It’s rare for students to vote in large numbers in state and local elections. Some student leaders say the reason isn’t just apathy: They say VCU students are discouraged from voting because they are divided among various election districts – and can’t flex their political muscles by voting as a bloc.

If VCU students want a direct voice on the Richmond City Council, they might look east for inspiration – to Williamsburg. In 2010, students from the College of William and Mary elected one of their own to the Williamsburg City Council.

A national anti-abortion group assembled a graphic display to promote its cause Wednesday in VCU’s Commons Plaza.

As the state budget inches closer to passage by the General Assembly, the Virginia Department of Transportation is hoping to raise money by selling the naming rights for roads, bridges and highway stretches.

A legislative conference committee soon will begin deliberations to reconcile the House and Senate versions of the state budget, which would take effect July 1. “We are cautiously optimistic that a solid, fiscally prudent budget will emerge from conference and be voted into law within the next few weeks,” House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, said Tuesday.

Union members are urging Gov. Bob McDonnell to veto legislation that would exclude shipyard and dock workers from Virginia’s workers’ compensation system. “We will continue to fight this bill, whether he signs it or not,” said Arnold Outlaw, president of the Steelworkers Union Local 8888, which represents hourly workers at Newport News Shipbuilding.

Lawmakers responded to overwhelming protest by residents of James City County today by gutting large portions of a bill that would have exempted buildings on cemetery grounds from building codes. “When I introduced the bill, I had no idea there was a problem or issues in James City County,” said the legislation’s sponsor, Delegate Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell. “I am, of course, now keenly aware of that fact.”

A bill to mandate training for Virginia public school personnel on how to handle bullying is on its way to the Senate after passing the House, 98-2. House Bill 504 would amend the code dictating school safety training for public school employees to specifically include “evidence-based antibullying tactics.”

The House this week approved a bill that would freeze localities’ Business, Professional and Occupational Licenses tax rates at their 2011 levels. The measure also would prevent localities that don’t currently levy the tax from imposing it.

A bipartisan coalition, including legislators and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, urged the General Assembly on Monday to increase penalties for human trafficking in general and underage sex trafficking in particular.

Nearly 7.9 million people live in Virginia, but only 140 fill the seats of the General Assembly and can vote on what becomes law and what does not. You’d have a better chance of winning a $1 million Power Ball prize than become a state legislator in Virginia. So it’s easy to see how a delegate or senator could become detached from the public.

Mike Watson is the new Republican delegate representing Virginia’s 93rd House District, which includes parts of York County, James City County, Newport News and Williamsburg. Watson’s residence in Williamsburg is just a short trip up the James River from Hopewell, where he grew up.