VIRGINIA, USA — Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed Virginia’s $188 billion budget into effect for the next two years Monday afternoon. After months of negotiations and over 200 proposed amendments, a compromise has been reached and the new budget goes into effect on July 1.
Among the compromises between the General Assembly and Youngkin are no tax cuts or increases, investments in education, support for mental health and funding for Metro.
WUSA9 spoke with Youngkin Tuesday regarding the budget and what the bipartisan agreement means for Virginians.
No tax cuts or increases
Despite Youngkin's attempts to include tax cuts in his original budget proposal, the budget compromise keeps Virginia’s tax policy as is.
“Budgets are hard work. And this one was hard work,” Youngkin said. “And again, I'm pleased that we were able to agree [on] a common ground budget that provides for these most important priorities, and does it all with no tax increases and no utility bill increases for Virginians.”
School funding
The new budget includes $2.5 billion in new funding for K-12 schools. It also includes giving a 3% pay raise for teachers, school staff and government workers for the next two years.
“I'm hoping that teachers recognize that they're incredibly important to the future of our children,” Youngkin said. “And after parents, there's nothing more important in a child's life, I believe, than the quality education they're going to receive. And having a great teacher is what enables that. So it's very important part of the overall budget. I'm glad we're able to reach agreement on it. And I'm glad that Virginia's economy can continue to fund it.”
Mental health
The budget makes room for more mental health services with nearly $2 billion dedicated to expanding mental health programs in schools.
"It was critically needed. Virginia was way behind.” Youngkin said. “Of course, the system was being overwhelmed coming out of the pandemic, particularly with our young people. We have had a consistent effort to not just expand capacity, but also how people access the system. And this is particularly important as younger and younger Virginians are experiencing real challenges."
Metro funding
The two-year spending plan includes money to help fund Metro, which wasn't originally in Youngkin's proposal.
“I think there is a collective commitment to provide the interim funding in order to make sure that Metro is adequately supported,” he said. “But long term, there has to be some changes.”
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