Gov. Abigail Spanberger held a press conference Wednesday to give updates on the legislative process ahead of her 11:59 p.m. Monday deadline to act on legislation.
The House and Senate, both controlled by Democrats, have yet to reach an agreement on a new two-year budget. The main sticking point is data center tax breaks.
The Senate, led by Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, wants to eliminate the data center tax exemption. The House and Spanberger are hesitant on removing the exemption, as they said they do not want to go back on their commitment to data centers.
Spanberger said she is part of the discussions between the House and Senate, but seemed to defer to the legislators on the negotiations.
“As a former legislator, I certainly respect that at this moment, the House Appropriations and the Senate Finance Committee are working to put their budget on my desk,” Spanberger said. “I am engaged, but ultimately, at this moment, we are working towards the budget that they’re going to hand over to me.”
Spanberger said her team met with House members this week and that she spoke with Lucas today.
“At this moment, I am endeavoring to be very engaged, but I still need them to come to a conclusion on the bill that they want to send to my desk.”
House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, said “it’s not unusual” for extended negotiations to take place over the budget.
“I think everybody’s doing their due diligence and doing a good job,” Scott said. “At the end of the day, we’ll end up where we always end up — with a budget in time.”
Lucas did not answer a phone call asking for comment on Wednesday, but she told the Richmond Times-Dispatch this week that she doubts there will be an agreement before the special session later this month.
“I doubt it,” Lucas told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in a telephone interview. “The data center people have not come back to me with a serious proposal,” she said.
The special session for the budget is taking place on April 23.