From the desk of Del. Danny Marshall
State lawmakers took big steps last week to advance debate on our number one priority in this year’s session of the Virginia General Assembly.
The House and Senate have each adopted their own versions of the Biennial Budget covering the next two years of state spending. There are stark differences between these two proposals and the proposed budget that Governor Glenn Youngkin presented to House and Senate money committees late last year.
Neither budget includes Gov. Youngkin’s proposed $1 billion in additional tax relief, nor the sales tax hike he submitted as part of his spending blueprint. Both plans, drafted and adopted in committees with majority Democrats, include more money for public education, pay hikes for teachers and expanded mental health services.
The House version of the budget includes the Governor’s proposal to close what is termed the “tech tax loophole” on digital goods. That means Virginia would begin taxing online music and film downloads.
A few of the budget amendments I added made the final cut in the House spending plan. I put in a request for three million dollars to develop what will be called the “White Mill Whitewater Channel.” That will be a whitewater feature created along the canal that runs adjacent to the former White Mill. The Old Number 8 mill is being converted in a multi-use project as part of a public-private partnership.
The White Mill Whitewater Channel will be both a recreation and a first responder training facility. It will allow the Danville Life Saving Crew and other groups to train swift water rescue teams in a fully-controlled environment. The state money would require a local match from the city of Danville.
My other budget amendments focused on higher education and workforce development. One allocates $630,000 to fund a salary adjustment for staff at the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville. A separate line item, totaling nearly 140-thousand dollars, would pay for software acquisition at IALR. The budget also includes a half million dollars to add two staff positions at the Institute.
I was also pleased that my amendment for another area higher education facility made the final cut in the House budget. That $880,000 amendment would pay for the Southern Virginia Higher Education Center’s workforce training program in South Boston. Specifically, this money would pay for the hiring of a full-time nursing instructor to meet a growing local need. The rest of the money would upgrade equipment in their Welding Lab.
A Budget Conference Committee will now be appointed to hammer out a compromise that will go back to each chamber for final approval. This committee will consist of senior Appropriations and Finance Committee members from each party. Since Democrats have narrow majorities in both the House and Senate, the conference committee will also have majority Democrat membership.
Governor Youngkin has a line-item veto authority when the General Assembly Budget comes to his desk. Any changes he makes will be considered in an April Veto Session of the Virginia General Assembly.
If you want to track legislation during the session, the General Assembly has several ways you can do it. Go to https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/. You can view committee hearings and floor sessions live. You can also view them in the website’s archive.
As always we love to hear from constituents! If you have any questions or need more information, please contact me at
