Nearly a week has passed since the Virginia General Assembly adjourned sine die, the Latin term describing an adjournment with no designated resumption date. Notably, however, the legislature does have a date scheduled to reconvene: April 12. At that time, the General Assembly will meet to consider gubernatorial amendments and vetoes. In all likelihood, there will be much to consider. The final week of session was a whirlwind of activity with last minute negotiations occurring on nearly one hundred bills that were placed into conference. While agreement was reached on nearly all bills, there are a number—including one of my own—that remain in conference (i.e., failed to pass). No future action may be taken on those bills unless, of course, they are reintroduced during next year’s legislative session.
The final week of session is unusual inasmuch as the schedule changes dramatically. Subcommittees and committees are no longer meeting. Instead, long hours are spent on the floor as House and Senate bills move between the chambers and conferees are assigned to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of legislation. After conferees are assigned to work on a bill, they are responsible to find time to meet and develop mutually agreeable language which is encapsulated in a conference report. Then the conferees must return to their respective chambers and explain the final version, at which point one last vote is cast on the bill.
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The final day: energy policy |
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On the final day of session, Saturday, February 25, work remained unfinished on two major items: the budget and bills overhauling the regulatory structure of Virginia’s largest regulated monopoly: Dominion Energy. For the entirety of the legislative session, consumer advocates, environmental activists, manufacturing consortiums, and lobbyists for the energy industry swarmed the Capitol. All were focused on House Bill 1770 and its companion, Senate Bill 1265. These bills took numerous forms throughout the legislative journey. At some points, they garnered party line votes. At other times the votes were bipartisan. Ultimately, the legislation restores a significant level of oversight to Virginia’s State Corporation Commission. This is likely a win for consumers (as well as Governor Youngkin, who also sought this outcome). The legislation also sets a profit margin for the next two years and then directs the SCC to determine the margin. There are numerous technical components to the bill, and a good analysis may be found HERE. In a testament to the amount of work and collaboration that occurred, the bills passed on a near-unanimous vote with only one “no” vote in the entire legislature. Bottom line, though: what will happen to utility bills? The answer is difficult to determine. Customers' power bills will likely continue to rise due to fuel costs and green energy projects; however, this legislation should slow that increase. At this point, there are many variables still in play.
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The budget is another story. As of Friday, February 24, a budget compromise looked imminent. Unfortunately, late that evening, negotiations crumbled. Budget negotiations work because a limited number of conferees are entrusted to iron out details and develop compromise language between the House and the Senate. Why? Because allowing all 140 members of the legislature to fight over the budget is simply impractical. We all have input on individual amendments throughout the process, but not all of us can be around the table for final discussions. We entrust our conferees with the responsibility to develop a workable bill and to explain their reasoning to us. At that point, we as individual legislators must decide whether we can support the compromise. The House fully subscribes to this longstanding process. Unfortunately, the Senate took a different tack this year. Details are murky, but it seems that there are too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to the Senate. Already the Senate has nine conferees (from a body of forty legislators) to the House’s six (from a body of 100 legislators). Adding further input will simply derail the process.
So where do we stand? The General Assembly took the unusual approach of passing a “skinny budget” that funds the bare essentials:
- eliminates a shortfall in funding for Virginia’s public schools caused by a math error made by the Department of Education (pretty sure there’s a joke buried in there…)
- shores up Virginia’s “rainy day fund”
- deposits $250 million into the Virginia Retirement System
- provides $100 million for cost overruns on existing building projects
As a reminder, Virginia operates under a biennial budget. Our budget was approved last year and covers all operations of the Commonwealth through June 30, 2024. This year’s budget simply reallocated “excess” funds (much of which the Governor was attempting to return to taxpayers). Failure to pass a budget does NOT mean the government will shut down. Nothing will change. Moreover, budget conferees are still able to meet and continue negotiations. Hopefully a compromise can be reached. If that occurs, the legislature will return to Richmond once again. If no compromise is reached, that money—approximately $3 billion—will remain unallocated and be included in next year’s budget.
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2023 Legislative Survey: results |
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Thank you to all who completed my 2023 General Assembly Survey. Results are available online HERE, and a detailed analysis will be provided via mail to all constituents who completed the survey.
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During the waning days of session I had the time and opportunity to spend a few minutes with the House pages. I brought them breakfast from Chick-fil-A and learned a bit about where they live and how they feel about session. Let’s just say they were not nearly as excited to return home as the rest of us! The pages do an amazing amount of work during session. They run folders and files around the building, help with mailings, and generally know much more about what is going on than the rest of us. For information on the House and Senate page programs, click HERE.
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House Bill 1911: prohibition on gifts from foreign countries of concern |
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During the final week of session, my House Bill 1911 made its way to final passage. The bill prohibits officers and employees of state and local governments from receiving a gift with a value exceeding $100 from foreign countries of concern as outlined by certain federal designations. The legislation is a step to ensure that unfriendly foreign nations are prohibited from giving gifts to public employees.
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Now that the legislature has adjourned, we have returned to our district office located at 7405 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23188. If you need assistance with any state-related matter or agency, please contact Ms. Dayle Brittain or Ms. Lauren Keiser at 757-741-7001 or email DelABatten@house.virginia.gov.
Also, campaign season is now in full swing! To learn about volunteer opportunities, please click HERE or email info@amandabatten.com. To make a donation, please click HERE. Every dollar helps!
Have a wonderful weekend!
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Contact Delegate Batten
Legislative Aide: Dayle Brittain
Mail: P.O. Box 194, Norge, VA 23127
Phone: 757-741-7001
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Paid for and Authorized by Friends of Amanda Batten |
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