Old Dominion Watchdog
Virginia joins states in anti-federal government bills
Virginia delegates are shaking their fists at the federal government by adding to a crop of anti-government legislation sprouting around the country. A bill aiming to duck out of federal healthcare reform has been approved by Virginia’s general assembly, while similar legislation has been filed in at least 30 other states, according to the Washington-based nonprofit American Legislative Exchange …
News & Headlines
Diluted pay-to-play reforms pass Senate
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on March 3, 2010
UPDATE: The reform was approved by a House subcommittee on Wednesday, and is scheduled to be considered by full committee on Friday. A pay-to-play reform has been approved by the Virginia Senate, but not without being diluted in a state that’s free of most campaign finance laws. When Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Troutville, first wrote his bill, it [...]Read More>>
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New reforms could ban lobbyist from ethics panel
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on March 1, 2010
Alexandria attorney Robert Calhoun doesn’t just lobby Richmond legislators; he also investigates them when they’re accused of ethical violations. The former state senator says he never saw lobbying while serving on the Senate Ethics Advisory Panel as a problem, but he’s willing to step down if new ethics reforms become law. “I think it’s probably a good [...]Read More>>
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New film credits could lose money for Virginia
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on February 26, 2010
Virginia could begin courting Hollywood wealth with new film incentives shown to hurt the budgets of some other states. At the suggestion of Gov. Bob McDonnell, the state House and Senate have approved similar bills that would return 15 to 20 percent of direct production costs back to companies that choose to film in Virginia. For [...]Read More>>
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States seek to buck federal health care reform
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on February 17, 2010
By Seth McLaughlin The Republican-controlled Utah House this month approved a measure that aims to put the brakes on federal health care reform, making it the latest legislative body to challenge the reach of the federal government. Over the warnings from the legislature’s attorneys that the bill might be [...]Read More>>
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Public pensions under looser standards than private counterparts
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on February 4, 2010
Dwight Barker checks his mailbox each month for a $3,000 check from the Virginia Retirement System. And every month, it comes — along with newspapers reporting billions of losses in the pension fund that provides his income. But Barker doesn’t seem too troubled. “I guess they just think it was always there and always will be,” Barker [...]Read More>>
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Blog & Analysis
Cut a little money here, spend a little there
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on March 1, 2010
Cutting a little here, raising fees a little there, it will all add up to a balanced budget, officials hope. Except this bill would raise fees by a lot…to the highest in the nation, in fact. The highest lawsuit filing fee would raise from $160 to $1,000. If Republicans want to save some money, they could [...]Read More>>
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Transportation projects drag
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on February 23, 2010
From the beginning, Virginia has been one of the slowest states to put stimulus money to work. One year into the stimulus, Virginia has used about $300 million to create 454 jobs related to transportation projects. That counts for about half of the state’s total allotment. Since 81,000 Virginians are on unemployment, that doesn’t seem to [...]Read More>>
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Putting today’s load on tomorrow’s back
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on February 22, 2010
Underfunded pensions. It’s like that nagging muscle that keeps getting pulled again and again, and feels worse each time. Ever since Kaine suggested requiring state employees to contribute to their own retirement for the first time since the 1980s, Gov. McDonnell has remained silent on the issue–until last week, that is. Now, he’s finally said that’s the [...]Read More>>
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Computer virus eats at government, social networking sites
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on February 18, 2010
By Elizabeth Hillgrove A Reuters report explains that a computer virus discovered in January is wreaking havoc on government and social networking websites, affecting 75,000 computers in 2,500 organizations around the world. The new kind of virus, a “Kneber botnet,” “gathers login credentials to online financial systems, social networking sites and email systems from infested computers and [...]Read More>>
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OpenTreasury: accepting ideas until March 19
By Paige Winfield Cunningham on February 16, 2010
By Elizabeth Hillgrove The Obama Administration’s Open Government Initiative is opening its treasury ears for citizens to share opinions and ideas. The OpenTreasury website calls for help on how to “work better with others inside and outside the government,” to “solicit feedback from the public,” to “improve the availability & quality of information,” to “be more innovative [...]Read More>>
