David spent yesterday and today in Richmond as the House of Delegates very briefly resumed the special session that convened on March 27. House Republicans pushed through a new version of Virginia’s biennial budget that still raids money for core services like education, health care, and public safety while now pushing off any discussion of transportation funding to an unspecified future special session.
“House Republicans continue to be isolated in the extreme when it comes to the budget,” said David. “Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, House Democrats, the Governor, Virginia’s business community, and most mainstream Virginians all agree that Virginia needs about $1 billion a year in sustained, dedicated, long-term transportation funding to get people out of gridlock, keep our economy strong, and improve quality of life. Now House Republicans want to push off transportation to some future session, which may or may not even happen.”
Once again, House Democrats offered a series of budget amendments to reinstate funding for core services like veterans care, fire departments, gang prevention, and education, but the Republican majority in the House voted against these critical priorities.
The House adjourned until after the Reconvene Session — also known as the “Veto Session” — on April 19 in which the General Assembly addresses bills from the regular session that Governor has vetoed or amended.
After the House adjourned, David returned home to celebrate the first night of Passover — and Shayna’s birthday! — with family and friends at a seder hosted by Dan Solomon and Laura Dove in Del Ray, the Englins’ Alexandria neighborhood.
