RICHMOND, Va. – Gov. Ralph Northam has unveiled the budget he'll be proposing to the General Assembly when members return to Richmond on April 11 to finish their work on Virginia’s biennial spending plan.
In a press conference Wednesday, Northam announced that he will introduce the same budget that the previous administration proposed in December.
Part of that budget expands Medicaid coverage to nearly 400,000 Virginians and an assessment on state hospitals to cover the Commonwealth’s share of the costs.
Due to the savings Northam says Virginia will have from Medicaid expansion, the budget makes significant investments in core economic priorities like education, workforce development, mental health services, opioid addiction prevention and pay raises for state employees, teachers and law enforcement professionals.
“Virginians have waited long enough for a balanced budget that expands health care access and invests in economic opportunity through education, workforce training, mental health and addiction services, and better pay for public servants,” said Northam.
Northam also announced that he will introduce an amendment to the proposed budget that would require any revenues above those that are forecast in this budget to be invested in a revenue reserve fund.