Bloxom once again named budget conferee

Delegate Rob Bloxom (R-Accomack County) has been named a budget conferee in the ongoing negotiations between the Virginia House of Delegates and the state Senate. Bloxom joins a team of lawmakers tasked with reconciling differences between the two chambers’ budget proposals, which were introduced last week.

Bloxom will work alongside Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth), House Appropriations Chair Luke Torian (D-Prince William), and other key legislators. Additional conferees include Senators Creigh Deeds (D-Charlottesville) and Todd Pillion (R-Washington County), as well as Delegates Mark Sickles (D-Fairfax) and David Bulova (D-Fairfax). Their goal is to merge their respective budget plans before presenting a final version to Governor Glenn Youngkin, who retains line-item veto authority.

Among the major budget issues under discussion are storm recovery funding, tax rebates, and local project allocations. Both chambers have proposed up to $1 billion in one-time tax rebates instead of a car tax rebate, and allocated $25 million for storm relief, which is significantly lower than Youngkin’s proposed $127 million.

The General Assembly is aiming to finalize the budget before the scheduled adjournment.