Republican panel defeats gun control legislation

Virginia Transportation Secretary Aubrey Layne is chiding Republican lawmakers seeking to prohibit tolling to pay for I-66 expansion project.

In last year's legislative elections, Republicans attacked Democratic Gov. Terry McAuliffe's tolling plan, noting that at times of peak congestion a motorist might have to pay as much as $17 each day for a round-trip commute.

Republican lawmakers are pushing back forcefully against a plan by Virginia hospitals to pay the state's share of expanding Medicaid.

Several GOP lawmakers held a news conference Wednesday to promote their health care agenda and throw water on a plan by hospitals to pay a "provider assessment" that would cover part of the costs of providing publicly funded health insurance for low-income, able-bodied adults.

GOP lawmakers also want to curtail a decades-old requirement that its hospitals get approval before proceeding with major construction projects or equipment purchases, a plan the hospital association opposes.