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John Gramlich

The legislative session that Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell wanted this year was very different from the one he wound up getting.

Not just Utah: Social debates rage in state legislatures

Last updated Wednesday, April 4, 2012 - 12:20pm

WASHINGTON -- The legislative session that Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell wanted this year was very different from the one he wound up getting.

McDonnell, a Republican, kicked off the session in January by urging lawmakers to focus on job creation and state finances, with funding for pensions and education among his top concerns. He pointedly asked the legislators not to engage in partisan political fights that could sidetrack his priorities, especially after a hard-fought election year that gave the GOP control of both legislative chambers for the first time in 12 years.

Politics, State Legislature, National Read more Comments

After Giffords shooting, no slowdown for gun rights

John Gramlich, Stateline.org

Last updated Thursday, January 27, 2011 - 11:12pm

WASHINGTON -- For Patrick Hope, a former congressional staffer who is now a state representative in Virginia, one of the biggest differences between working at the U.S. Capitol and working at the statehouse in Richmond became apparent shortly after he took office last year. Hope, a 38-year-old Democrat, was riding in an elevator in the state Capitol when he noticed that a political activist standing beside him had a handgun strapped to his leg.

Carrying firearms is banned in the halls of Congress, where Hope worked for several years as an aide to Nebraska Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey and Texas Congressman Henry Gonzalez. But it is perfectly legal at the Virginia Capitol, where lawmakers and visitors can -- and often do -- openly carry their guns with them.

Gabrielle Giffords, Guns, Shooting, Shootings, National Read more Comments