Today marks the 38th day of the 60 day Regular Legislative Session. With only 22 days remaining in the session, expect for the pace to continue to be hectic with long committee meetings followed by lengthy floor sessions.

 

The Governor's proposed elimination of the personal income tax continues to be the hot topic for discussion in both chambers. The Governor made a personal pitch to the House Republican caucus yesterday as it seems each day more and more individual legislators, as well as affected special interest groups, are voicing concerns with the currently proposed legislation. It seems likely the House and Senate finance committees may roll out their own versions of this bill sometime next week. If compromise can't be reached between the two chambers, it is safe to assume the Governor could very well call a special session sometime later this year to once again tackle this proposal. There will certainly be a special session sometime in the fall to address redistricting once the updated census numbers are received by the state. 

 

Lastly, a bill that would allow students to repeat a year in school and sports because of the impact of the pandemic is moving through the House of Delegates following approval Thursday by the House Education Committee yesterday. It now is in the House Finance committee for further consideration, but is an example of how much COVID has, and still is, affecting our daily lives.