Surrounded by students from Round Hill Elementary Monday, Governor Glenn Youngkin signed several bills.
One requires schools to identify a faculty member from each high school to act a transition coordinator as students with disabilities prepare to leave high school. Another allows more financial flexibility for disabled adults who are receiving services provided through state waivers.
“We are empowering their families to find more resources, more support, and to promote their loved ones’ independence,” Youngkin said to the crowd gathered in the school's gym.
Youngkin also signed a bill designed to reduce barriers faced by English Language Learners who want to participate in work-based learning experiences.
Youngkin has a midnight deadline to act on bills passed in this year’s General Assembly session. He told reporters his staff was still working to recommend amendments to some bills and potentially veto others.
Asked about the apparently stalled negotiations to amend the state's budget, Youngkin said his message to budget negotiators is that the state’s $3.6 billion surplus is still an AND moment. "We can take that surplus and cut taxes and further reduce the cost of living in Virginia and invest in our most important priorities: behavioral health, education, law enforcement."
The state’s fiscal year ends on June 30th. Negotiations appear to be in a holding pattern, though, keeping colleges, local governments and other organizations that rely on state funding in limbo.
Last week, the state’s Secretary of Finance told budget negotiators that an economic recession might be more likely and longer than anticipated. Delegates and Senators decided to pause their negotiations until more financial data is available, according to reporting from VPM.