Bipartisan Virginia lawmakers are putting forward a criminal justice reform bill proponents say is modeled after a 2022 Florida law that featured the unlikely pairing of Gov. Ron DeSantis and rap mogul Jay-Z. State Del. Wren Williams, R-Stuart, is spearheading the effort that already garnered the support of the entire Democratic majority in Virginia’s lower House earlier this month. The Democratic-majority state Senate is set to vote on...

Medicaid is quickly emerging as a political lightning rod as House Republicans negotiate on a massive bill to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda. Some Republican lawmakers are worried about the level of spending cuts being sought by fiscal hawks to offset the cost of Trump’s policies, arguing the current deal could force potentially unworkable cuts on Medicaid and other federal safety net programs. “I’m concerned that $880 billion...

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a pro-union Republican, will go before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) on Wednesday for a confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of Labor.  President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Labor will be questioned by committee senators beginning at 10 a.m.  Chavez-DeRemer has already found an opponent in Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who is a member...