Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford), Majority Leader Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights), Caucus Chairman Timothy D. Hugo (R-Fairfax), Majority Whip Jackson H. Miller (R-Manassas), and Deputy Majority Leader Todd Gilbert (R-Shenandoah) issued the following statement Thursday.
“Throughout the budget stalemate, we made a commitment to hold a separate special session in order to have a full and fair debate on Medicaid expansion. The House of Delegates met today to consider any and all legislation before it related to Medicaid expansion. This was part of our effort to keep our commitment both to proponents of expansion and the people of Virginia.
“For the third time this year, the House of Delegates overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to expand Medicaid in the Commonwealth. We look forward to discussing additional ideas to reform Medicaid and strengthen the existing health care safety net in the future, but firmly believe that expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act would be the wrong decision for Virginia.
“In addition to keeping our commitment to debate Medicaid expansion, the House of Delegates also once again took the lead in pushing for a responsible budget proposal. The House passed legislation to close Virginia’s $2.4 billion revenue shortfall in order to provide certainty for our economy and send a clear signal to the bond rating agencies that Virginia is and will always remain a Triple-A investment.
“The House of Delegates stands in recess at the call of the Speaker and the Chairman of the Senate Rules committee.”
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Chris Graham
