GENERAL ELECTIONS are now in the “so close, and yet still so far away” phase of the cycle. New polling data shows that the statewide races are becoming increasingly competitive – and while all 100 House of Delegates seats are also on the ballot this November, the possibility of another round of House elections in 2022 continues to be a topic of discussion.

In the legislative offices themselves, potential bills for the upcoming General Assembly Session are also being discussed and drafted; most commissions and workgroups have either a formal or an aspirational deadline of November 1st to report on any policy recommendations, giving lawmakers roughly a two-month window to include potentially revelant bills on their agenda.

And so, while we are roughly just 25 days away from Election Day: it’s increasingly apparent that the only thing likely to ease up on November 3rd are the ad spots on TV. (And maybe then, only for a short while.)

Davis Consultants

  • Oct. 18 | House Appropriations Committee Meeting (Fiscal Update)
  • Oct. 19 | Senate Finance Committee Meeting (Fiscal Update)
  • Nov. 2 | ELECTION DAY
  • Nov. 8 | JLARC Meeting (Legislative Recommendations for 2022)
  • Nov. 15 | Prefiling for 2022 Session begins
  • Nov. 29 | Prefile draft request deadline for 2022 Session

Black and low-income Virginians are disproportionately affected by nursing home understaffing

For nearly two decades, Virginia’s General Assembly has failed to land on a legislative solution for understaffing in nursing homes. Setting requirements for facilities could be one of the most effective ways of addressing the problem, according to a new report presented to lawmakers this week.

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Virginia’s federally recognized tribes begin drafting a sovereignty accord

RICHMOND—At the end of September, in a small auditorium at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, leaders of federally recognized tribal nations in Virginia held an inaugural Sovereignty Conference.

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STATEWIDE | Virginia's elections will be the most telling political test yet of stringent Covid policies

Charlottesville, Virginia (CNN) – The off-year elections in Virginia this November will serve as possibly the most revealing test of whether strict coronavirus policies, like vaccine mandates and mask requirements, are good politics in a contested election.

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ASSEMBLY | GOP targets rural Democrats, rare breed in Virginia politics

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Most of the battleground districts in this fall’s critical elections for the Virginia House of Delegates are in the state’s cities and suburbs, but Republicans are also targeting something of a rare breed in Virginia politics: Democrats who represent mostly rural districts.

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Hospitals battling the COVID-19 surge sought state help for weeks. They haven’t gotten it.

In mid-August, as the delta variant was surging across Virginia, hospitals reached out to Gov. Ralph Northam’s administration for help.

“This rise in infections is once again placing significant stress on general hospitals and nursing facilities within the commonwealth,” wrote Sean Connaughton, president of the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, in a letter to Health Commissioner Dr. Norman Oliver and Health Secretary Dr. Dan Carey. At the time, the seven-day average for new hospitalizations mirrored that of March, when Virginia was still recovering from a massive holiday surge.

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Inova temporarily closes urgent care centers in Reston and Tysons due to high patient volume

Inova has temporarily closed four of its urgent care centers, including ones in Reston (1488 Northpoint Village Center) and Tysons (8357 Leesburg Pike), to manage an influx of patients without overwhelming exhausted staff.

Inova told FFXnow that it has consolidated staff from the shuttered urgent care centers at other sites “to better accommodate patient volume.” The other centers that have been closed are in Arlington, as reported by ARLnow, and Purcellville.

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Va. new jobless claims increase slightly

Virginia’s new unemployment claims rose about 7% last week, the Virginia Employment Commission reported Thursday, following a 300% surge two weeks ago and then declined to more normal levels last week.

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Virginia’s 2020 Tourism Economic Impact report shows long road to recovery

ROANOKE, Va. – Empty hotel beds, dining rooms and downtowns were all effects of the pandemic that could be seen firsthand. Now for the first time, the aftermath can be qualified in facts and figures.

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No Vax, No Job? Employers and Employees Grapple with Vaccine Mandates

As COVID-19 numbers began to decline locally, following a Delta variant that caused a spike in cases at the onset of the school year, many employers and employees are grappling with whether to institute, or abide by, a requirement to be fully vaccinated against the virus.

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GOP lawmakers push back against federal probe into threats against school board members

WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans on Thursday objected to a move by the Justice Department to investigate violent threats made against local school board members and teachers, arguing that the federal agency is “policing the speech of citizens and concerned parents.”

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Spanberger presses White House on infrastructure bill

Rep. Abigail Spanberger is chomping at the bit to see the House of Representatives pass President Joe Biden’s infrastructure bill and pump some of its once-in-generations benefits into Virginia.

FULL STORY »

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2021 Virginia General Election

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