The following press release is from the Virginia House Democrats:
House of Delegates Repudiates McDonnell’s Budget Amendments
Today, the members of the General Assembly returned to Richmond to consider 107 amendments to the 2012-2014 budget proposed by Governor McDonnell.
The result was unprecedented bipartisan agreement to reject more than 20 amendments including proposed changes making it more difficult to provide state employee bonuses, a legislative study that would have jeopardized cost of competing funds, providing $3.0 million in additional funding to the Governor to spend without legislative oversight, and elimination of $2.2 million for Area Agencies on Aging.
“It is a rare occasion to see Republican members of the House of Delegates stand on the floor, again and again, and object to the proposals of their Governor,” said Mark Sickles, Caucus Chairman (D-Franconia). “While our caucus had fundamental disagreements with the content of the budget, the Governor’s recommendations were simply out of touch with the priorities expressed by both sides. Today’s actions do not make this budget notably better, but the rejection of the Governor’s amendments keep from making it any worse.”
“Several of the Governor’s amendments that were rejected today were considered as legislation during the session and during prior budget discussions,” said David J. Toscano, House Democratic Leader (D-Charlottesville). “If the Governor had consulted with the legislature before submitting these recommendations, he would have realized that they were inconsistent with the priorities of our citizens.”
The new state budget will go into effect on July 1, 2012.
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