News
The 2023 General Assembly Reconvene Session adjourned sine die on Wednesday, April 12th. Members of the Senate concluded their work on House and Senate bills and conference reports on Saturday, February 25th late into the evening. The session was not without controversy and legislators left Richmond without completing the work passage of full amendments to the biennial budget. Instead, a "skinny" budget was passed.
Budget Highlights
Important progress was made in the areas of K-12 education, retiree support, aiding struggling families, medical services, and scientific research. Highlights from the budget are as follows:
$115.9M in GF for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 and $125.8M in GF for FY24 for the combined impact of K-12 technical adjustments.
$16.8M in GF for FY23 to ensure no school division receives less funding than was communicated as a result of an error last June.
$250M in GF for FY23 provided to the Virginia Retirement System to address unfunded liabilities.
$15.3M in GF over the biennium to address a shortfall in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program.
$38.1M reallocated from previously designated 2022 Appropriation Act to provide $28.1M to the Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS).
$43.3M allotted for a short-term, interest-free treasury loan to Jefferson Lab authorized by the Director of the Department of Planning and Budget.
Proposed GF support for higher education is still ongoing:
$100M proposed by Senate to support college affordability for low-income students for FY24. $75M would go towards financial aid, and $25M would go towards recruitment and retention of low-income students.
$149.8M proposed by Senate to support rising public colleges and universities to combat rising tuition and fees. The House proposed $75.6M.
The Senate also proposed funding for new workforce initiatives related to credentials in high demand fields at community colleges ($25M) and nursing programs at universities ($5.8M).
Legislation Highlights
Important legislation I sponsored that are awaiting the Governor's signature are listed below:
SB784: Provides that the prohibition on a retired justice or judge appearing as counsel in any court in the Commonwealth shall not apply under certain conditions.
SB822: Alters certain advertising requirements related to the disposal of real property of the city's waterworks system by reducing the requirement from four to two weeks, thereby conforming to other city advertising requirements.
SB829: Requires persons who are aggrieved by any assessment made by the City of Newport News real estate assessor to apply for relief with the board of review as a prerequisite to filing for relief in circuit court.
SB839: Adds to the powers and duties of the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development the responsibility to conduct a comprehensive statewide housing needs assessment at least every five years.
SB860: Allows the Fort Monroe Authority to fix, charge, and collect rents, fees, and charges for consumption within the Area of Operation.
SB861: Authorizes localities in Planning District 23 to establish traffic control device violation monitoring systems, imposing fines on drivers violating traffic laws in areas affected by the HRBT Express Lanes in Hampton.
SB1441: Requires that the State Corporation Commission, in utilizing energy derived from offshore wind, to give due consideration to the economic development benefits of the project for the Commonwealth. This legislation was amended by the Governor which was passed by for the day.
SB1497: Excludes from mandatory disclosure under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act trade secrets, proprietary information, or financial information supplied by an individual or a private or nongovernmental entity to the Fort Monroe Authority.
SB1498: Extends eligibility for the Brown v. Board of Education program to descendants of persons who were residing in jurisdictions in Virginia in which the public schools were affected by desegregation between 1954 and 1964 and whose education was affected by the closure of schools during that time.
I also presented the following memorial and commending resolutions for individuals in the community:
SJ260: Commending Col. Anthony Steven Pike on his retirement as Chief of Capitol Police
SJ269: Celebrating the Life of Adarsh Deepak, Ph.D
SJ336: Establishing a commission to preserve the Virginia Women's Monument
SJ406: Commending An Achievable Dream, Inc.
SR101: Commending Boys and Girls Clubs in Virginia
SR142: Celebrating the Life of Jeanette Crouch Moore
SR153: Commending the Phoebus High School Football Team
SR154: Celebrating the life of James Lawrence Eason
SJ336: Establishing a commission to preserve the Virginia Women's Monument
SJ406: Commending An Achievable Dream, Inc.
SR101: Commending Boys and Girls Clubs in Virginia
SR142: Celebrating the Life of Jeanette Crouch Moore
SR153: Commending the Phoebus High School Football Team
SR154: Celebrating the life of James Lawrence Eason
These links are provided for your convenience:
LIS: https://lis.virginia.gov
VGA: https://virginiageneralassembly.gov
As with all sessions, I am supported by an amazing team of individuals, both in Richmond and in Hampton. Thank you to each of you for coordinating my schedule to meet and speak with constituents, tracking legislation, developing and posting the newsletter to keep constituents informed, posting on social media, doing great research that always makes me look good. Thank you, Theressa, Nik, Cathy, George, and Sofhia.
Please feel free to contact my office at 757-825-5880 or via email at [email protected]. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Newsletters will continue to be posted to keep you informed on happenings in the 2nd district. Please be reminded that the district has now changed to District 23.