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Friends,
As the summer begins, I want to give you an update now that the special session is in the rearview mirror.
Budget & Special Session Update
Virginia finally has a budget! While the budget does not include everything the General assembly we wanted, I think that this is a good forward-looking budget. Some highlights of the budget include:
- 3% raises for teachers for the next two years and increased funding for multiple early and K-12 education programs
- Increased funding for higher education
- 3% raises for state employees
- $150 million in additional dedicated state funding for Metro that was needed to prevent catastrophic service cuts
While the budget did include many of my priorities, I was disappointed that the language requiring Virginia to stay in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) did not make it into the final budget. I will continue to fight for programs like RGGI in future years because continuing to move backwards on climate is not an option.
You can find a summary of the final budget from the Senate Finance Committee here, and find a searchable full version of the budget here.
Governor Youngkin’s Final Vetoes
Additionally, this past week was the final veto deadline for the last bills of the 2024 regular session. Unfortunately, there were quite a few bills that I supported that were vetoed by Governor Youngkin. Those bills included:
- SB237 - This bill would have codified a right to contraception in Virginia. Given the attacks on access to all forms of reproductive healthcare, including contraception, happening around the country, I supported this legislation to show that Virginia will always stand on the side of access to healthcare. Democrats in the General Assembly will continue our fight to protect and expand access to contraception.
- SB729 - This bill would have created a Green Energy bank in Virginia that would have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to address clean energy & the climate crisis.
- SB517 - This bill would have removed tax breaks for racist neo-Confederate organizations.
Summer in Sully Fundraiser
I am excited to announce that I will be having a fundraiser hosted by Maggie Godbold in the Sully District on Sunday, June 23rd! There will be drinks and appetizers, and it will be a great time. You can learn more and RSVP here.
Congrats Graduates!
This time of year brings many graduations. The majority of this year's class started high school or college during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and faced immense challenges. I want to take a moment to congratulate each member of the class of 2024 for their hard work and achievements. I will be attending many of the graduation ceremonies around the district in the coming weeks, and I am excited to be delivering the commencement address at my alma mater, Falls Church High School.
Upcoming Events
I will be around the district this weekend for the various Memorial Day celebrations. If you will be attending ViVa Vienna make sure you stop by the consistent services booth I am hosting with Del. Seibold.
Elections
Early voting continues for the primaries happening around Virginia. As a reminder, there is a Democratic primary in the 11th district and no primary in the 8th district. Lean more about voting here.
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