This time of year, there is a ton of news about the Virginia general assembly. Bills being proposed, bills being passed through committee, and soon, crossover! If this has you spelunking into the depths of your high school civics class, we are here to give you a refresh! We’ll talk about the history of the General Assembly, how a bill becomes a law, and give you some tips for processing legislative news.

Sources: https://encyclopediavirginia.org/primary-documents/the-constitution-of-virginia-1776/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Virginia_state_legislatures https://www.ncsl.org/about-state-legislatures/full-and-part-time-legislatures
https://virginiamercury.com/2024/02/23/senate-bill-on-personal-use-of-campaign-cash-heads-to-house-panel-that-killed-it-before/ https://virginiamercury.com/2024/04/17/virginia-legislature-will-consider-reworked-state-budget-in-may-13-special-session/ https://www.wvtf.org/news/2024-05-13/virginia-house-and-senate-pass-youngkin-signs-budget-in-special-session https://www.wvtf.org/news/2024-05-20/the-general-assembly-is-technically-still-in-session
https://dpb.virginia.gov/about/history.cfm

Every state in the US regulates alcohol and liquor in a different way. Their right to do so is even enshrined in the US Constitution! So how did Virginia’s Alcohol and Beverage Control Authority come about? Why is liquor only sold in ABC stores? And is it true that Virginia doesn’t have any bars? Resources: 90 Years of VABC magazine article: https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/2024-Q1-Spirited-VA/index.php#/p/16

Titos is Virginia’s Favorite Spirit: https://www.abc.virginia.gov/about/media-room/2024/20241122-titos-continues-reign-as-virginians-favorite-spirit Americans buy more liquor in December: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/03/10-facts-about-americans-and-alcohol-as-dry-january-begins/ DC Grocery Story liquor sales: https://abca.dc.gov/page/full-service-grocery-store#gsc.tab=0

Why is liquor sold in different stores? https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/31/nyregion/liquor-law-wine-supermarkets.html

A history of Prohibition in VA https://northernvirginiamag.com/culture/culture-features/2023/11/14/drinking-in-history-a-look-back-at-virginias-past-90-years-post-prohibition/ VABC Underage Buyer Program: https://www.abc.virginia.gov/enforcement/uab-program

Virginia Restaurant law: https://virginiamercury.com/2018/10/02/where-did-virginias-food-to-liquor-ratio-come-from-and-does-it-still-serve-a-purpose/ VABC Hearing outcomes: https://www.abc.virginia.gov/enforcement/hearings-and-appeals/final-decisions

44% of all renters in Virginia pay more than 30% of their income in rent and the average rent in the US has gone up 19% since 2019. So what is Virginia doing about it? What’s the role of state government in affordable housing policy? The Democrat-controlled General Assembly and the Republican Youngkin administration have managed to pass some affordable housing legislation over the past 3 years. Has affordable housing become a bipartisan issue in Virginia? To answer these questions, I have a couple experts on the podcast, Christie Marra is the Director of Housing Advocacy for the Virginia Poverty Law Center and Overton McGehee, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity Virginia. Read more: December 2021 “Affordable Housing in Virginia” Report by the Virginia Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission https://jlarc.virginia.gov/landing-2021-affordable-housing-in-virginia.asp