Dear Friend,
The General Assembly met last week to pass a budget. Earlier this week the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) also met to hear presentations and reports. Below is an update on these portions of State news as well as community happenings.
State Budget
The General Assembly passed a budget agreement last Wednesday, September 6. HB6001 was sent to the Governor, who signed it September 14. The budget includes tax refunds, investments in public education, natural resources and mental health.
Included is a one-time tax refund which will be issued to tax payers; $200 for individual filers and $400 for couples filing jointly. The standard deduction has also been temporarily raised up to $8,500 for individuals and $17,000 for joint filers. There are not tax cuts for big corporations, a provision that was in House Republicans’ original proposal. The budget does reinstate the state tax holiday, which ran out due to a lack of a budget agreement. The 2023 sales tax holiday will be the 3rd weekend in October. Another tax provision of note is that military retirees will be eligible to exempt their retirement pay from income tax. This exemption is being phased in and will grow to $40,000 by 2025.
A significant investment in education was also included in the budget. $420 million will go to school districts as a flexible, one-time payment to be used for pandemic-related learning loss recovery and operating expenses. The State has also committed to an additional 2% raise for teachers, making teacher salaries rise 7% over the past two years. Additionally, $150 million is set aside for funding of new positions; both instructional and support staff.
Also of note was the exclusion of $100 million in funding for Richmond’s Combined Sewer Overflow project, which was in the Governor’s introduced budget. I was disappointed that this provision was excluded as it is so desperately needed. I have written a letter to the Governor and he has since assured me it will be included in the next budget.
A full breakdown of the budget can be found at the House Appropriations Committee website. Further reading about the State budget agreement can be found in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch and this one from The Virginia Mercury.
Early Voting
Early voting begins Friday, September 22. For Richmond residents, there will be three early voting locations:
Office of the Richmond Registrar (2134 West Laburnum Avenue)
Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 East Belt Boulevard)
City Hall (900 East Broad Street)
You can enter your address into this website from the Virginia Public Access Project to see a sample ballot, financial disclosures from candidates, local political ads, and more. To check your registration status, visit this website from the Department of Elections.
JLARC Reports
On Tuesday, September 12, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission met to hear reports on the K-12 teacher pipeline and on business location and expansions incentives. JLARC’s report on the teacher pipeline comes at an important time; the teacher vacancy rate has grown 3.8%. It was only 0.8% in the 2021-2022 school year. JLARC found several barriers that may be deterring qualified applicants including an outdated state licensure test, unclear requirements for licensure and preparation costs. However, JLARC also found root causes driving the high vacancy rates and advised that addressing these issues is essential to tackling the vacancy rate. A July 2023 survey found that many teachers who left the field cited high workload and low salaries, as well as a lack of support and effective school leadership.
You can read the JLARC report at the link above or watch the entire presentation here. The Virginia Mercury has also published this article on the issue.
Virginia Department of Emergency Management
I recently had the opportunity to tour the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s (VDEM) Logistics Support and Coordination Center (LSCC) in South Richmond. This impressive facility has been serving Virginia and other states facing disasters since 2020. VDEM coordinates resource requests from localities and tribal nations and manages the receipt and distribution of resources, as well as providing support to other state agencies responding to events, all coordinated through the LSCC in a hub-and-spoke system.
VDEM also manages first responders, including regional teams of whitewater recovery specialists and search and rescue, as well as VDEM hazardous material response teams among others. Their support helps communities impacted by natural disasters but also helps in other ways, like helping farmers mitigate losses during droughts.
You can learn more about VDEM, find information about training, grant opportunities, and emergency preparedness at their website.
The Nature Conservancy Photo Request
The Nature Conservancy is accepting submissions for their global photo challenge through September 30. You can view other submissions and enter your own at this link.
Commonwealth History Fund Grant
The Virginia Museum of History & Culture has announced a new grant cycle. Grants are awarded for projects that support history education and preservation throughout Virginia. Applications are due by September 30. More information is available here.
House Page Program
The House of Delegates Page program provides 13 and 14 year old students the opportunity to work in the General Assembly during the Legislative Session to become deeply familiar with the State’s legislative process. Applications are being accepted until October 16, 5 PM. Learn more and apply at this link.
Richmond E-Cycle Day
The City will host an E-Cycle day, September 30, 10 AM - 2 PM at 1710 Robin Hood Road. The event will offer giveaway of biodegradable leaf collection bags, paper shredding, electronics recycling and household hazardous waste disposal (such as paint and motor oil).
Beginner Farmer Training Applications
Future Harvest (Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture) is accepting applications for their Beginner Farmer Training Program. Programs are available for beginner, intermediate, and advanced backgrounds in farming. Training is done over 12 months and includes comprehensive classroom training and hands-on learning at farms in the region. Applications are due October 15. Learn more and apply here.
Thank You
It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1069 if I can be helpful to you.
Sincerely,
Betsy