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Progress Virginia Statement on State of the Commonwealth Address
Richmond, Virginia—Governor Ralph Northam delivered his State of the Commonwealth address this evening, laying out his legislative priorities at the start of the General Assembly session. Progress Virginia was thrilled to see his support for free community college and equitable marijuana legalization, as well as abolishing the death penalty in Virginia, and hopes that members […]
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Progress Virginia Praises Committee Passage of Pro-Voting Legislation Richmond, Virginia—Progress Virginia today praised members of the House Privileges and Elections Committee for advancing Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg’s HB1888 and HB1810 to expand voting rights and opportunities. HB1888 makes the temporary absentee voting access changes passed last year in response to the pandemic permanent and ensures that […]
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Ending Qualified Immunity in Virginia is Not Just a Matter of Right and Wrong: It’s a Matter of Life and Death
In response to the police murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor this past summer, there were almost nightly non-violent protests in Richmond. Richmond Police repeatedly retaliated against protestors and journalists. Thanks to the qualified immunity doctrine, those police officers could escape consequences for their violence and brutality towards Richmond residents. We must end […]
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We Don’t Just Need to Legalize Marijuana in Virginia. We Need To Do It Equitably.
It seems like everyone is talking about legalizing marijuana this year. I’m all for it! But I’m a little nervous about how the details will work themselves out. There’s a right way and a wrong way to do this, and we need to make sure we do it the right way. That means making sure […]
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Virginia Working Families Deserve the Opportunity to Care for Themselves and Their Families without Fear of Financial Disaster
The devastation in our communities from Covid-19 shines a spotlight on the need to support and pass a paid family and medical leave bill. Everyone should be able to take time away from work when they get sick, whether that’s with Covid-19 or something else. Huge corporations and their high-priced lobbyists work with politicians to […]
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We Need to Take Care of the Folks Who Put Food on Our Tables
Did you know that in Virginia, farm wages can make our minimum wage seem downright generous? I was shocked to learn that some employers take advantage of the fact that agricultural workers, the majority of whom are Black and Brown, are exempt from Virginia’s new Minimum Wage Act. Even if our state minimum wage increases, […]
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Virginians Share Stories on the Necessity of Climate Justice at People’s Hearing
Video of this event can be found here. Richmond, VA—Virginians gathered today to share their stories with legislators and demand action from our lawmakers at the People’s Hearing on Climate Justice. This was an online event where community members spoke about how their lives have been impacted by climate change and discussed the necessity of […]
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People’s Hearing on Climate Justice in Virginia: How Real People are Affected & the Need for Environmental Justice
MEDIA ADVISORY: TODAY at 6:00 p.m.Virtually on Zoom CONTACT: Tiffany Potter: tiffany@progressva.org: 434.906.0870 Virginians will hold ‘People’s Hearing on Climate Justice’ today at 6 p.m. to share their stories about how their lives have been impacted by climate change and discuss the necessity of environmental justice in the Commonwealth. Community members will share their stories with legislators and […]
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Treasonous Virginia GOP Congressmen Stoked Violence, Should Be Removed From Office
Washington, DC—The right-wing domestic terrorists who violently stormed the United States Capitol and prematurely ended the certification of the election results today were spurred on by Republican Congresspeople and Senators who betrayed the will of the people and our votes. Today’s violent attempted coup was seeded and fueled by opportunistic conspiracy theorists who unfortunately hold […]