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The first full work week of the 2020 General Assembly, the week beginning January 13, has fulfilled its promise of being hectic, frustrating and productive.
The 2020 Session has of course seen new majorities. In the Senate, where Democrats and Republicans have traded the majority several times over the past 12 years, work proceeds. Redistricting and demographic change meant that this Democratic majority is significantly different than past ones. [Read more…]
Ray Wylie Hubbard is a Texas troubadour, who I guess is an acquired taste. In the 1970s he wrote “Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother.” Later he wrote “Snake Farm” and co-wrote “Drunken Poet’s Dream.” He is worth the price of admission if you ever get the chance to go to a live show. A line from one of his more recent songs is “and the days that I keep my gratitude higher than my expectations, well, I have really good days.”
This is good advice for the Democratic voters who elected majorities to both houses of the General Assembly in 2019.
With a majority in both houses, we have incredible opportunities to do good things. I expect us to fulfill reasonable expectations. [Read more…]
The General Assembly returned to Richmond on April 3 for our 2019 reconvened session to consider gubernatorial vetoes and amendments. The governor has 30 days from the adjournment of the regular session to sign, veto, or offer amendments to legislation. The authority of Virginia’s governor to amend legislation is atypical compared to the president and many other governors. This power provides an opportunity to impact policy in a significant way. [Read more…]
The 2019 Regular Session of the General Assembly is now over. For the books, we adjourned one day late due to the length of discussions over the budget. A budget agreement was not reached until the morning of February 23. We amended the rules several years ago to require posting of the budget 48 hours before the vote. Even with the extra day, we did not comply with the rules. The budget work during the short session consists solely of amending the two year budget we adopted the prior year. However, there is good reason to allow an intentional “waiting period” before a final vote is taken. [Read more…]
The last week of the 2019 General Assembly Session is drawing to a close. Conference committees are trying rapidly to come to agreement and produce a final compromise. The budget conferees just reached agreement, and the details should be available soon. I will provide an update on the budget in the coming days.
I’ve been using some time this past week to meet with various shareholders to make certain that the work of the Joint Subcommittee on Mental Health is planned out for the next nine months or so. I carried legislation (SJ 301) this year that passed both the House and the Senate extending the work of the Subcommittee through 2021. What I have found is that despite our best intentions to complete the work in timely manner, the work goes on. Transforming mental health care into a true system is monumental work. The slow progress is frustrating but ultimately rewarding. [Read more…]
