Weekly Column: Senate and House Set Up Fight Over $3 Billion Tax Cut

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of February 28, 2022.

Senate and House Set Up Fight Over $3 Billion Tax Cut  

               In the sixth week of the General Assembly Session each chamber offered their proposed budgets.  Each chamber’s budget is very different.

               First, I was able to secure several changes to the budget that are important to our community.  The Senate Finance Committee included $10 million in the budget to fund the Phase II improvements at Widewater State Park.  Phase II will include a new visitor center, new trails, a loop road, parking areas, and picnic areas.  I have been fighting for this for five years and I am working with Delegate Candi King and Delegate Tara Durant to ensure the House of Delegates will agree to fund it.

               Next, the Senate Budget includes language repurposing $2 million for River Farm previously secured by Delegate Paul Krizek and Senator Adam Ebbin by allowing it to be spent on public access improvements on the property.  This will help River Farm truly become a public asset.

               I also worked with Delegate Paul Krizek to secure $250,000 in both chambers’ budget to help Good Shepherd Housing continue to provide services to family who received Temporary Aid to Needy Families aid.  The Senate also included $50 million in new financial funding for Pell Grant eligible college students at universities with smaller endowments such as James Madison University, George Mason University, Longwood, Radford and Mary Washington. 

               Governor Northam previously included $17 million in his budget to connect the Town of Quantico to public water service.  This has been a major source of friction between the town and Marine Corps Base Quantico and I am pleased it was left in both budget.

               He also included $3 million and $300,000 in stormwater grants for the Town of Dumfries and the Town of Quantico, but these were removed in the Senate.  I am hopeful they will be restored during the budget negotiations.   

More globally, the House Budget relies on over $3 billion of tax cuts whereas the Senate Budget fulfills our obligation to pass a balanced budget by only cutting state tax on groceries.  Without these tax cuts, the Senate Budget provides funding for a 5% raise on teacher salaries.  The Senate Budget also provides about $500 million to help fund the state’s $26 billion school maintenance deficit which mostly exists outside of Northern Virginia.  It also provides $1 billion towards the state $6 billion shortfall in the Virginia Retirement System. 

               The Senate Budget also provides a 5% raise for all state employees and a one-time $1,000 bonus.  It also includes $388 million in new funding for public safety including raises for law enforcement.  It provides $85 million to pay down the $300 million maintenance backlog in our state parks, funds $289 million of improvements at the Virginia Port Authority which provides goods for nearly every big box store in Virginia, and also over $300 million for the Virginia Water Quality Improvement Fund.  The Senate Budget also fulfills our constitutionally required Rainy Day Fund deposit which would leave $3.9 billion available for the next downturn. 

               These budgets are substantially apart due to the House of Delegates irresponsible decision to cut taxes.  Our nation is currently experiencing 7% inflation which is helping to generate the revenue surpluses and we are not even providing pay raises to allow our teachers, police and other government employees pay raises that keep up with that.  At this time, it is not clear how we will reach a compromise.

               We still have two Supreme Court vacancies that we need to fill and a vacancy on the State Corporation Commission (SCC).  Most people have never heard of the SCC, but it decides how much you pay for electricity, water, gas, all types of insurance, regulates banks, credit unions and railroads, and runs our state healthcare exchange.  We have two weeks to figure these out.

               Please consider completing my constituent survey seeking your feedback on important issues this session.  You can complete it at www.scottsurovell.org/survey.  It is an honor to serve as your state senator.