ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia lawmakers headed to Richmond to vote on the state’s 2-year budget after legislators said they have a compromised agreement with Governor Glenn Youngkin.
The announcement comes after the previous budget was scrapped by the House of Delegates.
One hot-button issue in the proposed budget, which was released over the weekend, is education. Lawmakers agreed on raising teacher pay to three percent over two years.
“Approximately a three percent pay increase across the board, and so we’ll continue doing everything that we can to try to get closer to paying our teachers at least the national average. That’s what we’re pushing for in the general assembly,” said Delegate Sam Rasoul.
Senator David Suetterlein said he’s glad they were able to have a consensus on raising teacher pay and investing in education.
“Governor Youngkin has put more money towards public education on the budgets that he’s signed than his predecessors did,” said Suetterlein.
Meanwhile, state employees will also receive an annual three percent raise over the next two years.
To get to the compromised budget many items had to be left out. Rasoul tells 10 News what some of the concessions were in the budget.
“The tax loophole that the governor had originally talked about closing and then changed his mind on wanting to close that. So, we’re not going to close this tax loophole. We won’t at least through the budget be rejoining RGGI, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative,” said Rasoul.
There’s also no language to legalize skills games in Virginia. However, Suetterlein said there is a separate bill for the governor to consider.
“There will not be any provisions in the budget document that are related to stand-alone legislation. So, there won’t be something that is in the budget, but it is something that could be taken up later and continued discussion trying to reach consensus,” said Suetterlein.
Rasoul said he was hoping there would be more resources for mental health services in schools. He also said that lawmakers wanted to build community schools. He said doctors and dental offices would be on campus so students wouldn’t have to go elsewhere. He also said mental health counselors would be available at schools.
Meanwhile, Suetterlein said he hoped tax relief be included in the budget.