House Budget, Emergency Committee, Casino, and More!

Happy President’s Day – with specific homage to President George Washington (born February 22, 1732 or February 11, 1731, depending on whether one subscribes to the modern Gregorian calendar versus the then-used Julian calendar) and President Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809).
 
The 2025 Session is moving very quickly! On Sunday, February 2, I had the honor of presenting the report of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Agriculture, and Natural Resources. The report, which outlined budget priorities for economic development, housing, and natural resources, was adopted unanimously by the full Appropriations Committee. That following Tuesday, February 4, was cross-over - the final day for the House and Senate to act on their own legislation (except for the budget). While cross-over is typically the longest day of the session, this year was not too bad as we voted on approximately 300 bills in only six and a half hours. 
 
Later that week (Thursday) we voted on the House version of the budget. Finally, this past week, we started the process of presenting surviving House bills in the Senate, and vice versa. More about the budget and my legislative initiatives below.
 
EMERGENCY COMMITTEE ON FEDERAL WORKFORCE AND FUNDING REDUCTIONS
 
In light of recent actions by the Trump administration, House Speaker Don Scott announced the establishment of the Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions. I am honored that the Speaker asked me to serve as chair.
 
My office has received hundreds of emails and calls from constituents expressing deep concern about reductions in the federal workforce and proposed cuts to federal funding. Virginia is home to nearly 145,000 civilian employees and is the top state in the nation for federal contracts – totaling $106 billion in value. In addition, Virginia relies on its partnership with the federal government to deliver critical services – including Medicaid, education, transportation, and broadband deployment, just to name a few.
 
While the Virginia General Assembly cannot control these cuts – we owe it to our fellow Virginians to soften the blow for impacted families. As noted by Speaker Scott, "This is not about politics — it’s about protecting Virginia’s workforce, economy, and essential services.” The bipartisan committee (seven Democrats and five Republicans) will collect and analyze data on the potential scope of the cuts and develop recommendations for how to keep our budget structurally sound and protect our communities from sudden economic disruptions.
 
Our first meeting will be held soon after we adjourn on February 22. In the meanwhile, I welcome any thoughts and ideas as we tackle this important work.
 
FAIRFAX CASINO
 
Among the most hotly debated topics this session is the proposal to locate a casino in the Tysons Corner area. SB982 would authorize the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to hold a referendum on the question. I appreciate the many constituents who have reached out to express their opinions – most of which fell into the “no casino” category. 
 
My feelings are summed up in a quote from me in a recent Patch article: “They are difficult investments to maintain – and while they can be revenue generators, it is important to recognize that they come with social costs, including gambling addiction. But key with SB982 is that Fairfax County has not asked for this. All the other five localities that have held a referendum have come to the General Assembly with a proposed development partner and have asked for that authority. That local buy-in is critical because ultimately the locality will need to own the consequences, both the good and bad of having a casino. To me, it is a dangerous precedent for the General Assembly to short-circuit the process without local buy-in."
 
The legislation ultimately came to the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, which I chair. The bill was passed by for the day – effectively defeating the bill for 2025. That said, I would not be surprised if the measure is re-introduced for the 2026 Session.
 
HOUSE BUDGET AND BUDGET CONFERENCE
 
I am pleased to again be appointed by the Speaker as a budget conferee. This is a group of 11 legislators tasked with negotiating a budget between the House and Senate. While I know that compromise will be required, I am very proud of the House version of the budget! Here are just a few of the highlights:
 
Tax Relief
 

• Authorizes a tax rebate of $200 for individuals and $400 for joint filers to be issued by October 15, 2025.
• Reduces everyone’s tax liability by increasing the standard deduction to $8,750 for individuals and $17,500 for joint filers.
• Increases the Earned Income Tax Credit, which provides targeted tax relief to lower income working families.

 
Education
 

• Provides a total of $773.8M in additional state support for public education, including $222.9M to lift recession-era caps on support funding (this was my amendment) and $52.8M for special education.
• Provides a $1,000 bonus for our hard-working teachers on top of an already planned 3% increase that will go into effect July 1.
• Eliminates the waitlist for childcare subsidy slots for low-income families. The waitlist currently sits at 8,700 children.
• Adds $145M to increase access and affordability of higher education.

 
Housing and Workers
 

• Contains significant new investments to increase the supply of new affordable housing and to help low-income families purchase their first home.
• Creates a Paid Family Medical and Leave Program to allow Virginia workers to take time off after the birth of a child or to care for a loved one.

 
Health and Human Resources
 

• Provides $687M to fully fund increases in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
• Adds funding to address brain injury services ($6.7M), services for older adults ($2.6M), and behavioral health services ($52.9M). 
• Provides $12.3M to improve maternal health outcomes and to reduce infant mortality.

 
Natural Resources
 

• Fully funds the state share of upgrading wastewater treatment plants.
• Provides $50M to help local governments clean up polluted urban stormwater runoff.
• Adds $20M for our state parks to address over $140M in deferred maintenance costs.

 
MY LEGISLATION
 
So far, six of my bills have passed the House and Senate and are on their way to the Governor. These include measures to ensure that our emergency dispatchers can get the help they need when suffering from PTSD and other mental health issues (HB1705) and to give our local governments the authority to require installation of solar canopies for any development that proposed large areas of surface parking (HB2037). The latter is important not only to help meet Virginia’s anticipated energy demands, but also to take pressure off of displacing agricultural and forested areas. 
 
I am also pleased that my bill to give our law enforcement more tools to address the very dangerous practice of street takeovers and exhibition driving (HB2036) passed a Senate committee 13-1 and is heading to the full Senate this week.
 
Thank you to everyone who attended my Town Hall meeting on February 1. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance.