Here is an updated list of actions Governor Youngkin has taken on bills that are currently on his desk.
In case you missed it, on Saturday, March 9 at 5:10 pm, the Virginia General Assembly adjourned Sine Die, after 3 hours of debating and voting on the last remaining bills in conference.
Among the 2,200 bills that passed both of the Democrat controlled chambers, was the 2024-2026 biennial budget. Now the bills are on the Governor's desk waiting for action. Governor Youngkin only has 30 days, April 8, to amend, veto or sign those bills into law.
Governor Youngkin has already signed 64 bills into law, amended 12 bills and vetoed 8 of the 84 bills of the "Seven Day" Legislation before the Friday, March 8 midnight deadline. You can review those bills here.
The General Assembly took no action Saturday on either the Governor's vetoes or the amendments. The legislature can override vetoes with a two-thirds majority, but with Democrats holding a narrow 51-49 edge over the GOP, they are unlikely to be able to muster the votes to do so.
On Saturday, the legislature passed its $188 billion biennial budget for fiscal years 2024-2026 by a margin of 62-37 in the House of Delegates and 24-14 in the Senate.
The budget is set to take effect July 1, 2024. For a list of how each legislator voted on the budget you can click on the links above.
The budget includes more than $2.5 billion in new funding for K-12 public education, a 3% salary increase for teachers and state employees, $2.5 million for the proposed inland port in Washington County and $70 million in one-time general fund support to accelerate the Interstate 81 northbound lane widening project.
Missing from both the Democrat controlled House and Senate budgets are key pieces of Governor Youngkin's proposed tax plan.
That plan would have reduced personal income tax and raised the state sales tax. Youngkin also recommended adding a sales tax on digital goods like streaming services to make up for any shortfalls.
However, most of Youngkin's tax plan was removed , except for the proposed sales tax on digital goods.
Not happening Saturday was any further action on the arena deal. The proposal is expected to bring jobs and revenue to the state, but bills to create a state authority to issue bonds needed for the deal were never heard by the Senate, where Finance and Appropriations Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, has opposed it. Nor did the General Assembly include the proposal in its budget.
Youngkin now has the option of sending down an amendment to the budget to include the arena proposal, but the legislature will have to approve that change when it reconvenes April 17 to finalize the state's spending plan and consider any other amendments or vetoes to other bills.
No discussion on the arena deal could happen before then, said Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, but the governor could call a special session to consider the arena proposal, a possibility she didn't rule out entirely.
"We'll see," said Locke. "Anything can happen."
Democrats' decision to exclude the arena from the budget the General Assembly approved Saturday is also expected to influence what happens with the bills the legislature sent to Youngkin that are still awaiting his review.
Below is a comprehensive list of bills that have failed in committee, bills that passed both houses, along with a list of actions on bills taken by the Governor thus far.
If you desire to get more information on one of the bills listed below just click the button below for each committee and the bill history and summary is listed.
The Virginia General Assembly will reconvene on Wednesday, April 17 for consideration of the Governor's amendments and vetoes. With only a one member majority in each house, it is unlikely that the Democrats will be able to override any of Governor Youngkin's vetoes.
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