Governor Glenn Youngkin outlined his priorities to Virginia legislators as part of his annual State of the Commonwealth address earlier Monday.
“The state of our Commonwealth is strong. Very strong,” Youngkin said, offering his final address to a joint session of Virginia’s General Assembly. It was an optimistic view of Virginia’s fiscal and legislative status as this year’s session opened.
The governor stressed economic projects that moved to Virginia since he took office three years ago. Among them is a Microporous battery plant in Southside Virginia, which is expected to bring billions of dollars in investment and 2,000 new jobs for an economically depressed part of the state.
“These are great jobs, jobs that are the rocket fuel for our economy,” Youngkin said. “Lifting up all Virginians.”
Youngkin also asked for Democrats' support in getting a break on the car tax for low-income Virginians. His office estimates it could benefit nearly two million people, but it comes at a cost he thinks the state ought to cover.
“We can fund the first three years with $1.1 billion of the state’s projected surplus,” he said.
Youngkin also asked for more data centers across the state, saying they’ve brought in over $9 billion in revenue annually.
“We should continue to be the data center capital of the world,” he said. But the governor also said localities should be able to decide whether or not those data centers can be built there.
Youngkin also railed against a green energy initiative long supported by state Democrats.
The Virginia Clean Economy Act was passed in 2020 and seeks to end the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. But Youngkin said it was blocking Virginia from meeting new power demands brought on by highly-profitable data centers. Those demands include over a dozen natural gas plants, heavy polluters that Youngkin says are part of an ‘all of the above’ approach on energy.
“Let’s work together this session to unlock all of the above and unravel the quagmire that is the Virginia Clean Economy Act,” the governor said.
Youngkin tried to pull the state out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a multistate marketplace that helped fund projects under the Clean Economy Ect. A judge threw out that effort, but Virginia’s Attorney General is appealing.
On education, Youngkin asked for state funding for lab schools and so-called 'opportunity scholarships.' Youngkin said the requests were among his top priorities. Lab schools saw state funds go directly to some Virginia colleges to fund specific education programs. And the opportunity scholarships would cover the costs of private school tuition for lower-income Virginia students.
“We can both invest record amounts to support an extraordinary public school system and provide students and parents pathways that work best for their families,” he said.
But Democrats have shunned both efforts saying they draw badly needed funds away from the state's public school system. Youngkin, meanwhile, said he’s already overseen record investment in education.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
