What to expect in the 2024 General Assembly session
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It's the second week of the year, which means it's time for a new legislative session in Virginia.
What's happening: The General Assembly convenes today for its 2024 session, which is scheduled to run for at least 60 days.
Why it matters: This isn't your grandpappy's state legislature. Everything from the leadership and building, with its pizza-oven centerpiece snack bar, to around a third of lawmakers is brand-spanking new this year.
- Today's state legislature is the most diverse ever following last year's wave of retirements and subsequent elections that gave Democrats control of both chambers, per the Washington Post.
- And it's younger. Sen. Scott A. Surovell told the Post that at age 52, he went from being the third-youngest state senator to the 11th. "I can tell you this: Our basketball team's going to be a lot better," he said.
Yes, but: Democrats only hold two-seat majorities, meaning Gov. Glenn Youngkin has veto power. So compromise will be needed to get through any meaningful legislation this session.
State of play: Here are some of the issues we're watching this session.
🏥 Abortion: Democrats are taking their first swing at enshrining abortion rights into the state constitution through resolutions.
- Even if passed, that's only part one of a yearslong amendment process.
💸 Budget: Lawmakers must pass a new two-year state budget this session (last year's budget, you might recall, was, er, delayed). Youngkin has already submitted his proposal, which includes a bump in the state sales tax from 4.3% to 5.2% and cuts personal income taxes across the board by 12%.
- Of note: The stakes are high for the governor as this will be the only spending plan he guides from start to finish.
🎓 Legacy admissions: Democrats are pursuing a ban on legacy admissions at Virginia's public colleges, Virginia Mercury reports.
- The move comes in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision striking down affirmative action last year.
🧠 Mental health: Among the few bipartisan priorities is expanding mental health support statewide, especially after a scathing government report urged the overhaul of Virginia's psychiatric hospital system last month.
- Youngkin previously proposed an additional $500 million toward behavioral health.
💸 Minimum wage: In the first bills filed this session, Democrats are seeking to raise the state's minimum wage from $12 per hour to $13.50 by 2025 and $15 an hour by 2026.
🏀 Arena: ICYMI, Virginia is hoping to relocate the Capitals and Wizards sports teams to a new $2 billion complex with an arena in Alexandria.
- But first, Youngkin needs the GA to pass legislation to create a sports and entertainment authority, so it could issue $1.5 billion in bonds for the project, per the Post.
🗳️ Voting rights: Virginia is one of two states that permanently strips voting rights from people with any felony convictions regardless of time served.
- Democrats are proposing a constitutional amendment to guarantee automatic restoration.