Landmark legislation that would make Virginia the first state in the South to legalize marijuana is heading toward its first full votes before the House and Senate this week.
And while the proposal has garnered consistent â and in some cases bipartisan â support, significant debate remains on key details of the proposal, including when and how criminal penalties should be rolled back as the state begins working to establish a legal marketplace for the drug.
Lawmakers and advocates said the question became even more important last week as the legislation was amended in both the House and Senate to push the start of retail sales to Jan. 1, 2024, a full year later than the 2023 date proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam.
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As the 2021 General Assembly session begins, lawmakers are set to consider a slate of bills that aim to reform Virginiaâs system of electric utility regulation with the goal of bringing down customer bills.
âThis work is an extension of the work we did last session to commit Virginia to massive clean energy investments,â said Del. Sally Hudson (D-Charlottesville). âThereâs two pieces going on here: Thereâs confronting climate change and investing in clean energy. And then thereâs doing it at a fair price.â
More than a dozen legislators, largely from the House of Delegates but drawing on both sides of the aisle, are behind the push, which builds on a smaller handful of proposals put before the General Assembly in 2020.
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Creighton Court, a public housing community the Richmond housing authority plans to demolish despite objections from residents and advocates. (Photo: Crixell Matthews/VPM News)
Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s board of commissioners voted to approve an application for the next phase in demolishing Creighton Court last night.
But the agenda for this meeting wasn’t posted to RRHA’s website until yesterday morning, leaving just a few hours for the public to register to speak. An agency policy requires speakers to register by noon on the day of a meeting.
Only one person was able to participate. Omari Al-Qadaffi, a housing organizer with the Legal Aid Justice Center, said RRHA is failing to meaningfully engage residents in processes that affect their futures.