On Tuesday, we reached crossover. With the exception of the budget, the House of Delegates can only consider bills originating in the Senate and the Senate can only consider House bills. There were some momentous votes this past week. [Read more…]
Budget Update
Special Session 2021
The passage of the federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) this past spring gave us an unprecedented opportunity here in Virginia. The Commonwealth was allotted $4.3 billion to address the lingering health and economic impacts of the pandemic.
The Governor called the General Assembly back to Richmond for a Special Session this past week for two purposes, the first of which was to consider the Governor’s 18-page plan to spend the ARP funding. [Read more…]
Sine Die
In this most unusual year, the General Assembly adjourned sine die in the most unusual way. We adopted a procedural resolution to extend the 30-day session to the usual 46 days by having a special session the last couple of weeks. We finished our work late on Saturday, February 27, but we did not adjourn sine die until March 1. [Read more…]
Week 6: In the Homestretch
The 2021 Session of the General Assembly is winding down. We only have a week left in the regular session, which is anything but regular this year. We are in a pandemic, and we had to go through extraordinary means simply to meet for the normal 46 days. [Read more…]
2021 Session Preview
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…]