RICHMOND — The Virginia Senate and House will vote Monday on a deal, reached late Friday, on how to spend $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding, an agreement that Gov. Ralph Northam is expected to sign despite alterations to his original plan.
Despite a last-minute plea from Northam’s administration that the General Assembly stick to the governor’s original plan for the money, budget negotiators in both chambers settled on an agreement that differs from Northam’s by providing a one-time $3,000 bonus to sheriff’s deputies, boosting Medicaid rates for workers who serve people with disabilities and requiring Department of Motor Vehicles offices to reopen to walk-in services that were halted during the pandemic.
But their compromise would also allow college athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness — a provision in Northam’s original proposal that the Senate version had stripped out.
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Despite the tweaks to the original appropriations bill, Northam (D) is pleased that all the provisions remained intact and is expected to sign the new version, according to someone familiar with the governor’s thinking who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe his deliberations.
Northam had cautioned against amendments, to speed passage of the bill, but always recognized there would be some tweaks, that person said.
In a written statement, Northam spokeswoman Alena Yarmosky said: “This bill makes critical investments in small businesses, public health infrastructure, first responders and law enforcement, universal broadband, and college affordability. It will move our Commonwealth forward, and we look forward to seeing it passed.”
The General Assembly convened a planned two-week special session last Monday with the expectation that both chambers would pass the plan that Northam had hashed out ahead of time with leaders of the two Democratic-controlled chambers.
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That plan included $800 million in American Rescue Plan funds to restore the unemployment trust fund, $700 million for rural broadband projects and $250 million for school ventilation systems. It also set aside $800 million for future needs.
The House passed that version without amendments, but a few Democrats teamed up with Republicans in the closely divided Senate to force several changes, including one to provide $5,000 bonuses for three years to sheriff’s deputies and jail personnel, and another to boost pay for Medicaid disability providers.
The House and Senate appointed budget conferees Thursday, and late that night they got an email from Finance Secretary K. Joseph Flores urging them to revert to the original bill, according to a copy of the email obtained by The Washington Post.
Northam is “looking forward to a quick resolution to the few outstanding items to ensure these resources are put to work for Virginians as soon as possible,” Flores wrote. “As such, he is asking for a bill with no amendments — fiscal or policy — reflecting the agreement we negotiated and hammered out prior to the beginning of this special session.”
A bipartisan team from both chambers began meeting Friday and came to an agreement within a few hours, lowering the bonus for sheriff’s deputies to $3,000 and limiting it to a single year instead of three. It restored the college athletics provision, and gave the DMV 60 days to start walk-in service, rather than the 30 the Senate had called for.
Once the budget bill is squared away, the House and Senate will turn to electing judges to the newly expanded Court of Appeals in the remaining week of the session.
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August 07, 2021 at 09:06AM
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Negotiators strike deal on spending Virginia's $4.3 billion in federal coronavirus aid - The Washington Post
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