Good afternoon,

Happy Valentine's Day! Valentine’s Day is one of the most exciting days during the legislative session, with Senators, Delegates, staff, and pages exchanging candy and flowers, and offices decorated with hearts, flowers, and garland. Today also marks one week until the end of the legislative session.

Office 618 decorated for the Holiday!

End of Session:

Next week, the session will adjourn sine die, ending the 2025 regular legislative session. Given the brevity of this session, the pace was fast, resulting in the passage of fewer bills compared to longer years. At crossover, I had successfully gotten 13 of my bills out of the Senate. Currently, four of these bills have been fully passed by the House, and I anticipate that several more will achieve passage next week. As always, the status of bills can be viewed on lis.virginia.gov

Casino Watch:

SB982 (aka the Tysons Casino Bill) has been effectively killed for the remainder of 2025! Earlier this week, the House appropriations subcommittee chaired by Del. Bulova did not take action on the casino bill during its final meeting of the session. This action effectively renders the bill dead for the remainder of the year. I would like to express my gratitude to the thousands of constituents who contacted General Assembly members to express their views. This demonstrates the importance of your voices and opinions.

Budget:

The Senate passed its budget amendment proposal that includes transformative investments to support working families, strengthen education, expand healthcare access, and protect Virginia’s communities.

IMMEDIATE TAX RELIEF:

• $977.8 million in direct tax rebates ($200 single/$400 joint filers)

• Increased standard deduction to $8,750 single/$17,500 joint filers

• Fully refundable Earned Income Tax Credit at 20% of the federal credit

EDUCATION & WORKFORCE:

• $1,000 bonus for teachers and support staff, plus a 3% salary increase

• $15 million for high-demand workforce credential training

• $15 million for need-based undergraduate aid

• $9 million for tuition assistance grants

• $25 million for early childhood education employer cost-sharing pilot

HEALTHCARE & FAMILY SUPPORT:

• $6.1 million for comprehensive maternal health initiatives

• $15 million for rental assistance pilot program

• 1.5% bonus for state employees, plus a 3% salary increase

COMMUNITY PROTECTION:

• $50 million for community flood protection and resilience

• $50 million for disaster mitigation in vulnerable communities

We will be in negotiations with the House and Governor's office to determine the final budget.

Sincerely,

Senator Saddam Azlan Salim

Virginia Senate District 37