Virginia lawmakers convene special session on long-delayed budget

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — The politically divided Virginia General Assembly convened Wednesday in a special session to consider compromise budget legislation that’s six months overdue.

The small group of negotiators who have been leading budget talks since the Legislature’s regular session ended without agreement on adjustments to the two-year state spending plan announced they had reached a compromise two weeks ago. Full details were rolled out over the weekend.

The proposal includes about $1 billion in tax reductions, mostly in the form of a one-time tax rebate of $200 for individuals and $400 for joint filers. It would also increase the standard deduction, remove the age requirement for a military retiree tax benefit and reinstate a popular sales tax holiday lawmakers forgot to renew.

The tax policy changes were a key part of the budget stalemate, as Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and the GOP-controlled House of Delegates had argued for an additional $1 billion permanent cuts, including a reduction to the corporate tax rate. Democrats who control the state Senate argued that more reductions would be premature after negotiating $4 billion in tax relief last year.

The compromise proposal would boost K-12 education spending by about $650 million and fund behavioral health initiatives sought by the governor. It includes funding for an extra 2% raise for state workers in December, as well as money for the state’s share of a 2% raise for state-supported local employees, including teachers.

Top lawmakers have signaled support for the deal, and the session was expected to last only one day. Once passed, it would go to Youngkin, who could either sign it as is or seek amendments.

“The governor is pleased the general assembly is sending him a budget,” Youngkin’s spokeswoman Macaulay Porter said in a statement Wednesday morning.

Because Virginia operates on a two-year budget cycle, with the full plan adopted in even years and tweaked in odd years, this year’s delay has not impacted state government services or payroll. But it has led to consternation from school districts, local governments and other interests impacted by the state’s taxation and spending policy.