by Morgan Sweeney
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed the overdue state budget passed in the General Assembly special session on Sept. 6.
After much back and forth over fiscal priorities, budget negotiators landed on a bipartisan agreement with elements for both parties to like and dislike.
The bill contains $1 billion in tax relief, most of that in one-time rebates Virginians will receive this fall and historic investments in conservation and education.
Youngkin lauded the tax adjustments “on top of last year’s historic four billion dollars,” but also praised other pieces of the legislation.
“Together, we are accelerating results and building a Virginia that competes to win and gives the next generation of parents, teachers, students, farmers, law enforcement, nurses and first responders the tools needed to ensure their success and prosperity in the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in a statement.
The House Appropriations Committee chair, Del. Barry Knight, called the budget a “bipartisan, bicameral compromise” and noted during the special session, despite this year’s delays, that the House appropriations staff was “the best I’ve ever worked with.”
Sen. Janet Howell, co-chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, said the budget is a “win-win for the citizens of Virginia, and Sen. Stephen Newman, who has served in the Virginia state Senate for 27 years, has also said that this is “as fiscally responsible” a budget as he’s ever seen.
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Morgan Sweeney is a staff writer covering Virginia and Maryland for The Center Square. Morgan was an active member of the journalism program as an undergraduate at Hillsdale College and previously freelanced for The Center Square.
Photo “Glenn Youngkin” by Governor of Virginia.
