Tag: Senate

Senate Democratic Leader Saslaw Among the Retiring Lawmakers

by  on  in Best Business Newspaper

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Dick Saslaw, the acerbic, influential, enterprise-welcoming Democratic majority chief of the Virginia Senate, on Thursday declared ideas to retire, expressing he is proud of the legacy he will leave guiding as his just about five many years in point out politics come to a shut.

“Sooner or later on, you know, you have bought to realize that you are going to have to go on. But it’s been a extremely fascinating and a excellent 48 many years,” the 83-calendar year-old Saslaw, whose expression will finish in January, reported in a flooring speech.

A businessman and Army veteran, Saslaw is the longest-serving member of the Senate, which he joined in 1980 immediately after serving 4 many years in the Residence of Delegates. Though representing a northern Virginia district, he has been a resolute defender of abortion rights and a sturdy ally of Dominion Electricity on regulatory issues. He assisted direct the drive for Medicaid expansion and at situations staked out extra centrist positions than quite a few fellow Democrats on legal justice challenges.

Saslaw’s announcement was adopted by an outpouring of bipartisan praise from his colleagues as his wife, Eleanor, looked on from the gallery, along with other admirers, like lobbyists who donned shirts sporting his photo. Numerous speakers seemed shut to tears as they heralded him as a legend in Virginia politics, as nicely as a hard-functioning, loyal and brutally sincere mate and colleague.

“He is the epitome of a Virginia gentleman,” said Republican Sen. Ryan McDougle.

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An additional Republican, Jill Vogel, stated she was to begin with leery of Saslaw’s hard popularity when she very first joined the Common Assembly and recalled a “terrifying” initially experience with him. But it took just a 7 days or two to be charmed, she claimed.

“He

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Senate Committee Targets Credit score-Card Businesses on Gun Profits

by  on  in Business Card Companies

Credit score-card companies could face fines up to $10,000 per violation for tracking firearm and ammunition product sales in Florida, less than a measure accredited by a Senate committee.

The Republican-controlled Senate Banking and Insurance policy Committee voted 7-3 alongside bash lines to approve a invoice (SB 214) that would goal nonetheless-to-be-enacted designs by some credit score-card businesses to build a independent “merchant class code” for income at firearm firms.

Comparable four-digit codes are now used to different purchases and collect information from sites these as grocery stores, gas stations, dining establishments and bookstores.

Invoice sponsor Danny Burgess, R-Zephyrhills, pointed to a Florida prohibition on gun-sale registries and mentioned the monthly bill would prevent info collection.

“In Florida, we just take it pretty critically to shield consumers’ rights, gun rights and their correct to privateness, and I believe that that this MCC [merchant category code]) would direct to the creation of a registry in essence, most likely possessing a chilling effect on constitutional rights,” Burgess mentioned. “We’re generally placing teeth guiding existing legislation in Florida, which helps prevent authorities and non-public registries.”

In September, Visa joined Mastercard and American Categorical in announcing ideas to categorize gun shop gross sales. Gun-handle advocates say the shift would aid track suspicious gross sales tied to likely mass shootings.

Democrats expressed worry the monthly bill could hinder legislation-enforcement initiatives to prevent mass shootings.

“There’s a great deal of items that go on in these investigations, and unfortunately we’re in a disaster throughout this place,” said Sen. Victor Torres, an Orlando Democrat and previous New York Town transit law enforcement detective. “Every day, each individual weekend we hear about shootings in our counties, in our state, throughout the country. And this condition should really be far more aware as to the obtaining of guns and

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