Here are some of the things that happened Wednesday in the General Assembly that involved legislators from Southwest and Southside. You can look up all the bills before the legislature and their status here: https://lis.virginia.gov/home.
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Wright returns to applause
Del. Tommy Wright, R-Lunenburg County, returned to the House of Delegates on Wednesday, a day after collapsing during a floor session.
Wright attributed the episode to dehydration. Fellow legislators gave Wright an ovation to welcome him back. House Speaker Don Scott joked as Wright ate lunch at his desk: “He’s so healthy he can eat that fried chicken.”
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Retail cannabis picks up two Republican votes
The General Assembly last year passed a bill, on almost a party-line vote, legalizing the retail sales of cannabis. Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed it. Democrats are trying again this year, although Youngkin has again indicated he’ll veto the bill. Both House and Senate committees passed legalization measures this week. The Senate version, SB 970 by state Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, passed committee Tuesday on a party-line vote. On Wednesday, the House version, HB 2485, by Del. Paul Krizek, D-Fairfax County, picked up two Republican votes, from Del. Keith Hodges of Gloucester County and Del. Will Morefield of Tazewell County, to pass 13-7.
Morefield had earlier said in a subcommittee meeting that he was hearing from health care providers in Southwest Virginia that many people were testing positive for both marijuana and other drugs. “They don’t intend to use methamphetamines or other drugs,” Morefield said, but they’re smoking marijuana laced with those substances because they’re buying from the black market. He said while many people object to cannabis, the legislature has legalized it for personal possession, so “we need to make every effort we can to provide a safe product” — which he said a legalized, and regulated, retailed market would do.
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Study of rural secretary passes Senate
The Senate has passed a bill calling for a study of whether the state should have a secretary of rural affairs.
By a voice vote, the Senate approved SJ 262 by state Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg. A companion measure, HJ 461 by Del. Israel O’Quinn, R-Washington County, is pending in a House committee.
See previous Cardinal coverage of the idea.