Spring is the season when Virginia’s local governments put the finishing touches on their own budgets for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1st.  But they’re finding it difficult to craft their spending plans without knowing exactly how many dollars they will receive from the state—which is unknown due to the state budget impasse.  As Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, they’re trying to get the job done, anyway—and in some cases, with consequences to local taxpayers.

 

Representatives of Virginia Clean Cities joined car manufacturers and industry experts at a Richmond Expo to showcase new technologies and vehicles powered by natural gas. They say such vehicles can produce significantly lower levels of emissions than traditional fuel sources….and that switching one waste truck has the pollution-reduction impact of removing 325 cars from the road. And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, the advocates also say the idea of switching to natural gas for public and private fleets is catching on across the Commonwealth.

The ACLU of Virginia wants to prevent a situation like that in 2012 where 31 protesters were arrested for straying outside a designated area on the state’s Capitol Square. As Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, the organization is now calling on Governor McAuliffe through a letter to completely revise the regulations that limit citizens from expressing their views to lawmakers and other public officials.

Listening to some of the tales of how people obtained copies of their birth certificates is like hearing the hobbit, Frodo Baggins, recount his journey into Mordor. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, Governor McAuliffe says Virginia is now writing a new chapter—by making those documents accessible through any DMV office.

The Virginia Senate has passed its version of the state budget for the next two fiscal years, which begin on July 1^st.  Senators introduced the spending bill proposed by Governor McAuliffe, then added their own touches—including Marketplace Virginia, the private-insurance alternative to Medicaid expansion. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, by the end of the day the Senate and the House were no closer to resolving their budget stalemate.

To approve a budget, the same bill must pass both houses of the General Assembly—or one bill must be sent to a conference committee.  House conferees said the Senate needs to take action on the House budget before the process can move forward.

The Senate Finance Committee has rejected the traditional Medicaid expansion in Governor McAuliffe’s proposed budget in favor of its own alternative, “Marketplace Virginia.”  The Senate plan would use federal funds to provide private health insurance for residents who make under 139 percent of the poverty level.  And as Virginia Public Radio’s Anne Marie Morgan reports, GOP House leaders are not sold on the idea. 

Many Virginians go into the military hoping to retain skills that will provide career opportunities once they leave the armed forces. But homeless and jobless rates continue to rise because Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are finding it difficult to get certification or college credits for their training to qualify for civilian jobs.  But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, at least one group studying the issue is developing short-term solutions to this problem.