Pod Virginia

Del. Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church), Chairman of the House Privileges and Elections Committee, and Shruti Shah with the Coalition for Integrity brief the Transition Team on the need for campaign finance reform in Virginia. We discuss a history of perceived corruption in the legislature and the fact that any person or corporation can contribute and unlimited amount of money. Finally, we preview the...

Journalists Jeff Schapiro of the Richmond Times-Dispatch and Amy Friedenberger of the Roanoke Times join the Transition Team to evaluate the major legislation in the 2021 General Assembly session. They break down what passed, what didn't pass, and what else is there to look forward to in 2021. Transcript at www.transitionva.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva Facebook: https://www.fa...

Virginia's legislature is considering a constitutional amendment that could make felon re-enfranchisement an automatic process. Episode guests are A.E. Dick Howard, a UVA professor and author of Virginia's 1971 Constitution, and Paul Levengood, Executive Director of The Marshall Foundation and former president of the VA Historical Society. They brief the Transition Team on why the Blue Ribbon Comm...

Should expungements be automatic or petition-based? What are the relative advantages of the House and Senate versions? We also wargame the conference committee process to determine which provisions of each bill might be included in the final versions. Guests: Andy Elders of Justice Forward VA, and Cynthia Nwarache with OAR of Richmond, advocates for automatic expungement provisions. Transcript at...

Transition Virginia turns 1 this week! To celebrate, we have our very first guest back on the show, Whittney Evans, from Virginia Public Media (VPM), and the team listens to messages from its friends and listeners. Transcript at www.transitionva.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransitionVA/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transitionvapodcas...

Delegate Danica Roem (D-Prince William) joins the Transition Team to discuss her bill to outlaw the panic defense, which allows defendants to use a victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity against them in court. She explains why the 1998 murder of Matthew Sheperd left her and the LGBT+ community traumatized. We also talk about a related bill in the state Senate that would expand the definiti...

Part 2 of our series on marijuana policy. Jenn Michelle Pedini of NORML is back on the podcast to discuss the status and policy challenges around legalizing marijuana in the 2021 Legislative Session. Ngiste Abebe, of Columbia Care. She served on the governor’s workgroup last year and Ngiste is a member of the Cannabis Trade Federation’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce and Virginia Medic...

Sarah Graham Taylor is back on the pod to tell us what we can expect from Virginia's 2021 legislative session (Hint: Never ending zoom calls) From an effort to abolish the death penalty to prioritizing public health--this year's regular session is not so regular. www.transitionva.com

What were the biggest stories of 2020? What big stories did you miss? What do we have to look forward to in 2021? Now that it's in the rearview mirror, 2020 is officially the worst year ever, but our friends at Bold Dominion help to make it a little better with a year in review.

Author and historian Garrett Peck joins the Transition Team to discuss his book, "The Great War in America," which examines the 1918 Flu pandemic in the context of World War I. We explore lessons learned and what policies we might adapt for the COVID19 pandemic 100 years later. We find this isn't the first pandemic full of grift and misinformation, but it is the first time Americans politicized on...

Why do Democrats hold primaries while Republicans increasingly opt for conventions? We get answers from David Ramadan, a former Republican Delegate from Loudoun County now with the Schar School of Public Policy at George Mason University. We also interview Trevor Southerland, former Executive Director of the House Democratic Caucus. We dissect the decision by the Republican Party of Virginia to ho...

Virginia schools are increasingly segregated along racial lines. Kathy Mendes of @TCIfiscal and Prof. Genevieve Siegel-Hawley of @VCUSOE explain their research about why segregation is getting worse, its real-life impacts, and policies to help schools desegregate. See www.transitionva.com for more.

Delegate Lee Carter (D-Manassas) and Jason Parker, President of the VA Building and Construction Trades (AFL-CIO) join the Transition Team to dissect Virginia's Right-to-Work law. We delve into the politics of efforts to repeal it and examine how Gov. Bill Tuck was passed the bill through the General Assembly in 1947. Transcript at www.transitionva.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva...

Matt Colt Hall and Mike Allers of the Grand New Podcast from The Bearing Drift join Transition Virginia co-hosts Michael Lee Pope (Reporter, WVTF) and Thomas Bowman (Democratic Political Strategist) for a bipartisan analysis of the 2020 election in Virginia. Do Democrats need to abandon "Defund the Police?" What do the national results mean for the Virginia GOP? Will the redistricting amendment se...

Jenn Michelle Pedini of @NORML and @MattLaslo with The News Station explain the status of cannabis policy in Virginia. They explain the Commonwealth's decriminalization law and explain discuss the considerations behind full legalization and when residents can expect it.

Col. Larry Wilkerson with the Transition Integrity Project briefs the Transition Team on ways President Donald Trump might try to contest the election, and what to expect if 2020 becomes the first violent transition of power in American history. Wilkerson is the former Chief-of-Staff to Sec. of State Colin Powell and a professor at the College of William and Mary. Transcript at www.transitionva.co...

Delegate Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington) and State Senator Jennifer Boysko (D-Fairfax & Loudoun) reveal the new laws to reform criminal justice and adjust the budget to account for the COVID-19 pandemic. They also provide a sneak peek at Democratic priorities for the 2021 regular session.

The Transition Team engages in a thought experiement to examine the Constitutional Amendment on Redistricting and what happens if the amendment passes and if it fails. Our guests include David Ramadan (supports), a former Republican Delegate with the Schar School of Public Policy at George Mason University, and Trevor Southerland (opposes) of Fair Districts VA who opposes the Amendment.

Prof. Stephen Farnsworth at the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Media and Leadership Studies provides us with an update on Virginia’s 2020 elections. The team takes a deep dive into Virginia’s 5th congressional district to interview Dr. Cameron Webb a Doctor at UVA Hospital's Coronavirus unit to discuss the impact of COVID on his race. Finally, we get a campaign update from Qasim Rashid...

Delegate Schuyler Van Valkenburg (D-Henrico), a civics teacher, and Dr. Paul Levengood of The Marshall Foundation take the Transition to school to teach listeners about the most progressive legislature in Virginia History - The Readjusters of 1880. George C. Marshall Foundation: https://www.marshallfoundation.org www.transitionvirginia.com

Former Republican Delegate David Ramadan and Trevor Southerland, the Former ED of the House Democratic Caucus, demonstrate what it’s like to chair a conference committee. We take a deep dive into the fight between the Virginia House and Senate. Finally, we speculate on the fate of bills left hanging in each chamber.

Transcript at www.transitionva.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransitionVA/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transitionvapodcast/ Twitter: @transitionva Email: transitionvapodcast@gmail.com Kim Bobo of the VA Interfaith Center for Public Policy & Audra Grassia with Freedom Va, describe the challenge of bringing Paid Sick Leave to all Virgin...

Senator Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria City) and Tram Nguyen of New Virginia Majority join the Transition Team to discuss election reforms made necessary by the pandemic. Topics include absentee ballots, the USPS, election drop boxes, and a few questions from Patreon patrons. Request your absentee ballot at https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/absentee-voting/ . @TransitionVA www.transiti...

Claire Gastañaga with the ACLU of Virginia and Andy Elders of Justice Forward Virginia educate the Transition Team on the intricacies of specific criminal justice reform proposals being considered in this Special Session, like pretextual policing, sentencing reform, police reform, and more. VA ACLU: https://www.acluva.org/ Justice Forward VA: https://justiceforwardva.com/ Transcript at www.transit...

Transcript at www.transitionva.com Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/transitionva Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TransitionVA/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transitionvapodcast/ Twitter: @transitionva Email: transitionvapodcast@gmail.com Transition Virginia and Bold Dominion join forces to tackle Virginia's special session on coronavirus, criminal justice reform, and the budget in a cros...