The Latest from VEA

Late Wednesday, the House and Senate approved separate budgets to allocate nearly $3.1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds.  The Senate allowed several amendments onto their version of the budget package and the House passed the original budget proposal with no amendments.  The Senate then adopted their version of the budget proposal by a vote of 21-18.

YEAS–Barker, Bell, Boysko, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Hanger, Hashmi, Howell, Lewis, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Mason, McClellan, McPike, Morrissey, Petersen, Saslaw, Spruill, Surovell–22.

NAYS–Chase, Cosgrove, DeSteph, Dunnavant, Hackworth, Kiggans, McDougle, Newman, Norment, Obenshain, Peake, Pillion, Reeves, Ruff, Stanley, Stuart, Suetterlein, Vogel–18.

You can see from the vote tally some Senators made the decision to vote down major relief for families and businesses.  These Senators voted down funds for:

• Small business investments via the Rebuild Virginia program
• Rural broadband expansion for remote work and school
• Rent and utility relief to help families’ bottom lines
• Healthcare infrastructure to help people get and stay healthy
• Ensuring those out of work can get the benefits they need and find work
• Expanding mental health services
• Helping children stay healthy by improving school air quality and access to healthy food
• Supporting law enforcement through pay bonuses

“It has been the tradition in the Senate to work together across party lines on major items such as the budget. That tradition was continued when every Senator, Democrat and Republican, was given an opportunity for input,” said Senate Finance Chair Janet Howell. “Only four Republicans replied to my request for input. While I wish the budget could have passed in a more bipartisan fashion yesterday evening, Senate Republicans chose instead to squander their chance to stand up for their constituents and Virginians as a whole, instead grandstanding and bloviating through the night.”

Some of the additional amendments added by the Senate to the budget package included reopening of the Department of Motor Vehicles for all in-person services, sortation and vote tallying by individual voter precincts, increasing one-time bonuses for local law enforcement, and changes to the exemptions to the Virginia Overtime Wage Act to set overtime pay for certain employees at a rate consistent with the FLSA.

The House and Senate must now negotiate the final version of the bill in conference committee.  Conferees for the budget bill include:

House: Delegates: Torian, Sickles, Carr, Tyler, Bulova, Knight, Austin

Senate: Senators: Howell, Barker, Saslaw, Locke, Lucas, Deeds, Hanger

Cheers to Delegate Joshua Cole for his uplifting and passionate speech on the house floor regarding the reopening of schools in his district and giving all educators a shout out.