Bloxom named Conferee by Speaker Gilbert

For the second General Assembly Session in a row, the Eastern Shore’s Delegate has been named as a conferee by the Speaker.

On Friday, House Speaker Todd Gilbert named the chamber’s budget conferees, including Rob Bloxom, urging them to get to work as soon as possible.

“It is my sincere hope that you will now be able to proceed expeditiously and convene negotiations so the General Assembly can fulfill our constitutional duty and present a budget bill to the Governor before the current Regular Session ends on Feb. 25,” Gilbert said in a letter to committee chairs. “With only two weeks remaining in session, I am concerned that delaying the start of these discussions will make it much more difficult for us to complete our talks and produce a final product, let alone one that makes the best possible decisions for the commonwealth,” Gilbert said.

As Delegate Bloxom reported in his last report, the Republican controlled House of Delegates, historically the House which controls the budget, followed Governor Youngkin’s lead, awarding Virginians $1 billion in tax relief. The Democratic controlled Senate, spent the money on projects.

14 legislators in total from the two houses will get together and grind out a compromise. The House’s slate remains unchanged. Joining Bloxom are House Appropriations Committee chairman Del. Barry Knight, R-Virginia Beach, Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt County, Del. Emily Brewer, R-Suffolk, Del. Luke Torian, D-Prince William, and Del. Mark Sickles, D-Fairfax. The Senate’s slate has not yet been announced.