Wiley’s Richmond Roundup
Next Week is Crossover!
Week 4 (January 27-31)
Dear Friends,
The halfway point of the 2025 General Assembly Session is almost here. The activity around Capitol Square has ramped into overdrive as we race toward Crossover, the point at which each chamber can only take up the other chamber’s bills.
My colleagues on the left continue to kill most every bill that is proposed by a Republican, regardless of the bill’s potential merit. I have managed to get 7 out of 9 of my proposed bills through committee, but there are still big hurdles ahead.
The news is not all bleak, however. Late Friday I learned that our Attorney General, Jason Miyares, issued guidance to two of our major University hospitals, warning them to stop providing what they call “gender affirming treatments” for minor children. This was well overdue. Adults can make their own decisions, but permanently sterilizing children with drugs or surgically mutilating their bodies is something that just shouldn’t happen. I’m pleased that the Attorney General has issued this guidance, and I hope to see his words enacted into law, putting a permanent end to this practice.
In other news, the House Appropriations Committee will report their budget bill on Sunday. This bill will make changes to the existing two-year spending plan we approved last year. Governor Youngkin had proposed a significant number of tax cuts to be included, such as $300 in car tax relief for working families, and the end of taxes on tips for those in the service industries. Unfortunately, my Democratic colleagues voted down these bills that were widely supported by Virginians and would have helped the working class the most.
Rest assured, I will continue to fight to put more money back in your pocket as this session continues. Times are hard for everyone, even if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle don’t recognize that fact.
