Advertisement

Header Utility Menu

  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Events

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

  • Login

Virginia Business

Mobile Menu

  • Issues
  • Industries
    • Banking/Finances
    • Business Law
    • Commercial Real Estate
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Energy/Green
    • Federal Contracting
    • Government
    • Healthcare
    • Hotels/Tourism
    • Insurance
    • Ports/Trade
    • Small Business
    • Technology
    • Transportation
  • Regions
    • Central Virginia
    • Eastern Virginia
    • Northern Virginia
    • Roanoke/New River Valley
    • Shenandoah Valley
    • Southern Virginia
    • Southwest Virginia
  • Reports
    • Best Places to Work
    • Business Person of the Year
    • CEO Pay
    • Coronavirus 2020
    • Generous Virginians Project
    • Legal Elite
    • Most Influential Virginians
    • Maritime Guide
    • Site Locator
    • The Big Book
    • Virginia CFO Awards
  • Company News
    • For the Record
    • People
  • Opinion
  • Lists
  • Awards/Events
    • Diversity Leadership Series
    • Vote Now for Women in Leadership
    • Virginia 500
    • Legal Elite
    • CFO Awards
    • Big Book of Lists
    • 100 People To Meet
    • Best Places To Work
  • Virginia 500
    • Read the issue
    • Order a copy
    • Buy an award plaque
    • Nominate execs for 2021

Advertisement

Header Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Home News General Assembly special session set for Aug. 18

General Assembly special session set for Aug. 18

Lawmakers will amend budget, discuss police initiatives

Published July 17, 2020 by Kate Andrews

Gov. Ralph Northam set the General Assembly’s special session for Aug. 18 in a proclamation Friday. Lawmakers will adopt the biennial budget based on the revised revenue forecast, and they also plan to discuss policing measures in light of ongoing protests against police brutality.

A finalized agenda has not yet been issued, but the House of Delegates and Virginia State Senate must pass a final budget, which was postponed in April due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor, along with legislators, froze $2.2 billion in new spending passed during the regular session to prevent cuts to programs, and the General Assembly also postponed by one year a ban on so-called “gray machines,” slot-like games that were set to be prohibited this year in Virginia. Income from the games is going toward a coronavirus relief fund to assist Virginians with housing insecurity and small business loans.

In May, Northam signed an amended $135 billion 2021-2022 state budget with the spending freezes.

In the August meeting, lawmakers will consider several items that saw their budgets frozen in April, including tuition-free community college, broadband access, early childhood education and affordable housing. The session will be held after the governor presents his end-of-fiscal-year report to the General Assembly’s money committees. Although state officials predicted earlier this year a possible shortfall of $1 billion, the deficit is now at $236.5 million, Northam announced July 9.

It’s not clear if the House and Senate will meet in person in Richmond next month, due to ongoing coronavirus concerns. In April, House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, attempted to adjourn the special session — held under a tent on the Virginia State Capitol grounds — to hold a virtual version, but she was defeated in a party-line vote.

In recent days, though, the governor and some Hampton Roads officials have expressed concern about a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases in the region, which could impact a decision on a virtual session in August.

Also on the agenda are measures to address policing, which has come under increased scrutiny in recent weeks following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis and subsequent protests. In recent weeks, police in Virginia have been criticized by activists and some elected officials for using tear gas and pepper spray against protestors — including a couple of delegates participating in street protests. In Richmond, protestors have taken to the streets nightly since the beginning of June, protesting the city’s police department and some elected officials, including the mayor and commonwealth’s attorney. In early July, the city removed all five city-owned Confederate monuments, and the state is currently in court, defending its plan to take down the state-owned Robert E. Lee monument in Richmond, which has been stopped by court injunction.

According to the governor’s office, the General Assembly will take up measures in August on police use of force, increased training of officers, accountability and oversight, and hiring and decertification. The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, the Virginia African American Advisory Board, the governor’s Commission to Examine Racial Inequity in Virginia Law, and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will advise the administration in developing policy initiatives.

Subscribe to Virginia Business.

Get our daily e-newsletter.

 

 

Related Stories

Virginia Business logo

Northam proposes $240M for pandemic response

Governor's proposed budget amendments includes funding for jobs training, education, housing

Del. Luke Torian will lead the newly organized Virginia Minority Business Commission.

Northam seeks to include part-time workers in state IRA fund

Other bills expanding rail service, broadband and alcohol service signed into law

Virginia State Capitol. Photo by Conor Lobb, VCU Capital News Service

Business groups ask Va. lawmakers for higher PPP tax deductions

House of Delegates, state Senate bills differ on amounts

Trending

Finance/Insurance: STEPHAN Q. CASSADAY

Finance/Insurance: PAUL B. MANNING

Federal Contractors/Technology: JASON PROVIDAKES

Education: ANNE M. KRESS

Artemis I to launch with help from Va. contractors

Sponsored Stories

Why is my Less Than Truckload (LTL) freight pricing going up and my service level going down?  

Beyond Juneteenth – How Capital One is Commemorating and Implementing Change

How We Help Your Business Operate Better

Before the Breach: Get Serious About Cyber Resilience

Professionals are Discovering What it Means to Live Uniquely in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia

Riverside Logistics Celebrates 25th Anniversary!

Girls for a Change Empowers Black Youth for the Future Workforce

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

Advertisement

Advertisement

Trending

Finance/Insurance: STEPHAN Q. CASSADAY

Finance/Insurance: PAUL B. MANNING

Federal Contractors/Technology: JASON PROVIDAKES

Education: ANNE M. KRESS

Artemis I to launch with help from Va. contractors

Sponsored Stories

Why is my Less Than Truckload (LTL) freight pricing going up and my service level going down?  

Beyond Juneteenth – How Capital One is Commemorating and Implementing Change

How We Help Your Business Operate Better

Before the Breach: Get Serious About Cyber Resilience

Professionals are Discovering What it Means to Live Uniquely in the Alleghany Highlands of Virginia

Riverside Logistics Celebrates 25th Anniversary!

Girls for a Change Empowers Black Youth for the Future Workforce

The Jackson Ward Collective is equipping Black-owned small businesses with the tools for success

Get Virginia Business directly on your tablet or in your mailbox!

Subscribe to Virginia Business

Advertisement

Advertisement

Footer Primary Menu

  • virginiabusiness.com
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us

Footer Secondary Menu

  • Industries
  • Regions
  • Reports
  • Company News
  • Events

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Sign Up

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Instagram Get Our App

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

Footer Utility Menu

Copyright © 2023 Virginia Business. All rights reserved.

Site Maintained by TechArk