Virginia General Assembly 2024 Week #7 Was “Show Me the Money” Time

by Cindy, cross-posted from VAPLAN

Last weekend the House and Senate budget committees presented their amendments to the (Governor’s) introduced budget bills. By the end of this week, the House and Senate had debated some amendments and passed their own budgets off the floor. But there will still be lots of negotiations before a single budget can be pieced together from the Governor’s budget and the House and Senate versions.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK, Virginia’s first Black woman to chair the powerful Finance Committee says as she presents her budget amendments: “Because of my experiences, I hold the areas of education and public safety close to my heart. People of my generation, Black and white alike, were unable to attend school during Massive Resistance, and I want to make sure that no child is ever denied the ability to have a quality public education or denied the ability to grow up in a safe and supportive community.”

What’s in the House budget:

• 3 3/8% salary increases for teachers July 1, 2024 and again July 1, 2025, with the intent to reach the national average by 2028.
• As a condition on all appropriations, Virginia must immediately take all actions necessary to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and continue participating therein.
• $65 million in 2024-25 and $84.5 million in 2025-26 in funding for WMATA, as well as the establishment of a Joint Subcommittee to study long-term funding solutions.
• 3% salary raise for state employees.
• Other big ticket items: Supporting the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, Reserves to offset unexpected increased Medicaid participation, K-12 At-Risk Add-on restructuring and funding, EV Rural infrastructure fund, Virginia’s share of Newport News US Naval housing project.
• Removed from Governor’s introduced budget: over $11 million in undefined college campus “security initiatives” (example), $30 million in funding each year to his Lab School program, $20 million in funding each year to his experimental “Diploma Plus” program, cutting proposed funding for a public awareness campaign to promote “responsible fatherhood,” and removing his budget language that legislated changes to the earned sentence credit program.
• And then there’s: $5 million to help Gainesville host the LPGA Solheim Cup, creation of PBS Appalachia, $750,000 each year to support AP/IB exam fee reduction for low-income students, authorizing the Governor to spend in preparation for VSU hosting 2024 Presidential debate, $300,000 to repave the Virginia Horse Center parking lot.

What’s in the Senate budget:

• 3% salary increases in both years for teachers and instructional staff.
• 2.5% salary increases in both years for state employees.
• Does not contain WMATA funding, but rather requires WMATA to submit a corrective action plan detailing how it will reduce costs and a timeline for automation in order to receive further funds.
• $77 million this year and $15 million next year to provide toll relief for those with incomes less than $50,000 a year who drive a car in high toll areas, would provide 100% toll relief on Elizabeth River Tunnels.
• A language amendment prohibiting employment of any person who was nominated by a governor to a position requiring General Assembly confirmation who was not confirmed by the General Assembly. This gets at Youngkin’s hiring of former Trump EPA Chief Andrew Wheeler to an advisory position following the General Assembly refusing to confirm him for Secretary of Natural Resources.
• An amendment asking the Virginia Crime Commission to review all cases forensic scientist Mary Jane Burton worked on, following the revelation she may have tampered with the evidence in numerous cases.
• Plus: increasing funding and expanding coverage to Roanoke of the Safer Communities Grant Program, $3 million both years to support the Big Heroes of Minorities in Every Society (Big HOMIES) and Cleaning Up the Streets Youth Employment Program (CUTS), and a language amendment asking the Department of Public Safety to report to the General Assembly on how to create civilian-led units to respond, investigate, and handle calls for services related to minor traffic accidents and other duties as assigned.