Since the General Assembly session ended on March 14, Governor Spanberger has signed, vetoed, or proposed amendments to the bills passed by the General Assembly. On April 22 the General Assembly met again to respond to her proposed amendments, which are now awaiting her action again.
Here’s where some of our priority legislation stands:
- HB1278/SB685 to improve language access and engagement for parents who speak languages other than English passed and was signed into law!
- HB544/SB498 to make permanent the Commission on School Construction and Modernization, whose reports equip advocates to push for better buildings, passed and was signed into law!
- HB298 to increase the use of evidence-based restorative practices in schools passed and was signed into law!
- SB73 to provide technical assistance from the state for schools billing Medicaid, helping schools obtain the federal dollars they’re entitled to, passed and was signed into law!
- With the state budget not yet finished, and talk of movement over the next year or two on a school funding formula overhaul, none of the legislation we supported to raise much-needed revenue for our public schools was passed during this legislative session. Action on revenue could still be taken in the state budget process.
The final state budget, which is the biggest determinant of how much progress we will make on public school funding this year, is still delayed and likely won’t be ready until June. Lawmakers have been unable to come to an agreement about whether or not to allow the sales tax exemption for data centers to expire, which was proposed in the Senate budget but not the House budget. You can read more about the delayed budget here.
It’s time for the wealthy corporations that own those data centers to pay their fair share, and letting their tax breaks expire would bring in over $1 billion in total revenue and more than $100 million in revenue that would go towards public school funding.