A primary has been selected instead of a caucus for a three-way Republican race in state Senate District 12. Incumbent Sen. Amanda Chase announced the news in a Dec. 8 press release. Chase is slated to face former state Sen. Glen Sturtevant and Tina Ramirez in the June 20 primary. “I’m pleased that the Legislative District Committee has chosen a nomination process that is both easy and convenient for voters,” Chase said in an email, noting that all registered voters are able to participate in the process. The district, which was reshaped by redistricting after the 2020 Census, includes most…
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State Sen. Joe Morrissey (D) said two things that may come out of the General Assembly session early next year have to do with affordable housing and promoting workforce development. Republicans and Democrats can agree on a need for more affordable housing, he said. In addition, Morrissey said he’ll get behind a move by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to address workforce development. “The old model doesn’t work,” Morrissey said. That model generally includes getting a college degree, but now one may graduate with $50,000 to $70,000 in college debt. “It’s changed on a dime,” Morrissey said. He noted that one can…
On July 26, Sen. Joe Morrissey (D) announced that he had reached a $10,000 settlement from a woman who claimed that he had trespassed for parking in a public right-of-way. According to a press release, Jessica Spain called the police on Morrissey on May 22, 2019, for parking on an access road in the 19600 block of Church Road in Matoaca. Spain allegedly said that she was in “great fear” due to Morrissey parking his vehicle at the end of her driveway while he campaigned door-to-door in the area. She filed a trespassing complaint the next day, the release states. …
On July 29, state Sen. Joe Morrissey (D) and Del. Carrie Coyner (R) discussed the new Chesterfield Recovery Academy, which is set to open Aug. 22 when the other public schools open. The school will be located at 13900 Hull Street Road in Midlothian. The eastern Chesterfield County duo chatted about the school on Morrissey’s program, the Fighting Joe Morrissey Show, which can be viewed live or replayed on Facebook. Morrissey said the high school was the “brainchild” of Coyner, who said the idea sprung from her time serving on the Chesterfield County Public Schools board. “The idea was at…
State Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Chester) released a statement on Friday, June 24, following the news of the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide. SCOTUS’ decision effectively sends the issue back to the states like it was prior to Roe, and Morrissey, who calls himself “pro-life” and has voted with Republicans on some abortion-related bills over the years, including his time in the House, clarified his position. Morrissey said he said he supports a woman’s right to choose an abortion up until the time an unborn child can feel pain, which…
State Sen. Joe Morrissey is pleased with the Fiscal 2022-24 budget that the General Assembly passed on June 1. He noted the compromise legislation resulted in a 32-4 vote in the Senate. It also passed 88-7 in the House. Morrissey (D-Chester) called the bill “a huge win for Petersburg.” He noted the bill contains two amendments that allow for a Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission study, and with a positive report, a public vote on a casino. The bill also prohibits Richmond from having another vote on a casino until November 2023, which gives Petersburg time to conduct one,…
An impasse over appointees to the state parole board could end up hurting potential parolees, but that could be decided in an upcoming special session. State Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Chester) said he plans to support any future appointees of Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) to the board, saying the current situation reminds him of the Cuban Missile Crisis. “Someone has to be the bigger person,” he said, noting he worked the back channels among his party in the Senate to try to break the impasse. “I thought what was done by both parties was disgraceful,” Morrissey said. Former Gov. Ralph Northam…
State Sen. Joe Morrissey (D) and state Sen. Amanda Chase (R) provided an update on some pending legislation in the General Assembly last weekend. Senate Bill 313, a replacement bill that Morrissey submitted that would have allowed industrial hemp growers in the state to sell marijuana to those without a medical marijuana card, failed 21-19 on Feb. 15. Morrissey said the bill would help hemp farmers in Virginia. It had the support of 15 Republicans and four Democrats. In addition to Morrissey, other Democrats who supported the bill were John J. Bell, Lionel Spruill and Chap Petersen. Republicans who voted…
By a 3-2 vote, the Chesterfield County school board decided during a special meeting on Jan. 20 to continue a mask mandate for students that it imposed last August. The session was called due to an executive order by new Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) that essentially gave the decision regarding student mask use to parents. A federal regulation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention still requires mask use on school buses. The school board’s decision only related to school property. After discussion, Bermuda member Ann Coker, who was voted board chair during an earlier meeting in January, made…
A number of Chesterfield-Colonial Heights Circuit Court judges are up for six-year renewals, but one in particular was questioned by state Sen. Joe Morrissey (D) recently. He asked Lynn S. Brice, one of six circuit court judges serving Chesterfield, several questions during a joint Dec. 10 meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Courts of Justice Committee. Morrissey said Brice was “unfailingly polite” to him when he appeared before her as an attorney, but noted he received several complaints about her. A district court clerk in a small jurisdiction described her relationship with Brice as a “toxic work…