Proudly Serving the People of Virginia's 25th District
The past week produced dramatic news on a couple of fronts.
First, the economy continues to expand. Record growth in tax revenues continued through January, and it looks like we will have about $2 billion more than we anticipated in this year’s budget. The growth combined with our unemployment rates continuing to fall are both good signs. However, inflation remains high. [Read more…]
The 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly rolls along as we move through bills and committee work, towards crossover. Crossover, which is February 15 this year, is the date by which the Senate must finish its work on Senate bills and the House must act on House bills. The bills then move to the other side for consideration.
The one exception is the budget. [Read more…]
We are now in the throes of the 2022 Regular Session. House committees and subcommittees are starting early in the morning and going late at night. In the Senate, which has fewer members and therefore fewer committees and bills, we are working long hours but fewer than the House. Over 2000 bills are still awaiting final action, including the budget.
The Constitution of Virginia requires our budget to be balanced. This requirement does not prevent us from borrowing money for certain needs, such as capital projects. The law also requires us to set aside money in reserves and the rainy day fund. Due to the growing economy and largess of the federal government last year, we have a record surplus that allows us to address some significant needs. [Read more…]
The first full week of the 2022 Session of the Virginia General Assembly is now under our belt. We have a little better idea of what we are working with this year. Governor Northam left us with a budget that attempted to address some critical areas of need but also outlined a plan for tax relief. He pre-supposed that the new administration would have success with some of its goals and embedded tax relief in his outgoing budget.
The rubber has now hit the road. Governor Youngkin gave a rousing speech at his inauguration. On a beautiful crisp, sunny day he was inaugurated as the 74th Governor of the Commonwealth Virginia. Every Virginian should feel pride in the peaceful turnover of power that continues to be our tradition. We should all wish for our governor, the governor of all Virginians, to have success. That does not mean we have to agree with every policy he advances. [Read more…]
The 2022 Session of the General Assembly convened on January 12th at noon. This is a year of great change as we inaugurate a new governor tomorrow, and there is a new majority in the House of Delegates. After the Democrats held the governor’s office for the past eight years, Republican Glenn Youngkin will succeed Ralph Northam. The Democrats held the majority in the House of Delegates for two years, and now the Republicans hold a slender 52-48 majority. The test of the session will be how well the slender Democratic majority in the Senate gets along with the slender Republican majority in the House, and how a governor, who has no previous experience in state government, folds into that mix. [Read more…]
