Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Richmond representatives to discuss upcoming changes to state laws.
The Alexandria Democratic Committee will host a 2013 Legislative Review session with all five elected officials who represent Alexandria in the Virginia State Capitol at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at George Washington Middle School on Mount Vernon Avenue. State Sens. Dick Saslaw (D-35th), George Barker (D-39th) and Adam Ebbin (D-30th) along with Dels. Charniele Herring (D-46th) and Rob Krupicka (D-45th) will discuss the 2013 session and upcoming changes to state laws. Attendees will also be given an opportunity “to talk to their elected officials about what’s important to them and the local community,” according to a press release. Saslaw is the leading Democrat in the senate, while Herring is the House Minority Whip. The event is …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
State Sen. Adam Ebbin, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner among those who have changed their profile pictures.
You probably have seen a red square with a pink equals sign on it in your Facebook, Twitter and other social media feeds lately—a symbol that stands for marriage equality. It stems from an effort by the Human Rights Campaign that coincides with oral arguments being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this week regarding the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. DOMA, as it is known, allows the federal government to discriminate against same-sex couples. The equality symbol signifies that marriage really is all about love, according to the Human Rights Campaign. "It's nice for people on Facebook to see their Facebook friends standing up, and seeing so many people doing that," said state Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria. Ebbin, who is …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The governor's amended transportation bill should eliminate the fee on hybrid cars, according to some Northern Virginia Legislators.
Governor Bob McDonnell announced Tuesday that he was making a number of amendments to his massive transportation bill, including lowering the fee for hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles, but some legislators aren’t happy. Among other changes, McDonnell has proposed lowering the annual fee for alternative fuel vehicles from $100 to $64. “Virginia’s economy depends upon a safe, reliable, efficient transportation system spanning all areas of the Commonwealth,” McDonnell said in a statement. “This is why I have substantially agreed to the provisions in the compromise bill that passed our legislature.” But Northern Virginia Delegates Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) and Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) argue the tax should be eliminated from the bill …
Monday, March 18, 2013
Local lawmakers will deliver a petition Monday morning to repeal the hybrid tax.
Del. Scott Surovell (D-44th) and Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30th District) will deliver a petition to Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell in Richmond Monday morning from residents who want to repeal the hybrid vehicle tax. The Virginia General Assembly recently passed HB2313, which includes a $100 tax on hybrid vehicles. In late February, Surovell and Ebbin started an online petition against the hybrid tax. The petition garnered slightly less than 7,000 signatures as of Sunday afternoon, according to a Facebook update from Surovell. "The $100 hybrid tax punishes virtuous behavior, bears zero relationship to reduced road taxes paid, and disincentives energy independence," Del. Surovell said in a column published on Patch in Februrary. • Interested in …
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Ebbin: Proposed law was aimed at protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender state employees.
A Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee this week tabled a bill that would have prevented the state government from discriminating against someone based on their sexual orientation, essentially killing the matter for this legislative session. "What it means is that it's still perfectly legal to fire somebody because of their sexual orientation," state Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, told Patch. Ebbin and Sen. Don McEachin, a Richmond Democrat, were the primary sponsors of the bill, which passed the Senate late last month 24-16. Most of Virginia's top 25 employers have nondiscrimination policies in place that include sexual orientation, according to Ebbin's office. In 2005, then-Gov. Mark Warner issued an executive order that protected …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Alexandria-area representatives to answer questions about General Assembly session.
Del. Rob Krupicka (D-45th) and Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-30th) are hosting a town hall meeting from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Charles Houston Recreation Center in Old Town Alexandria to discuss this winter's General Assembly session. The Alexandria-area representatives will be taking comments and questions during the 90-minute session. No RSVP is necessary. Krupicka, a former member of both the Alexandria City Council and the Virginia Board of Education, was elected to the House of Delegates in a special election in September 2012. Visit Richmond Sunlight for a detailed look at the bills Krupicka has worked on this session. Ebbin is in his first term as senator, winning election to the office in 2011. He was previously a state delegate …
Friday, February 8, 2013
Proposal would allow localities to impose a 1 percent income tax without voter approval.
The Virginia State Senate has passed a bill that would enable Virginia localities to create a local income tax to fund improvements to transportation infrastructure. Under the legislation, SB 1313, which is now awaiting review in the House of Delegates, local governments would be allowed to establish an income tax of up to 1 percent without approval from voters. The bill would affect the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, and Prince William, and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park. Current Virginia law dictates a jurisdiction’s residents must approve a local income tax in a referendum. The majority of Virginia localities rely on road maintenance from the state, with the exception of some areas…
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Patch welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity. Links added by Patch.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, February 7
Dear Editor, This year Del. Alfonso Lopez and Sen. Adam Ebbin patroned similar bills designed to extend in-state college tuition to Virginia youth that qualify for residency under the new federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Currently, these students must pay out-of-state tuition for Virginia colleges even if they have lived, and their parents have paid taxes, in the commonwealth for decades. Without in-state tuition to help them afford higher education, many — if not most — of these young people will unable to advance their education and will be relegated to a second-class existence. By letting them pay in-state tuition, Virginia would invest in its future workforce and enhance the ability of these young people to …
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Senators representing Alexandria split in support of amendment.
- ELECTIONS
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Saturday, February 2
By Shelby Mertens, Capital News Service Starting in 2017, Virginia voters could have the opportunity to re-elect the governor to a second consecutive term if the House joins the Senate in seeking to amend the state’s Constitution. The Senate this week approved a proposed constitutional amendment to allow governors to serve two terms in a row. The vote was 25-15. SJ 276 was co-sponsored by Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and Dels. Scott Surovell (D-Mount Vernon) and David Ramadan (R-South Riding). Sen. George Barker, who represents a large portion of Alexandria's West End, voted against the constitutional amendment. Sen. Dick Saslaw, who represents a small part of northwestern Alexandria, voted in favor of it. Ebbin represents the eastern …
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
If the senate's redistricting proposal passes the House of Delegates and is signed into law, Sen. Adam Ebbin would become Alexandria's only state senator.
Monday night’s Republican-led effort to redistrict Virginia's state senate would push Alexandria voters out of the districts of Virginia Sens. George Barker (D-39th) and Dick Saslaw (D-35th). The changes, which were introduced as an amendment to a larger bill late Monday, are awaiting House approval and would take effect in 2015. However, Democrats, including Barker, said the move is unconstitutional at best. Republicans called the redistricting attempt "an effort to create another majority black Senate district." It comes two years after Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the state's traditional redistricting plan, crafted every 10 years with census data in years that end in "1." However, introducing yet another plan is unconstitutional, Senate …
Raine Koch
2:43 pm on Thursday, March 28, 2013
Glad to see Senator Warner get on the right side of history. And as always, I am so glad that I voted for Adam Ebbin. more ›