Senator Creigh Deeds

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You are here: Home / Archives for mental health policy and funding

2021 Session Preview

December 30, 2020 by Creigh Deeds

As 2020 is draws to a close, I cannot help but reflect on the unusual nature of this year as we prepare for the 2021 Session. From a legislative perspective, the regular session lasted 65 days, and we convened again in August for a 84-day special session. Of course, the General Assembly did not meet every day during the 65- and 84-day spans. During a regular session, legislators typically go home to spend time with family or to work their full-time jobs on the weekends. The special session met even more sporadically.

Politically, this year saw the return of Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate and a lot of pent-up demand from Democratic constituencies. The change in power meant the General Assembly was busy. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2021 Tagged With: COVID-19, infrastructure, mental health policy and funding, promoting economic growth, Senate procedures, State employee compensation, State income tax, unemployment assistance, Voting Rights, workforce training

Special Session: Six Weeks In

September 28, 2020 by Creigh Deeds

The special session began almost six weeks ago. We are finally getting down to the heart of the matter as budget discussions ramp up.

We are operating without a joint operating agreement, a procedural resolution, between the House and the Senate. The agreements stipulate the rules and parameters to govern conduct. The Senate is meeting a few days a week in person, and the House is meeting remotely for committee meetings and floor sessions. So the session goes on.

There is good news on the budget. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2020 Tagged With: COVID-19, K-12 funding, mental health policy and funding, state parks, Virginia budget, Virginia General Assembly Special Sessions

2020 Special Session

August 19, 2020 by Creigh Deeds

The 2020 General Assembly Session seems so long ago. Way back when we were running a surplus and adopting a budget that funded so many critical priorities in the Commonwealth. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2020 Tagged With: COVID-19, criminal justice reform, Higher Education funding, K-12 funding, mental health policy and funding, Senate procedures, Virginia budget, Virginia General Assembly Special Sessions

Reconvened Session Update

April 24, 2020 by Creigh Deeds

The Reconvened Session of the General Assembly met in Richmond on Wednesday, April 22.  The purpose of the Reconvened Session under the Constitution of Virginia is to consider amendments and vetoes offered by the Governor.  It has been part of the Virginia process since the 1971 Constitution. Before that time, the legislature did not have an opportunity to override or consider the Governor’s actions.

The age of social distancing made it an interesting day.  Without question, we all want to get back to work and get back to normalcy as quickly as possible.  However it is also clear that social distancing is working.  We are slowing the spread of the virus, and therefore saving our medical assets and lives.  We are all in this together, and we must be patient.  Knowing all of that did not make the Reconvened or Veto Session any easier.

Because of the social distancing rules, the House and Senate could not meet in their chambers in the state Capitol.  The Senate arranged for us to meet in a spacious room at the Science Museum of Virginia on Broad Street in Richmond.  In that room, we had desks that were spaced six feet apart.  We were all required to wear masks, and we were equipped with gloves and hand sanitizer. Debate, questioning and presentation while wearing a face mask made it even more unusual. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2020 Tagged With: COVID-19, K-12 funding, mental health policy and funding, Senate procedures, State employee compensation, state parks

Sine Die

March 13, 2020 by Creigh Deeds

On March 12, 2020, the regular session of the General Assembly adjourned after adopting a budget for the next two years. It is a budget that will take us forward and that we can be proud of, but there are caveats.

The biennial budget is built on projected growth over the next two years of three percent. The February forecast showed Virginia experiencing about six percent growth to date, so three percent seemed to be a conservative estimate. However, the stock market has fallen more than 25 percent over the last few weeks. We need to be concerned about the economy at this point for several reasons. Major forecasts are predicting a recession this year, so there are a few things we need to take into consideration. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Virginia General Assembly 2020 Tagged With: COVID-19, Higher Education funding, K-12 funding, mental health policy and funding, State employee compensation, state parks, Virginia budget

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