State Senate agrees to Petersburg casino amendment; House action pending

RICHMOND − The state Senate has agreed with Gov. Glenn Youngkin's recommendation to remove a second legislative vote on approving a referendum that could make Petersburg Virginia's fifth and final − for now − casino host city.

The vote was 32-8 to strike the language. One Democrat, Danica Roem of Prince William County, joined seven Republicans in voting against the removal.

Sen. Lashrecse Aird, D-Petersburg and chief co-patron of the legislation, asked her colleagues to support the governor's amendment.

The House of Delegates, which had placed the re-enactment clause on the Senate legislation, has yet to act on Youngkin's amendment. If approved, the measure gets the green light and the referendum could be considered as early as this November. If rejected, the bill returns to the governor's desk with the language intact that would require additional legislative approval during either a regular or special Assembly session.

This is a developing story.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: State Senate agrees to Petersburg casino amendment; House action pending