Will there be gridlock? Va. lawmakers set to reconvene with divided government

Virginia lawmakers head back to work in Richmond on Wednesday, and they will be faced with a divided government as Democrats now control the General Assembly with Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, as governor.

There could be political gridlock on numerous issues.

“The things that will get done will largely be the things that they can actually agree on,” said Bob Holsworth, a Virginia political analyst.

Improving Virginia’s mental health infrastructure appears to be one of the most bipartisan ideas.

Youngkin’s budget proposal calls for more than $138 million, allowing more money for startup expenses of additional new crisis centers, increasing the number of mobile crisis units and offering student mental health services.

“I think they’ll be able to probably agree on some ways of dealing with the addiction crisis,” Holsworth said. “Beyond that, you’ll see some agreement on economic development and workforce development issues and on trying to provide more support for child care.”

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.

Then, there will be times when Democrats and Republicans will certainly not agree.

Points of contention

Youngkin’s proposed budget would cut state income taxes by 12% “across the board.” He said the lowest tax bracket of 2% would be reduced to 1.75%, while the highest bracket would drop from 5.75% to 5.1%.

Youngkin said the personal income tax burden on Virginians would fall by $1.1 billion in fiscal year 2025 and $2.3 billion in fiscal year 2026.

The cuts would be offset, the governor said, by a 0.9% increase in the state sales tax, from 4.3% to 5.2%.

Revenue also would come in from a sales tax expansion to digital services, such as downloading music.

“I don’t think there’s any way that the Democrats will agree to a sales tax increase in Virginia, largely because they think that’s a regressive tax that hurts poor people,” Holsworth said.

Democrats may pass bills tightening gun laws, although they would likely be vetoed by Youngkin.

One bill that has already received public attention would make it against the law to carry a concealed handgun into a restaurant, bar or club in Virginia.

“You’re going to see a set of Democratic measures that are going to be vetoed by the governor,” Holsworth said. “The Democrats don’t have enough of a majority to actually overturn those vetoes.”

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.

Another bill that may stir up partisan debate involves raising the state’s minimum wage to $13.50 per hour in 2025 and to $15 per hour in 2026.

It is currently $12 per hour in Virginia.

The Alexandria arena

One item that will be on the minds of many in Northern Virginia is the arena deal that would move the NBA’s Washington Wizards and the NHL’s Washington Capitals from D.C. to Alexandria.

The proposal calls for the creation of a $2 billion development in the Potomac Yard section of Alexandria, along the Potomac River and near Virginia Tech’s ambitious Innovation Campus, a graduate school that is under construction.

In order to move forward, it must be approved by the Alexandria City Council and the Virginia General Assembly.

The General Assembly would need to approve the creation of a Virginia Sports and Entertainment Authority, a public entity with the ability to issue bonds.

While no upfront state taxpayer dollars would go toward the project, the terms of the agreement would divert new tax revenues from the project to pay down the bonds.

“It’s not going to pass without some pushback,” Holsworth said. “We’ve already heard some legislators from the more rural areas of the state on the Republican side asking, ‘why are we, why are we supporting this?'”

An abortion amendment

Abortion played a major role in Virginia’s recent election, as Youngkin had promised to sign a ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy if Republicans took control of the General Assembly.

Youngkin would almost certainly veto any legislation passed by Democrats that would loosen abortion laws in the state, but Democrats are planning to go around the governor by pushing for an amendment to the state’s constitution that would guarantee a woman’s right to an abortion.

Both the Senate and House would need to pass identical resolutions during two separate legislative sessions, and a state legislative election would need to be held in between the two sessions.

Then, the amendment would need to be approved by Virginia voters in order to take effect.

Under Virginia’s election schedule, if everything went according to that plan, the amendment wouldn’t be before voters until 2026.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.