By Del. Eric Phillips
The 2026 General Assembly session has one week remaining, and it looks like it will be a busy until the final day on March 14th.
Last week, the House passed its version of the state budget. A conference committee is now working to reconcile differences between the House and Senate versions before a final vote which will happen this week.
The budget proposal includes several provisions that I personally would not have drafted. Along with my Republican colleagues, I voted against a proposal that would significantly increase legislative salaries. I believe it is important to carefully consider changes of that scale, particularly given the broader economic circumstances facing many Virginians.
I also voted against measures related to expanding collective bargaining requirements for local governments. Some local officials have estimated that implementing these policies could require increases in local real estate taxes.
Additionally, I voted against the proposed payroll tax and against rejoining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which would place a carbon-related fee on power generation. RGGI has a huge impact on Virginians and will cause an additional increase on our already high electric bill by adding additional fees.
These issues were decided along party-line votes. Regardless of the outcome, I will continue working on policies that I believe support economic stability and financial responsibility for Virginia residents.
After several weeks of uncertainty, the Supreme Court of Virginia has ruled that the proposed redistricting amendment will appear on the ballot. Early voting began March 6th and will continue through April 21st.
While the court’s ruling was not entirely what we as Republicans had hoped for, it did include some notable points regarding concerns about the process. In their opinion, the justices wrote that if not for a binding case from 1912, they might have considered stopping the vote altogether.
However, the court allowed the vote to proceed while noting it had “grave concerns” about the process. The justices indicated they may revisit the issue after voters have cast their ballots. In the meantime, I encourage everyone to participate in the upcoming vote on April 21. Please talk to your family, friends and neighbors about this very important issue and get out to vote.
