Bloxom named budget conferee by Speaker Gilbert

Delegate Rob Bloxom has been named as one of six conferees for budget negotiations in this year’s General Assembly by Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert.

Each year, the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate pass competing budgets. If the two sides can’t agree, the question falls to a number of Delegates and Senators from each side, called conferees. These two groups meet and negotiate their respective sides’ positions with the eventual goal of a compromise to send to the Governor’s office for final passage.

This year, the Senate’s and House of Delegates’ budgets are just a little apart, to the tune of $3,000,000,000.

The House of Delegates, which is now controlled by Republicans, followed Governor Youngkin, who wanted to take the record surplus Richmond now has and issue refunds to tax paying Virginians.

The Senate, which is still controlled by Democrats, followed outgoing Governor Ralph Northam’s budget, which spent that extra $3 billion on projects around the State.

Bloxom will join Chairman Barry Knight(R-Virginia Beach), Terry Austin(R-Botetourt), Emily Brewer(R-Suffolk), Mark Sickles(D-Fairfax) Luke Torian(D-Prince William).

The eight Senate negotiators are Sen. Janet Howell, (D-Fairfax), George Barker(D-Fairfax), Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw(D-Fairfax), Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas(D-Portsmouth) Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke(D-Hampton), Senate Minority Leader Tommy Norment(R-James City) Sen. Emmett Hanger(R-Augusta) and Sen. Steve Newman(R-Lynchburg).

There is no schedule yet for meetings.

Although this is Bloxom’s first time as a conferee, he does have a little bit of insider knowledge about the designation. When his father served in the House of Delegates, he also became a conferee. In those days, it was only three from each side who would meet and hash it out.

Bloxom said he felt like the negotiations would not be prolonged and that the General Assembly would adjourn on schedule, Saturday, March 12.

“I’ve made a lot of new friends,” Bloxom said with a laugh. “A lot of people are coming by my office.”

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