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I have found this to be a very usesful website each Jan - Mar when the Virginia General Assembly is in session. See http://leg1.state.va.us/ Here, you can look up VA bills by bill number, by delegate/senator, by date submitted and by subject. Also, it lists all emails for members and lists the committees.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Conservatives advanced measures through Virginia's House on Tuesday that defy Washington by exempting Virginia-made goods from federal oversight, allow states to repeal federal law and blunt federal energy policy. The votes, largely on party lines, were victories for tea party groups and Republicans eager to please them in a legislative election year. They came during 3 1/2 hours of sometimes charged rhetoric that invoked state sovereignty and even the Civil War in the former Confederate Capitol. "Our federal government has become too big and too powerful and we're not going to take it any more," said...

RICHMOND - Gov. Robert F. McDonnell has quietly lifted the ban on people carrying firearms openly in Virginia's state parks, reversing a policy put in place by his predecessor. Gun-control advocates decried the move, saying the decision could hurt the state's tourism business, while gun-rights advocates said the directive was overdue. It also was not unexpected, as McDonnell (R) had opined as attorney general three years ago that the Department of Conservation and Recreation's guns-in-parks ban exceeded its authority when it enacted the rule under then-Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D).

On Wednesday, the Virginia Senate Courts of Justice Committee voted 12-3 to defeat SB 876, known as the “Castle Doctrine.” The measure would have allowed “a lawful occupant use of physical force, including deadly force, against an intruder in his dwelling who has committed an overt act against him, without civil liability.” For the last several years, the same bill has been defeated in the Democratically-controlled Senate, while the same version has passed in the Republican-controlled House. The committee voted as follows: Against: Sen. Janet D. Howell (D-Reston) Sen. Louise L. Lucas (D-Portsmouth) Sen. Henry L. Marsh (D-Richmond) Sen. Thomas...

According to a National Rifle Association (NRA) email alert sent to its Virginia members today, "[o]n January 14, Governor McDonnell issued a directive to the [Virginia] Department of Conservation and Recreation to cease enforcement of § 4VAC5-30-200 which prohibits open carrying of firearms in State Parks and has immediate effect." This action follows though on a legal opinion McDonnell issued as state Attorney General regarding the state regulation banning open carry in state parks in which he declared that "[a] person’s right to carry a firearm openly is considered universal within the Commonwealth." . . .

<p>RICHMOND, Va. - A power struggle is unfolding in Virginia over climate change research. Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has been taking the University of Virginia to court to get information on a climate change researcher who once worked at the school.</p>

For Immediate Release Contact: Garren Shipley (540) 686-1138 Senate Democrats Kill Transportation 'Lockbox', Right-to-Work, Other Common-Sense Bills in Less Than an Hour -- Also vote to kill Repeal Amendment resolution -- It might be some sort of record. Legislators have spent entire careers in Richmond and been in the position to kill common-sense, conservative legislation only once or twice. And then they would think long and hard before following through. But on Tuesday, the current crop of Senate Democrats managed to wipe out no fewer than FOUR such pieces of legislation IN LESS THAN AN HOUR. During Tuesday morning's meeting...

A bipartisan coalition of legislators seeks sweeping changes to state foreclosure laws aimed at protecting homeowners and tightening record-keeping practices. Perhaps the highest profile is Bob Marshall's, which would require that mortgage transfers be recorded in local land records and that investors and lenders file documents there before foreclosing. "Failure to act by this General Assembly will, in fact, be a big bank bailout by the lawmakers of Virginia," Marshall said. Currently, banks have their own system of records known as the Mortgage Electronic Registration System, in which 60 percent of the nation's residential mortgages are recorded. That nongovernmental database,...

Virginia House backs constitutional amendment to limit unionsBy Fredrick Kunkle Posted at 6:18 PM ET, 01/18/2011 The House of Delegates on Tuesday approved a resolution that would enshrine Virginia's "right-to-work" law in its constitution, thereby making permanent the state's traditional wariness toward the influence of labor unions. Republicans argued that Virginia's laws against compulsory union membership are key to its reputation as a business-friendly state, and that a state constitutional amendment reiterating those principles would strengthen its ability to counter recent pro-labor actions from Washington. The resolution, HJ500, sponsored by Del. Richard Bell (R-Franklin), passed 61-36. But it seems less...

For Immediate Release Contact: Garren Shipley (540) 686-1138 Democrat Roscoe Reynolds Lets 'Castle Doctrine' Bill Die Without So Much as a Word -- Legislation that would protect homeowners who use deadly force to protect themselves during a home-break in - RPV Chairman Pat Mullins issued the following statement on Reynolds' inaction: "When I was told that Roscoe Reynolds let SB 876 die in his committee, I simply couldn't believe what I was hearing. The last thing a homeowner in Virginia needs to be worried about when they're facing down an armed intruder is 'Will he be able to sue me...

§ 55-59.6. Foreclosure; civil penalty for fraud; civil action. A. Any person who (i) knowingly makes, uses, or causes to be made or used a false or fraudulent record, document, or statement or (ii) knowingly swears or affirms falsely to any matter, in support of any foreclosure upon property under this chapter shall be liable for a civil penalty of $5,000 for each violation.

For Immediate Release Contact: Garren Shipley (540) 686-1138 Democrats on Day 1: Zero New Ideas -- After months of complaining that Governor McDonnell's transportation plan isn't good enough, the only ideas from Democrats are higher taxes and no real plans-- The 2011 Session of the Virginia General Assembly is off and running. While Governor McDonnell and the entire GOP team are working to improve the Commonwealth's roads, streamline government, and hold the line on taxes, Democrats are ... sitting on their hands. Democratic Party of Virginia Chairman Brian Moran admitted to the Washington Post that not only does his party...

Virginia legislators will consider whether to bar illegal immigrants from enrolling in state’s public colleges and universities. Del. Christopher Peace’s bill would amend state law to explicitly prohibit people who are in the United States illegally from being admitted to Virginia’s public two-year or four-year institutions. Several previous attempts to pass similar legislation in Virginia haven’t succeeded. Federal law prohibits such people from paying in-state tuition at colleges and universities, but they can still pursue a public college education. Virginia’s public universities currently have the discretion to decide whether to admit illegal aliens as long as they charge out-of-state tuition....

WHEREAS, the present monetary and banking systems of the United States, centered around the Federal Reserve System, have come under ever-increasing strain during the last several years, and will be exposed to ever-increasing and predictably debilitating strain in the years to come. WHEREAS, many widely recognized experts predict the inevitable destruction of the Federal Reserve System’s currency through hyperinflation in the foreseeable future. WHEREAS, in the event of hyperinflation, depression, or other economic calamity related to the breakdown of the Federal Reserve System, for which the Commonwealth is not prepared, the Commonwealth’s governmental finances and Virginia’s private economy will be...

Nearing the end of a year in which the issue of illegal immigration repeatedly roiled Virginia, state lawmakers introduced numerous bills for the 2011 General Assembly that would toughen the state's treatment of undocumented residents. Del. Christopher Peace, R-Henrico, recently filed a bill that would bar illegal immigrants from attending Virginia's public colleges and universities. And Del. Dave Albo, R-Fairfax, introduced legislation requiring local social service agencies to verify the legal status of those applying for public assistance and giving the governor the power to withholding funding for agencies that don't comply. The bill is one of several immigration measures...

Following this weekend's vote by the Senate to allow gays to openly serve in the military, Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince WIlliam) said he is drafting a bill for the 2011 legislative session that would ban them from serving in the Virginia National Guard.

IN GOD WE TRUST: Virginia Bill is sponsored in the Assembly by Valley legislators, Sen. Mark Obenshain and Del. Dickie Bell andrequires at least 350 pre-filed applications to be on hand for approval, we are urging Valley residents to file their applications as soon as possible.

Want to publicly express solidarity with the spirit of the tea party movement and its principles of limited government, fiscal austerity and less taxation? Del. John O'Bannon has just the bill for you. At the request of constituents, the Henrico County Republican has filed legislation to establish a "Don't Tread On Me" license plate featuring the rattlesnake emblem and yellow background of the historic Gadsden Flag, which has become a rallying symbol for the tea party and like-minded conservative activists. 912 Richmond, a group under the umbrella of the Virginia Tea Party Patriots federation, is soliciting motorists to apply for...

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - It has now been just about two weeks since a new Virginia law went into effect allowing concealed weapons in bars and restaurants. Now, both sides of the issue are already weighing in on its impact. Today we get the opinions of people directly connected to the new law. Phillip Van Cleave is the President of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, a group that fought to get the law passed.

State highway officials have mapped several stretches of Interstate 81, including several in Southwest Virginia, where the speed limit could be raised from 65 to 70 mph as soon as July 1. The General Assembly voted earlier this year to authorize selective raising of the interstate speed limit, and Gov. Bob McDonnell concurred. The Virginia Department of Transportation has the final say. VDOT said it will evaluate 741 miles of Interstates 64, 66, 77, 81, 95, 295 and 395 during an opening round of required studies. A new map posted Monday to the agency's Web site shows areas under initial...