Landmark legislation that would make Virginia the first state in the South to legalize marijuana is heading toward its first full votes before the House and Senate this week.
And while the proposal has garnered consistent â and in some cases bipartisan â support, significant debate remains on key details of the proposal, including when and how criminal penalties should be rolled back as the state begins working to establish a legal marketplace for the drug.
Lawmakers and advocates said the question became even more important last week as the legislation was amended in both the House and Senate to push the start of retail sales to Jan. 1, 2024, a full year later than the 2023 date proposed by Gov. Ralph Northam.
FAIRFIELD-SUISUN, CALIFORNIA
Correctional officers stand at the entrance to the Greensville Correctional Center Nov. 10, 2009 near Jarratt, Virginia. (Alex Wong/Getty Images/TNS)
Since 1608, Virginia has executed more people than any other state. It may now abolish the death penalty.
But after more than 400 years, the state’s days of capital punishment may be numbered.
Though Virginia has executed more people than any other state since Colonial times, it’s been nearly four years since its last execution and 10 years since juries handed down the state’s last two death sentences.
There are only two inmates on Virginia’s death row both stemming from Norfolk cases down from a peak of 40 in 1998.
The first recorded public execution in Virginia took place at Jamestown in 1608, but legislation to end capital punishment recently passed two key Senate committees and stands a good chance at ultimate passage.
By: The Associated Press
and last updated 2021-01-27 16:58:07-05
RICHMOND, Va. The Virginia Senate on Wednesday approved a measure rebuking one of its most far-right members for a âpattern of unacceptable conduct, including an allegation that she voiced support for those who participated in storming the U.S. Capitol.
On a vote of 24-9, the Democrat-controlled chamber advanced a resolution censuring Amanda Chase, a senator from suburban Richmond who is seeking the GOP nomination for governor.
The vote followed a long debate that featured scathing rebukes from Chase s colleagues on both sides of the political aisle. She launched into a series of personal and professional attacks on some of her fellow senators, noting that some of them have had their own behavioral and legal troubles in the past. She also threatened to file a lawsuit if they voted in favor of the censure.