By Morgan Sweeney

(The Center Square) — Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Virginia’s budget for fiscal years 2025-2026 Monday after the state’s General Assembly voted to pass it in a special session convened for that purpose.

The $188 billion biennial budget was agreed upon at the tail end of last week after protracted and extensive negotiations between Youngkin and conferees.

Despite the Republican governor holding the line and not allowing taxes to be increased, he and the Democratic-majority General Assembly were able to reach a compromise due in large part to general fund revenues to date exceeding forecasts. They’re currently expected to surpass original projections for the year by over $1 billion.

“While Virginians’ elected officials can sometimes be far apart on policy, today demonstrates and reiterates that we can come together to deliver for the Commonwealth. This budget resolution was empowered by the strength of our labor market, with more Virginians working than ever before and investments by businesses large and small that have fueled record revenues for the Commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement.

Democrats tried to include a digital sales tax in the compromise budget – something they adopted from Youngkin’s December budget proposal – but the governor objected to the tax without the accompanying tax breaks he had included in his introduced budget.

While the sales tax would have increased revenues by over $1 billion, the budget passed Monday relies on $525 million from excess revenues to help implement some Democratic priorities.

Chair of the Senate finance committee Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth – one of the most vocal critics of some of Youngkin’s budget proposals and goals – lauded the conferees’ work and praised the final product.

“I want to take this moment to thank the conferees and the committee staff for their hard work and dedication,” Lucas said. “There’s a lot to love about this budget…. This is a win for the commonwealth.”

The budget includes 3% raises for teachers and state government employees each year and increased funding for K-12 schools and higher education. It also includes additional funding for law enforcement, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, transportation and conservation, among other initiatives.

Notably, the budget lacks one other item for which Democrats fought intensely: Looping Virginia back into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. On Youngkin’s first day in office, he issued an executive order to sever Virginia’s ties with the initiative, viewing it as a burden to Virginia’s pro-business environment and as a “backdoor tax” to residents whose energy bills could be raised by utilities trying to recoup costs.

Legislation making Virginia a part of the Initiative was passed in 2020. The Initiative attaches a cost to CO2 emissions. Participating states – a coalition of 11 Northeastern states before Virginia joined – place limits on how many CO2 emissions power plants can produce. Plants can purchase emissions credits if they need more allowable emissions or risk penalties and fines. A lawsuit claiming Youngkin acted outside the scope of his powers as governor by effectively repealing passed legislation through executive action is ongoing.

Del. Richard Sullivan, D-Fairfax, lamented the death of Democrats’ efforts to incorporate RGGI back into Virginia policy through the budget from the floor – while vowing to resurrect it in the future.

“I will vote today for the budget, Mr. Speaker, because of the long list of important advances it makes for the commonwealth. But my vote will be tempered by great disappointment at an opportunity squandered by our governor,” Sullivan said. “Also my vote will be filled with resolve to get Virginia back into RGGI just as soon as possible. This is not over.”

Republicans aren’t thrilled with many aspects of the freshly approved budget, but most voted to pass it.

“While the budget isn’t what a Republican House of Delegates would have produced, the document signed by the Governor today is a significant improvement over the budget sent to him at the end of the regular session,” said House Minority Leader Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, in a statement.

“Today’s budget contains no tax increases and does not require that Virginia rejoin the failed Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. It reflects compromise, with both sides dealing in good faith to meet our most basic responsibility,” Gilbert said

If lawmakers had not been able to compromise with the governor by June 30, Virginia would have been at risk of a government shutdown.

By Morgan Sweeney

(The Center Square) — Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed 100 bills into law on Tuesday and vetoed four, bringing his tally so far this session to over 360 bills signed and a record 132 vetoed.

In addition to his vetoes, this batch included more Democrat-sponsored legislation, several health care bills, and an anti-discrimination bill lauded by the governor.

With the Democratic majority in the General Assembly, the percentage of Democratic legislation the governor signs in each round of bill action will likely continue to grow. Youngkin is almost halfway through the legislation sent to him by the body, but both the House of Delegates and the Senate passed substantially more legislation patroned by Democrats than Republicans.

Thus far, signed Democratic legislation hadn’t drastically outpaced signed Republican legislation, but on Tuesday, the governor signed 62 more Democratic bills than Republican. All of the governor’s vetoes, however, have been Democratic legislation.

One of the health care bills responded to recommendations made by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, which conducts reviews on the effectiveness of state agencies and policies.

In December, the Commission released a report on Virginia’s state psychiatric hospitals, revealing turnover rates much higher than those for most state government employers. This was due to staff feeling unsafe at work, as well as some uncompetitive pay. House Bill 806, introduced by Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, partially addresses the problem by requiring nursing staff and psychiatric technicians who work at least 36 hours per week to be designated as full-time employees. The bill also attempts to add some employee pay and benefits protections.

HB 503, patroned by Laura Cohen, D-Fairfax, dictates that licensed behavior analysts be included in the commonwealth’s definition of “credentialed addiction treatment professionals,” to help meet the demand for addiction treatment. No organizations or individuals testified against the bill when it was presented to the committee or subcommittee.

House Bills 314 and 515 both concern state hospitals’ discharging practices.

Several others aim to improve Virginia’s health insurance landscape, updating reporting requirements and penalties for noncompliance for pharmacy benefit managers, prioritizing premium reduction targets for the Commonwealth Health Reinsurance Program, and regulating insurance companies’ interference with patients’ prescription drug coverage.

HB 1085, also patroned by Rasoul, establishes a PFAS Expert Advisory Committee to aid the state in reporting and containment of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or “forever chemicals.”

In the press release from his office regarding his latest signing session, the governor celebrated signing HB 18 and Senate Bill 7, companion hate-crime and discrimination bills, tying them into his efforts to combat anti-semitism.

“As one of my first executive orders, I formed the Commission to Combat Antisemitism, which issued a recommendation that Virginia revise its laws to ensure Jewish Virginians are protected from hate crimes, along with Muslims, Sikhs and other ethnic and religious groups. Today, after two years of hard work, I’m pleased to sign SB7 and HB18 which codify that recommendation,” Youngkin said.

The bills were sponsored by Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Orange, in the Senate and Del. Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, in the House.

Youngkin vetoed bills requiring the state Board of Education to create and adopt model policies on climate change curriculum and enforcing penalties for retail sellers of unmarked invasive plant species, as well as a bill from Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, enabling academic research on aggregated district court case data.

By Sarah-Roderick Fitch

(The Center Square) – Following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin is offering assistance to the state of Maryland.

The bridge spans over the Patapsco River and supports part of I-695, one of the major arteries around Baltimore.

Youngkin says he has been in contact with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who declared a state of emergency.

In a social media post, the Virginia Republican wrote, “I have spoken with Gov. Wes Moore this morning, and Virginia stands ready to assist and support our neighbor Maryland. Our prayers are with the families affected and the courageous rescue efforts underway following the tragic incident at Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.”

A Singapore-based container ship rammed one of the support pillars, plunging the bridge into the frigid water below. Baltimore County Fire Chief James Wallace briefed reporters, saying two people have been rescued, with as many as seven people remain missing.

The tragic incident will likely have a mammoth impact on the region, including the Northeast corridor. The bridge carries traffic to and from the nation’s capital and Virginia.

With the container ship and remnants of the bridge blocking access to Baltimore’s harbor, one of the county’s major commercial shipping ports, there is no word yet where cargo intended for Baltimore will be routed.

It is possible ports in and around the Hampton Roads region may play a pivotal role until Baltimore’s harbor can be cleared.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said he is in contact with Moore regarding the incident and is offering federal assistance.

In a social media post, Buttigieg wrote, “I’ve spoken with Gov. Moore and Mayor Scott to offer USDOT’s support following the vessel strike and collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge. Rescue efforts remain underway and drivers in the Baltimore area should follow local responder guidance on detours and response.”

“[We wanted to allow] those kids who grew up and had a dream to be a police officer,” State Senator Jeremy McPike (D) WFTF Radio. “And what happened was the governor just crushed those kids’ dreams.”

“Peter Newsham, Chief of Police for Prince William County, also advocated for McPike’s bill. He said his jurisdiction is the most diverse part of the state and having Spanish speakers, let alone DACA recipients, on staff can help reach communities that are afraid to speak to cops.”

“As passed, the budget doesn’t just remove Youngkin’s income tax rate reductions while keeping an expanded sales tax on certain digital transactions, it ups the ante. Their budget expands the sales tax to include business-to-business transactions which are typically untaxed because taxing them only results in “pyramiding” — piling on costs at every stage of completing the final consumer product, with those costs passed on to consumers,” writes Chris Braunlich at The Jefferson Journal.

“Kicking off the first day of Virginia’s 2024 legislative session, Gov. Glenn Youngkin gave the annual State of the Commonwealth address,” reports Morgan Sweeney at The Center Square.

“Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has released his proposed fiscal year 2025-2026 “Unleashing Opportunity” budget, replete with his characteristic tax relief and a record investment in education,” reports Morgan Sweeney at The Center Square.

Insidenova.com: "Gov. Glenn Youngkin gave an Election Day interview to Fox News in a Manassas diner on Tuesday where he trumpeted local Republicans in races that could help determine control of the state legislature."

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Republicans surrounded Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin during a visit to Juke Box Diner in Manassas on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.

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The Center Square: "Virginia’s long-awaited Interstate 95 express lanes were ceremonially opened during a ribbon-cutting led by political and transportation leaders, including Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Sen. Tim Kaine, who touted the project as a time-saver and economic boost to the region."

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