Virginia General Assembly adjourns, more work may lie ahead

(The Center Square) – The Virginia General Assembly officially wrapped up its 2025 legislative session over the weekend, passing a state budget that includes tax rebates, bonuses for teachers and state employees and funding for flood recovery.All eyes are now turning to Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who has 30 days to review, sign, veto or suggest changes to the bills before lawmakers return in April for a reconvened session to respond to his actions.The governor thanked lawmakers for their work and acknowledged that more decisions would come.”To the General Assembly members who dedicated their time and energy this legislative session, making the tremendous sacrifice of being away from their families, careers, and personal lives to serve the Commonwealth—thank you,” Youngkin said in a statement.”I especially want to thank Delegate Baxter Ennis and Delegate Danny Marshall for their service to Virginia. This General Assembly is sending me a multitude of bills, including a budget, and over the next 30 days I will go to work to review and take action on those bills and budget. We will have much to address at the reconvene session, but I remain grateful for the hard work of our General Assembly members and their staffs.” One of the biggest priorities this session was finalizing the state budget. Under the revised budget, commonwealth employees will receive a 1.5% bonus, while teachers and public school employees will receive $1,000 bonuses.The budget also includes $1.1 billion in tax cuts, primarily through one-time income tax rebates of $200 for individuals and $400 for couples filing jointly.In addition, the standard deduction will increase by $250 for individuals and $500 for couples, while the refundable portion of the Earned Income Tax Credit will rise from 15% to 20%.This new shift in tax policy also means those married with two children earning $30,000 annually will receive $1,000 back during tax season to provide financial relief and offset the increase in gas, groceries, and living prices.Lawmakers have also removed the limits on state funding for student support positions, allowing schools to hire 4,725 staff members to assist students. The budget also allows for $52.8 million in flexible funding to support learning aids and assistive technology.The budget includes $100 million in flood recovery funding, including $50 million for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.The budget also ensures Virginia remains on the path to a $15 minimum wage by 2027.In addition to the budget, lawmakers focused on policies affecting schools, public safety and consumer protection. This session, the General Assembly approved a measure allowing more control for local school boards over the use of cell phones in classrooms and passed legislation to help Appalachian Power customers with rising costs.A new Virginia Public Access Project report breaks down lawmakers’ effectiveness during this session. Although almost half of the approved bills have received unanimous support, showing broad agreement on several issues, some lawmakers had more success than others.While the April reconvene session is already set to consider any changes or vetoes made by the governor, lawmakers may need to return for a special session later in the year.Lawmakers could also face additional economic challenges, including uncertainty over potential federal job cuts in Virginia.