TALKING RICHMOND: End of Session, Affordability, and Bi-partisanship
Del. Phil Scott looks back on the recent session and looks ahead to getting a budget in place.
By Del. Phil Scott
HOUSE DISTRICT 63
As we close out the Legislative Session, I have a few things to mention.
First, some news; we will need to come back for a special session to decide on a budget. The Democrats in power are having a huge disagreement over whether or not to keep the data center tax credits.
I had a couple of folks incorrectly argue that the tax break is a creation of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin. In reality, it was signed into law by then-Gov. Tim Kaine, and then expanded by Gov. Terry McAuliffe. I have seen budget impasses before, but it does not typically happen when only one party is in power.
If you know anything about me, you know that I value government restraint. Time after time, our process has been filled with a laundry list of ideological fights and policy experiments. Bill after bill often carrying a significant price tag and long-term price tags that are difficult to course-correct if something goes awry.
Ultimately, I believe the budget should come first, as the document that forces my colleagues to make the hard decisions, exhibit discipline, restraint, negotiation and honesty. We need to agree that taxes, by definition, make things less affordable and should be avoided, rather than straining folks to pay for every long list of items.
Virginia has long prided itself on responsible fiscal management. For decades, leaders of both parties have worked to maintain the Commonwealth’s strong credit rating and reputation for stability.
That tradition exists for a reason.
Businesses invest here because they know Virginia takes its finances seriously. The largest issue with being without a budget is that local governments are unable to plan their own budgets without knowing what the state is going to do.
I want to commend a few of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the Senate for working with me on HB1229 to strengthen it after the House watered it down, and then thank my colleagues in the House for agreeing to the Senate amendments.
The amendments in the Senate add a reporting requirement to the data that is being collected on Restraints and Seclusions in schools for kids with autism. The issue is that the Department of Education does not have the authority to enforce these regulations, leading to some schools deciding to go another route without oversight.
HB1229 focuses on that oversight, and I am proud to have championed this bipartisan issue this year.
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