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Lawmakers convene in the chamber of the Virginia House of Delegates. (Photo: Ben Paviour/VPM News)
There were lots of fistbumps and handshakes in Virginia’s Capitol Monday as lawmakers returned to their usual chambers in Richmond for the first time in over a year.
“I would like to start with two words: Welcome back!” Speaker of the House Eileen Filler-Corn said to raucous applause. She noted the legislature had wrapped up its last in person session 500 days ago, in March 2020.
The upbeat mood was tempered by rising coronavirus infections caused by the delta variant. Most Democrats wore masks while Republicans went without.