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First, an update on Richmond’s water: Richmond officials said that the first test was negative for contaminants. If the second test results confirm the same results, then the water boil advisory will be lifted tomorrow. This is a good sign for General Assembly legislators looking to begin their work on Monday.
Here are the top stories from Virginia Scope this week:
Recess
Speaker of the House of Delegates Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, says that the House of Delegates will convene at 12 p.m. on Wednesday to fulfill their constitutional duty, then go into recess until Monday due to the water crisis happening in Richmond.
The Senate did the same thing.
Life in limbo
Due to Richmond experiencing a city-wide crisis of no running water, legislators, lobbyists and staffers are in limbo the day before the legislative session is scheduled to begin.
The General Assembly Building and Capitol Building are both closed Tuesday, which canceled a number of press conferences and meetings on the day that lawmakers and groups typically use to try to gain publicity on legislation they are pushing this year.
Instead, lawmakers and staffers are meandering around, staying in their homes or in their hotel rooms and waiting to hear what is next.
“I am just pacing around my hotel room pantless,” said one person, who referred to themself as the most important lobbyist in Richmond. “Thankfully, with water pressure, but this shit is weird. What is life.”
Democrats retain majority in General Assembly
Democrats will keep their slim majority in the House of Delegates and state Senate after Kannan Srinivasan and JJ Singh won their special elections on Tuesday.
In SD-32, the district Rep. Suhas Subramanyam represented before he was elected to Congress, Srinivasan defeated his Republican opponent, Tumay Harding.
“This win is a victory for Loudoun, its families, and every Virginian across our Commonwealth,” Srinivasan said in a statement. “Tonight, we have shown that when we stand together and fight for the issues we care about, we win.”
In HD-26, the district formerly represented by Srinivasan, Singh defeated his Republican opponent, Ram Venkatachalam.
Smasal is facing a lawsuit from a former staffer over unpaid wages
A member of Missy Cotter Smasal’s congressional campaign staff has filed a lawsuit against her asking to be paid for the time that he worked for her. Smasal ran as a Democrat and lost in Virginia’s Second Congressional District to Rep. Jen Kiggans in November.
Dawann Steagall said he was paid for his work in September but never received money for working in October and November.
In his text messages with Smasal’s campaign manager Brenna Crombie, Steagall asked her if the pay situation had been resolved.
Crombie responded by saying, “No unfortunately [to be honest] Missy is holding about 5 people’s pay hostage right now…”
Steagall then asked Crombie if she had been paid yet.
“No not yet,” she responded.
Steagall told Virginia Scope that he then decided to ask Smasal directly.
Smasal responded to his inquiry by starting a group chat with Steagall and Crombie.
“Dewann, thanks for reaching out,” Smasal wrote. “Brenna did not have authorization to hire a contractor during October and November, and told me that she made that clear. Brenna told me on multiple occasions that you were volunteering and trying to be helpful, and not officially working for the campaign. I think the two of you need to have a candid conversation. I’ve been told multiple times that you already had.”
Miyares and Rouse spar on social media
Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares and state Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, publicly sparred on social media Wednesday night. Miyares is seeking reelection this year, and Rouse is seeking the Democratic nomination to run for lieutenant governor.
The beef started with Miyares calling out Rouse for legislation he filed that would provide a tax credit for employers who hire someone who has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor.
“So, you get a tax credit for hiring the criminal, but nothing if you hire their victims?” Miyares asked on his Twitter account. “This is what Virginia Democrats are pushing as their economic agenda on Day 1? C’mon, [Aaron Rouse] — seriously?”
The bill would create a nonrefundable second-chance employment tax credit for taxable years 2025 through 2029 at five percent of the amount of wages paid to a qualified employee.
Polling on Spanberger v. Sears
Emerson College released a new poll on Thursday looking at a matchup between former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D) and Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears (R) for governor.
Spanberger and Sears are the only declared gubernatorial candidates at this time.
“Ten months before the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election, the race is tight overall but with clear demographic differences standing out,” wrote Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling.
“Support for Earle-Sears is found among male voters, who break for the Lieutenant Governor 52% to 37%, and white voters, who break for her 50% to 35%,” Kimball continued. “Spanberger leads among women, 47% to 31%, and both older and young voters: those over 70, who break for Spanberger 46% to 43%, and those under 30, who break for her 43% to 33%.”
A poll on 2025 gubernatorial race including Bobby Scott
A new poll from Mason-Dixon shows former Rep. Abigail Spanberger with a lead over Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears in the 2025 gubernatorial race. While Spanberger is the only Democrat currently running for governor, the poll also looked at a potential matchup between Rep. Bobby Scott and Sears.
Scott is flirting with running for the nomination, but insiders and sources in the Democratic Party do not believe he will actually run. They tell Virginia Scope that he is keeping his name in the conversation to make sure that Spanberger takes Black voters seriously.
The polling shows that Spanberger leads Sears, but Sears leads Scott.
Miyares wins Title IX lawsuit overturning Biden regulations
A U.S. District Court vacated President Joe Biden’s proposed rewrite to Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 on a nationwide basis following a lawsuit filed in April 2024 by Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares and 5 other state attorneys general against the federal Department of Education.
This is a reversal of Biden’s expansion of protections for LGBTQ+ students.
The regulation inserted the prevention of discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation in Title IX, a 1972 law forbidding discrimination based on sex in education.
The order issued Thursday prevents the rule from being applied anywhere in the country.
Advocates push for PDAB again after Youngkin vetoed it last year
In a third attempt, advocates are pushing for the General Assembly to advance legislation that would establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB). The General Assembly passed the same bill last year, but Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed it.
The board would be an independent body of health and medical experts who would have the ability to set upper payment limits on particular prescription drugs if they believed pharmaceutical companies were charging too much.
Eight states currently have a PDAB.
The House bill is sponsored by Del. Karrie Delaney, D-Fairfax, and the Senate version is sponsored by Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville.
“I want to live in a Commonwealth where people like my daughter never have to weigh the cost of buying groceries against paying for their medication,” said Delaney, whose daughter has type-1 diabetes. “It is time to prioritize Virginians’ health over pharma’s profits. It is time for Virginians to do more than just get by every day; we must ensure they can get ahead.”
Constitutional amendments to be considered during legislative session
Democrats are pushing three constitutional amendment proposals that have already advanced out of committee in the House of Delegates.
The House Privileges and Elections Committee met in November to advance the proposals, which can now be heard on the full House floor as soon as this week.
“This meeting was an important next step considering the moment in history we find ourselves in,” said committee Chair Marcia Price, D-Newport News, at the time.
Youngkin’s update on new storm situation and his administration’s involvement in helping with Richmond water crisis
Gov. Glenn Youngkin gave an update on the storm aftermath and water situation in Richmond from the Virginia Department of Emergency’s operations center Wednesday afternoon.
Youngkin said that his office was informed of the water treatment issue Monday afternoon and was able to immediately start moving resources due to him already declaring a State of Emergency ahead of the storm’s arrival on Friday.
He said they reached out to anyone who could help, getting people out of bed who could provide assistance in getting the treatment plant back online.
“It's been all hands on deck,” Youngkin said. “And that has been reaching into corporate partners and literally getting people out of bed and getting them out to this site to get it fixed.”