🎉 Best news!

Screen cap of Miyares sharing a tweet about a dog sitting on a soldier at an airport, with the reader added context explaining that this is a very old AI-generated image and that a military working dog would never be left unattended in a public airport.

Virginia’s former “top cop” doesn’t have the ability to recognize AI nor the sense not to blindly share it as if it’s real. Let’s hope he wasn’t personally in charge of cybersecurity.

She had ANOTHER great year! I try to remind people that these aren't *super* precise, that it's more about what range your legislator falls in, because one vote one way or the other could be due to a million little things, including this!

Some changes this year (it’s different with a trifecta!) but 💙 to see so many repeat names at top of the scorecard, incl. @henson4virginia.bsky.social, @marcussimon.com, @hopeforvirginia.bsky.social, @kathykltran.bsky.social, @jenniferboysko.com, @ebpforva.bsky.social, @barbarafavola.bsky.social

Drumroll please: the 2026 VAPLAN scorecard is live! - VAPLAN Once again this year, VAPLAN completes the legislative session with our scorecard, ranking legislators from most “progressive” to least, across a wide array of policy areas. We ....

Congratulations to this year’s top most progressive VAPLAN scorecard legislators (both need to get on Bluesky), Del Cousins & Sen Carroll Foy! (And it was just as I was finishing up the work on this year’s scorecard that I noticed they both also topped the 2024 scorecard!!) vaplan.us/drumroll-ple...

a cartoon of a coyote wearing binoculars with the words looney tunes below him ALT: a cartoon of a coyote wearing binoculars with the words looney tunes below him

🚨Be on the lookout soon—hopefully before the end of today—for the 2026 VAPLAN progressive legislator scorecard! Who do you think will score near the top this year?

Week Nine: It’s a wrap! - VAPLAN The General Assembly finished *most* of their work yesterday, but were unfortunately unable to come to an agreement on the biggest piece of legislation—the budget; ....

Week 9 newsletter is up! Summing up the long overdue legislative wins, the timely legislative responses to current events, and a few missed opportunities.
vaplan.us/week-nine-it...

Seems all okay, the legislature as a whole hasn't adjourned sine die until both chambers do. Senate GOP wanted to amend to ensure 48 hours notice before being called in to special session (budget must be posted 48 hours in advance anyway).

Bit of a kerfuffle as House has adjourned sine die before Senate had a chance to vote on joint resolution for special session.

Final passage in Senate of conference report on @kathykltran.bsky.social & @ssurovell.bsky.social public sector collective bargaining. Incl home health care workers. Excl non-service workers at universities (faculty, health, etc.) Cannot collectively bargain health care if under the state plan.

And that’s a wrap on the Fairfax casino bill. The second conference committee report, limiting it to essentially Tyson’s, by referendum of the voters, has now passed both chambers.

Voting board shows 23 yeas and 15 nays on SB661

And there’s the Senate vote to accept that second conference committee report on “skill games.” So that’s passed. Really disappointed with this version especially. I hope the Governor makes some substantive changes.

House approves 2nd conference report on the Fairfax casino—not the temporary, pop-up version in yesterday’s report, but the original one in Tyson’s after a referendum of Fairfax voters.

Del Tran said they included everyone they possibly could. (Dollar-wise I assume.)

Voting board shows 17 yeas and 22 nays on HB930

Super strange vote to reject conference committee report on Del Simon bill to clarify code on whistleblower protections at work. Very uncool.

Passed the House! (I think we're having the same convo on Insta? 😂) Home care workers in, university workers service workers only.

The skill games bill is like a freaking zombie. The House version 2nd conf committee report died, the Senate version passed, but then didn’t actually pass because it creates a tax and needs a majority of those elected and the vote didn’t meet that. That votes been reconsidered.

I keep hearing about time travel over in the Senate--got me confused! 🤪

House at recess. Bills still in conference:
⏺️ Public collective bargaining
⏺️ "Skill games"
⏺️ FFX casino
⏺️ Safe storage of guns in cars
And a few others

House and Senate still really struggling on an agreement on safe storage of guns in cars. (Original bills as passed differed pretty significantly, so unsurprising.) Second committee of conference.

New 2nd conference committee report up for Fairfax casino bill. Quick skim looks like no more temporary pop-up, narrowed back to Tyson’s, FFX referendum req (not req majority in magisterial district). Very similar to what passed Senate in the first place. lis.blob.core.windows.net/files/121201...

On Senate floor, @ssurovell.bsky.social reads email he received from a member of recently murdered Stephanie Minter's family, thanking him for his service & for his words following her murder. Surovell says GOP senators need to STOP using her name to support policies they don't agree with.

Second committee of conference on casino bill!! (Presumably means they don't have the votes for the pop-up casino from the first report) Also second committee on skill games, whose first conference report was rejected by House

Voting board shows 66 yeas and 29 nays on HB1377

House approves conference report on @helmerva.bsky.social bill to create task force to study VMI’s response to SCHEV report recommendations on racism, sexism, distancing itself from Lost Cause, etc. Bill supported by VMI leadership.

Voting board shows 42 yeas and 52 nays on HB1272

Skill games conference report NOT approved by House floor!!

Voting board shows 64 yeas and 32 nays on HB642

FINAL PASS @paulkrizek.bsky.social Marijuana market compromise: Start Jan. ‘26 (S), violations: misdemeanor first two, felony after (H), illicit market tipline, licensing regulation of intoxicating hemp VDACS—>Cannabis Auth., add’l tax 6% + optional 1-3% local (H), 40% revenue—>early childhood ed.

Substantial changes announced in conference report to HB286 ( @helmerva.bsky.social ) bill re: National Guard; now cannot be used to interfere with elections, legislature can investigate and review their deployment, they create annual report on their accomplishments. It passes House.

It's giving Dick Black.

After GOP Del Garrett rants in House, @katrinacallsen.com defends her campus gun ban bill, asked for by univ. law enforcement & appr. by ROTC "I am so sorry for the family of Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, and I am so sorry that his name is being used on this floor for political purposes."

On last day of session, Del Hodges waxing poetic on House floor about dandelion wine and fireflies (something something about rural vs urban economic engine) and playing clip from old Newlywed Game show of woman who sent husband to doctor for catching urban.