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Dear Neighbor,

Today marks ONE HUNDRED days since the 2023 General Assembly Session adjourned sine die without an agreement between the House and Senate on the state budget. Below is a summary of where we're at in reconciling budget differences this year and a few other updates.

As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of any assistance to you, your family, or someone you know. My office is here to serve you!

🚨 Major Fundraising Deadline on Thursday 🚨

This Thursday, June 8 will be a major campaign fundraising deadline for our re-election campaign for the 52nd District, and I need your help.

As your Delegate, you have been able to count on me to stand up for you, our principles, and our values. If you believe we are moving Virginia in the right direction and you want to keep our Commonwealth on the right track, please consider chipping in to my re-election fund today.

As we head into the upcoming election this November, it's going to be all hands on deck to hold the line in the House of Delegates and expand our majority in the Senate. Your support of $50, $100, $250, or $500 will help us keep the pressure on the Democrats to hold the House majority
CHIP IN TODAY

Virginia's Budget Process

Virginia operates on a two-year budget process, comprising several stages. Each December, the governor proposes a budget or amendments for the upcoming two fiscal years. For instance, in December 2022, Governor Youngkin presented a set of changes to the current two-year budget, which covers the ongoing fiscal year (commenced on July 1, 2022) and the upcoming fiscal year (beginning on July 1, 2023). During the legislative session, the House and Senate propose amendments, and appointed representatives (the conference committee) negotiate a deal and present a report. The governor can suggest amendments and line-item vetoes, which the legislature votes on during the reconvened session, taking place on the sixth or seventh Wednesday after the regular session concludes.

Current Year Differences

This year, the House and Senate couldn't agree on their budget proposals. The Democrat-controlled Senate's budget proposal sought to keep more of your hard-earned money, while the Republican-led House budget kept the promise we made to Virginians: building better schools, safer communities, and a more prosperous future for every Virginian. As we wrapped up the 2023 Legislative Session, Democrats walked away from our budget deal at the last minute. 

As an initial step, however, a stop-gap budget agreement was reached by the House of Senate, addressing essential fund deposits, capital projects, and K-12 funding updates. The stop-gap budget passed, and additional amendments suggested by the governor were considered during the reconvened session in April. 

What's Next

With the "stop-gap" budget only allocating slightly only about a quarter of the $4.5 billion in available resources, significant opportunities still exist for Senate Democrats to come to the table again to negotiate. They can still do the right thing and pass the House's proposed $1 billion tax cuts that put more money back in your pocket. 

It is important to note that the General Assembly is not obligated to pass further budget amendments this year, as we have already approved a two-year budget that includes the upcoming fiscal year. Choosing not to pass amendments would result in the state entering the next year with substantial surpluses, which would likely be allocated for one-time expenditures during the 2024 session. With the clock ticking toward the new fiscal year, I am hopeful that we can reconvene before the deadline to approve our tax cuts by the July 1 deadline.

In the News
5/11/23 - Students ages 18,17 facing Class 5 Felony charge after Liberty High School lockdown
5/05/23 - Bedford County Public Schools celebrates student career, military signing day
5/04/23 - Gov. Youngkin signs bill increasing punishment for ‘swatting’ calls
5/04/23 - In Lynchburg, Youngkin signs swatting bill at site of multiple false calls
5/04/23 - Following 6-year-old's death, community gathers at Monument Terrace for Day of Prayer
5/02/23 - Lawmakers talk debt ceiling and 2024 race at annual legislative wrap-up breakfast
4/29/23 - Del. Walker's swatting bill signed, Gov. Youngkin coming to E.C. Glass to celebrate
4/20/23 - Freedom First putting community first with brand-new Lynchburg branch
4/12/23 - Virginia House Delegates talk saving you money on energy bills, upcoming election
4/07/23 - Del. Wendell Walker secures Republican nomination for new 52nd District
Community Update

Over the past month, my schedule has been filled with meetings and events across the new 52nd District and the Commonwealth. Notably over the last month, I had the honor of welcoming Governor Youngkin to the district, where he signed my swatting bill into law, protecting citizens from dangerous and potentially deadly false emergency calls. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate this important legislation. 

Additionally, I've spent a lot of time meeting with local workforce and CTE programs to learn more about what we need to do in Richmond to help grow our career opportunities in the Commonwealth, as well as the private investments being made right here in our community. From participating in CVCC's STEM internship presentations, to speaking at Bedford's Career and Technical Education signing day ceremony, to helping cut the ribbon at the relaunch of the Framatome Nuclear Technology Academy at CVCC, it has been a busy month for workforce!

There's been a lot more going on in this newsletter that I haven't mentioned. As always, you can stay up to date with what I've been up to in the district by following my Facebook and Twitter pages. 
Share Your Thoughts

I am truly grateful for your unwavering support and trust you have placed in me to represent our community in Richmond. I will never stop fighting for our great Commonwealth and its people. As always, if you have any questions about what is going on in Richmond, want to share a legislative idea, or would like me to know where you stand on a specific issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at wendell@wendellwalker.org.

My office is here to serve you! If you are having any issues with a state agency (DMV, Employment Commission, Veterans Services, etc.), please do not hesitate to reach out to me. 

Kind regards,


Delegate Wendell S. Walker
Virginia House of Delegates

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