June 24th Newsletter

Yes Virginia, we finally have a budget! With not much time remaining before the beginning of the new fiscal year on July 1st, the House and Senate met this past week to review the Governor’s budget amendments. Those amendments that we approved became part of the final budget that the Governor has signed into law. While there was extended discussion and debate on what to include in the budget, we should focus on the fact that we have approved significant increases in education, healthcare, and public safety spending.

This budget also includes historic levels of tax cuts aimed at helping Virginia families deal with still rising inflation. As summarized below, we have eliminated most of Virginia's regressive grocery tax, doubled the standard deduction, and provided rebates for taxpayers. That tax relief adds up to more than $4 billion. I voted for multiple proposals to help to lower gas costs but, unfortunately, there was not majority support for any of those measures.

If you have any questions or need assistance with a state agency, please contact my office at delrwillett@house.virginia.gov or phone at 804-698-1073, and a member of my staff will be happy to assist you. I also will continue to keep you informed with relevant, accurate information via Twitter, Facebook, and my website. Please stay well and stay in touch.

Sincerely,

Rodney

New Information

Governor Youngkin Signs Final Budget After General Assembly Reconvenes to Vote on Amendments

Last week the General Assembly met to consider amendments proposed by Governor Youngkin for the 2022-2024 state budgets. As a reminder, following months of negotiation in an ongoing Special Session, the General Assembly passed a compromise budget on June 1st. The budget was then communicated to Governor Youngkin, and he had one week to send back the budget with his requested changes. The House voted “Yes” or “No” on each budget amendment and those that passed were then sent to the Senate for a vote.

While some of the Governor’s amendments were technical in nature or noncontroversial, I was disappointed that a number of the amendments were unnecessarily divisive and political in nature. The Governor also issued amendments that would have made significant policy changes without being vetted through our committee and public input process. The Governor’s proposed amendments included language to limit access to women’s reproductive health care, divert funding from the public school system to lab schools, and create a new criminal penalty for possession of cannabis. Ultimately, none of these measures were approved by both chambers, however, a number of the Governor’s other amendments passed and are included in the enrolled budget sent back for his signature.

This week, the Governor ceremonially signed the budget at Tom Leonard’s Farmer’s Market in Glen Allen. I am proud that we now have a final budget that provides significant tax relief and delivers record investments in K-12 education. Please see below for highlights of our final budget for the 2022-2024 fiscal years. You can see the full version of the final budget online here.

Tax Relief

Provides almost $4 billion in tax relief to Virginians
Eliminates the 1.5% state grocery tax
Nearly doubles the standard deduction to $8,000 for single filers and $16,000 for couples
Gives every Virginia taxpayer a tax rebate of $250 for single filers and $500 for couples
Exempts $40,000 of veteran retirement income tax for veterans over 55

Education

Boosts education spending to the largest level in Virginia history with $3.2 billion in direct aid
Raised teacher pay by 10% over the biennium — 5% in 2023 and 5% in 2024. As well as funding for $1,000 bonuses for SOQ funded positions.
$1.2 billion in grants and loans to support school construction
$271.7 million to increase the number of state-funded support positions from 17.75 support positions per 1,000 students, to 20 support positions per 1,000 students in the first year and 21 support positions per 1,000 students in the second year. This partially eliminates the funding cap placed on support positions beginning in FY 2010.
$62.6 million to provide one reading specialist for every 550 students in kindergarten through third grade as part of The Virginia Literacy Act
$46.9 million to implement several early childhood initiatives, including expanded services for three-year-olds, expanded mixed delivery, and early childhood workforce recruitment and retention grants.

Public Safety

$4 million each year for the Firearm Violence Intervention and Prevention Fund, to distribute grants to evidence-backed gun violence reduction efforts. $2.5 million each year for the Operation Ceasefire Grant Fund for anti-crime strategies.
Provides $400 million in compensation and additional support for our law enforcement and public safety employees
Provides $45 million to fund school resource officers

Health Care

$700 million to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers of dental care services for people with developmental disabilities, personal care, and nursing facilities.
$33.8 million to increase funds for permanent supportive housing for people with serious mental illnesses.
$19.6 million to update our state-run mental health facilities.

All Children Eligible for Free Meals at Henrico County Summer Program Sites

Henrico County Public Schools is offering meals to children this summer at 24 area sites as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Summer Food Service Program. All children are eligible for free meals, regardless of whether they are enrolled in summer programs. After the scheduled daily meals service for children enrolled in summer programs is over, meal service will begin for other children ages 18 or younger who a parent or guardian accompanies. Parents and guardians are not eligible for the free meals service. Meals are not available to go and must be consumed at the summer program sites.

Food service will be provided from Monday through Thursday each week during the summer. (All sites will be closed on July 4 in recognition of the Independence Day holiday.) Specific breakfast and lunch times will vary depending on location but generally breakfast will be served from 7-9 a.m. and lunch will be served from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.. See a full list of all summer meal sites online here.

Henrico County and school districts across the country have been able to provide two free meals a day to all students since the COVID-19 pandemic began, thanks to waivers from the USDA and additional funding from the federal government. The program was set to expire on June 30th, however, federal lawmakers recently reached a deal to extend the free meals and flexible pickup sites through the end of the summer.

RHHD to Offer COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children Under 5

Last week, the FDA authorized emergency use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for the prevention of COVID-19 to include use in children as young as 6 months of age. The FDA’s evaluation and analysis of the safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing data of these vaccines was rigorous and comprehensive, supporting the emergency use authorization. See more information online here.

The Richmond and Henrico Health Districts have begun offering vaccinations for children ages 6 months - 5 years old at their regularly scheduled walk-up vaccination clinics. Next week there are three clinics. See a schedule of all vaccination events online at vax.rchd.com. There is a limited supply for patients under 5 years old, so parents are encouraged to make an appointment online here.

Tuesday, June 28th, 9:00 am -12:00 pm — Henrico East Health Department 1400 N Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA 23223
Wednesday, June 29th, 9:00 am -12:00 pm — Henrico West 8600 Dixon Powers Dr, Richmond, 23228
Thursday, June 30th, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm — Cary Street 400 E. Cary St Richmond, VA 23219

In addition to RHHD events, local pediatrician offices and pharmacies are expected to begin offering vaccinations to young children in the coming days. See more information online at vax.rchd.com.

Community Events

Henrico County Juneteenth Celebration at Dorey Park

I had a wonderful time this Saturday at Henrico County’s Juneteenth Celebration at Dorey Park. It was incredible to see such an amazing turnout of friends and neighbors who came to celebrate and enjoy performances, food trucks, local vendors, and a fireworks finale. Thank you to everyone who helped make this event possible!

*With Supervisor Tyrone Nelson, Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg, and Henrico County Sheriff Alisa Gregory at the Juneteenth celebration.*

GRASP Scholarship Luncheon

I was honored to attend the GRASP Scholarship Luncheon at Virginia Union University honoring scholarship recipients from the Greater Richmond Area. GRASP is a nonprofit college access organization that assists students and families in obtaining funding for post-secondary education. This year, thanks to support from the Commonwealth of Virginia, GRASP is providing in-school financial aid and advising more than 5,600 high school students across Virginia to overcome financial barriers to higher education.

July 8th Newsletter

June 10th Newsletter