Budget

For weeks, speculation has run rampant at the State Capitol over what authority Governor McAuliffe might have under the Virginia Constitution to keep the state operating if a budget is not passed by the start of the new fiscal year on July 1st.

Attorneys for the nonpartisan Division of Legislative Services were asked to advise state lawmakers about executive options for paying bills or mitigating a government shutdown.  At the heart of the issue is the constitutional requirement for separation of powers and co-equal branches.

We're officially into the second month of the Virginia General Assembly’s stalemate over Medicaid expansion—and no two-year budget.

While there's discussion of a possible government shutdown if lawmakers don't reach a compromise by July first, state business must continue in the interim.

That means the state's colleges and universities are now discussing contingency plans.

The Virginia Senate has passed its version of the state budget for the next two fiscal years, which begin on July 1st.  

Senators introduced the spending bill proposed by Governor McAuliffe, then added their own touches— including Marketplace Virginia, the private-insurance alternative to Medicaid expansion. But by the end of the day the Senate and the House were no closer to resolving their budget stalemate. 

Facing a national transportation budget crisis, some elected leaders are using a Virginia transportation-funding compromise as an example for Congress to take action.

Agencies relying on state funding are hoping that when Virginia lawmakers reconvene next week for a Special Session, they'll be able to set aside their differences and pass a budget.  

While Medicaid expansion is a huge sticking point, it's not the only issue where lawmakers have some philosophical differences.

Senate Finance Co-Chair Walter Stosch says the more optimistic news is their agreement on the caboose budget—the bill that adjusts current fiscal year spending.