Virginia General Assembly poised to vote on compromise budget deal reached with Youngkin

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Public schools would get more funding, teachers and other government workers would see a pay bump and Virginia’s tax policy would remain as is under a compromise budget Democratic lawmakers were expected to send Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Monday.

Youngkin and General Assembly leaders negotiated an end last week to their long-running standoff over the state’s next two-year spending plan, agreeing to use higher-than-expected revenues to help fund key priorities without implementing a hotly debated new sales tax on digital goods like streaming services and computer software.

The plan was made public Saturday and was slated for a vote Monday in a special session set to begin at noon.

“I’m confident that we’ll get this budget done today,” House Speaker Don Scott said in a phone interview Monday morning.

Youngkin’s office has signaled his support for the deal. His press secretary, Christian Martinez, said in a statement last week that the governor “looks forward to finishing the work to deliver on our collective priorities for all Virginians.”

Documents prepared by the House and Senate money committees said the latest version of the budget for the 2024-2026 biennium retains virtually the same spending priorities as the version lawmakers adopted in March on the last day of their regular session, minus a few technical adjustments.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> California has a multibillion-dollar budget deficit. Here’s what you need to know