RICHMOND VA – Today, members of the Virginia General Assembly gathered in Richmond for a special session to vote on the budget agreement. Both the House and Senate voted to pass HB6001, which put money back in the pockets of hardworking Virginians, made historic investments in our public education system, and protected abortion access for women who rely on Medicaid and experience tragic fetal abnormalities.
In his floor speech, House Democratic Caucus Leader Don Scott praised the budget agreement and the work of the Democratic conferees who made sure it prioritized Virginia families over corporations.
Heralding the victory for hardworking Virginians, Leader Scott said, “The Republicans’ version of the bill included an amendment that would prevent the poorest women who experience tragic fetal abnormalities from having abortions. This was just another attempt to add an additional barrier for women in the Commonwealth to make it harder to access critical and often life-saving reproductive healthcare. To prevent these funds from being used for an abortion was the latest attempt by the Republicans to stand in the way of medical decisions that should be left to a woman and her doctor.
Over $900 million is going into direct funding to ensure that our children have access to the best resources to succeed in their future. Despite the historic investment [in our public schools], the JLARC report tells us this is not enough. That’s why it’s surprising that in their original budget the Republicans wanted to commit [only] a third of what the budget provides. But we fixed that.
There is more work to be done and Democrats are going to continue fighting to fully fund our schools and make Virginia an affordable place for families to thrive. At every turn we will stop the MAGA Republicans’ plans to give tax handouts to corporations as we did today.”
Watch the full speech here. Members of the press interested in speaking to Leader Scott should reach out to Morgan Hopkins at morgan@vahousedems.org.
###