Dear John, The General Assembly passed amendments to the biennium budget that will re-direct funds to public education, mental health services, and tax cuts that will serve Virginians, not corporations. The Democratic Senate conferees stood with Virginia’s families at the negotiation table.
These amendments addressed the greater-than-expected growth in revenue and the pressing need to bolster core services, especially with respect to public education. The bi-partisan agreement took a conservative approach to budgeting and avoided large ongoing tax cuts, something Governor Youngkin wanted, but Democratic and Republican lawmakers alike chose a structurally sound budget.
Approximately $1.2B in tax cuts that passed in the last biennium were absorbed in these amendments, and another $1B was allocated for one-time tax rebates and standard deduction expansions. Specifically, the recently passed amendments include $200 for an individual and $400 for a couple filing jointly, starting in the 2024 tax year. The standard deduction will also increase for the tax year 2024 to $9K for a single filer and $18K for a couple filing jointly.
Spending allocations were carefully targeted to support important investments. Highlights of those investments are noted below:
Raises for State Employees: Our recent budget action provides most state and state-supported employees, including faculty and graduate teaching assistants, with a 2 percent raise effective in December 2023. An additional $7.6M was added to address compression issues resulting from higher starting pay for sworn deputy sheriffs and regional jail officers.
Public Education: I am proud to say that the Democrats held firm on increasing pay to teachers. Enough state funding has been allocated over the biennium budget and the recently passed amendments to give teachers a 12 percent pay raise. Virginia's average teacher salary is $6,787 below the national average, which ranks our state 25th nationally. That ranking needs to move up to 1st place.
It was particularly exciting to support the $418.3 million in direct aid funding to public schools that was contained in these amendments. This funding will be distributed based on a per-pupil count with recognition of the number of federal free lunch participants. No local match will be required. Priority must be placed on implementing the Virginia Literacy Act, an act that is aimed at ensuring every child is reading by grade 3, and strategies to address learning losses. Funds may be carried forward to the next biennium. We worked closely with the education community to frame this appropriation in a helpful way.
There was some chipping away at the SOQ support positions cap. The new ratio of 24 funded positions per 1000 students is a step in the direction of permanently removing the support cap, an end goal that is an important priority to school systems across the Commonwealth.
Behavioral Health Services: These amendments provide $58M to expand and modernize Virginia’s crisis services system, including spending on stabilization units and receiving centers. Stabilization units and receiving centers are designed to be alternatives to emergency department care for individuals in crisis. They can accept walk-in patients suffering from a mental health (MH) or substance use disorder or individuals under emergency custody orders (ECOs) or temporary detention orders (TDOs) suffering from the same conditions.
The stabilization units will have psych beds for observation and the development of a treatment plan. These facilities are community-based and offer more rapid and accessible treatment than care that is traditionally available at hospital emergency departments. It is also worth noting that an additional $10M was allocated to fund mobile crisis services in underserved areas.
An important allocation in the prevention arena was a $4M infusion of funds into the Virginia Mental Health Access Project. This project facilitates the provision of MH services in the offices of pediatricians and primary care practitioners.
Public Safety: Some important but hidden gems were also included in the budget amendments. An ombudsman was approved in the Department of Corrections. This is an important step forward in our prison reform effort. The state’s contract to support companies providing transport for those under an ECO or TDO was bolstered by $5M. This addition, coupled with investments in crisis receiving centers and crisis stabilization centers, will provide relief to law enforcement personnel who must often travel miles and wait hours at emergency departments with individuals under ECOs or TDOs. The Victim Witness Grant Program was made whole ($1.3M was allocated) to cover a reduction in federal grant funding.
Thank you for your ongoing support and your partnership in the effort to bolster the blue brick wall in the Senate.
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