RICHMOND, Va. -- Housing advocates held a rally at the State Capitol Friday to urge Gov. Glenn Youngkin to support several pieces of legislation they say will help renters and make housing more accessible.
One of the bills the group wants to be signed would expand local authorities' ability to hold landlords accountable and extend grace periods for late rent.
"Keeping people in their homes and keeping those homes safe and affordable," Ladelle McWhorter, a board member with Virginia Organizing, said. "Obviously, we need more housing. These don't address that yet, but we'll get there."
McWhorter said safe housing for renters is critical.
"By safe we mean safe wiring, safe plumbing, and so on," McWhorter said. "Health hazards in general are a problem with a lot of these properties."
Their call came a day after the Republican governor held a rally of his own to criticize the two-year budget passed by the Democrat-controlled General Assembly.
"This budget that has been presented to me takes Virginia backwards," Youngkin said.
Lawmakers rejected his proposed income tax decrease but kept and expanded his digital sales tax. As a result, Youngkin said the current budget adds $2.6-billion in taxes, but that he plans to remove them as he reviews the spending plan.
"I'm going to create an opportunity for us to get together and figure out where we're going to invest, in other places where we might have to cut back a little bit in order to deliver a budget for Virginians," Youngkin explained.
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However, Del. Mike Jones (D - Richmond) said Youngkin's plan gave tax breaks to corporations and high-income earners.
"We put together a very sound budget that had support on both sides of the aisle. That's important," Jones said. "We've seen record investment in higher education, in K-12 education. And that's what Virginians want, not just Democrats."
Youngkin also called on the lawmakers in the Senate to reconsider his proposal for a pro-sports arena in Northern Virginia.
"So we can get together and deliver something for Virginia that helps all of Virginia in the most extraordinary economic development opportunity that I think Virginia has seen," Youngkin said.
Jones, who voted against the arena bill that eventually passed the House, said voters he has heard from share his concerns.
"I still don't believe the Commonwealth should help fund projects for a billionaire and that's just me personally," he said.
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Youngkin's rally also came on the same day he vetoed another 20 bills passed this session.
Housing organizers urged Youngkin not to do the same with their legislation and said many of their bills passed with bipartisan support.
"These are not things that only Democrats care about," McWhorter said. "Housing is something that concerns everybody"
When asked about the bills people were rallying for, a Youngkin spokesperson would only say that the governor is reviewing all legislation that's reached his desk.
Youngkin has a deadline of April 8 to finish his review of the budget and all the bills passed this session. Lawmakers then return on April 17 to consider whatever actions he does take.
