Va. Senate unanimously endorsed the Borrowers’ Bill of Rights & Student Loan Ombudsman Richmond, VA—Ahead of the crossover deadline this evening, the Virginia House and Senate advanced an important legislative package tackling the student debt crisis with bipartisan support. The bills would create a state student loan ombudsman to help borrowers navigate complicated repayment options […]
Year: 2018
Male Senators Voted for an Equal Pay Bill, Then Killed It When a Woman Left the Room
When Senator Jennifer Wexton stood before the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday and proposed SB419, an equal pay bill ensuring that women be paid as much as their male counterparts, the committee (led by a majority of male conservatives) passed the bill on an 11-5 vote. But as soon as Senator Wexton left the room, that […]
Senator Wexton is Our Hero
Hero or Zero? February 9th Welcome to Progress Virginia’s Hero or Zero, a weekly, unapologetically progressive take on this week’s heroes and zeros in Virginia politics. Check out this space every Friday, and Tweet us or post to our Facebook to nominate your own heroes and zeros. Like this? Please share! Hero: Delegate Jennifer Wexton […]
Progress Virginia Strongly Condemns Republican Senators Flip Flop on Equal Pay
Progress Virginia Strongly Condemns Republican Senators Flip Flop on Equal Pay Richmond, VA—After unanimously supporting a proposal to strengthen Virginia’s Equal Pay law in Senate Commerce and Labor as well as reporting the bill out of Senate Finance on an 11-5 vote, Republican Senators today reversed course on SB419. Senators inexplicably claimed they simply hadn’t […]
Virginia Women’s Equality Coalition Denounces Anti-Family Members of House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee for Defeating Paid Family and Medical Leave Bill
Virginia Women’s Equality Coalition Denounces Anti-Family Members of House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee for Defeating Paid Family and Medical Leave Bill Richmond, Virginia—This week marks the 25th Anniversary of the Paid Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but on Tuesday afternoon, the House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee #2 defeated a bill that would have given […]
Virginia Women’s Equality Coalition Disappointed Conservative Members of House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee Defeat Bill To Prohibit Health Insurance Companies From Discriminating Based on Gender Identity
Virginia Women’s Equality Coalition Disappointed Conservative Members of House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee Defeat Bill To Prohibit Health Insurance Companies From Discriminating Based on Gender Identity Richmond, Virginia—On Tuesday, conservative members of a House Commerce and Labor Subcommittee defeated HB1466, Delegate Rodman’s bill that would prohibit health insurance companies from discriminating against patients based on […]
Pro-Choice Coalition Disappointed Anti-Woman Members of Senate Courts of Justice Committee Report Bill Chipping Away At Abortion Access
Pro-Choice Coalition Disappointed Anti-Woman Members of Senate Courts of Justice Committee Report Bill Chipping Away At Abortion Access Richmond, Virginia—On Monday morning, the Senate Courts of Justice Committee reported and referred to the Committee on Finance Senator Obenshain’s SB541, a bill that would require a person to be prosecuted for involuntary manslaughter if, as a result of […]
Why are Republicans trying to pull a fast one on health insurance?
Last week we wrote about Medicaid expansion—what it is, why you should care, and where it stands in terms of passage in the General Assembly. But this week, we’re going to talk about sneaky ways some conservatives are trying to sabotage the idea of giving health coverage to 400,000 uninsured Virginians too poor or too […]
25 Years Later, It’s Time for a New Family and Medical Leave Act
February 5 marks the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which requires employers with 50 or more employees to offer those employees up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off when major life events happen, such as having a child, caring for a loved one, or recovering from […]
Delegate Elizabeth Guzman is Our Hero
Hero or Zero? February 2nd Welcome to Progress Virginia’s Hero or Zero, a weekly, unapologetically progressive take on this week’s heroes and zeros in Virginia politics. Check out this space every Friday, and Tweet us or post to our Facebook to nominate your own heroes and zeros. Like this? Please share! Hero: Delegate Elizabeth Guzman […]