By Amelia Heymann Capital News Service RICHMOND – Attorney General Mark Herring praised a federal judge for issuing a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration’s temporary ban prohibiting people from seven mostly Muslim countries from entering the United States. Herring said the ruling suggests that he will win his lawsuit alleging that the ban violates the Constitution’s guarantee of freedom of religion. The injunction issued Monday by U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema of Alexandria will last until the case goes to trial. Herring said people affected by the ban “can have a lot more confidence knowing that the commonwealth…

By Rodrigo Arriaza Capital News Service RICHMOND – A bill that seeks to protect Virginians from losing their income tax refunds to identity thieves won final approval Wednesday in the General Assembly. The bill’s sponsor, Del. Mark Keam, D-Vienna, said thieves can steal information from the payroll system of an employer or payroll service and use it to claim a state income tax refund before the real taxpayer files a legitimate return. “Incidents of cyber hacking and data breach are becoming way too common, and criminals are using every opportunity to prey on innocent Virginians,” Keam said. His legislation, HB…

By Tyler Woodall Capital News Service RICHMOND – Legislation moving through the General Assembly could restore some gun rights to nonviolent felons in Virginia. On a 94-4 vote Tuesday, the House of Delegates passed SB 1533, which would allow nonviolent felons to own “antique firearms.” The bill proposed by Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, would let nonviolent felons own, transport and carry antique firearms and black powder in a quantity not exceeding five pounds. The firearms can be used solely for sporting, recreational or cultural purposes such as hunting or Civil War re-enactments. Antique firearms are those considered to be muzzle-loading…

By Amy Lee Capital News Service They call them the “suitcase children” – youngsters who are shuttled back and forth between their parents’ homes amid messy divorce and custody battles. Regardless of which parent finally emerges victorious in court, the child loses time with friends, involvement in school activities and a sense of stability at home. Two Chesterfield residents, with support from Del. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell, have been fighting for a new law to protect these “suitcase children.” Roy Mastro and Stella Edwards drafted a bill that would amend the state code and hold guardians ad litem to greater accountability.…

By Amelia Heymann Capital News Service A bill to require presidential candidates to release their tax returns to get on the ballot in Virginia died in a legislative subcommittee Thursday. Democratic Del. Mark Levine of Alexandria submitted HB 2444 after Donald Trump refused to make his tax returns public during the Republican nominee’s successful presidential campaign last fall. It had been a tradition for presidential hopefuls to disclose their tax returns; candidates had done so for 40 years. “It had been done not as required by law, but because the presidential candidates felt that the voters had a right to…

By Megan Corsano and Amelia Heymann Capital News Service Planned Parenthood clinics in Virginia could lose their federal Title X funding under a bill that cleared the House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee on Thursday. HB 2264, introduced by Del. Ben Cline, R-Amherst, was reported by the Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions in an 11-7 vote. It happened during the committee’s final meeting before “crossover day” – Tuesday’s deadline for bills to clear their chamber of origin. Cline’s proposal now goes to the full House of Delegates. The committee’s swift decision was accompanied by no comments from Cline or…

By Jessica Nolte and Megan Schiffres Capital News Service RICHMOND – Gov. Terry McAuliffe spoke Thursday in support of legislation proposed by members of the Women’s Health Care Caucus and vowed to veto bills he believes would endanger women’s reproductive rights. McAuliffe said legislators should learn from controversies in North Carolina following the passage of what he called “socially divisive bills.” McAuliffe said he told the General Assembly not to send him these types of bills because they have no chance of becoming law. “I have sent a strong message already. They have an abortion bill, a 20-week abortion bill,…

By Jim Thomma Capital News Service RICHMOND – U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, the Democrats’ unsuccessful vice presidential nominee, kicked off his remarks at a health care rally at Capitol Square by recounting the first vote in the Republicans’ renewed efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. “I stood up,” Kaine said. “I said, ‘Madame Clerk, I was sick and you visited me. I vote no.’” With that biblical reference, Kaine cast one of 48 Democratic votes against the budget reconciliation measure that would streamline the dismantling of the health care law, also known as Obamacare. But the Republicans pushed the…