Virginia House, Senate head to joint conference committee on budget

(The Center Square) – Virginia House and Senate members have agreed to a joint conference committee to reach an agreement on legislation to revise the state budget after both chambers passed different versions of the bill.

Both bills would allocate about $4.3 billion worth of federal COVID-19 relief provided through the American Rescue Plan. Gov. Ralph Northam proposed a budget revision, which the House passed without any amendments. The Senate, however, revised the plan and passed a substitute version of the bill, which it sent to the House.

The Senate requested a joint conference committee to develop compromise legislation. The House accepted the request and both chambers assigned six lawmakers to represent their respective chamber’s priorities.

House lawmakers passed a bill that would provide $862 million to offset some losses in the Unemployment Insurance Fund, $700 million to accelerate broadband expansion, $353 million to help small businesses affected by the pandemic and $250 million for school divisions to improve air quality by renovating HVAC systems.

The House version would also provide $1,000 bonuses for police officers.

Senate lawmakers approved a lot of the governor’s agenda, but made some adjustments. This includes increasing the police bonus to $5,000 and requiring the Department of Motor Vehicles to open for walk-in service, rather than requiring appointments. The amendments received some pushback from Senate leaders who urged the chamber to pass the budget as the governor proposed it, but some Democrats joined the Republican minority to advance these proposals.

Lt. Gov. Justice Fairfax, who presides as president of the Senate, ruled two proposed amendments out of order. One Democratic proposal would have allowed college athletes to receive payments and the one Republican proposal would have prohibited schools from promoting critical race theory. Neither amendment was germane to the budget, according to Fairfax’s ruling.

Northam did not comment directly on the changes, but released a statement that said he recognizes that the state needs a long-term solution to staffing challenges for state police. He announced that he will convene a work group to review the compensation structure for ​​Department of Corrections employees, deputy sheriffs’ offices and regional jail officers.

“We are committed to recruiting and retaining highly-qualified officers and ensuring the safety of families and communities across the Commonwealth,” Northam said.

Conference committees are not publicly broadcast and only the assigned lawmakers are able to attend. When they craft an agreement, both chambers will need to pass the legislation and send it to the governor’s office.

Disclaimer: This content is distributed by The Center Square