General Assembly To Reconvene April 4

Gov. Glenn Youngkin is hailing lawmakers back to Richmond to work on the two-year state budget plan.

Virginia’s General Assembly adjourned earlier this month without a two-year state budget plan in place. There were also bills that were left hanging when legislators left Richmond after its 60-day session, where Democrats blocked many of Youngkin’s key initiatives, or watered them down. 

Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued a proclamation on Wednesday summoning Virginia’s lawmakers back to the Capitol “for the purpose of the completion of the 2023-2024 biennial budget.” 

In what appears to be an untraditional move, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has appeared in a new television ad, funded by a Political Action Committee (PAC) linked to his campaign. The $150,000 ad features him talking about how “with rising inflation, it’s more important than ever to pass a budget that helps all Virginians.”

The ad is a campaign-style spot, and is set to air on various broadcast and cable markets during March Madness games across Virginia. Eliminating the grocery tax, cutting taxes for veterans, and getting money back to Virginians were some of the big highlights of the PAC-funded spot. The spot will also be accompanied by a separate “six-figure” digital campaign targeting Republicans, independent voters, and some Democrats.

“We can do this and still make record investments in education, law enforcement, and mental health. We’re going into overtime in Virginia’s Capitol and we’ve gotta make this last shot,” he  says while launching a buzzer beater three-point shot.

In a news conference on Wednesday, he also said that he’s expecting a budget to be passed by the House and Senate, even as the governor has not personally talked to Virginia’s Senate Democratic leaders. 

The governor believes that by April 4, legislators will have a budget to send his way, knowing that there are “very senior, experienced leaders on both sides in the Senate and the House.” 

Youngkin was also asked about taking a different approach to appeal to Virginians to put pressure on their lawmakers, noting that he’s “an outsider” and has a different way of communicating, because he’s “not the normal governor.”