For Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., starting a new year with a divided government in the state is a familiar situation. It’s no surprise, since Democrats swept control of both the House of Delegates and the Senate in November.
Kaine served as Virginia’s governor from 2006 through 2010, working with a House of Delegates that was controlled by Republicans through his entire time in office. The Senate was also controlled by Republicans for a portion of Kaine’s term.
“We disagreed on a lot, but we always found things we could agree on, and sometimes they were unpredictable,” Kaine said.
One major example Kaine cited was legislation he signed that banned smoking in bars and restaurants.
“What I’ve learned is that you can predict the areas of disagreement, but not until you sit and listen, do you find the areas of agreement,” Kaine told WTOP. “If you sit and listen long enough, you will find them.”
Currently, improving Virginia’s mental health infrastructure appears to be one of the most bipartisan ideas.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s budget proposal calls for more than $138 million toward mental health initiatives, which would allow more money for startup expenses of additional crisis centers, increase the number of mobile crisis units and offer students mental health services.
“They are talking about substance use treatment and prevention, and that’s a nonpartisan issue,” Kaine said. “It affects every last corner of the Commonwealth.”
The governor’s budget plan calls for investing more in workforce training, job recruitment and education, including bonuses and raises for teachers, which are all issues that could draw bipartisan support.
One point of contention is that Youngkin’s proposed budget would cut state income taxes by 12% and raise the state sales tax by 0.9%, something Democrats will likely not support.
“It does look like there’s going to be some differences of opinion around the budget, taxes and spending,” Kaine said. “Those tend to get hammered out, and I expect they’re going to do the same thing this year.”
Following Virginia’s election in November, the House of Delegates is now controlled by Democrats 51-49, and the Democrats have a 21-19 majority in the Senate.
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