News / Announcements

Six members of LWV-WA met with Delegate Batten ( R-71st) and Keith Fisher, Legislative Liaison for Senator Ryan McDougle (R-26th) on League Day. The six members were: Susan Bivins, Ann Brennan, Linda Rice, Maryann Simpson, Jo and Les Solomon, and Jill Whitten. Delegate Batten serves on the House Education Committee and Senator McDougle is the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee among others. We also had a surprise and gracious encounter with the Speaker of the House, Don Scott, who took a picture with us

The Great Williamsburg Chamber of Commerce’s Pre-Session Legislative Forum was held January 3 from 8am-9am at WRL Theater. Over 100 people registered for the event. These Senators and Delegates representing the Great Williamsburg area made up the panel: Sen. Ryan McDougle (R), Sen.-elect Danny Diggs (R), Delegate Amanda Batten (R), Delegate A.C. Cordoza (R), and Delegate-elect Chad Green (R).

Virginia has many notable “firsts” in its history. But more recently we are being watched across the country for falling into the “only a few” category.
Virginia is one of only three states whose consti­tu­tion perman­ently disen­fran­chises all citizens with past felony convic­tions, but grants the state’s governor the author­ity to restore voting rights.

Great speakers at Back to League

Growth of our social media platforms has been steady. Since the League began posting in May, we have accumulated well hundreds of followers with the potential of converting them to active members. Our messages have been clear, concise, and calls to action.

Your help is needed to complete a comprehensive study that when completed could give us an expanded position for advocacy -- reprint of D. Wake's article from The Virginia Voter, July 2023 Vol 71, No 1

Despite the heavy downpours, we had a great Annual Members Meeting on June 22 at Legacy Hall. Wonderful speakers - Prof Spitzer on history of gun regulation and Ruth Winters of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for public safety. We passed all our proposals and then enjoyed the outstanding treats provided by our generous members!

Hope you had a great 4th of July! While celebrating our country, here's some Supreme Court decisions which I'm thankful for.

We have increased our social media presence, putting our voice on Twitter and other social media sites. We want to spread the word about democracy. You may have some questions about social media that we can answer here.

This year, due to an incredibly generous donation, our League was able to award three $1500 scholarships...

The LWV-VA has adopted a new study addressing universal suffrage as expressed in Senator Locke’s 2021 bill SJ272 which originally called for the “universal right to vote.” Contact us to do the work!

Members of 14 Local leagues converged for the 41st LWV of Virginia Biennial Convention. Over 88 attendees participating.

In June, the Virginia League will consider making voting restoration an issue to be taken up as a cause. Virginia was working its way to restoring voting rights with the first passage of a constitutional amendment... The amendment did not pass the second time in the current General Assembly. And so, it continues that anyone convicted must petition the Governor for reinstatement, which is granted on a case-by-case basis.

Linda Rice attended online meeting of new Voting & Elections Issue Group. Here are some notes.

It’s budget time in Virginia where state government, counties, towns and cities run on a fiscal year of July 1-June 30 per Virginia Code.
[image: https://thecommonwealthinstitute.org/the-half-sheet/status-report-whats-happening-with-virginias-budget/]

Between the Senate and the House, legislators filed 3029 bills this session. The Richmond Sunlight, a non-partisan that aggregates information about the General Assembly, notes:
"Some of these bills will pass, becoming a part of Virginia law, but the overwhelming majority will not make it. It’s kind of like sea turtle hatchlings: out of dozens and dozens of eggs, only a few make it safely past the seagulls to the water, and of those just one is likely to grow to adulthood."
(photo: Hawksbill-Photo-Credit-US-Fish-and-Wildlife)

Reflections on Jan. 25, 2023 League Day in Richmond. Our eleven members who attended League Day are the embodiment of Democracy in Action. We reminded the staff of Senator Norment and Senator Locke that Virginia is the tenth wealthiest state in the United States. Consequently, we firmly urged the legislators to support competitive pay for teachers, educational support staff like school psychologists, and mental health professionals. We also reminded them that climate change will only be lessened by continuing to support the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative approved by the General Assembly in 2021.

In 2021, the LWV-WA decided to award a scholarship to a local student with plans to pursue studies in civics, government, politics, law, or a related area of study. While discussing the best way to go about it, a member suggested using the Williamsburg Community Foundation’s WJCC Scholarship Fund which awards college scholarships to students graduating from Jamestown, Lafayette, and Warhill High Schools...

We recognize the following League members who have served 50 years or more: Nancy Hummel, Phoebe Kent, Sharon Kiefer, Judy Knudson, Joyce McKnight, Carol Talbot, and Jan Woodward...

Every advocacy organization has a day when their members advocate at the Virginia General Assembly for issues that are important to their membership.

This scholarship is intended for a student who plans to pursue studies in civics, government, politics, law, or a related area of study.

list of topics of Great Decisions series of 2023