The General Assembly remains in special session. While we were initially called into special session to finalize a budget, other items remain outstanding.
VMSDEP
One item of the budget that came under fire related to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP),
a program that has provided benefits to the surviving spouse and children of those who have been severely disabled or killed in the service of this country. The program, which was established in 1930, is a worthwhile expenditure to demonstrate our appreciation to those families for their sacrifice.
In 2019, the program was expanded to include disabled veterans who were not injured in conflict. This expansion was estimated to cost around $5 million on an annual basis, which we were able to afford. In 2022 we further expanded the program to cover stepchildren. A program that just a few years ago cost the Commonwealth $9.5 million and was expected to grow to $14.5 million has exceeded cost estimates and ballooned to $65 million in the most recent budget year.
In response to these increased cost estimates, the Governor put forward legislation, carried by Senator Bryce Reeves, to institute some guardrails, including putting some limits on the benefit for stepchildren and ensuring the program is only used after other financial aid is exhausted. After filing the bill, Senator Reeves read it and decided he could not support the bill as written. In committee, he turned the bill into a study so we can better understand how the utilization and cost of the program.
 The Senate passed Senator Reeves’ amended bill, which was subsequently killed by the House of Delegates. Language was included in both the Senate and House budgets addressing VMSDEP. In the budget conference we worked very hard to make those guardrails as smart and practical as possible. The program would no longer apply to graduate education and would only be available to people who lived in Virginia. We added in a requirement to maintain good grades, which is required of students who receive most other forms of financial aid. Finally, we grandfathered in current beneficiaries of the program.
| The budget passed both the Senate and the House with near unanimous support and was subsequently signed by the Governor.
After the budget was signed, VMSDEP supporters became increasingly upset and concerned about the budget language. The Governor, sensing there was turmoil, suddenly changed his tune and became an aggressor, vowing to bring the General Assembly back into session to repeal the language. Never mind that he is the one who proposed the language in the first place. He has denied the Freedom of Information Act request from VMSDEP advocates claiming that the documents discussing the program are working papers. While that might be the case, an exemption does not prohibit disclosure of the documents that may shed light on why the bill was introduced in the first place.
After numerous false starts, the Senate and the House of Delegates met in special session on July 18 to take final action on this matter for the year. The bill removes the guardrails and provides adequate funding, an additional $90 million, to our institutions of higher learning to cover the cost of the program. Without adequate funding from the state, other tuition payers are subsidizing the cost of the program. The bill we passed this month accomplishes this for the first time. |
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PRESIDENT FOR A DAY
The July 18 session was interesting to me for another reason. Shortly before the session started, I learned I would be presiding over the Senate for the day. The Lieutenant Governor, who normally presides over the Senate, was in Milwaukee for the Republican National Convention. Senator Lucas, the President pro tempore who presides in the Lieutenant Governor’s absence, had to present the VMSDEP legislation. So, it fell to me, the next most senior member, to wield the gavel. It was quite the experience. I thank the members of the Senate and the extraordinary Senate Clerk’s staff for making it a fun and easy task. |
