Virginia Lawmakers Approve 2-Year Spending Plan, Avoiding Partial Government Shutdown
Lawmakers adopted 14 amendments that add a data center electricity tax, fund teacher raises and Medicaid changes, and avert a partial shutdown.
- On Monday, the Virginia General Assembly approved all 14 amendments proposed by Governor Abigail Spanberger to the state's two-year budget, finalizing the $207 billion spending plan before the July 1 fiscal deadline.
- The final agreement concluded a months-long standoff among Democrats over data center tax incentives, preserving existing sales tax exemptions while establishing a new energy consumption tax on the industry.
- Key provisions include 4% raises for teachers, 3.5% increases for state employees, and a new grant program providing $2 million annually for career firefighter cancer screenings across the Commonwealth.
- Governor Spanberger stated the budget charts a path toward a "more secure, and more affordable future," while amendments reduce the state's unappropriated balance from $179 million to $117 million.
- Lawmakers delayed the effective date for new firearms-in-public-areas restrictions until July 1, 2027, after identifying "unintended consequences" in the original legislation, while also establishing a $5 million state digital services team.
26 Articles
26 Articles
Now that Virginia has a budget, 5 questions about what happens next
Virginia now has a budget. We cut things close, but Virginia won’t face the prospect of a government shutdown when the new fiscal year begins July 1. We’ve been here before: When Democrat Tim Kaine was governor, the two Republican-controlled chambers couldn’t agree on a budget until June 30. Kaine planned to keep the government running until some court told him otherwise. We’ve avoided those kinds of scenarios We can now answer the questions abo…
Daily News-Record
Royal ExaminerVirginia General Assembly approves Spanberger’s budget amendments, ending monthslong impasse
With less than 48 hours remaining before the start of Virginia’s new fiscal year, the General Assembly on Monday approved a package of amendments proposed by Gov. Abigail Spanberger to the state’s two-year budget, formally ending a budget fight among…
Virginia lawmakers approve 2-year spending plan, avoiding partial government shutdown
Virginia lawmakers have approved a new two-year spending plan, avoiding the commonwealth’s first ever partial government shutdown. The funding package includes a new tax on data centers and a plan to launch retail marijuana stores. On Monday, both chambers put the final touches on it, approving 14 changes Gov. Abigail Spanberger wanted to see made to the version passed last week. “By finalizing our budget, Virginia is charting a path toward a st…
Virginia's next budget is now law, as General Assembly approves final changes
Menhaden, the fish that has been the focus of years of political squabbling, got a starring role as the General Assembly took its last, largely technical steps to give Virginia a new, if much-delayed, state budget.
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