Gov. Ralph Northam has done a slow build toward the release of his 2020-2022 state budget over the past couple of weeks.
On Tuesday, Northam formally presented the budget to the money committees of the General Assembly.
The first budget from a Democratic governor to a Democrat-majority state legislature in a generation was touted in a press release from the governor’s office today as “the most progressive in Virginia’s history.”
Ahead of the address, Northam previewed budget proposals to invest in K-12 education, address housing affordability, make tuition-free community college available to low- and middle-income students who pursue jobs in high-demand fields, protect Virginia’s environment, transform the Commonwealth’s early childhood education system, and combat maternal and infant mortality.
Northam’s proposal also brings Virginia’s total reserve funding to $1.9 billion, over 8 percent of the total budget. This is more than Virginia has had in reserve funds at any time in history, and meets the aggressive goal Northam laid out at the start of his administration, two years early.
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