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Virginia Governor Wants to Tighten Ethics Rules

Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-Va)
governor's office
Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-Va)

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe says he'll be actively promoting legislation aimed at strengthening the state's ethics rules and making it easier to vote.

McAuliffe, a Democrat, said Tuesday he'll be pushing legislation that would prohibit lawmakers from using their campaign accounts for personal use, saying the move is necessary to accompany a $100 gift cap lawmakers approved earlier in his term.

Virginia lawmakers are only barred from using campaign funds for personal use when they close out their accounts. Similar legislation banning personal use was scuttled last session.

The governor also wants to allow for in-person early voting and to repeal the state's voter ID law.

Like other parts of the governor's policy priorities, these items will likely face a difficult path forward in the GOP-controlled General Assembly.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.