Interior Policy

Virginia residents are getting an opportunity to review and comment on Gov. Bob McDonnell's proposed two-year state budget. The House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees of the General Assembly will hold regional public hearings this week on the...

In Richmond, state lawmakers paused to honor Martin Luther King on Monday. But the holiday also brought the debate over gun violence. Familiar arguments could bring a different result. Members of the Virginia Citizens Defense League wore slogans, and...

The Virginia Center for Public Safety plans a vigil for victims of gun violence Monday at the state Capitol. Members also will seek the ear of state legislators to encourage them to toughen the state's gun laws. Their task is daunting. Republicans took...

Governor Bob McDonnell says his plan to shore up the state's retirement system will require state employees to pay more. He outlined a proposal Thursday that will increase employee contributions by one percent over two years. McDonnell has already...

Opponents of bills to relax Virginia gun laws are warning that the measures would make the state a more dangerous place.    One bill would prohibit colleges and other government bodies from regulating gun possession unless specifically authorized by...

A Senate committee has endorsed legislation to repeal Virginia's one-handgun-a-month law, but two other measures supported by gun-rights advocates have been carried over until next year. The Courts of Justice Committee voted 8-6 Wednesday to send Sen....

A bill tightening voter registration and in-person voting requirements has sailed through a House committee on the strength of a Republican majority. By a 14-6 vote Friday, the Privileges and Elections Committee advances the latest GOP bill imposing a...

A bitter partisan dispute over Republican bills that place new burdens on voters is taking on passionate references from black leaders to Jim Crow, poll taxes and alleged conservative efforts to "lynch democracy." About 300 people on the Capitol lawn...

Governor Bob McDonnell's prescription for the ailing Virginia Retirement System includes a 2.2 bilion dollar infusion of cash.  McDonnell says historic contributions from the state and Virginia's local governments are needed to shore up the pension plan,...

Gov. Bob McDonnell's new budget ends hundreds of millions of dollars in inflation allowances for health care and non-classroom public school programs and dramatically scales back pre-kindergarten programs. The two-year spending blueprint he's presenting...

Gun-rights and gun-control advocates held simultaneous rallies at Virginia Tech, Thursday. The Virginia Citizens Defense League, a pro-gun organization, held a protest at Squires Student Center.  It's one of several protests the VCDL has held at...

Updated 8:20 p.m. We've been getting reports of aftershocks from Tuesday afternoon's earthquake that affected much of the east coast. The U.S.G.S. says the latest aftershock happened a little after 8:00 and had a 4.2 magnitude. Aftershocks are often...