Virginia legislature and governor agree to kick the can on state budget

RICHMOND, Va. (CN)—In hopes of preventing a rock fight, Virginia Democratic and Republican leadership agreed on Wednesday to start the state's budgeting process from scratch. 

"I think this is a very positive step forward to reaching a budget that serves the Commonwealth of Virginia and reflects the collective the collective priorities from everyone, including the General Assembly," Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin told reporters.

Reconvene sessions like Wednesday's, which took place over a month after the 2024 General Assembly session ended, is usually when the House of Delegates and State Senate vote to approve or reject the governor's vetoes and recommendations for bills that passed the legislature. The General Assembly typically finalizes the state budget in the April session.

Using a procedural maneuver agreed to between the Democrat-controlled General Assembly and Youngkin, the House of Delegates voted to kill the budget amendments submitted by Youngkin, clearing the path for a special session on May 13 with a goal of voting on the spending plan on May 15. 

"The thing that's changed is there's been a lot of collaboration," State Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas said. "And I think nothing helps this process more than everybody getting together, sitting around the table and talking about what can we all do to help Virginia."

Virginia operates under a two-year biennial budget cycle. Each year, the governor prepares the proposed budget bill for introduction by the General Assembly. Those bills are adopted in even-numbered years and amended in odd-numbered years. 

The budget ping-pongs back and forth between the governor and the General Assembly. Youngkin's amendments addressed the proposed Democrat-backed budget that passed the Legislature.

Following the conclusion of the General Assembly in March, the governor traveled on a press tour around the state, calling the proposed budget backward. The governor's amendments stripped all proposed tax increases while agreeing not to include tax decreases.

Democrats were stunned when Youngkin all but vetoed the budget passed through the General Assembly by offering 233 amendments. 

"He decided to use the budget for sport," House majority leader Charniele Herring said on the House floor. "We are not on common ground." 

According to the Washington Post, the amount of contention rose to such levels that leadership met in private Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning to create a plan to move forward. Lawmakers agreed that when they reconvene for the May special session, the two sides will work to pass a budget that addresses each other's priorities. 

If a compromise is not reached by June 30 for the budget to fund the current and next two fiscal years, the state will experience a government shutdown. 

Much of the tension between the governor and Democrats that followed the session can be attributed to Lucas' decision to block a vote in the Senate that would have included language funding a new arena in Alexandria to host the Washington Wizards and Capitals, a top objective for Youngkin. Youngkin and Lucas disagreed on who should fund the arena and labor protection for the stadium's construction.  

One topic of agreement was the State Senate's 34-6 vote to reject the governor's recommendations on a bill that would tax and legalize skill games. Convenience store and gas station owners fought hard to allow the slot machine-like devices back into their stores after the state attorney general began enforcing a long-delayed state ban in November.

Republicans and Democrats advocated for the measure, but Youngkin effectively gutted the bill, offering an amendment that would not allow operators to place skill games within 35 miles of any casino, racetrack or satellite facility. The recommendation means skills games would not be permitted in any of Virginia's highly populated areas, including Richmond, Hampton Roads and Bristol. 

Democrats in the House used Wednesday's session to speak on some of their priorities, which they felt Youngkin unjustly cut via vetoes and budget amendments. Delegate Candi Mundon King denounced Youngkin's vetoes regarding reproductive rights protection legislation. 

Among Youngkin's vetos was a Democrat-passed bill that gives Virginians the right to obtain contraceptives and engage in contraception and a bill requiring health insurance companies to include coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices.

"We cannot afford to wait for the governor to get over his latest tantrum," King said on the House floor. "As I say these words, women are dying."

Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker spoke on the floor about her disappointment in Youngkin vetoeing 30 gun control bills, including measures to ban firearms on college campuses and semi-automatic weapons, along with a bill closing the boyfriend loophole in federal law that would have added intimate partners — defined as an individual who was in a romantic, dating or sexual relationship with a victim within the previous 12 months, even if they don't share a residence — to the list of people barred from owning guns due to misdemeanor domestic violence convictions. 

"None of us should have to fear for the life of our children and ourselves," Bennett-Parker said. "He sided with the gun lobby rather than Virginians."

Delegate Sam Rasoul, who chairs the House education committee, took to the mic to speak on Youngkin's veto of a bill that would allow localities to hold referendums to increase taxes for school repair funding. 

Delegate Nick Freitas, a conservative social media influencer and a former Green Beret, clapped back at the Democrat's soapbox speeches, claiming he was sick of being told Republicans are evil. 

"'You're evil, you're mean, you're sexist, you're bigoted, you're racist, you're the enemy,'" Freitas said, paraphrasing the Democrats' speeches. "I just don't care about the accusations anymore. I just don't because it's so blatantly obvious to me that it is political posturing." 

Delegate and Chairmen of the House Appropriations Committee Luke Torian told reporters everything concerning the budget moving forward is still up for debate.

"Everything will be up for discussion and deliberations," Torian said. "No decisions have been made at this point. Everything that we had in our budget that we sent to the governor is still on the table for discussion and deliberation."

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