RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A remade Virginia General Assembly convened its 2024 session Wednesday with a Democratic majority newly in charge of both chambers after a consequential election cycle that followed two years of divided control of the Legislature.
Guns, gambling, abortion, public safety and other issues will be on the agenda as Democrats seek to hold their razor-thin majorities together over the course of the 60-day session. They will need to win Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's support for most of their priorities, though in a few areas they will be able to move without him.
“I think there are some things we’re going to be able to agree on,” Democratic House Speaker Don Scott said of the governor, ticking off spots of typical bipartisan cooperation, like education, mental health and workforce development.
On other legislative items — like gun control and Youngkin's push for a new sports stadium — it remains to be seen where or whether compromise can be found, Scott said in an interview ahead of the session's start.
Scott, a trial lawyer and Navy veteran, was sworn in as one of the House's first acts. Scott, whom Democrats nominated for the role in November, made history, becoming the first Black person to serve in the role. His election was without opposition and greeted with rousing cheers and standing ovations.
“I'm very grateful. I know this is God’s favor," said Scott, who referenced being incarcerated decades ago for a drug-related conviction, adding: “There are those who will tell you that you should be defined forever by a mistake. I am here to tell you — do not believe them.”
Scott will help guide an increasingly diverse Capitol as part of a new generation of leadership that in the Senate includes Democratic Leader Scott Surovell, an attorney from northern Virginia.
Last year's election cycle, when every legislative seat was on the ballot, was the first held under new maps drawn in the last redistricting process. The new maps contributed to a wave of retirements that included some of the Assembly's most senior members. Others were ousted in an especially competitive primary season.
About a third of the current Assembly membership is new to their respective chamber.
The Assembly also convened with a record-high percentage of female legislators, according to data maintained by the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers. About 34% are women, according to the center, not accounting for the results of two special legislative elections on Tuesday, in which voters tapped another woman, Republican Tammy Brankley Mulchi, to join the state Senate.
Wednesday’s kick-off effectively marked the halfway point of Youngkin’s term. The governor, who ultimately did not mount a presidential bid after heaps of speculation in 2023 that he might, is prohibited from seeking a second consecutive four years in office.
In the two months since the GOP fell short of Youngkin's stated electoral expectations — losing its House majority and failing to flip the Senate — the governor has begun to roll out his policy roadmap, including his proposed budget. Crafting the next two-year state spending plan will be one of the session's biggest tasks, something lawmakers in recent years have failed to do on time.
The governor has called for lowering the income tax while raising the state's sales tax, a proposal that's been greeted by skepticism from members of both parties.
Youngkin unveiled plans for a separate and possibly legacy-making project in December when he announced the framework of a proposal to move the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals across the Potomac to Alexandria.
Legislation that would create a government entity that could issue around $1.5 billion in bonds to finance the deal will be among the session's most closely watched.
The governor has also called for lawmakers to continue working with him to improve the state's mental health care system, including by tightening the reins on social media companies and banning TikTok for users under 18.
Later Wednesday, he was set to offer his annual State of the Commonwealth address, a chance to set the tone for his work with the new Assembly and highlight additional priorities.
While Wednesday was filled with mostly procedural tasks and introductions, the weeks ahead will be filled with long days as lawmakers take up hundreds of proposals.
Republicans, who have said they plan to hold Democrats accountable for any rush to the left, want to try again to pass a bill that would allow prosecutors to charge drug dealers with felony homicide if a user dies of an overdose. They're also promising a renewed effort to repeal an electric vehicle mandate Democrats enacted in 2021.
Democrats have filed a wide range of bills to tighten penalties for gun-related convictions and limit access to firearms, including a measure that would prohibit the sale of certain assault-style weapons.
Those measures will face the prospect of a Youngkin veto, though the governor has been quiet enough on the issue that leading gun rights advocates have said they are uncertain of how he might act.
Democrats have or are expected to file measures that will put Youngkin on the record on other topics where he's hedged, including gay marriage and marijuana retail sales.
They will also be able to elect judges and fill other appointments and have pledged to start the multi-year process of pursuing several proposed constitutional amendments.
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