, access to abortion could become further restricted. Abortion services could be more limited under an amendment being developed by...

Cuccinelli's choice: campaign or constituents?

Published Feb 11

February 11, 2013 American Bridge reports, "Today, American Bridge 21st Century released a new video demonstrating Ken Cuccinelli's inability to fulfill his duties as Virginia's Attorney General while he runs for governor. Shunning nearly three decades of precedent, including...

McDonnell's school privatization schemes

Published Feb 8

February 8, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "A week after enlisting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in his campaign for education reform, Gov. Bob McDonnell is calling on another prominent fellow Republican. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal is scheduled to...

Make the right choice on Medicaid today

Published Feb 7

February 7, 2013 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "The budgets released by the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Committees on Feb. 3 both include proposals to delay expanding Medicaid until at least mid-2014. But the federal government's deal to pay...

Conservatives push third Virginia voter ID requirement in 3 years

Published Feb 6

February 6, 2013 ThinkProgress reports, "On Tuesday afternoon, the Virginia House and Senate passed two bills to make the state's voter ID law even stricter. The measures, sponsored by Sen. Dick Black (R-VA) and Rep. Mark Cole (R-VA), would...

Despite different plans, conservatives agree on cutting our home front investment

Published Feb 5

February 5, 2013 The Progress-Index reports, "House and Senate Republicans proposed wholesale overhauls Monday to Gov. Bob McDonnell's legacy transportation funding initiative just one day ahead of a drop-dead legislative deadline... The [Del. S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk] amendment and...

Expand health coverage instead of partisan agendas

Published Feb 4

February 4, 2013 The Roanoke Times editorializes, "The most strident anti-abortionists never fail to twist a tragedy into a triumph for their cause. Last month, they marked the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade by saying the massacre of...

Virginia's military families deserve health security

Published Feb 1

February 1, 2013 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "Military veterans and their families are among the Virginians who would benefit from the expansion of Medicaid called for in the Affordable Care Act and currently being considered by the Virginia General Assembly....

Cuccinelli echoes Romney's '47 percent'

Published Jan 31

January 31, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's new book doesn't hit stores until Feb. 12, but a few pages of it have trickled out to The Washington Post... On the pages sent the Post's way,...

Part time Attorney General, full time ideologue

Published Jan 30

January 30, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Democrats are trying to gain traction in the race for governor by circulating a video by an advocacy group that attacks Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for his decision to remain on...

Richmond conservatives pushing you aside and picking their own voters

Published Jan 29

January 29, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "A House of Delegates subcommittee that vets all election-related legislation..." endorsed "one proposal to tighten voter ID requirements: a measure from Del. Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania County, to reduce the number of acceptable documents...

Conservative politicians trying to pick and choose their voters in Virginia

Published Jan 28

January 28, 2013 The Martinsville Bulletin reports, "The state Senate's Republicans should be ashamed of themselves. Last Monday, GOP legislators in the Senate stunned their counterparts in the House of Delegates as well as Gov. Bob McDonnell when they...

McDonnell plan: taking money out of working families' pockets

Published Jan 25

January 25, 2013 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "The governor's proposal to address Virginia's transportation crisis has two major flaws under its hood. It derives more than two-thirds of its revenue from sources that are tentative, at best. And, even...

Blocking your access to the ballot in Virginia

Published Jan 24

January 24, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Voting rights advocates are expressing concerns about what they see as a renewed effort by Republicans this legislative session to make it harder for Virginians to cast a ballot. At a press...

If you can't win, change the rules

Published Jan 23

January 23, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Virginia's Republican-ruled legislature has taken the first steps toward ending the state's winner-takes-all system of apportioning its 13 presidential electoral votes. A Senate subcommittee recommended Sen. Bill Carrico's bill on Wednesday on a...

An overreaching, sneaky, underhanded political power grab

Published Jan 22

January 22, 2013 ThinkProgress reports, "While the eyes of the nation were turned toward President Barack Obama's second inauguration on Monday, the Virginia State Senate managed to hurriedly pass a bill that would redistrict the state's senate seats. The...

Ensure Virginia seniors' fundamental right to vote

Published Jan 21

January 21, 2013 On Saturday, the Virginian-Pilot reported, "A proposal to allow voters 65 and older to vote by absentee ballot was tabled on an unrecorded voice vote by the House Privileges and Elections Committee after virtually no debate...The...

McDonnell plan hits poor families hardest

Published Jan 18

January 18, 2013 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "The tax and fee hikes proposed by Governor McDonnell to fund transportation will take a far larger share of income from Virginians at the low end of the income spectrum than those...

Now is the time for action to end gun violence

Published Jan 16

January 16, 2013 The Hill reports today, "President Obama called Wednesday for Congress to approve new bans on military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips in response to a string of deadly mass shootings. 'If there is even one...

A transportation plan built on the backs of struggling Virginia families

Published Jan 15

January 15, 2013 ThinkProgress reports, "Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) was on Fox News today to discuss his new plan to shift the cost of highway construction from drivers to the poor, which he will accomplish by eliminating his...

Conservatives block 450K Virginians' fundamental right to vote

Published Jan 14

January 14, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Less than a week after Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell endorsed it, a proposal to allow automatic restoration of voting rights to nonviolent felons was shot down today by a Republican-dominated House of Delegates...

Stopping gun violence

Published Jan 11

January 11, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "In the wake of the Newtown, Conn., elementary school shooting, a poll of Virginia voters... indicates overwhelming backing for conducting background checks on purchases at gun shows and a desire to limit...

Conservatives expand their attacks on women's health

Published Jan 10

January 10, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "The General Assembly's opening Wednesday served notice that 2013 may offer a repeat of last year's high-profile fights on abortion rights that are still fresh in the memories of legislature observers. Several Republicans...

They don't think they made it hard enough for us to vote last year

Published Jan 9

January 9, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "In the minds of some Republicans, the General Assembly didn't go far enough last year when it approved tougher voting identification laws. Accordingly, several GOP lawmakers -- Dels. Rob Bell and Mark Cole,...

McDonnell proposing raiding K-12 education

Published Jan 8

January 8, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell plans to unveil his long-promised transportation funding reform package in Richmond less than a day before state lawmakers convene for their 2013 session... The only financial portion of the...

All Virginians should get a fair shot and play by the same set of rules

Published Jan 7

January 7, 2013 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "From beehives to bullion to burial urns in space, no commodity is considered too arcane for a tax break. A recent government report found nearly 200 tax breaks that together cost Virginia $12.5...

Cut what we don't need so we can protect the things we do

Published Jan 4

January 4, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "The General Assembly returns to Richmond on Wednesday for a jampacked month. Virginia's legislative sessions come in two sizes: short and long. This is a short year, lasting 30 days, half as...

Bob McDonnell marking Roe v. Wade by closing VA's women's health clinics

Published Jan 3

January 3, 2013 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell has certified health regulations that impose strict hospital construction standards on Virginia abortion clinics -- triggering the next step in a multitiered approval process that could make the revised...

A Congress that shares our values

Published Jan 2

January 2, 2013 The Washington Post reports, "U.S. markets surged more than 2 percent Wednesday morning, hours after Congress approved a plan to avoid the 'fiscal cliff' by raising taxes on American's wealthiest households. The late-night, last-minute deal allows...

Get your heads out of the sand and get to work

Published Dec 21 2012

December 21, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "For nearly a decade, officials in Richmond have warned that funding for the state's transportation system is drying up, a victim of inflation, aging roads and rails, the improving fuel efficiency of...

Put our families' priorities before partisan payoffs

Published Dec 20 2012

December 20, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "House GOP leaders scrambled to rally their members Wednesday behind a plan to extend tax cuts on income up to $1 million, defying President Obama's veto threat and setting up a showdown...

Turning schools into armed camps is not the answer

Published Dec 19 2012

December 19, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "As Gov. Bob McDonnell on Tuesday said the time is ripe to discuss educators being armed, one state lawmaker was forging ahead with plans to make that a reality. "'If people were armed, not...

McDonnell robbing our schools to pay for roads

Published Dec 18 2012

December 18, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Mixed in with the governor's tune-ups to the $87 billion, two-year budget are efforts to revive defeated proposals to shift some sales tax revenue to road needs, and to revamp the teacher tenure...

Ditch the pledge and invest in working Virginians

Published Dec 17 2012

December 17, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Rep. Scott Rigell, R-2nd, who has repudiated Grover Norquist's anti-tax pledge, is calling on House Republicans to embrace increased revenue to avert the fiscal cliff. Rigell says the approach is consistent with...

McDonnell still dragging his feet on health care

Published Dec 13 2012

December 13, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Eleven Republican governors, including Virginia's Bob McDonnell, Florida's Rick Scott, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Arizona's Jan Brewer want to meet with President Barack Obama to discuss the federal health overhaul, including ways to...

Schools or tax breaks for the wealthy?

Published Dec 12 2012

December 12, 2012 The Washington Times reports, "Virginia teachers are joining a chorus of national educators who are imploring Congress to address the looming 'fiscal cliff' and are warning that state school systems stand to lose big if nothing is...

Bob McDonnell bowing down to the DC super-lobbyist?

Published Dec 11 2012

December 11, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Emissaries of Gov. Bob McDonnell are heading to Washington, D.C. this week to meet with anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist ahead of the 2013 General Assembly session when adjustments to Virginia's gasoline tax could...

Don't shift the fiscal burden onto Virginia's working families

Published Dec 10 2012

December 10, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Federal agencies are sharpening their plans to carry out drastic, automatic spending cuts starting Jan. 2 if the Obama administration and Congress cannot agree on a deficit reduction strategy in the coming...

Tim Kaine agrees, it's time to #FixTheFilibuster

Published Dec 7 2012

December 7, 2012 The Washington Times reports, "Sen.-elect Tim Kaine on Thursday expressed enthusiastic support for reforming the chamber's filibuster rules, echoing a chorus of freshmen eager to make changes on Capitol Hill after being left to watch a...

Stop the corporate welfare

Published Dec 6 2012

December 6, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports, "A national analysis by The New York Times recently estimated that state and local governments are doling out more than $80 billion a year in incentives. In most cases, there's no way...

The strength of our schools will determine the strength our economy

Published Dec 5 2012

December 5, 2012 The News Leader reports, "One of Virginia's most influential state legislators who makes his home in Northern Virginia would like local residents to know that education funding problems here aren't like those in his part of the state....

Exposing Virginia to uranium isn't in the interest of our families

Published Dec 4 2012

December 4, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "A Richmond-area lawmaker plans to file legislation that would lift Virginia's longstanding ban on uranium mining and impose a tax on the radioactive ore extracted from the ground. State Sen. John Watkins, a Powhatan County...

McDonnell considers massive public safety cuts

Published Dec 3 2012

December 3, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Virginia state government agencies have sent Gov. Bob McDonnell suggestions for cutting their spending by more than $132 million over the next 18 months should spending reductions be needed to balance the state budget... ...

End workplace discrimination

Published Nov 30 2012

November 30, 2012 The Washington Blade reports, "Equality Virginia and ProgressVA have launched an online campaign designed to increase support for a measure that would ban discrimination against LGBT state employees. SupportSB701.org allows Virginians to sign petitions in support of...

Rejecting uranium mining

Published Nov 29 2012

November 29, 2012 The Martinsville Bulletin reports, "Martinsville City Council on Tuesday officially voiced its support for keeping a ban on uranium mining in Virginia. In a unanimous vote, the council adopted a legislative agenda for 2013 that asks the General...

Cuccinelli's ideological crusades leave Virginia families behind

Published Nov 28 2012

November 28, 2012 Talking Points Memo reports, "In the first major GOP primary fight after the 2012 race, it seems the right wing of the Republican Party has prevailed once again. As their party wrestles nationally with how to...

Cuccinelli thinks they didn't suppress enough voters

Published Nov 27 2012

November 27, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, long an outspoken critic of President Barack Obama, in a recent interview may have gone a step further when he seemed to agree with a suggestion that lax voting...

More attacks on voting rights

Published Nov 26 2012

November 26, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Virginia's voter identification policy will become tougher than it currently is if Del. Mark Cole has his druthers... The Republican legislator would like the General Assembly to strike provisions that allow voters to...

McDonnell wasted two years of time, planning, and money

Published Nov 20 2012

November 20, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement appears here to stay. That means the federal overhaul of health care insurance will proceed, despite Republicans' hopes to the contrary. It also means that in 2014...

Drop the ideological bills and get to work on our real problems

Published Nov 19 2012

November 19, 2012 CBS 6 WTVR reports, "With just over fifty days to go before Virginia's General Assembly begins its session, there are questions as to whether or not it will be as controversial as last years. In a...

Long lines are a form of voter suppression

Published Nov 15 2012

November 16, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "When long lines forced some Fairfax voters to wait until 10:30 p.m. to cast their ballots on Election Day, county elections chief Cameron Quinn said the delays arose partly because she had...

McDonnell still putting politics ahead of health care

Published Nov 15 2012

November 15, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "On behalf of his fellow Republican governors, Virginia's Bob McDonnell is asking for a federal extension ahead of Friday's deadline for states to say whether they'll set up their own health benefits exchange...

More education cuts from McDonnell

Published Nov 14 2012

November 14, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Given the state's three consecutive budget surpluses, the General Assembly should restore education funding that was cut because of the recession, the [Norfolk] School Board told local legislators at a division-hosted breakfast on...

Seniors have earned their health care and financial security

Published Nov 13 2012

November 13, 2012 Virginia Public Radio reports, "A coalition of Virginia advocacy organizations and labor unions is calling on U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Jim Webb to let the Bush-era tax cuts expire for those making more than $250,000.00....

An America that works for everyone

Published Nov 12 2012

November 12, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Following Tuesday's elections, leaders from both parties have struck a conciliatory tone, interpreting the results as a mandate from the public to unify and get to work, most immediately to solve the political...

Virginia needs no excuse absentee voting

Published Nov 8 2012

November 9, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports, "A combination of new technology, high turnout, inexperienced poll workers, misinformation and maybe even a new voter ID law contributed to long lines that forced voters at some precincts in Roanoke, Montgomery County and...

It's time to move forward on health care

Published Nov 8 2012

November 8, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell acknowledges that with the re-election of President Barack Obama, federal health care reform no longer can be stopped in Virginia, but he remains unwilling to expand the state's Medicaid...

Virginians have spoken

Published Nov 7 2012

November 7, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "It's official: Virginia, long a Republican stronghold, supported a Democrat again in the presidential campaign. With 97 percent of precincts reporting, The Associated Press confirmed President Barack Obama victory in the state...

What's at stake today for Virginians

Published Nov 6 2012

November 6, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "They lined up before dawn in the cold and the dark, voters of all political persuasions, clutching cups of hot coffee and their American dreams... In storm-ravaged New Jersey, deep purple Virginia...

Shutting down voter intimidation

Published Nov 5 2012

November 5, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Training to be a political poll monitor is often conducted by outside groups, and Friday a coalition of voter advocates lodged a formal complaint about the guidance one group has offered. That group,...

No excuses. Go vote.

Published Nov 2 2012

November 2, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "A leading civil rights organization has identified more than 30 cities and counties in nine states as possible 'Election Day Hot Spots' for attempted suppression of voters through intimidation, deception or challenges...

Start addressing the growing threat of global warming now

Published Nov 1 2012

November 1, 2012 The Roanoke Times editorializes, "While it is impossible to say that any single weather event was caused by climate change, Sandy has been just the sort of storm climate models forecast and serves as a terrible...

Protect your vote by making a plan

Published Oct 31 2012

October 31, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports, "When Virginians head to their polling places on Tuesday, they should have a plan. Not just a plan regarding which candidates they will support, but also a plan to do everything possible...

We are strongest when Americans work together

Published Oct 30 2012

October 30, 2012 The New York Times editorializes, "Disaster coordination is one of the most vital functions of 'big government,' which is why Mitt Romney wants to eliminate it. At a Republican primary debate last year, Mr. Romney was...

Cuccinelli's me first agenda

Published Oct 26 2012

October 26, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot editorializes, "Political power often tempts elected officials to overreach, but rarely does the abuse of authority cause the kind of injury Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's has inflicted on the state Board of Health. The...

Virginia jobs of the future are in clean energy manufacturing

Published Oct 25 2012

October 25, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "George Allen, the Republican fighting Democrat Tim Kaine in Virginia's closely watched battle for the U.S. Senate, caught some unexpected flak Wednesday over his energy policy in the form of friendly fire...

An assault on the right to vote is an assault on the Constitution

Published Oct 24 2012

October 24, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Three Virginia congressmen are asking the U.S. Department of Justice to launch a probe of alleged voter registration fraud in Virginia and other states, just as the Virginia State Board of Elections...

Fact checking the 10 worst Romney debate lies from last night

Published Oct 23 2012

October 22, 2012 ThinkProgress reports that last night at the final Presidential debate Mitt Romney told 24 myths in just 41 minutes. Here are the 10 worst: "Syria is Iran's only ally in the Arab world. It's their route...

Medicine should trump politics

Published Oct 22 2012

October 22, 2012 Jeff Schapiro editorializes in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, "Karen Remley's resignation as health commissioner in a perceived protest over Virginia's crackdown on abortion clinics means there's one less woman in Gov. Bob McDonnell's binder. Her departure this past...

The real threat to this election

Published Oct 19 2012

October 19, 2012 Decision Virginia reports, "The Rockingham County Sheriff's office has arrested a Pennsylvania man and charged him with attempting to throw away filled out voter registration forms. Colin Small, 31 year old male from Phoenixville, PA has...

Will George Allen dodge women's rights again tonight? Yes.

Published Oct 18 2012

October 18, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "George Allen held no public events Wednesday, instead hunkering down to prepare for his fifth Senate debate against Timothy M. Kaine and their final one before Election Day. Kaine (D) stuck to...

Fact checking the 10 worst Romney debate lies

Published Oct 17 2012

October 16, 2012 ThinkProgress reports, "During the first presidential debate in Denver, Colorado Romney managed to tell 27 myths in his 38 minutes of speaking time. But at his second encounter with Obama in New York, the GOP presidential...

The priorities Mitt Romney is hiding in his plans

Published Oct 16 2012

October 16, 2012 The Washington Post's Fact Checker reports, "Romney's 12-million job promise has garnered a lot of attention... But this is campaign math, which means it is mostly made of gossamer... The candidate's personal accounting for this figure...

Today is the last day to make sure your voter registration is current!

Published Oct 15 2012

October 15, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Today is the deadline in Virginia to register to vote in the Nov. 6 election. Anyone eligible to register to vote can obtain an application at local voter registration offices, on the...

Fact checking the 10 worst Ryan debate lies

Published Oct 12 2012

October 12, 2012 Fact Checking Paul Ryan: Via ThinkProgress - Paul Ryan told 24 myths in just 40 minutes at last night's debate. Here are the ten worst: "[Unemployment is rising] all around America." In August, the unemployment rate...

George Allen called out on continuing false claims

Published Oct 11 2012

October 11, 2012 PolitiFact ranks George Allen's claim that repealing Obamacare will save $1 trillion FALSE: "In Monday night's debate, he and Democratic candidate Tim Kaine were asked how they would avoid $1 trillion in automatic cuts split evenly...

Home front investments create jobs

Published Oct 10 2012

October 10, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports, "Nine of every 10 Roanoke City Public Schools teachers returned to work this school year, resulting in one of the lowest turnover rates in recent years. 'It appears the salary increase had an...

Women's issues are economic issues

Published Oct 9 2012

October 9, 2012 Politico reports, "Republican George Allen is well aware he needs to close the gender gap with women in order to win the Virginia Senate race. The severity of that challenge was on full display Monday night...

Romney would fail to serve those who serve our country

Published Oct 8 2012

October 8, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Mitt Romney will address a rally in Newport News this afternoon, the second of two Virginia campaign stops today by the Republican presidential candidate... This morning, Romney plans to deliver what is being...

Conservatives can't stop trying to take away women's rights

Published Oct 5 2012

October 5, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Del. Bob Marshall wants to free businesses from providing contraception coverage, a move that could limit access to the drugs through employer-backed health plans. Legislation that the Prince William County Republican has filed...

Fact Checking Romney Debate Lies

Published Oct 4 2012

October 4, 2012 Fact Checking Mitt Romney: Via ThinkProgress, "[Mitt Romney] spoke for 38 minutes of the 90 minute debate and told at least 27 myths." While there are way to many to include in a single email, here...

The real cost of Romney-Ryan policies to Virginians

Published Oct 3 2012

October 3, 2012 Yesterday, ProgressVA and the Center for American Progress released a report titled 'The True Cost of the Romney-Ryan Plan To Virginians.' According to CAP Action President Tom Perriello, "'Virginians are tired of the ads and hungry...

Clean energy creates jobs

Published Oct 2 2012

October 2, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Charging that Dominion Virginia Power has 'ripped off' ratepayers for $76 million, environmentalists are planning five days of protests in Richmond this week urging changes to state rules intended to encourage development of wind, solar...

Virginia's top priority is our future

Published Oct 1 2012

October 1, 2012 The Washington Post editorializes, "Determined, and in many cases sworn, never to raise taxes for any purpose, the Republicans who control the General Assembly are standing idly by as Virginia's transportation infrastructure crumbles, along with its...

Romney-Ryan would cut benefits and end Medicare as we know it

Published Sep 28 2012

September 28, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Voters in three critical swing states broadly oppose the far-reaching changes to Medicare associated with the Republican presidential ticket and, by big margins, prefer President Obama to handle the issue, according to...

Voters deserve to know who's funding our elected leaders

Published Sep 27 2012

September 27, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot editorializes, "When the Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that businesses and organizations are entitled to the same constitutional rights to political speech as people, campaign watchdogs worried that the ruling would eventually result in...

The company George Allen chooses to keep

Published Sep 26 2012

September 26, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Virginia Republican Party officials on Tuesday ordered their Mecklenburg County affiliate to remove photos portraying President Obama as a witch doctor, a caveman and a thug from its Facebook page. The altered...

Voters should choose our leaders instead of politicians choosing voters

Published Sep 25 2012

September 25, 2012 The Roanoke Times editorializes, "If you're a registered voter and are planning to vote in the Nov. 6 presidential, congressional and other elections, keep your eye out for an official-looking envelope from the State Board of...

Investing in Virginia

Published Sep 24 2012

September 24, 2012 The Danville Register & Bee reports, "The [Danville] city government knew the two-lane "Smurf Bridge" needed to be replaced, but the politics in Richmond made that more and more unlikely. There simply wasn't enough road and...

It's time to move forward with Obamacare in Virginia

Published Sep 21 2012

September 21, 2012 The Daily Press reports, "The number of uninsured Virginians has dropped below 1 million, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures, released Thursday. There are still 983,000 Virginians without health insurance, but that's a significant...

McDonnell, Cuccinelli, and Romney: extreme ideology over our interests

Published Sep 20 2012

September 20, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "In a presidential campaign where women's issues have taken a more prominent role than many expected, the crucial swing state of Virginia is becoming the Grand Canyon of gender gaps. A new...

Romney thinks the military, seniors, students, and working parents aren't worth his time

Published Sep 19 2012

September 19, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "President Obama holds a clear lead over Mitt Romney in Virginia...according to a new Washington Post poll. Obama leads his Republican rival 52 percent to 44 percent among likely voters... [B]y 54...

Uranium mining--they get the profits, we get the risks

Published Sep 18 2012

September 18, 2012 The Danville Register & Bee reports, "The governor's office and state Sen. Bill Stanley are denying that Gov. Bob McDonnell worked behind the scenes to convince the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors to table a proposed...

Romney, Ryan, and Allen would end Medicare as we know it

Published Sep 17 2012

September 17, 2012 The Washington Post reports, Romney's "plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act and cut Medicaid funding would have a direct impact on the health care that seniors receive. Repealing the health law would mean higher Medicare premiums,...

Moving Virginia backward

Published Sep 14 2012

Your Weekly ProgressVA Progressive Points: Monday 9/10: Sen. Martin's plan to cut schools to pay for more corporate tax breaks Subjects: Steve Martin, Economy, Education, Taxes Tuesday 9/11: Voter restrictions and intimidation Subjects: Voting Rights Wednesday 9/12: Keeping our Commonwealth's...

What Romney and Ryan won't tell working Virginians

Published Sep 13 2012

September 13, 2012 WJLA reports, "First lady Michelle Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will both hit the campaign trail in Virginia Thursday. Mrs. Obama's first stop on a two-city campaign foray into the key battleground state is...

Keeping our Commonwealth's cities and communities safe

Published Sep 12 2012

September 12, 2012 Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorializes, "The city of Chesapeake this week is expected to join Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Suffolk in opposing uranium mining. This may not get the attention of local legislators, many...

Voter restrictions and intimidation

Published Sep 11 2012

September 11, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Virginia gets mixed reviews in a study of how well the election laws of 10 swing states protect voters from discrimination and intimidation when they try to cast a ballot. The study...was...

Sen. Martin's plan to cut schools to pay for more corporate tax breaks

Published Sep 10 2012

September 10, 2012 The Washington Examiner reports, "Sen. Steve Martin, R-Chesterfield, has introduced legislation that would eliminate the state's 6 percent corporate income tax starting in 2014, which would make Virginia the sixth state without one... Corporate income taxes...

Politicians have no place in our private health decisions

Published Sep 7 2012

September 7, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Activists on both sides of the abortion issue are rallying their troops for a Virginia Board of Health meeting next week. The board will meet Sept. 14 for another vote on abortion clinic...

Changing the rules to vote restricts our American rights

Published Sep 6 2012

September 6, 2012 The Cavalier Daily reports, "[R]ules that delay the counting of provisional ballots until days after Election Day could create problems for campaigns and election officials in the commonwealth, which is shaping up to be a battleground...

Put our health and safety ahead of corporate greed

Published Sep 5 2012

September 5, 2012 The Danville Register and Bee reports, "As it has so many times before, the uranium mining question dominated much of the public comments portion of the most recent meeting of the Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors...

Bob McDonnell's attacks on our public schools

Published Sep 4 2012

September 4, 2012 The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that despite Gov. McDonnell recently stating "there's probably no bigger issue than K-12 education," he also " has a robust agenda for the next General Assembly session, which will focus on...

Romney/Ryan: a campaign based on lies

Published Aug 31 2012

August 31, 2012 Yesterday, ThinkProgress reported, "Vice presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is taking flack on the morning news shows for his keynote address at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. His speech was riddled with false claims,...

A fair, free, and accessible democracy

Published Aug 30 2012

August 30, 2012 WAMU reports, "Voters in Virginia have about six weeks left to update their registration if they have moved, because those who have moved and failed to update their registration risk being turned away from the polls....

Conservatives attacking women's rights instead of focusing on solutions

Published Aug 29 2012

August 29, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "While Mitt Romney trails President Barack Obama among women in recent polls, some of the Republican's Virginia supporters say the way to reach female voters is through their pocketbooks. Both campaigns are...

Romney's Virginia: middle class pays more so the rich pay less

Published Aug 27 2012

August 27, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Former Rep. Tom Perriello, D-5th, came to Richmond this morning to discuss what he termed the impact on the middle class of the economic plan advanced by presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt...

Investments in education strengthen and benefit everyone

Published Aug 24 2012

August 23, 2012 The Danville Register Bee recently reported, "Looking at definite funding losses of $3.1 million and potential losses of $1.7 million, the [Danville Public School] school system faces an expected $4.8 million in cuts in the 2013-14...

The Romney-Ryan plan is the wrong path for America

Published Aug 23 2012

August 23, 2012 Public Policy Polling reports, "PPP's newest poll of Virginia finds Barack Obama leading by 5 points, 50-45... Interestingly despite [Paul] Ryan's good numbers personally, only 38% of voters support the Ryan plan while 46% are opposed...

Romney/Ryan/McDonnell: solidly against women's rights

Published Aug 22 2012

August 22, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "The Republican platform that Gov. Robert F. McDonnell is helping to hammer out in Tampa contains a 'salute' to states that have, like his own, passed 'informed consent' laws meant to dissuade...

Rigging our right to vote

Published Aug 21 2012

August 21, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "The Department of Justice has cleared Virginia's new voter identification law. The law requires voters to present identification - everything from a drivers license to a utility bill is accepted - before voting....

Health security for thousands of Virginia families at stake

Published Aug 20 2012

August 20, 2012 The Free Lance-Star reports, "Political leaders in several states have indicated they might not expand Medicaid eligibility [as provided under Obamacare], because doing so would add more costs to an already-expensive and fast-growing program. Virginia is...

Romney-Ryan vision for Virginia: we pay more, millionaires pay less

Published Aug 17 2012

August 17, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Paul Ryan, the man chosen as Mitt Romney's running mate, just can't seem to stay away from Virginia these days. Less than a week after Romney revealed his choice of Ryan at a...

Romney/Ryan/Allen team is too extreme for Virginia women

Published Aug 16 2012

August 16, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin campaigns in Glen Allen and Springfield Friday, less than a week after Mitt Romney unveiled him as his running mate in Norfolk. Ryan will attend a rally...

McDonnell's sham surplus

Published Aug 15 2012

August 15, 2012 Governor McDonnell's office released today, "during his annual remarks to the annual meeting of the General Assembly Joint Money Committees that Virginia has posted a total revenue and savings surplus of $448.5 million dollars for FY...

Virginia's democracy should be free, fair, and accessible

Published Aug 14 2012

August 14, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Virginia New Majority, a civil rights group, announced a campaign on Monday to expand voting rights and health-care access in the state... Among the goals of its 'Common Promise' campaign: to automatically...

Romney and Ryan put millionaires above Virginia's middle class

Published Aug 13 2012

August 13, 2012 ThinkProgress reports, "Mitt Romney has picked as his running mate 42 year-old Republican Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI), the architect of the GOP budget, which the New York Times has described as 'the most extreme budget plan...

Obamacare is saving money and saving lives

Published Aug 9 2012

Please note: Due to a secret ProgressVA Team strategy meeting at an undisclosed location, we will not be sending out the Progressive Point tomorrow. August 9, 2012 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "Expanding Medicaid coverage can save money, improve health...

Keeping guns out of the hands of criminals

Published Aug 8 2012

August 8, 2012 The Washington Examiner reports, "Virginia has seen a spike in gun sales since abolishing a long-standing state law that limited buyers to one handgun a month. The state recorded slightly more than 29,000 firearm transactions in...

Heath care reform is paying off for VA families

Published Aug 7 2012

August 7, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports, "Health insurers owed Virginians slightly more than $43 million in rebates as part of the federal health care law. Nearly 687,000 Virginians have received rebates on average of $115 from insurance companies...

We won--Voting Rights Upheld

Published Aug 6 2012

August 6, 2012 This morning at the meeting of the State Board of Elections, the rights of voters across the Commonwealth were upheld as the board did not entertain a motion to investigate the extraordinarily successful efforts of the...

Romney's tax plan: cuts for the top 2% while middle class pays more

Published Aug 2 2012

August 2, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney will embark on a bus tour next week that will wind through Virginia and other key battleground states. Meantime, President Barack Obama will be in Virginia tonight...

New women's health benefits begin today

Published Aug 1 2012

August 1, 2012 Earlier today ProgressVA reported, "In a momentous step forward, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebeluis today announced that--thanks to ObamaCare--1,376,205 women in Virginia will have access to free prevention-related health care services without paying...

Keeping your vote from counting

Published Jul 31 2012

July 31, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "At least 5 million voters, predominantly young and from minority groups sympathetic to President Barack Obama, could be affected by an unprecedented flurry of new legislation by Republican governors and GOP-led legislatures to...

Cuccinelli's conservative crusades and political campaigns

Published Jul 30 2012

July 30, 2012 The Washington Post editorializes, "Ken Cuccinelli II, the most overtly partisan attorney general in Virginia's history, has waged war on Obamacare, harassed climate-change scientists, sanctioned discrimination against homosexuals and embraced Arizona's (now mostly gutted) immigration law....

Making it harder for Virginians to vote

Published Jul 27 2012

July 27, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "A group of civic organizations is asking the State Board of Elections to reject a request from presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney's campaign to spurn voter registration applications from a Washington-based...

Investing in industry, our families, and our future

Published Jul 26 2012

July 26, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "More than 2,700 homes or businesses in rural Virginia that don't have access to high-speed Internet will be able to get service under a federal subsidy program that kicked off Wednesday. Telecommunications...

A danger to our water across the Commonwealth

Published Jul 25 2012

July 25, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "The City Council called unanimously on Tuesday for a continuation of the state's moratorium on uranium mining to safeguard rivers and reservoirs that provide Norfolk's drinking water. 'This is a vote for us...

Focus on participation in our democratic process

Published Jul 24 2012

July 24, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports the Voter Participation Center, "sent almost 200,000 forms to Virginians last month. According to its president, 15,000 of them resulted in new registrations so far. Those are people who can now help...

Education is an investment

Published Jul 23 2012

July 23, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot editorializes, "Norfolk's School Board requested an economic impact study from the city last week, the latest step in the division's struggles to shore up its standards and its reputation. Board member Brad Robinson told...

Fixing infrastructure and finding jobs

Published Jul 20 2012

July 20, 2012 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "Virginia's unemployment rate rose slightly to 5.7 percent in June, following several months of no change, and the state added only 3,300 jobs, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the...

It's time for a tax code that's fair to everyone

Published Jul 19 2012

July 19, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "A new statewide poll in Virginia shows a clear majority support President Barack Obama's proposal to let tax breaks lapse for those earning more than $250,000 annually, but half still want his...

The right choice for Virginia

Published Jul 18 2012

July 18, 2012 The Commonwealth Institute reports, "The expansion of Medicaid in 2014, made possible by federal health care reform, would be a lifesaver for hundreds of thousands of Virginians, a real bargain for the Commonwealth, and a much...

McDonnell and Cuccinelli continue their war on women

Published Jul 17 2012

July 17, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is refusing to certify new abortion clinic regulations that were made less burdensome for existing clinics under a version passed last month by the Virginia Board of Health....

McDonnell has abandoned Virginia

Published Jul 16 2012

July 16, 2012 The Daily Press reports, "Presidential politics loomed heavily over the National Governors Association conference Friday as state leaders offered starkly different approaches to implementing the health care reform law recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court....

A president who works for everyone

Published Jul 13 2012

July 13, 2012 The Huffington Post reports on the President's trip to Virginia today, "Obama will travel to the southeast and southwest corners of the state Friday, courting young and African-American voters in the Virginia Beach-Hampton area before turning...

Bob McDonnell puts Bob McDonnell first. Again.

Published Jul 12 2012

July 12, 2012 The Daily Progress reports, "Virginia's business leaders have been warning it would happen: Failure to deal with transportation problems would damage the state's economy and its position as a great place for companies to locate... Transportation...

Pass the Buck Bob costs Virginia in national rankings

Published Jul 11 2012

July 11, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Virginia is no longer the top state for business. The state fell to third place in CNBC's sixth annual listing of the best states in the nation in which to do business,...

Will McDonnell reject your health care coverage?

Published Jul 10 2012

July 10, 2012 The New York Times reports, "Gov. Rick Perry of Texas told federal officials on Monday that the state had no intention of expanding Medicaid or establishing a health insurance exchange, two major provisions of President Obama's...

McDonnell cutting our community funding, keeping our taxes

Published Jul 9 2012

July 9, 2012 The Roanoke Times editorializes, "Cities, counties and towns across the commonwealth have felt more than a little put upon in recent years by state budget cuts that have slashed support for public schools, law enforcement and...

Compromising women's health

Published Jul 3 2012

July 3, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports on the regulations on women's health centers, "The goal of the 2011 legislation was to make abortion more difficult - all but impossible - to obtain in Virginia by setting prohibitive standards for...

Ken Cuccinelli is only interested in representing himself

Published Jul 2 2012

July 2, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "It's clear that Cuccinelli's legal crusades serve primarily to win him right-wing acclaim and not to actually roll back the allegedly tyrannical liberal legislation he decries. The ambitious Virginia conservative, who's running...

It's time to move forward on health care reform in Virginia

Published Jun 29 2012

June 29, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Virginia political leaders and lawmakers may not like the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to uphold federal health care reform, but they face big decisions soon on how to carry out the law...

A health care victory for all Virginians

Published Jun 28 2012

June 28, 2012 Earlier today, ProgressVA reported, "This morning the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of President Obama's health care reform legislation. ProgressVA released the following statement from Executive Director Anna Scholl: 'Virginia families are celebrating this morning that...

Cuccinelli wastes taxpayer money...again

Published Jun 27 2012

June 27, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "A legal challenge to the Environmental Protection Agency's greenhouse gas regulations by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, energy industry groups and several other states was rejected Tuesday by the U.S. Court of...

Romney's recovery flip flops

Published Jun 26 2012

June 26, 2012 Earlier today, ProgressVA reported, "Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney will hold a campaign rally Tuesday morning at Carter Machinery in Salem, a company that has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the American Recovery Act,...

Conservatives wasting time on extreme agendas

Published Jun 25 2012

June 25, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Virginia legislators shoot down the nomination of a gay prosecutor to the bench; Richmond's Circuit Court promptly appoints him. They pass stricter rules on abortion clinics, specifying that existing facilities are not...

Obamacare holds health insurance companies accountable

Published Jun 22 2012

June 22, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "More than 375,000 Virginia families can expect to receive rebates averaging $115 from their insurance companies in the next few weeks, federal officials announced Thursday. The rebates are the first to come from...

Expanding education access

Published Jun 21 2012

June 21, 2012 The Roanoke Times editorializes, "The soaring cost of four-year colleges has many students looking for a cheaper path to a degree. And rapidly changing technology has many industries looking for a way to train workers in...

Karl Rove's health care lies

Published Jun 20 2012

June 20, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch PolitiFact Virginia reports, "American Crossroads says Kaine promoted a $500 billion cut to Medicare. The Affordable Care Act contains about $564 billion in cost-savings measures for Medicare over 10 years. But the definition...

The economic evidence is clear

Published Jun 19 2012

June 19, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Answering a TV ad released last week attacking Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Timothy M. Kaine, Democratic group Majority PAC is up with one of its own attacking his Republican rival, George Allen......

Safety and accountability are nonpartisan priorities

Published Jun 18 2012

June 18, 2012 The News & Advance reports, "A state panel that is amid a wide-ranging examination of the prospect of uranium mining in Virginia is headed to the Southside county where a proposal to mine one of the...

Protecting women's health is not a partisan issue

Published Jun 15 2012

June 15, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports, "New regulations about to become reality in Virginia would allow government agents to demand a list of every woman visiting an abortion clinic -- even if she changes her mind. The rules......

More debates and more democracy

Published Jun 14 2012

June 14, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "The general election for U.S. Senate officially kicked off Wednesday morning with Democrat Tim Kaine announcing that he would agree to eight broadcast debates. The debates, which will be aired on TV...

Putting politics ahead of jobs

Published Jun 13 2012

June 13, 2012 The Washington Times reports, "Tim Kaine said Tuesday that electing George Allen to the U.S. Senate would lead to brass-knuckle politics and a turn-back-the-clock attitude on an already stagnant economy... Mr. Kaine said Tuesday that the...

What Romney really wants to do

Published Jun 12 2012

June 12, 2012 ThinkProgress reports, "Mitt Romney slammed President Obama last week for wanting to hire 'more firemen, more policemen, and more teachers,' making a clear assertion that those workers belong among the 700,000 public sector workers who have...

Facing climate change head on

Published Jun 11 2012

June 11, 2012 ThinkProgress reports, "Virginia's legislature commissioned a $50,000 study to determine the impacts of climate change on the state's shores. To greenlight the project, they omitted words like 'climate change' and 'sea level rise' from the study's...

Richmond needs to focus on real transportation solutions

Published Jun 8 2012

June 8, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "In what was described as an unprecedented coming-together, local government leaders from across the state's urban crescent agreed to develop a common policy to confront Virginia's looming transportation funding crisis... Meeting at...

Restricting access to women's health

Published Jun 7 2012

June 7, 2012 As we reported earlier today, "Thanks to legislation passed by anti-choice lawmakers, the Virginia Board of Health is considering making permanent regulations that would restrict women's access to reproductive health care. They would force health clinics...

Health care reform is working for Virginia's families

Published Jun 6 2012

June 6, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "The U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services visited a Richmond home Tuesday in the capital of a state fighting the Obama administration's signature health care law, in order to talk up...

Virginia voters deserve legislators with accountability

Published Jun 5 2012

June 5, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Virginia Democrats are urging state legislators to leave a conservative group that has been under fire in recent weeks... Party leaders adopted a resolution at this weekend's convention to urge legislators to...

Health care reform is making a real difference in Virginia

Published Jun 4 2012

June 4, 2012 In the Richmond Times-Dispatch today, a registered nurse with over 20 years' experience editorializes, "Prior to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law, it grieved me to watch patients and their families strain to...

Clean air for all

Published Jun 1 2012

May 31, 2012 CBS 6 WTVR reports, "'In 2010 and 2011 Richmond was voted the asthma capital of the United States,' said the Virginia League of Conservation Voters' Henry Symons. In fact, Richmond's asthma rate sits at 33 percent....

Break the silence on ALEC

Published May 31 2012

May 31, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reported yesterday, "A press release issued today identifies and praises 35 Virginia state lawmakers for NOT belonging to a national lobby group. The legislators responded to a query from ProgressVA, a liberal group, that...

The cost of McDonnell's voter suppression

Published May 30 2012

May 30, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch editorializes, "At the time that the 2012 General Assembly was considering bills aimed at making sure that people who cast ballots in Virginia are, in fact, the people they claim to be, many...

McDonnell bypassing the public for corporate profits

Published May 29 2012

May 29, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Gov. Robert F. McDonnell's administration has started examining how the nation's largest known uranium deposit could be mined. But some critics complain that the study, which is expected to be completed by...

Investing in our teachers is investing in our children and our future

Published May 25 2012

May 25, 2012 The Virginia Education Association recently released its Legislative Report Card, grading legislators on seven key education related votes. Out of 140 legislators, only 1 State Senator and 19 Delegates scored 100%. Progressive Point: Competition and finding a quality job in today's...

Failing to help Virginia families out of the housing crisis

Published May 24 2012

May 24, 2012 The Daily Press reports, "Virginia lawmakers in March diverted most of a multimillion-dollar mortgage settlement payment to local governments... Direct payments to states were intended to protect consumers and assist state foreclosure prevention efforts, but in...

Transportation solutions or tax giveaways

Published May 23 2012

May 23, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "A pro-business legislative watchdog is generally happier with the first fully Republican General Assembly in years, but it's less than thrilled that lawmakers haven't boosted funding for highways or repealed several business...

Our children need the opportunity to succeed

Published May 22 2012

May 22, 2012 The New York Times is reporting on new national conservative plans to funnel public money to private schools and away from our public schools where it is desperately needed. The Times also shares, "'ALEC is a...

Rigging the vote

Published May 21 2012

May 21, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell has decided to let controversial legislation to tighten voter-identification policies become law.... Among those disappointed that McDonnell didn't veto the measures was Anna Scholl, executive director of the liberal advocacy group...

A strong Virginia needs green jobs

Published May 18 2012

May 18, 2012 The Martinsville Bulletin reported today that at a recent townhall meeting Del. Charles Poindexter attacked Environmental Protection Agency regulations designed to protect clean air and clean water. Progressive Point: We all want a strong and healthy...

Prioritize creating good paying jobs

Published May 17 2012

May 17, 2012 The Washington Times reports, "Though some had hoped for action on Wednesday, the regional authority overseeing the $6 billion rail-to-Dulles project will not discuss - or possibly vote on - a labor provision that is threatening...

McDonnell stuck us with the tab

Published May 16 2012

May 16, 2012 The News & Advance editorializes, "The General Assembly finally forced many localities in Central Virginia to raise taxes. The alternative for the localities was to ignore the critical needs of their schools and other core services...

Intolerance has no place in Virginia

Published May 15 2012

May 15, 2012 The New York Times reports, "The Virginia House of Delegates rejected the judicial nomination of a gay prosecutor on Tuesday after conservative Republican lawmakers argued that the nominee would press an activist agenda. Early on Tuesday...

Virginia's budget doesn't need more politics

Published May 14 2012

May 14, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Lawmakers reconvene in Richmond today to consider Gov. Bob McDonnell's amendments to Virginia's two-year, $85 billion state budget and elect judges... Legislators are expected to raise concerns about the governor's proposed cuts...

Respecting Virginia women

Published May 11 2012

May 11, 2012 The Washington Times reports, "Pro-choice activists in Virginia have begun a last-ditch campaign to undo restrictive regulations governing abortion clinics ahead of a required vote by the state's Board of Health to make the rules permanent....

Thank you, President Obama

Published May 10 2012

May 10, 2012 Yesterday, The Huffington Post reported, "In a nod to a dramatic shift in public opinion, Barack Obama on Wednesday became the first sitting president to announce his support for same-sex marriage... 'at a certain point I've...

Our clean energy future

Published May 9 2012

May 9, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Dominion Virginia Power's long-range energy plans were criticized Tuesday for relying too heavily on fossil fuels at the expense of renewables such as wind and solar and energy efficiency. Activists, grandparents, physicians and...

Respecting committed couples

Published May 8 2012

May 8, 2012 The Huffington Post reports, "North Carolina voters go to the polls Tuesday to decide whether to add a measure banning gay marriage, civil unions and domestic partnerships to the state's constitution, in addition to the state's...

McDonnell's Pick Me for VP Tour

Published May 7 2012

May 7, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported last week that, "Gov. Bob McDonnell will embark next week on a 'Virginia: Growing Strong' tour... The [TV] ad and the tour, which the administration says is official state business, follow a...

McDonnell passes the buck on Virginia's bills

Published May 4 2012

May 4, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot editorializes, "The practice of siphoning money from municipal coffers to support state responsibilities has provided Virginia's government with a solid stream of revenue to weather tough financial times... Opponents note, correctly, that state lawmakers are...

Romney's extreme agenda

Published May 3 2012

May 3, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota, a Tea Party favorite, will endorse Mitt Romney in Portsmouth this afternoon. Progressive Point: Virginians want economic solutions and transportation fixes. But Gov. Mitt Romney is doubling down...

Trust Virginia's women

Published May 2 2012

May 2, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia rated General Assembly members on their performance last session, just days after the Virginia Chamber of Commerce issued legislative report cards of its own. NARAL based its rankings on...

Putting profits above public safety

Published Apr 30 2012

May 1, 2012 The Institute for Southern Studies reports, "After the massive TVA Kingston disaster inundated a Tennessee community and two rivers with a billion gallons of coal ash in 2008, it appeared the tide was turning for the...

Bob McDonnell has run out of gas

Published Apr 30 2012

April 30, 2012 The Roanoke Times editorializes, "[S]tate leaders are most likely to swallow hard and raise road revenues right about now, while elections are but a distant anxiety for the 140 legislators, and Gov. Bob McDonnell is starting...

Choosing millionaires over millions of students

Published Apr 27 2012

April 27, 2012 U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, via the Huffington Post: "a policy change is coming that will make getting out of debt more expensive for over 7 million young Americans: without Congressional action, the interest rate...

How to secretly buy an election

Published Apr 26 2012

April 26, 2012 According to The Washington Post, Karl Rove's Super PAC is running a second batch of ads in Virginia to influence our U.S. Senate race. Progressive Point: Election outcomes shouldn't hinge on who has the biggest corporate...

Bob McDonnell's t.v. blitz an attempt to etch-a-sketch his record

Published Apr 25 2012

April 25, 2012 According to The Roanoke Times, today Bob McDonnell will begin a $400,000 positive t.v. ad blitz across the state to bolster his ailing poll numbers. Progressive Point: Virginians have been clear about their priorities: investing in...

America has never solved anything with less democracy

Published Apr 24 2012

April 24, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Gov. Bob McDonnell faces a tough choice on legislation to tighten requirements for voter identification: veto the bill after his attempt to soften it failed, or let it reshape election law without his...

Investment now is vital for Virginia's future

Published Apr 23 2012

April 23, 2012 The Washington Post editorializes, "For decades regional planners have worked to extend Metrorail to Dulles International Airport, a critical transit link that would juice Northern Virginia's economy and bring first-world convenience to the Washington region's preeminent...

Choose Virginia families, not corporate-front groups

Published Apr 18 2012

April 18, 2012 The Virginia Progressive Caucus held a news conference today "to highlight Virginia's involvement in ALEC and to call on the General Assembly to cease using taxpayer dollars to send legislators to future ALEC conferences. Delegate Patrick...

Paying their fair share on Tax Day

Published Apr 17 2012

April 17, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "Republicans and Democrats clashed in the Senate on Monday over President Obama's proposal to boost taxes on the rich, an issue that similarly divided two Virginians who aspire to be in the...

Bob McDonnell is taking a toll

Published Apr 16 2012

April 16, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "They overwhelmingly dislike the tolls planned for the Midtown and Downtown tunnels. If they had to pay, 50 cents seems about right, but certainly not $1.84 at rush hour. And without question, they...

Published Apr 13 2012

April 13, 2012 Yesterday, there was some news coverage of an exchange of ideas between ProgressVA and Virginia's Speaker of the House. The [Rachel] Maddow Blog shared, "The point of contention seemed to be over the taxpayer money Virginia...

Thanks Romneycare!

Published Apr 12 2012

April 11, 2012 Today, ProgressVA joined Americans across the country to celebrate the six-year anniversary of Mitt Romney's signing of Massachusetts' health care reform law--the predicate to our national law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Like the...

You pay more so millionaires can pay less

Published Apr 11 2012

April 11, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Virginia would suffer tens of millions of dollars in cuts to education, children's programs, and food and housing assistance for low-income families next year if Congress allows planned deficit-reduction cuts and passes...

Published Apr 10 2012

April 10, 2012 Pepsi-Co, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Intuit, and the Gates Foundation, major sponsors of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), have indicated they will not renew their memberships to the controversial conservative organization amid mounting criticism over ALEC's...

Profiting off our children

Published Apr 9 2012

April 9, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Six more virtual school providers have been approved by the Virginia Department of Education to contract with public school divisions. They join the 13 multi-division online providers approved in June." Progressive Point:...

Virginia's Governor: No-show Job Bob

Published Apr 6 2012

April 6, 2012 The Roanoke Times editorializes on the state government shifting road maintenance costs to counties, "We agree with probably every county government in Virginia that shifting responsibility for secondary road maintenance from the state to counties is...

Uranium mining can't be kept in the dark

Published Apr 5 2012

April 5, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot shares, "Ranking members of Gov. Bob McDonnell's staff Wednesday invited a group of lobbyists and environmentalists for a uranium mining chat in an effort to dispel notions that Virginia's mining evaluation is occurring outside...

Clean air for all

Published Apr 4 2012

April 4, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "The League of Conservation Voters, Mom's Clean Air Force and the Environmental Defense Fund announced this week that it had made a two-week, 'seven-figure' TV ad [link] buy in support of the...

Who is profiting from high gas prices?

Published Apr 3 2012

April 3, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch Virginia Politics blog shares, "You may have seen the 30-second TV ad by the American Energy Alliance hitting President Barack Obama over gas prices. Today, a group is launching a new ad pushing...

George Allen isn't fooling anyone

Published Apr 2 2012

April 2, 2012 As we highlighted at AllenFoolsDay.com yesterday, George "Allen... will need to answer critics from both sides who argue that he was 'part of the problem' during his time in Congress, which contradicts his new image of a...

Teachers or tax breaks?

Published Mar 30 2012

March 30, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "A coalition opposed to a state pension overhaul is urging Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) to veto the plan, which was drafted and approved in the final hours of the Virginia General...

Bob McDonnell: Cuts your services, keeps your taxes

Published Mar 29 2012

March 29, 2012 The Daily Progress editorializes, "Deteriorating roads: Whose fault? The state's fault. But, increasingly, the locality's responsibility. Albemarle County faces a looming burden in the form of its secondary roads. These roads traditionally have been the responsibility...

Honoring our veterans at home

Published Mar 28 2012

March 28, 2012 The Daily Press reports, "For 14 years, the [Hampton] Peninsula has been fortunate to have a transitional housing program operated by the Salvation Army on the campus of the Hampton VA Medical Center. Hundreds of homeless...

A battle won in the budget war

Published Mar 27 2012

March 27, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports that yesterday, "The politically divided Senate voted 35-4 to pass its own version of a two-year $85 billion budget, something it failed to do during the regular legislative session that ended March...

Protect My Healthcare

Published Mar 26 2012

March 26, 2012 On Friday, the Affordable Care Act turned two years old. For three days starting today, the Supreme Court is hearing a historic six hours of arguments on theclearly constitutional health reform law. At the same time,...

Conservatives want to deal a double blow to transportation

Published Mar 23 2012

March 23, 2012 Earlier this week Politico reported, "Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) got a vote last week on his amendment to the Senate-passed bill that would send many transportation policy and funding decisions back to the states." The amendment,...

Virginia voters' anger at the War on Women

Published Mar 22 2012

March 22, 2012 A new Quinnipiac poll of Virginia voters shows that women strongly disapprove of new anti-abortion legislation at the same time the disapproval of Governor McDonnell and the State Legislature is also on the rise. Progressive Point:...

A budget that puts Virginia's families first

Published Mar 21 2012

March 21, 2012 This morning, advocacy organizations from across Virginia gathered to urge lawmakers to put Virginia families first in their negotiations. The proposed House and Senate budgets give away hundreds of thousands of dollars to corporate special interests and...

Virginia gets an F on ethics

Published Mar 20 2012

March 20, 2012 A State Integrity Investigation by the Center for Public Integrity into safeguards for government integrity and transparency gives Virginia an "F" and ranks us 47th out of 50 states. Progressive Point: Virginians expect an open and...

The Affordable Care Act is working for Virginia

Published Mar 19 2012

March 19, 2012 The Affordable Care Act celebrates its two-year anniversary this Thursday, March 23. To mark the occasion, advocates across the Commonwealth will host events to highlight how the ACA is working for Virginia and changing lives. Progressive...

Worst of the Week: Bob McDonnell ignoring his own constituents

Published Mar 16 2012

March 16, 2012 The Washington Post reported that Virginia New Majority and other grassroots groups presented Governor McDonnell with a petition Thursday urging him to veto the recent bills SB1, which would make it more difficult for people to vote,...

Virginia's turn for voter suppression to be struck down

Published Mar 15 2012

March 15, 2012 Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Progressive Point: This week, federal judges in Texas and Wisconsin struck down voter suppression laws designed to exclude Americans from the democratic process. Those...

George Allen shuns campaign transparency

Published Mar 14 2012

March 14, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "The day after news broke that a new super PAC will be aiding the Senate campaign of George Allen (R), Timothy M. Kaine (D) proposed -- and Allen quickly rejected -- the...

Making a mockery of Sunshine Week

Published Mar 13 2012

March 13, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch comments on transparency in Virginia, "The news dismayed, but its timing proved pregnant with symbolism. On the eve of Sunshine Week, Virginians learned that a study of uranium mining in Pittsylvania County will...

Cuccinelli wastes your taxpayer dollars

Published Mar 12 2012

March 12, 2012 The Washington Post editorializes, "If Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II (R) needs examples of official waste and abuse as he runs for governor, he could cite the harassment that he conducted against climate scientist Michael...

Worst of the Week: Conservative Voter Suppression

Published Mar 9 2012

March 9, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Senate Bill 1 -- previously the subject of fierce debate with Democratic opponents claiming it was designed to disenfranchise minorities, the elderly and the young -- passed the House 64-34. It had...

Our representatives must protect our homes

Published Mar 8 2012

March 8, 2012 The Washington Post reports on legislators advocating that Virginia's share of the federal mortgage settlement be used to help homeowners as it was intended, "Democrats in the House tried to amend the budget to allow the state's...

The high cost of voter ID

Published Mar 7 2012

March 7, 2012 The Commonwealth Institute reports that the new voter ID bills will cost Virginia taxpayers up to $1.2 million a year to implement. They state, "Senate and House of Delegates conferees will have to... face the fiscal...

A budget with Virginia values

Published Mar 6 2012

March 6, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports that the Virginia Senate Democrats stated in response to the conservative budget proposals, "'The Senate Democrats have and will continue to reject budgets that divert General Fund money from public safety, education and...

Conservatives must end this war on women

Published Mar 5 2012

March 5, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "Thirty-one women's rights demonstrators were arrested Saturday in a state Capitol protest that drew hundreds of people and a police response including officers in riot gear. The rally was the latest held...

Worst of the Week: Pretending the Conservative Budget Isn't Bad for Virginia

Published Mar 2 2012

March 2, 2012 The Washington Post reports that Virginia State Senator Don McEachin said, in a recent statement, "This budget leaves gaping holes in the area of public education, transportation and the needs of Virginia families... Dollars for public...

Balancing Virginia's Budget on our Backs: Part 4

Published Mar 1 2012

March 1, 2012 (Today is the fourth part of a 4 part series on how the conservative state budget plans are out of touch--and at our expense.) The Loudoun Times reports, "Virginia's crumbling roads will force lawmakers into 'uncharted...

Balancing Virginia's Budget on our Backs: Part 3

Published Feb 29 2012

February 29, 2012 (Today is the third part of a 4 part series on how the conservative state budget plans are out of touch--and at our expense.) The Virginian-Pilot has reported, "The governor's budget also withholds inflation payments to...

Balancing Virginia's Budget on our Backs: Part 2

Published Feb 28 2012

February 28, 2012 (Today is the second part of a 4 part series on how the conservative state budget plans are out of touch--and at our expense.) The News and Advance reports the both the Virginia House of Delegates...

Tomorrow's education system, not yesterday's

Published Feb 27 2012

February 27, 2012 The News Virginian reports, "Crowds at recent local government meetings have pleaded for more school funding, and their ardor has been matched by educators donning black on a recent Friday to mourn the lack of state...

Worst of the Week: Choosing Politics Over Virginia

Published Feb 24 2012

February 24, 2012 The Washington Examiner reports, "The Dulles rail project is poised to lose millions in funding from Virginia as punishment for encouraging the use of union labor on the $6 billion project. The Republican-dominated General Assembly passed...

Conservatives ignore Virginia voters

Published Feb 23 2012

February 23, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "A Virginia Senate committee voted along party lines Thursday morning to approve a so-called 'personhood' bill , despite strenuous opposition by those who argued that the broad measure could prohibit birth control and in...

Stop the War on Women and Get Back to Work

Published Feb 22 2012

February 22, 2012 This morning, "A coalition of grassroots organizations supporting women's health delivered 33,030 petitions to Governor McDonnell Wednesday morning, opposing bills that insert the government into women's personal, private medical decisions. Virginians from across the Commonwealth have...

We all agree--close corporate tax loopholes

Published Feb 21 2012

February 21, 2012 The News and Advance reports, "With every item owner Bill Puckett sells at Lynchburg Camera Shop, he has to add a 5 percent state sales tax onto the bill. But many online retailers, even those with...

GOP raids mortgage settlement fund

Published Feb 20 2012

February 20, 2012 Yesterday, the House and Senate money committees revealed their amendments to Governor McDonnell's two-year budget plan. Buried in the spending plan is a proposal to divert Virginia's share of the national mortgage settlement with the big...

Worst of the Week: Cutting school and safety net funding for special interests

Published Feb 17 2012

February 17, 2012 On Sunday, the Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees will release their modifications to Governor Bob McDonnell's budget. The Washington Post reports that McDonnell's proposed budget would, rather than find new sources of revenue, "move millions...

GOP: Pay no attention to our extreme conservative agenda

Published Feb 16 2012

February 16, 2012 In response to the large amount of criticism of their conservative agenda, House Speaker William Howell attempted to defend his caucus's priorities stating, "Less than 2.5 percent of the bills that have passed the House dealt...

The Conservative War on Women

Published Feb 15 2012

February 15, 2012 Virginia may be the butt of jokes for late night comedians, but the bills coming out of the General Assembly this year are no laughing matter. Yesterday, conservatives in the House of Delegates passed HB 1, "personhood"...

Our Valentine is Virginia's working families

Published Feb 14 2012

February 14, 2012 The Washington Post reports, "About 100 members of the progressive group Virginia Organizing will descend on Richmond to take part in the 'broken hearts day of action..." The activists will be protesting what they describe as...

NY Times Highlights "Pervasive" Influence of ALEC on VA Legislature

Published Feb 13 2012

February 13, 2012 This morning, the New York Times Editorial page profiled ProgressVA's report on the influence of a "little-known conservative organization financed by millions of corporate dollars" on Virginia's legislature. The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, is...

Worst of the Week: Not putting Virginia's working families first

Published Feb 10 2012

February 10, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports the priority of conservative lawmakers the first half of Virginia's legislative session has been a social agenda including, "Mandatory ultrasounds before abortions. Tougher voter identification standards. Repeal of a limit on handgun purchases."...

Health Care Delayed is Health Care Denied

Published Feb 9 2012

February 9, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "a state Senate subcommittee has bowed to the reality that no legislation will be approved in this General Assembly session to create a state exchange for health insurance benefits." Progressive Point: Virginia families...

Special Interest Party in Richmond

Published Feb 8 2012

February 8, 2012 In 2011, Virginia lawmakers took more than $245,000 in gifts from special interest groups. Progressive Point: Virginia Uranium, Dominion Power, and other special interest groups in Richmond have one thing in common--they are trying to buy votes...

Hindering crime prevention

Published Feb 7 2012

February 7, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports the Virginia State Senate voted yesterday to eliminate Virginia's limit to one handgun purchase a month, which has been in place for nearly twenty years. The House of Delegates has already passed their companion...

Reality Check: Getting Virginians Back to Work

Published Feb 6 2012

February 6, 2012 While appearing on a Sunday morning news show with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Governor Bob McDonnell stated, "I'm glad the economy is starting to recover, but I think it's because of what Republican governors are doing in their...

Worst of the Week: Voting against Virginia

Published Feb 3 2012

February 3, 2012 This week, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling cast a tie-breaking vote banning project labor agreements (PLAs) on state-funded construction projects in Virginia. "Delegate David L. Englin, Alexandria Democrat, questioned what the legislation approved Tuesday would actually do. 'It's...

Time to say goodbye to corporate tax breaks

Published Feb 2 2012

February 2, 2012 The Roanoke Times reports, despite bipartisan support for eliminating many of Virginia's unnecessary tax breaks, "Legislators have attempted to eliminate or reduce tax breaks in the past only to be rolled by an army of corporate and...

Conservatives interfering in women's private medical decisions

Published Feb 1 2012

February 1, 2012 The Washington Post just reported that, "The Republican-led Virginia Senate passed a bill Wednesday by a vote of 21-18 that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before having an abortion." The Virginian-Pilot also shared that Governor...

The moral and fiscal cost of conservatism to Virginia's taxpayers

Published Jan 31 2012

January 31, 2012 Yesterday, we reported on how Governor McDonnell's budget cuts are hurting seniors and low-income families. Today we will share how ideologically conservative legislation is actually costing all Virginia taxpayers millions, at a time when they should be...

Pass the Buck Bob's cold-hearted budget cuts

Published Jan 30 2012

January 30, 2012 The Commonwealth Institute reveals, "In his proposed budget, Governor McDonnell gets nearly 60 percent of his budget cuts from services and programs that serve low-income Virginians, a dramatic departure from bipartisan efforts on Virginia's budget in recent...

Worst of the Week: Voter suppression is going to Virginia's House floor

Published Jan 27 2012

January 27, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports, "A bill to require voters without identification to cast provisional ballots is headed to the House floor... The legislation would alter existing law, which allows anyone who claims to be a registered voter...

Bipartisan agreement: tax loopholes are draining Virginia's budget

Published Jan 26 2012

January 26, 2012 The Washington Times reports, "Billions of dollars in tax credits, incentives and exemptions which in many cases were poorly targeted or ineffective have prompted a bipartisan push in the Virginia General Assembly for greater disclosure and better...

Conservatives Demand Expensive Drug Testing to Attack the Poor

Published Jan 25 2012

January 25, 2012 House Bill 73, requiring that those applying for TANF and other welfare assistance be screened and tested for illegal drugs before receiving such assistance, passed the House yesterday. Despite having no evidence that drug-use among this population...

Conservatives want to take money out of classrooms for corporate tax breaks

Published Jan 24 2012

January 24, 2012 The Washington Examiner reveals, "Virginia Republicans have renewed their push for a voucher-style program that would essentially pay for students to attend private schools despite Democratic charges that it would rob public schools of up to $25...

McDonnell passes the buck on transportation

Published Jan 23 2012

January 23, 2012 The Washington Post editorializes, "Barring passage in the General Assembly of a major funding bill in the coming weeks -- a tough sell with Mr. McDonnell's active support and a near-impossibility without it -- the state's crumbling...

Worst of the Week: McDonnell dodges citizen input on uranium mining

Published Jan 20 2012

January 20, 2012 Virginia conservation groups are vocalizing their disappointment with Governor McDonnell's decision to write uranium legislation behind closed doors in a new release. In it, Lisa Guthrie, Executive Director of the Virginia League of Conservation Voters, stated, "On...

Virginians want consumer-friendly health care

Published Jan 19 2012

January 19, 2012 The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports a new group, Virginia Consumer Voices for Health Care, is pushing lawmakers to create a health insurance exchange that would limit the influence of health insurance companies and focus on the will of...

Conservatives want to make your vote irrelevant

Published Jan 18 2012

January 18, 2012 Yesterday, the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee passed a congressional redistricting plan designed to protect current incumbents on a party line 8-7 vote. The map, which was drawn with input from Virginia's current congressmen, is designed to...

Governor McDonnell eliminates teen pregnancy prevention programs

Published Jan 17 2012

January 17, 2012 Buried in Governor McDonnell's proposed budget is the elimination of funding for "pregnancy prevention programs across the state that offer sex education and birth control to teenagers." According to the Washington Post, "The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative...

Stealing from schools is not a solution

Published Jan 16 2012

January 16, 2012 Governor McDonnell's proposed budget would divert more money away from schools and other programs to pay for transportation costs. The Richmond Times-Dispatch's PolitiFact ranked "True" State Senator Donald McEachin's assertion that McDonnell is taking money away from...

Worst of the Week - The Power Grab

Published Jan 13 2012

January 13, 2012 Despite conservatives in Richmond attempting to pass laws that would ban abortion and discriminate against minority voters, neither was the most offensive act of the week. ProgressVA's Worst of the Week occurred on the very first day...

Senate Bill #1 - Voter Discrimination

Published Jan 12 2012

January 12, 2012 On Tuesday, State Senator Steve Martin told CBS 6 the requirement in his bill, SB 1 (the very first bill prefiled in the Senate), that voter registration cards no longer be an acceptable form of identification when voting,...

Welcoming Legislators Back to Richmond

Published Jan 10 2012

January 11, 2012 Today, the We Are Virginia coalition, of which ProgressVA is a member, gathered in Richmond to remind legislators to represent their constituents, not lobbyists and campaign donors, during the General Assembly session. We Are Virginia is a coalition...

Stop the power grab and get to work

Published Jan 10 2012

January 10, 2012 Virginia's part-time legislature will begin its short session tomorrow. Sadly, the Daily Press reports, "Republicans and Democrats will be at each other's throats from the opening gavel over whether Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling can use his tie-breaking...

Legislators pushing out-of-touch, extreme agendas

Published Jan 9 2012

January 9, 2012 Conservative lawmakers in Virginia are prefiling extreme right-wing legislation. Del. David Albo wants to expand anti-immigrant citizen checks, and Del. Richard Bell wants to require drug tests for anyone receiving, or asking for, public assistance. Del. Bob...

McDonnell's school budget sets Virginia's students up to fail

Published Jan 6 2012

January 6, 2012 Governor Bob McDonnell's budget will cost Danville schools $5 million in funding and Charlottesville schools $4 million. Fairfax County schools are deteriorating and need $50 million more a year just to catch up with repairs, and this...

A Budget Built on the Backs of the Vulnerable

Published Jan 5 2012

January 5, 2012 News coverage this week continues to illustrate Governor McDonnell's fiscally irresponsible budget approach of large cuts to services with no new sources of revenue. The News & Advance reports that McDonnell's decision to not adjust funding for...

Local Legislators Speak Out Against Uranium Mining

Published Jan 4 2012

January 4, 2012 The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Legislators representing districts that encircle a uranium deposit in Southside Virginia are asking their colleagues to abandon any effort in the 2012 session to end the state's 30-year ban on mining the radioactive ore."...

Less Democracy Is Wrong for Virginia

Published Jan 3 2012

January 3, 2012 The Washington Times reports, "Virginia legislators are preparing to take on the thorny subject of voter identification laws during the upcoming General Assembly session amid national controversy that includes the Justice Department's rejection of a state law...

Corporate Front Group Influencing Virginia's Legislature

Published Jan 2 2012

January 1, 2012 Today, ProgressVA released a new report detailing the disturbing level of influence exerted on Virginia's legislature by a secretive, corporate front group. The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which is funded by corporate contributions, has been writing bills...

What Virginian's Don't Want for Christmas: Extreme Agendas

Published Dec 22 2011

December 22, 2011 Please note that this will be ProgressVA's last Progressive Point before the holidays. We hope you and your families enjoy a safe and happy holidays and look forward resuming the Progressive Point in the new year. A...

Pre-K cuts shortchange our future

Published Dec 21 2011

December 21, 2011 Governor Bob McDonnell's budget proposal, unveiled on Monday, included many budget cuts, but one of the most major is a devastating blow to Virginia's preschool students. The Daily Press reports, "$81 million will be cut from the...

Uranium Industry and Lobbyists Putting Profits Ahead of People

Published Dec 20 2011

December 20, 2011 Keep the Ban reported yesterday, "The long-awaited report issued by the National Academy of Sciences today echoes numerous pitfalls with potential uranium mining, milling and waste disposal in the Commonwealth that many concerned Virginians have expressed in...

"Pass the Buck" Bob's Christmas present to Virginia families

Published Dec 19 2011

December 19, 2011 Governor McDonnell unveiled his two-year budget this morning in a speech to the legislative money committees. As predicted, the Governor's budget takes a cuts-only approach to close Virginia's projected $1 billion budget shortfall. The Governor';s proposed cuts...

Pass the Buck Bob's budget

Published Dec 16 2011

December 16, 2011 Instead of finding new revenue to fix our streets, Governor McDonnell is taking funding from other state projects to pay for transportation needs and passing down road responsibilities onto struggling localities. For his own budget numbers, McDonnell...

A balanced approach to the budget includes closing loopholes

Published Dec 15 2011

December 15, 2011 At a rally in Richmond today, Better Choices for Virginia -- "a broad group of Virginia businesspeople, nonprofit leaders, local officials, educators and working men and women -- gathered at the Capitol to call on the Governor...

George Allen's health care reform distortions

Published Dec 14 2011

December 14, 2011 Earlier this week, Protect Your Care responded to George Allen's campaign ad full of distortions about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its effect on Virginians. The response corrected the ad's three main false assertions. Progressive Point:...

Retirement games bad for Virginia

Published Dec 13 2011

December 13, 2011 The new JLARC report out this week highlighted how misguided Bob McDonnell's plan is to shift the current state-controlled retirement plan to a 401(k)-style defined contribution plan, which would shift all the risk from the state to...

McDonnell's Transportation Funding Shell Game

Published Dec 12 2011

December 12, 2011 The Roanoke Times reports, "Fearful of the political blowback from even an incremental increase in road revenues, the governor instead proposes to gouge more holes in the state's general fund, even as he acknowledges that he cannot...

AG Politicizing the Abortion Regulation Process

Published Dec 9 2011

December 9, 2011 Members of the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women's Health, which ProgressVA supports, are speaking out against draft abortion regulations today at the State Board of Health meeting in Richmond. The Coalition reports, "a new AP investigation published last weekend...

Politicizing the AG's Office

Published Dec 8 2011

December 8, 2011 The Washington Post reports that Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is refusing to resign from office while he simultaneously runs for Governor. Their article states, "Having announced his intention to run for governor, Mr. Cuccinelli (R) is bucking...

Lowering Health Care Costs

Published Dec 7 2011

December 7, 2011 The Roanoke Times reported yesterday that, "Gov. Bob McDonnell's administration will not push legislators to create a state-run health insurance exchange during the 2012 legislative session... The exchange would create a database for individuals and small businesses...

The Republican Power Grab

Published Dec 6 2011

December 6, 2011 Conservatives in Virginia's State Senate are continuing to ignore the voice of voters, who chose a balanced legislature, in their attempt to grab power and establish one-party rule in Richmond so that they can push through their...

Cuccinelli vs. Science: Women's Health

Published Dec 5 2011

December 5, 2011 New state emergency regulations on abortion clinics are designed to force their closure by requiring them to be regulated as hospitals. The Richmond Times Dispatch reports, "some medical experts who advised state health officials on the development...

Fighting for Health Care Reform

Published Dec 2 2011

December 2, 2011 The Roanoke Times reports, "As Gov. Bob McDonnell balances his ongoing opposition to the federal health care overhaul with the continued implementation of the law, he won't say if Virginia should establish a state-run health insurance exchange...

New Uranium Study Fails to Paint Whole Picture

Published Dec 1 2011

December 1, 2011 A new study on the impacts of uranium mining in Southside Virginia says there are potential benefits but "assumes that the site would be operated and dismantled within established federal guidelines and concludes that the potential impact on...

Democrats and Republicans Agree on Power-Sharing

Published Nov 30 2011

November 30, 2011 Jeff Schapiro in the Richmond Times Dispatch reports that both former Republican Congressman Virgil Goode and former Republican State Senator John Chichester are joining with Democrats and urging power-sharing in the Virginia State Senate. He writes, "Virgil Goode Jr.,...

Passing the buck on protecting citizens

Published Nov 29 2011

November 29, 2011 Governor McDonnell's task force on reforming state mandates is starting to reveal its recommendations. The News & Advance reports, "the task force's short list includes 105 education mandates and 80 local government mandates... In the latter category, environmental...

Richmond can't gamble funds for Virginia's students and schools

Published Nov 28 2011

November 28, 2011 Virginia's lottery was created to provide extra money for public education. Over time, politicians shifted that money to cover basic funding the state is obligated to provide to keep our schools operating and now none of it...

The Republican Power Grab

Published Nov 22 2011

November 22, 2011 Note: The Progressive Point will be on Thanksgiving vacation until Monday, November 28th, in order to consume large amounts of turkey and properly prepare for Saturday's UVA-VT game. Happy Thanksgiving to our readers! The Senate Democratic Caucus...

Turkey of the Year Award

Published Nov 20 2011

November 21, 2011 This morning, ProgressVA delivered a turkey to Governor Bob McDonnell's office to commemorate his receipt of our first annual "Turkey of the Year" award. McDonnell was awarded the honor in recognition of his "stewardship" of Virginia's finances,...

Twenty is not more than twenty

Published Nov 18 2011

November 18, 2011 On November 8th, Virginia voters chose to elect equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans to the State Senate. Now, Republican Senators are circumventing the voters' decision and Virginia's Constitution to declare a majority in order to push...

Infrastructure means jobs

Published Nov 17 2011

November 17, 2011 The Richmond Times Dispatch reports at noon today, "unemployed workers and Occupy Richmond members will join activists from Virginia Organizing, Moveon.org, Service Employees International Union, and AFL-CIO [and] will declare an 'Emergency for the 99 percent.' Rally-goers will gather at the foot...

Jobs vs. Tax Loopholes

Published Nov 16 2011

November 16, 2011 The Richmond Times Dispatch reports, "members of the House of Delegates' money committees were told on Tuesday that the state could face a roughly $1 billion budget gap over the next two years despite increasing revenues." While...

McDonnell's budget priorities

Published Nov 15 2011

November 15, 2011 As the "Money Committee" retreats begin this week, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission released a new study (PDF) on Monday showing little state accountability or oversight of the $12.5B in tax breaks, credits, and loopholes...

McDonnell is using budget problems to force his conservative social agenda

Published Nov 14 2011

November 14, 2011 The Washington Times reports, "[s]ervices for seniors and pregnant teens, funding for local jails and libraries, and investigators who go after tax scofflaws are all on the chopping block," in Governor McDonnell's upcoming budget. Progressive Point: With a...

Honoring Our Veterans

Published Nov 11 2011

November 11, 2011 According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, "More than 822,000 Virginians -- about 10 percent of the state's population -- are veterans of the U.S. armed forces, including more than 90,000 in central Virginia." Progressive Point: Our veterans have...

Tuesday, you voted. Wednesday, Bolling and McDonnell decided it didn't matter

Published Nov 10 2011

November 10, 2011 Tuesday's election resulted in the Democratic Party holding 20 seats in the State Senate, the Republican Party holding 19, and one race that is too close to call but will likely go to the Republicans. This will...

McDonnell's money couldn't buy support for his policies

Published Nov 9 2011

November 8, 2011 Progressive voter turnout yesterday was better than the Tea Party expected and resulted in a likely 20 to 20 seat split between Democrats and Republicans in the State Senate. If this scenario is confirmed by the State...

Today is Election Day. Did your family vote?

Published Nov 8 2011

November 7, 2011 Today is Election Day across Virginia and your vote matters more than ever. No less than the control of our State Senate and the future of our Commonwealth are at stake. Progressive Point: With the control of the...

What's at stake on Nov. 8: Women and Families

Published Nov 7 2011

November 7, 2011 If radical conservatives take over Virginia's State Senate tomorrow, at the top of their agenda will be further restricting the rights of women and effectively banning abortion. Even without control of the Senate, they were able to...

What's at Stake on Nov. 8: Virginia's Environment

Published Nov 4 2011

November 4, 2011 Conservatives in Virginia's legislature have launched an all-out attack on our environment. Their polluting agenda includes exempting Virginia utilities from the Clean Air Act, promoting reckless offshore drilling, and repealing Virginia's ban on uranium mining. The State...

What's at stake on Nov. 8: Transportation

Published Nov 3 2011

November 3, 2011 Bob McDonnell has failed over and over again to fulfill a key campaign promise: fix Virginia's transportation problems. He failed to support high speed rail, he now wants to build toll booths on 95, and reintroduce an ABC privatization proposal that his own party has...

What's at stake on November 8: Virginia's Financial Future

Published Nov 2 2011

November 2, 2011 In December, Governor Bob McDonnell will submit his biannual budget. Contrary to his attempts to convince Virginians that there is a budget surplus, McDonnell has already told state agencies to submit plans for cutting 2, 4, and 6 percent of their operating...

What's At Stake on Nov. 8 - Education

Published Nov 1 2011

November 1, 2011 Virginia's election is one week from today: Tuesday, November 8th. Republicans across the Commonwealth and country are bankrolling campaigns in hopes of taking over the State Senate: the last impediment to their radical conservative agenda. Our children...

Virginians Agree We Must Keep The Ban

Published Oct 31 2011

October 31, 2011 This morning, the Virginia NAACP unanimously passed a resolution opposing lifting Virginia's 30-year ban on uranium mining. The Virginia NAACP joins a growing list of 70 organizations and localities that support keeping the ban. The Progressive Point: Foreign-backed...

McDonnell is for Corporations, but Virginia is for Families

Published Oct 28 2011

October 28, 2011 Governor McDonnell's continued attempts to make Virginia more big business friendly are coming at the expense of Virginia's working families. His strategy of cutting funding to education, public safety, state pension funds, and passing the buck to...

Student Loan Debt Is Crushing Our Future

Published Oct 27 2011

October 27, 2011 Nationally, student loan debt has reached $100 billion and is projected to surpass $1 trillion by mid 2012. In Virginia, the State Council on Higher Education released recommendations calling for tuition increases of 3% to 5% at...

Repeal the Romney Rule

Published Oct 26 2011

October 26, 2011 Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is in Fairfax today, meeting with Governor Bob McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, and Republican legislative candidates. Romney is worth up to $250 million but pays an effective tax rate of just...

#ThanksObamacare

Published Oct 25 2011

October 25, 2011 Yesterday, Families USA released a report outlining the benefits to Virginians of the "Obamacare" health care reform legislation. Also yesterday, Thanks Obamacare! launched a media campaign to take back the term "Obamacare" and publicize the effects of the...

VA's Job Czar - Job Creation Not My Job

Published Oct 24 2011

October 24, 2011 Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, Virginia's "Chief Job Creation Officer", told the Lynchburg News & Advance "we do not believe the government creates jobs". Senate candidate George Allen, who also doesn't believe government creates jobs, was given a "pants...

Elections Matter

Published Oct 21 2011

October 21, 2011 This November 8th, the entire Virginia legislature is up for election and Virginians are faced with a distinct choice between two different visions for the future of the Commonwealth. Attorney General Cuccinelli articulated that point this week...

Virginia Must Keep Commitment To Our Teachers

Published Oct 20 2011

October 20, 2011 Today, the Virginia Education Association and Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis are holding a press conference to call on the General Assembly to fully fund the state's commitment to the Virginia Retirement System. Last year, Governor McDonnell...

President Obama's Jobs Act is essential to fixing VA's foreclosure problem and helping all home owners

Published Oct 19 2011

October 19, 2011 A new report titled Virginia's Neighborhoods and the American Jobs Act" from Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) shares how President Obama's jobs bill will help fix housing problem across the Commonwealth. Over 9% of Virginia's housing units...

Will Congress be a job killer or job creator?

Published Oct 18 2011

October 18, 2011 President Obama's bus tour to promote his American Jobs Act comes to Virginia today and tomorrow, with stops in Emporia, Hampton, and Chesterfield. The Progressive Point: Americans are in desperate need of good jobs. President Obama understands this...

Bob McDonnell is sponsored by polluting special interests

Published Oct 17 2011

October 17, 2011 Governor McDonnell's second annual energy conference begins today in Richmond, featuring speakers from big donors and polluters like Dominion Virginia Power, Alpha Natural Resources, and Appalachian Power. There are no speakers from the clean energy industry. A member of the administration told...

McDonnell Should Keep Government Out of Women's Private Medical Decisions

Published Oct 14 2011

October 14, 2011 Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed politically-motivated legislation requiring clinics that perform first-trimester abortions to be regulated as hospitals, singling out these providers among all those that provide outpatient procedures. The regulations recently approved by the Board of...

Bob McDonnell Can't Have His Budget Cake and Eat It Too

Published Oct 13 2011

October 13, 2011 The Richmond Times Dispatch, Washington Post, and Roanoke Times are reporting a 3.9 percent increase in state revenue in September despite the growing income gap amongst Virginians. Governor Bob McDonnell is continuing his bogus budget claims while simultaneously pushing further ideological cuts in funding. Progressive Point: Governor...

Virginia's Rising Income Gap

Published Oct 12 2011

October 12, 2011 Yesterday, the nonpartisan Commonwealth Institute released a report revealing the wealth gap between rich and poor in Virginia is the highest in 30 years, and the second largest in the nation. The Progressive Point: America was founded as a nation...

Virginia should be for ALL lovers

Published Oct 11 2011

October 11, 2011 Today is the last day for public comment on whether Virginia should ban gays and lesbians from adopting. Today is also National Coming Out Day. The Progressive Point: Being a good parent isn't about being gay or straight--its about giving a...

Transportation Needs Sustainable Funding

Published Oct 10 2011

October 10, 2011 The Roanoke Times and Richmond Times Dispatch are both reporting on Virginia's transportation funding problem. The Commonwealth will soon be required, by statute, to spend all transportation dollars on road maintenance, leaving none for the construction of new...

Cain's 999 plan is a big Zero for Virginia

Published Oct 7 2011

October 7, 2011 Tomorrow, GOP Presidential Candidate and pizza mogul Herman Cain travels to Lynchburg and Richmond. In advance of that visit, we're previewing Cain's 9-9-9 tax plan and why its bad news for Virginia. Cain's 9-9-9 plan: Cain's economic plan...

George Allen's latest assault on working Virginians

Published Oct 6 2011

October 6, 2011 Yesterday, Senate candidate George Allen solidified his attacks on middle-class families, releasing his "Freedom To Work For Less" agenda that would roll back protections for workers. While targeting struggling workers, the Allen campaign did not release any...