COVID-19
Opinion — COVID guidelines
Governor Northam will give his final State of the Commonwealth speech on Wednesday, Jan. 12. Due to COVID, the governor will speak from the House ...
Matt Fariss, Author at Farmville - Page 2 of 4
Guest Columns
Opinion — Withdrawing from RGGI is good for Virginians
Last Wednesday, Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin announced his intention to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI is an 11 state, cap-and-trade program ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, December 17, 2021 3:15 pm
YOUR TURN
Ignoring violence in schools will hurt our children
Loudoun County is in the midst of an apparent cover-up, and two young women have been assaulted. The tragedy in Loudoun County has brought to ...
by Matt Fariss, Tuesday, October 19, 2021 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
Redistricting in Virginia
The Virginia Redistricting Commission will not finish its work on the state’s legislative maps and will instead move on to drawing maps for the state’s ...
by Matt Fariss, Wednesday, October 13, 2021 6:00 am
Guest Columns
Opinion — Grant program available
It was announced last week that a new grant program designed to support equitable and sustainable local food systems for small-scale agricultural producers, farmers markets ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, October 1, 2021 12:27 pm
Guest Columns
Voting, districts and more issues
I have compiled a list of important dates pertaining to the November Elections. Early voting began Sept. 17 and ends Oct. 30. Oct. 12 is ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, September 24, 2021 3:19 pm
Guest Columns
Opinion — New services available
You can vote early at your local registrar’s office beginning 45 days before Election Day and ending the Saturday before Election Day. Early Voting starts ...
by Matt Fariss, Thursday, September 16, 2021 4:31 pm
YOUR TURN
Challenges of the law
Last week the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order allowing a controversial Texas abortion law to go into effect. The law is a direct challenge ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, September 10, 2021 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
Citizens should make own decisions on vaccinations
On Monday, Aug. 9, the General Assembly approved a compromise bill to spend about $3.5 billion in federal relief. The Senate and House had passed ...
by Matt Fariss, Wednesday, August 18, 2021 6:00 am
Columns
Opinion – New laws took effect July 1
Thursday, July 1, legislation passed during the 2021 General Assembly session became law, with some exceptions. This session, the Democratic majority passed a significant number ...
by Matt Fariss, Thursday, July 1, 2021 6:56 am
Guest Columns
OPINION — Resources for DMV and unemployment help
On May 14, Governor Ralph Northam announced his administration was ending the mask mandate in Virginia immediately, following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control ...
by Matt Fariss, Thursday, May 27, 2021 4:30 pm
Columns
OPINION – Windsor police incident should be investigated
On Wednesday, during the reconvened session, Governor Ralph Northam’s proposed changes to a marijuana legalization bill were accepted by the General Assembly. This allows limited ...
by Matt Fariss, Tuesday, April 13, 2021 10:54 am
YOUR TURN
Virginia’s vaccine allocation increased by 23%
On Feb. 5 the General Assembly reached crossover, the traditional midpoint of the legislative session. At crossover, the House and Senate must complete work on ...
by Matt Fariss, Wednesday, February 10, 2021 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — Virginia was not prepared for vaccinations
Our second full week of the 2021 General Assembly session has come to an end, and I wanted to take a moment to update you ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, February 5, 2021 6:00 am
Guest Columns
COLUMN — Mandatory minimum sentencing could be repealed
The 2021 General Assembly session began Jan. 13. The Senate will meet in person while the House remains virtual. I have added links below for ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, January 15, 2021 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN – Where’s the science behind new restrictions?
My office has been helping Virginians in the 59th District with Virginia Employment Commission issues since the beginning of the pandemic. As of last week, ...
by Matt Fariss, Wednesday, December 23, 2020 6:00 am
Columns
COLUMN — After 83 days, the special session is over
Monday, Nov. 9, after 83 days, the 2020 Special Session adjourned. We were initially called into the Special Session to develop a revised two-year budget ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, November 13, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — Special session laws will bring changes to law enforcement
Last Friday’s budget action should be the final votes this chamber must cast on the budget until the reconvened session. Yet Democrats have still found ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, October 23, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — Transparency is needed from the parole board
As Sen. Mark Obenshain said last week during the Senate session, something is foul at the Virginia Parole Board, even beyond the situation surrounding Vincent ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, October 16, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — House begins budget work
Last Friday, Sept. 25, the budget bill was passed out of the House Appropriations Committee. Democrats have spent $251 million over and above the governor’s request ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, October 2, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — Special session focuses on police reform bills
Early in-person voting begins this Friday, Sept. 18. The 59th District is composed of five counties and all information for your registrar’s office is listed ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, September 18, 2020 6:00 am
Columns
Students should return to the classroom
Gov. Ralph Northam has finally called legislators back to Richmond for the special session to work on the budget. The General Assembly will convene August ...
by Matt Fariss, Monday, July 20, 2020 9:27 pm
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — Virtual town hall planned July 14
The Northam administration ordered a subcontractor to remove a one-story-tall American flag from the new General Assembly building under construction this past weekend, as it ...
by Matt Fariss, Friday, July 10, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — July 1 brought new laws and big changes to Virginia
On July 1, legislation passed during the 2020 General Assembly session became law, with some exceptions. Several changes were made to Virginia’s election law. This ...
by Matt Fariss, Saturday, July 4, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
COLUMN — Monument argument is just a distraction
On Friday, parts of Virginia began to open further as Phase 2 of the governor’s plan came into effect for most of Virginia, excluding NOVA ...
by Matt Fariss, Saturday, June 13, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
There is light at the end of the tunnel
Summer is almost here, and the weather is improving. Fortunately, so is the coronavirus situation around most of the commonwealth. As of this writing, the ...
by Matt Fariss, Saturday, May 23, 2020 6:00 am
YOUR TURN
We must do better for Virginians who are hurting
Gov. Ralph Northam has signed Executive Order 61 in an effort to ease some of the restrictions he put in place due to the ongoing ...