The 2024 legislative session is a mere four weeks away. This year, the General Assembly will convene for a 60-day session, with all 140 members enjoying the brand-new General Assembly Building accommodations. As the next class of delegates and senators prepare their agendas, we are getting a sense of the major issues likely to be addressed in this session. Democrats prevailed in the election and now hold a slim, but firm, majority in both chambers. However, passing any legislation this session will require the signature of Governor Youngkin. This adds the complicated, but not impossible, task of finding compromise between both parties.

One looming debate set for January is an issue we have seen many times before. Two Democrats have already introduced significant gun violence prevention legislation that restricts the types of guns and ammunition that can be manufactured and further restricts eligibility to own a gun. Year after year, Democrats have tried to pass gun violence prevention legislation, and Republicans have remained obstinate, preventing even the most common-sense measures from passing. Last year, Senate Democrats introduced legislation cracking down on the safe storage of guns inside the home, encouraging responsible gun ownership. This was in response to the horrific incident in Newport News, where a 6-year-old brought a gun to school and shot his teacher. Additionally, Senate Democrats proposed a bill to penalize individuals who leave their cars unlocked and unattended with a firearm inside. Leaving a weapon unattended is highly irresponsible and allows guns to fall into the wrong hands. Both bills failed to advance in the Republican-controlled House, with little consideration given to them.

This year presents a new opportunity to consider making more progress on a public safety issue that continues to plague our communities. Frankly, it is upsetting to still be fighting for change after so many instances of violence and lives lost. With Democrats in control in both chambers, we have the chance to make strong headways. My hope is that Governor Youngkin will be willing to work toward a bipartisan solution to enact meaningful change.

Another main focus of this session will be constitutional amendments, which do not require any approval from the Governor. Instead, amendments are passed through the legislature during two separate sessions, with an election in between each passage. So any constitutional amendments that are considered this year will still have to pass in 2026, after the next House of Delegates election.

There are currently a handful of constitutional amendments that have been submitted for consideration for the coming session. First is an amendment to ensure reproductive rights. Republicans have made their intentions clear. If they were to win the majority, they would do away with our current protections, interfering with a woman’s right to her own healthcare decisions. Adding an amendment to the Virginia Constitution would further protect those rights and prevent Republicans from easily imposing a ban, should they win a majority in the near future.

Additionally, Democrats intend to pass a constitutional amendment regarding the restoration of voting rights for felons. Virginia is currently among a minority of states in which the Governor has the sole authority to issue the restoration of voting rights to individuals on a case-by-case basis. This poses an issue of equality and fairness in our justice system, as each Governor has the discretion to accept or deny an application as they see fit. Governor Youngkin has taken a much slower and less transparent approach to restoring voting rights than both the Democratic and Republican Governors preceding him. It’s time we bring this judicial process into the 21st century, and align ourselves with the vast majority of other states.

Finally, before the new session begins, Governor Youngkin will announce his legacy budget, which will set the fiscal course for the remaining two years he has left in office. If the past two years are any indication of how he plans to allocate our resources for this biennial budget, I expect him to prioritize tax cuts over increased funding for social services. One major change this year will be the amount of revenue available for Governor Youngkin to allocate. Revenue growth is expected to moderate from pandemic highs and will be sufficient to just cover the K-12 and Medicaid forecast. Between the large tax cuts the Governor pushed in his first year, dwindling pandemic relief funds from the federal government, and moderating ongoing tax revenue, it is not the time to further cut state tax revenue when we have pressing needs in education, public safety and public health. With uncertain economic projections in the near future, I hope the Governor will keep fiscal responsibility and the Commonwealth’s AAA bond rating at the forefront of his budget proposal when it is revealed in the coming weeks.