“Sine die” is the language that marks the end of the regular session of the Virginia General Assembly. The term, originating from Latin, means “without fixing a day for future action or meeting,” and it is the customary phrase uttered by the Clerks of the Senate, and House of Delegates at the conclusion of the annual legislative session.

The term Sine die refers to the fact that the General Assembly is not scheduled to meet again until next year. The exception being, of course, the single day next month — April 17th — that we will reconvene to act on vetoes and amendments from the governor on legislation that we passed during our 60-day session.

While the words Sine die represent a finish line for this year’s session, it marks the beginning of the final chapter of the legislative process. All told, Governor Youngkin received 1,046 bills from the General Assembly this year. As of this writing, he has vetoed eight bills, amended 12, and signed 52 bills into law. The governor must act on all legislation by midnight on April 8th, which is 30 days after adjournment of the General Assembly.

I was encouraged to see the governor’s signature of HB 174 carried by Delegate Rozia Henson, Jr., (D-Woodbridge), which codifies the legal right to marriage between two consenting adults in Virginia, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of the parties. I introduced SB 101, the identical Senate version of the legislation, which received bipartisan support in both the Senate and House of Delegates and which awaits gubernatorial action.

Much will be speculated in the coming weeks about Governor Youngkin’s potential actions on individual bills, and on the state budget. At a hastily-convened press conference outside the Capitol last week, the governor announced his displeasure with the budget passed by the General Assembly. The governor’s chief complaints include: (1) removal from the budget of the proposal to sell state-backed bonds to finance the relocation of two professional sports teams to Alexandria; (2) prohibiting the governor’s effort to repeal Virginia’s corporate polluter tax, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI); and (3) the blocking of the governor’s fiscally irresponsible tax-giveaways to the wealthiest Virginians.

The governor’s vetoes thus far present an unfortunate preview of the actions he could take on bills that await his consideration. In particular, I can only express concern and bewilderment with the governor’s veto of SB 47, carried by Senator Barbara Favola (D-Arlington), and HB 46, carried by Delegate Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria), which would better protect family members of individuals who are temporarily prohibited from possessing firearms because they are subject to a protective order or have been convicted of an assault and battery of a family or household member. I hope that the governor will heed the voices of the vast majority of Virginians and not stand in the way of additional state-level protections against gun violence in the coming weeks.

I look forward to updating you on the status of the budget and more than 1,000 bills, including 16 of mine, as we advance toward the April 8th deadline for the governor to act on legislation.

It is my continued honor to serve the residents of the 39th Senate District.

We’re in the final week of the 2024 General Assembly session and we still have much work to do. As of this writing, 785 bills have passed both chambers and are on their way to Governor Youngkin’s desk, while 306 bills await final action by the legislature.

Between now and the legislature’s scheduled adjournment, Sine Die, on Saturday March 9th, the General Assembly must also complete work on the budget that will set Virginia state expenditures for the remainder of this year and the next two fiscal years.

My priorities for Virginia’s budget remain steadfast, including reversing the $300 million cut to public education that was contained in Governor Youngkin’s introduced budget, and increasing our investments in K-12 public education. New funding for Metro is also at the top of my priority list; I encourage the Senate and House budget conferees to provide Metro with needed funding to prevent it from entering a death spiral.

Another issue related to ongoing deliberations over the state budget is Governor Youngkin’s proposal for Potomac Yard. As I have said before, I believe that the Commonwealth’s budget is not the appropriate legislative vehicle to consider the creation of a state authority that would issue bonds to pay for a proposed sports arena for the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals.

I will continue to advocate these and other priorities to the budget conferees and I look forward to seeing them embraced in the final compromise agreement when it is released later this week. Under rules adopted by both the Senate and the House of Delegates, the budget must be finalized in time to provide legislators with at least 48 hours to review the compromise prior to their voting on it.

​Once the General Assembly votes on the budget, it will be transmitted to the governor. In addition to the ability to sign, amend, or veto individual bills, Virginia governors may take similar action on the state budget bills after they are passed by the General Assembly. In fact, past governors have in some instances proposed extensive amendments to the budget after it reaches his desk – actions that are either approved or rejected by the General Assembly when we return to Richmond for Reconvened Session scheduled for April 17, 2024.

​It is my continued honor to serve the residents of the 39th Senate District.

With the last two weeks of session finally upon us in Richmond, the Senate and House are hard at work. More than 400 bills have passed through both chambers, and more than 700 are still under consideration. In the waning days of the session, the bills passed by the Senate and House will be transmitted to Governor Youngkin. 

The governor has provided little in the way of a preview of what legislative actions he may take, including whether he will sign, amend, or veto bills that would increase the minimum wage, and better protect communities from gun violence. Like most Virginians, I hope Governor Youngkin will allow these important bills to become law this year. 

As part of the legislative process, the Governor of Virginia can take four actions on bills that reach their desk: 

• Sign: Legislation that is signed into law by the governor will go into effect on the next July 1st, unless otherwise provided for in the bill. 

• Veto: When a governor vetoes a bill, it is transmitted back to the legislative chamber in which it was introduced. That chamber, whether the Senate or the House, may vote to approve, or reject, a veto from the governor by a simple majority vote in both chambers. At least two-thirds of the members elected to a given chamber can vote to enact a bill notwithstanding a veto from a governor (a.k.a., an override of the veto). In the Senate, this requires at least 27 Senators; in the House, at least 67 votes are required. Because of the high threshold voting requirement, and the near evenly-divided General Assembly, overrides of gubernatorial vetoes are rare in recent Virginia history. 

• Amend: If a governor wants to change legislation that has reached his desk, they can propose an amendment to that bill. If they so choose, the bill is then transmitted back to the legislative chamber in which it was introduced. That chamber, whether the Senate or the House, may vote to approve or reject the proposed amendment from the governor by a simple majority vote. If the amendment is rejected, the House and Senate can also vote to pass the underlying legislation notwithstanding the objection, or amendment, of the governor. Such an action requires approval of at least two-thirds of the members elected to each legislative chamber, akin to a veto override. 

• Take No Action: Though historically rare, the Governor of Virginia need not sign a bill in order for it to become law. As a matter of fact, any bill sent to the governor’s desk will become law if it is not acted on. 

As the work of the 2024 session continues towards its end point, please keep in mind that the final step in the process is the governor, who must take action — or take no action — on all bills within 30 days of adjournment of the General Assembly. The General Assembly will then reconvene on April 17th to vote on any vetoes and amendments proposed by Governor Youngkin. I look forward to updating you further on these and other bills as we move toward the end of the legislative session. 

It is my continued honor to serve the residents of the 39th Senate District.

Last November, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced his proposal to relocate the Washington Wizards NBA team and the Washington Capitals NHL team from DC across the river to a to be constructed two billion dollar arena to be built in the City of Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood. There is no question that the arena and entertainment district proposal, which also includes a separate 3,000 capacity concert venue, is a unique opportunity for Alexandria to diversify its tax base.

The House of Delegates version of the bill, HB 1514, sponsored by Delegate Luke Torian of Prince William was recommended on 17-3 vote by the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee for the consideration of the full House.

The Senate cognate of that bill, SB 718, sponsored by Senator Scott Surovell of Mount Vernon was not docketed for a hearing before this Tuesday’s crossover deadline for all bills to pass in their house of origin. Senator Louise Lucas, chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee reasoned that the bill put too much risk on the Commonwealth, possibly leaving taxpayers on the hook for the bonds issued for financing. Lucas also pointed out that the project’s proposed financing was not viable without the public bond issuance. She also said it would be atypical and precedent-setting to use the Commonwealth’s contingent moral obligation debt to fund a private economic development project.

Even though the bill has not yet been considered by the traditional pre-crossover deadline, the House version of the bill could advance and be considered by the Senate—and the Senate rules do allow for the governor to send down another bill at any time. The project was also included in the governor’s proposed budget.

In my opinion, it is critical we don’t rush to approve a project that would impact generations of Virginians without answers to important questions. Three components must be in any bill I could consider supporting. First, the protection of the communities that would be most directly impacted--including a deep investment in affordable housing to avoid driving out families who live in nearby neighborhoods. Second, Northern Virginians need a real commitment from the Commonwealth to the long-term health of the Metro system. And third, I need confidence that the project would include meaningful and binding agreements to create good-paying jobs, in construction, service and hospitality through Project Labor and Labor Peace Agreements.

The governor’s transportation report released from the Kimley Horn firm contains a number of potential improvements--most of which have merit. Unfortunately, the report, just like the governor's introduced budget released in December, includes zero commitment to long-term funding of the Metro system. Unfortunately, the only commitment the governor has mustered is one to consider budget amendments for short-term Metro funding. The report predicts that Metro could in the future support 50% of the arena traffic to Potomac Yard. Unfortunately, this could never be achieved unless Metro receives long-term, sustainable funding from the Commonwealth.

As I said, for this proposal to win my vote, it must do three things. First, enhance the community's quality of life experience, not harm it. Second, provide good-paying jobs and careers. And third, the project must fit hand-in-glove with a long-term transportation vision for our thriving but traffic-choked region. I prefer that consideration of this proposal not be rushed because it is clear to me that adequate answers have not yet been provided to fundamental questions.

For my part, as long as the Potomac Yard proposal is alive, I’ll keep pushing for answers on transportation, affordable housing, and worker protections.

It is my continued honor to represent the people of the 39th Senate District.

My legislative email address is SenatorEbbin@senate.virginia.gov.