American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) will invest $54.7 million to expand its campus in Prince William County with a new biomanufacturing facility focused on global health. The expansion will create 75 new jobs and further ATCC’s mission to provide scientists with essential biomaterials for critical life science research. Virginia successfully competed against Maryland to secure the project. The Virginia Economic Development Partnership, alongside Prince William County, facilitated the deal, with Governor Glenn Youngkin approving an $800,000 grant to support the project. ATCC’s expansion highlights the continued growth of Virginia’s life sciences sector, a vital industry for global health and national security.

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Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears has announced her candidacy for governor. She aims to continue the work of the Youngkin-Sears administration.

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Governor Glenn Youngkin announced today that the Virginia Lottery’s fiscal year 2024 profits exceeded $934 million, the highest in its 36-year history. All profits from the Lottery go towards supporting K-12 public education in the Commonwealth.

Since 1999, Virginia Lottery profits have generated over $12 billion for Virginia’s K-12 public schools. 10% of the Virginia K-12 education budget comes from the Lottery. The record profits in FY24 were driven by over $5.5 billion in sales, the highest ever. Tickets were purchased at over 5,300 businesses and online, and retailers earned $142 million in commissions and bonuses. Of that $5.5 billion, players received $4.2 billion in prizes, with 77 cents returned for every dollar spent. The Lottery also recorded a low administrative cost rate of 3.8%, which will be finalized after a standard audit by the Auditor of Public Accounts.

The Virginia Lottery website has unofficial reports of the amounts received by each locality in FY24. The distribution is determined by the approved state budget, and based on factors like student enrollment and prioritized programs.

Fredericksburg City Schools     $2.6 million
Stafford County Schools           $18.4 million,
Prince William County Schools    $64.7 million
Manassas City Schools     $8.8 million
Spotsylvania County Schools    $16 million.

Virginians voted for a state-operated lottery in 1987, with the use of lottery proceeds to be determined by the General Assembly. The use of the proceeds has changed over time. In 1989, Lottery proceeds were dedicated to capital-construction projects, then 1990 to 1998, they were transferred to the state’s General Fund. In 1999, a state budget amendment sent Lottery proceeds to local public-school divisions to be used solely for educational purposes.

In 2000, more than 80% of Virginia voters said yes to the creation of the State Lottery Proceeds Fund, which is now a permanent part of the state constitution directing all Lottery profits to be used solely for education purposes.

 

Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 35, codifying his administration’s election security procedures, which include stringent ballot security, thorough counting machine testing, and rigorous voter list maintenance.

Press release:

Governor Glenn Youngkin today issued Executive Order 35, which codifies the election security procedures put into place during his administration, including stringent ballot security, complete and thorough counting machine testing, and best-in-the-nation voter list maintenance.

“The Virginia model for Election Security works. This isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, it’s an American and Virginian issue. Every legal vote deserves to be counted without being watered down by illegal votes or inaccurate machines. In Virginia, we don’t play games and our model for election security is working,” said Governor Glenn Youngkin.

“We use 100% paper ballots with a strict chain of custody. We use counting machines, not voting machines, that are tested prior to every election and never connected to the internet. We do not mass mail ballots. We monitor our drop boxes 24/7. We verify the legal presence and identity of voters using DMV data and other trusted data sources to update our voter rolls daily, not only adding new voters, but scrubbing the lists to remove those that should not be on it, like the deceased, individuals that have moved, and non-citizens that have accidentally or maliciously attempted to register,” Governor Glenn Youngkin continued.

The EO codifies improvements to election security made during the Governor’s administration by directing the Commissioner of the Department of Elections to certify in writing annually that these improvements are in place. The EO also outlines the procedures in place for non-citizens who attempt to violate the law and register to vote, which includes referral to the local Commonwealth’s attorney and the Office of Attorney General, which has concurrent jurisdiction.

Updated -- Virignia Gov. Glenn Youngkin expressed his frustration at the White House after it did not provide him with a briefing on the arrests of two illegal immigrants charged with ramming the gate and trespassing on Quantico Marine Corps Base. They haven't briefed me at all, which is just stunning. What I know is what you know," Youngkin told Potomac Local News during a tour of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office's National Night Out event at Spotsylvania Towne Center on Tuesday, August 6, 2024. A federal judge released Hasan Y. Hamdan and Mohammad K. Dabous on bond on July 22. Both are due back in an Alexandria federal courtroom in September. They are just some of the illegal immigrants Potomac Local News has learned have entered Quanctio Marine Corps Base, a trend among military bases as more illegal immigrants appear to be testing the security of military installations across the U.S.  "I'm just shocked they could be released when they were illegally here and not turned over to the authorities to be dealt with," said Youngkin. The governor asked the White House for a briefing on the incident 76 days ago. Youngkin said the silence from the Biden administration is "consistent on what it's demonstrated" when it comes to open border policies. "[Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee] Kamala Harris needs to live with the fact that she was the border czar. They may try to deny it, but that was her job. She didn't do anything to secure the border, and now we're one border state," said Youngkin. Youngkin toured the community fair with Derrick Anderson, a Spotsylvania native who's running to replace Abigail Spanberger (D) in Congress. Spanberger is not seeking reelection. Republican State Senate Candidate Hung Cao was also there. "We have to shut down the border immediately. I mean, that's got to happen right now. We're seeing illegal immigrants coming in day in and day out, causing havoc not only to the United States but here in the Commonwealth of Virginia," said Anderson. "We have five people in Virginia dying from fentanyl overdoses a day in the Commonwealth. We're seeing an impact in us." Republican Senate Candidate Hung Cao also attended the event. He's running against incumbent Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine, who told WJLA-TV he's not in favor of a mass deportation of illegals. "The notion of mass deportation or calling everybody invaders, no, that's not something I support," the senator told the TV station. "First of all, I'm a legal immigrant to this country. And I'm telling you, don't ask for the American dream if you're not willing to obey the American laws and embrace the American culture," said Cao. Shame on him for not defending this country like he's supposed to and living up to his oath of office." Despite Democrats removing Biden from the presidential ballot and replacing him with his vice president, Younkgin said Trump may win Virginia, a state he's never won and one in which he lost to Biden by 10 points in 2020. "Virignia is still in play," said Youngkin.

@GlennYoungkin attended the@SpotsySheriff National Night Out event at @SpotsylvaniaTC on August 6, 2024 with @DerrickforVA and @HungCao_VA pic.twitter.com/0jwDnDd2HT

— Potomac Local News (@PotomacLocal) August 7, 2024

Stafford County Public Schools is set to implement significant operational changes for the upcoming school year, which begins on August 13, 2024. The school division has introduced a new system for identifying school buses and a district-wide ban on cell phones in the classroom.

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The Virginia Department of Education is hosting Commonwealth Conversations to gather input from parents, educators, and community members on achieving cell phone-free education in Virginia, addressing youth mental health, and education performance. Following Governor Youngkin’s Executive Order 33, which mandates cell phone-free education, school boards will implement related policies by the end of the year, with the changes taking effect in January 2025.

The Virginia Department of Education is hosting a series of Commonwealth Conversations to give parents, educators, and community members the opportunity to share their thoughts on the best ways to achieve cell phone-free education in Virginia and address the increasing evidence of the impact cell phone and social media usage has on youth mental health and education performance.

On July 9, Governor Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 33 to establish cell phone-free education to promote the health and safety of Virginia’s K-12 students. Executive Order 33 directs the VDOE to provide guidance to school boards on cell phone-free education policies and procedures. School boards will establish local cell phone-free education policies and procedures before the end of this year.

Parents, educators, and interested community members are invited to attend a Commonwealth Conversation and discuss their expectations for the upcoming policy changes that will take effect in January 2025. Below is a list of the upcoming conversations being held throughout the Commonwealth:

Manassas – July 18, 2 – 3:30 p.m.
Osbourn High School

Fredericksburg – July 30, 9 – 10:30 a.m.
James Monroe High School

-Virginia Department of Education

It has been over two months since two Jordanian nationals attempted to breach the gates of Marine Corps Base Quantico, and officials still have not released the identity of the two men arrested. They also offered no explanation as to why state and local officials were not notified.

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On June 25, 2024, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed 18 bipartisan bills aimed at enhancing support for individuals with developmental disabilities. These laws improve accessibility in education, recreation, law enforcement, and transitional services. The governor also signed a biennium budget allocating $247 million for 3,440 priority one waiver slots, increasing the total under his administration to 4,540 slots.

“I’m pleased this legislative package and our?Right Help, Right Now?plan has instituted life-changing impacts that will benefit Virginia families, this community, and transform our level of care for Virginians with developmental disabilities for decades to come,” said Governor Youngkin.

Secretary of Health and Human Resources John Littel said the bills will provide comprehensive support for individuals with developmental disabilities and set “the groundwork for a more inclusive and supportive future. Our goal is to ensure that every Virginian has the opportunity to live a fulfilling and independent life.”

Division Manager Jacqueline Jackson Turner from Prince William County Community Services expressed excitement for “the many people on the Developmental Disability (DD) Waiver waiting list in the priority one category who will benefit from the budgeted waiver slots over the biennium. As a result, they and their families will have access to much-needed support and assistance.” Her office is still determining the criteria and needs to handle the waiver process, which may impact their staffing levels.

The governor’s office provided a complete list of the bills signed on June 25, 2024.

Kelly Sienkowski is a freelance reporter for Potomac Local News. If you’re not getting our FREE email newsletter, you are missing out. Subscribe Now!