Virginia and Maryland lawmakers return to work Wednesday with plans to address significant budget shortfalls and a bevy of social legislation from opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Republicans control both chambers of the Virginia General Assembly and the governor’s mansion for just the second time in modern history. Emboldened by November elections that strengthened the GOP majority in the House of Delegates and gave the party effective control of the Senate, Virginia Republicans will push a number of measures aimed at taking the state in a more conservative direction.
