Blog

2018 Legislative Session Update: Budget Will Go into Overtime

  • Children’s Mental Health
  • Early Care and Education
  • Family Economic Security
  • Health Equity
  • State Advocacy

By Emily Griffey

Yesterday — day 58 of the 60-day General Assembly session — the House and Senate announced that they were not able to reach an agreement about providing health insurance coverage to uninsured Virginians. Without resolution of this issue that affects the entire state budget, the General Assembly will now go into overtime. This will likely be a special session to continue working on the big question of whether to expand Medicaid and to hash out the other details in the budget.

We were pleased that the House budget included a two-step approach to pulling down federal funds to provide health insurance to up to 400,000 working Virginians, many of whom are parents. By pulling down these resources, the House budget also invests more in other areas, such as education.

As the 13 members  appointed by the House and Senate to form a conference committee to continue to negotiate the differences in the budget, we ask that they keep the two-step approach the House has proposed for expanding health insurance coverage. We also ask them to include other priorities reflected on Voices’ legislative agenda.

Our budget priorities in large part reflect the work of legislative commissions and workgroups that developed proposals before the General Assembly convened.

Recommendations of the Deeds Commission to Transform Mental Health Services in the 21st Century

Recommendations of the Commission on Youth

Recommendations related to the JLARC Report: Improving Virginia’s Early Childhood Programs

Recommendations of the Barriers to Treatment for Substance-Exposed Infants Workgroup


Related Posts

Blog
Blog
Early Care and Education State Advocacy

Investing in the Future: Virginia’s Commitment to Early Care and Education

August 14, 2024

Publications
Economic Security Family Economic Security Health Equity

Appendix A: Breaking the Health-Poverty Cycle

August 1, 2024

Become a Champion for Young People!

Transforming the lives of young people requires us to transform systems through our evidence-based, community-informed policy change. Your contribution to Voices provides us with the vital resources we need to continue our advocacy.