The 2021 General Assembly session was short but consequential, perhaps one of the most consequential in Virginiaâs long history.
The legislature abolished the death penalty and legalized marijuana. Those two actions alone earn this session a place in history.
The General Assembly, now in its second year of full Democratic control after decades of Republican majorities, also continued its makeover of criminal justice and election laws.
It voted to take down the statue of Harry F. Byrd Sr., the architect of Virginiaâs Massive Resistance to integration in the â50s.
Unfortunately, it also voted to keep in place Byrdâs school-funding policies that have created vast disparities between schools in Virginiaâs most affluent communities and those in its poorest locales.
Virginia s General Assembly completed the work of a hybrid legislative session on Saturday that sought to transform Virginia s criminal justice system and restore public schools that have been partly or
Virginia lawmakers passed more than 500 bills in the 2021 session, and more than two dozen of them directly addressed the problems brought on by the pandemic.
Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William, left, Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, center and Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, right, confer on marijuana legislation before the floor session of the Virginia Senate, which is meeting inside the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond, VA Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bob Brown).
RICHMOND, VA Virginia lawmakers gave final approval Saturday to a bill that will legalize cannabis for adult use, but not until 2024, when retail sales of the drug would begin.
With a compromise bill having cleared the state House and Senate, Virginia becomes the first Southern state to vote to legalize marijuana, joining 15 other states and the District of Columbia. The legislation now goes to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who supports legalization.
Virginia lawmakers wind down this year's session lmtonline.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lmtonline.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.