As Session Concludes Without Conference Budget, Freedom Virginia Urges Legislators to Deliver A Virginia You Can Afford

Affordability Should Be Funded By Holding Data Centers Accountable, Not By Predatory Gaming

RICHMOND, Va. — Today, the General Assembly adjourned sine die without a conference budget.

Freedom Virginia Co-Executive Director Ryan O’Toole released the following statement:

“Through legislation passed this session, the General Assembly has made massive strides toward a Virginia we can afford, but to deliver affordability now, we need a budget that puts hardworking Virginians and their families first, not corporate handouts. With Virginians struggling to afford housing, child care, health care, energy, groceries, and now gas, the General Assembly needs to prioritize investing in the middle class. We’re best positioned for the middle class to pay less when the ultra-wealthy and corporations pay more, and we urge conferees to close corporate tax loopholes, especially those that let data centers and the world’s richest Big Tech companies pay less than the rest of us. While we focus on giving the middle class a break, it’s also critical that we avoid funding an affordable Virginia through predatory gas station slot machines backed by shady corporate interests.”

Below are priority budget amendments presented in at least one chamber’s budget that Freedom Virginia urges conferees to include in a conference budget:

• Holding the data center industry accountable by making the industry pay their fair share to support a Virginia we can all afford;

• Ensuring hardworking Virginians can keep more of what they earn by increasing the standard deduction to $9,200 per filer ($18,400 for joint filers);

• Fully funding the Affordable Medicine Act, so hundreds of thousands of Virginians not on Medicare will benefit from the savings of Medicare-negotiated prices;

• Providing authorization for a treasury loan to begin implementation of Virginia’s Paid Family and Medical Leave insurance program, which will enable 3.4 million Virginians to reject the choice between taking care of themselves or a loved one or earning a paycheck;

• Providing funding for hundreds of thousands of Virginians in the health insurance marketplace to afford health insurance through premium assistance, fixing the problem left by Congressional Republicans;

• Providing funding to establish an innovative Employee Child Care Assistance Program to ensure more affordable child care options that help more Virginians join, and stay in, the workforce;

• Creating a phased reduction model for the child care subsidy program, which would enable nearly 12,000 Virginians to afford quality child care so they can get a job and provide for their families;

• Increasing support for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, and the Virginia Housing Revolving Loan Fund, to spur development of more affordable homes across Virginia;

• Expanding access to paid sick leave for the more than 1 million Virginians who cannot take time off work when they’re sick;

• Providing funding to establish one unified Virginia Gaming Commission to streamline oversight of Virginia’s legalized gaming options, ensuring that the Commonwealth prioritizes consumer protection and affordability over corporate handouts.