The 2025 General Assembly session concluded in February. We are scheduled to meet again on April 2 when we will reconvene to act on vetoes and amendments from the governor on legislation that we passed during our 46-day session.
Governor Youngkin received 1,895 bills from the General Assembly this year. The governor must act on all bills by midnight on March 23, which is 30 days after adjournment of the General Assembly.
I am happy to have worked with a diverse group of stakeholders, constituents, and subject matter experts to navigate nineteen of my bills and one constitutional amendment through both chambers of the General Assembly, a majority of which received bipartisan support. Except for the Marriage Equality Constitutional Amendment, which he has no role in, the nineteen other pieces of my legislation head to Governor Youngkin for his consideration. Here I have linked the status of the bills that were sent to the governor.
In our budget, we are providing $1.1 billion for immediate and ongoing tax relief to Virginia’s families. Virginians will receive a $200 rebate for individuals and $400 for joint filers by Oct. 15, 2025.
In addition, $686.1 million is appropriated over the biennium to fully fund Medicaid and the children’s health insurance forecast. We are also increasing state funding for public education by $728.4 million over the biennium as we strive to ensure all students have access to a high-quality education. The budget fully funds support staff with $222.9 million to provide critical resources for students and educators. The budget also includes $310 million in school construction grants over two years — an additional $150 million to modernize and repair school buildings.
The General Assembly’s budget would also invest $134.4 million for a $1,000 bonus for our hardworking instructional and support personnel in June 2025. We voted to boost special education funding by 10% with a $52.8 million increase to provide resources to students with disabilities. This budget would also expand access to early childhood education with a $25 million public-private partnership to set children up for success from the start. We also voted to dedicate $12 million to initiatives that improve student achievement and close learning gaps.
In higher education, we would invest $55 million to maintain affordable access to public colleges and universities, and would continue our commitment to Virginia’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with $20 million in funding.
Finally, we voted to invest in public employees and working families by appropriating $83.1 million to fund a 1.5% bonus for state and state-supported local employees — recognizing the essential work of public servants across Virginia.
Our total General Fund Budget will be just north of $69 billion for FY25 and FY26. The General Assembly’s priorities differ from the Youngkin administration. The General Assembly has appropriated more for K-12 Education, VA Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program, disaster funds for Hurricane Helene Victims, and community violence intervention programs than the Governor.
Many of you join my concern for the cuts to federal workers by the Trump Administration. I have put together a resource page for federal workers here. Please share this page with anyone you know that is affected by these cuts.
I have worked this session to pass legislation to help out my constituents with unemployment benefits, and will continue to use my voice to speak out against cuts to the federal budget.
Thanks for the continued opportunity to serve you in the State Senate.