News

I’m Running!

March 1, 2023

We wrapped up the 2023 Session this past week and so I am back in the Valley and ready for an exciting year.   Over the past two weeks, an unprecedented number of General Assembly retirements have been announced. The time has come for me to announce that… I am NOT retiring! I AM RUNNING FOR REELECTION […]

Judges, Bail, Heroes and Budgets

February 3, 2023

It has been a very busy two weeks here at the General Assembly as we prepare for Crossover (the official halfway point of session) next week. Yesterday, on a party line vote, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to kill two public safety bills that I patroned. The first would have established a criminal […]

Week 2 General Assembly Update

January 24, 2023

With the conclusion of the second week of the 2023 General Assembly Session, one thing is becoming increasingly clear – Republicans need to retake control of the Virginia Senate! This week, the Democratic leaders in the Senate showed just how partisan they have become and have demonstrated their unwillingness to put good policy ahead of […]

Week 1 General Assembly Update

January 17, 2023

Last Wednesday, the 2023 Session of the Virginia General Assembly was gaveled to order by the Speaker of the House of Delegates and the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. This year is a “short session.” It is scheduled to last 45 days and to adjourn on February 25th.  Hot topics this year include tax relief, public safety, energy and […]

Obenshain Releases Statement on the 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents 

September 16, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:  Jennifer Aulgur PHONE: (540) 437-1451 EMAIL:  [email protected]  Obenshain Releases Statement on the 2022 Model Policies on the Privacy, Dignity, and Respect for All Students and Parents  Updated Policy for Virginia’s Public School Systems HARRISONBURG – Today, Senator Mark Obenshain (R-Rockingham) released the following statement in response to the just-released 2022 Draft Model […]

News Laws Take Effect July 1

June 24, 2022

With the approach of July, I wanted to provide you with an update on new laws that are taking effect as well as an update on the Commonwealth’s budget. Every year, the General Assembly passes bills during Session which starts in early January and goes for either 45 days or 60 days depending on if […]

Gov. Youngkin proposes budget amendments on gas tax cut, lab schools and new felony for protests at justices’ homes

June 15, 2022

by: Dean Mirshahi Posted: Jun 15, 2022 / 08:39 PM EDT Updated: Jun 16, 2022 / 10:58 AM EDTSHARE RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s amendments to the state budget include proposals to expand the eligibility for lab-school funding, suspend the state’s gas tax for three months, prevent hundreds of incarcerated people from earning credits to reduce their […]

Budget Deal

June 2, 2022

Friends, A few weeks ago, Governor Youngkin called a Special Session of the General Assembly to hammer out the details of our two-year budget for the Commonwealth. Members of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee and the House Appropriations Committee have come to an agreement on a budget which brings me to Richmond today to […]

Virginia school board bars team from wearing ‘Pray for Peace’ shirts for Ukraine: ‘Defies all logic’

April 12, 2022

Montgomery County school board says lacrosse team’s shirts too ‘political’ and ‘religious’ By Bailee Hill | Fox News Virginia student-athletes are pushing back after their school board prohibited them from wearing “Pray for Peace” shirts in support of Ukraine, deeming the shirts too “political” and “religious.” Blacksburg High School Lacrosse Captain Elise Levison and her mother Clare Levison discussed […]

Youngkin signs bill regulating explicit content in schools

April 8, 2022

By SARAH RANKIN | April 8, 2022 RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A bill that will require Virginia schools to notify parents if their children are assigned books or other materials with sexually explicit content was among more than 100 measures Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed into law this week, his office said Friday. Youngkin held up the measure as […]