Unprecedented and unpredictable really describes much of what went on during the 2012 General Assembly Session, and the Veto Session proved to be no different. During the Session of 2012, highly publicized social legislation put Virginia on the national map and the late-night TV circuit. But almost from the first day state politicians came to Richmond in January, after power sharing was nixed in the evenly divided Senate, everyone knew that there would eventually be a showdown on the budget. On Tuesday, one day prior to Veto Session, the Democrats voted in a block to hold strong against the revised BUDGET based on an ongoing dispute regarding transportation; but on Wednesday, one senator, the longest serving Senate member in the state’s history, Senator Charles Colgan (D), broke ranks with his party and voted with the Republicans to end the budget stalemate.
Many of us who were in Richmond for the Veto Session left the Capitol just before 4 pm on Wednesday, upon hearing that there would be no budget vote and noting that a key Republican Senate member had already headed home. Not so fast. Less than an hour later, majority party leaders sent out word that a vote on the budget was imminent and that the Republicans could eek out a majority – if the State Police could get to the senator who was on his way home and divert him back to the Capitol. They did just that, and on a vote of 21 to 19, the budget passed.
K-12 was one major beneficiary of the revised budget to the tune of an additional $212 M over and above the Governor’s original proposals. But localities and school divisions know that this amount is not enough to prevent layoffs and cutbacks that many schools have already initiated.
Let us know what you think about the 2012 budget fracas and how your school divisions will be affected this year by funding reductions.
