Democrats control Virginia's legislature and the governor's mansion -- but doesn't mean they always see eye to eye. As the General Assembly draws to a close, reports on some of that tension ahead of next month's veto session.
“I’m being told this is one of the governor’s bills. If that’s the case, I want to hear somebody in here speaking to the bill,” said Senate President Louise Lucas during a recent Senate Education committee meeting.
As chair of the powerful Senate Finance committee, Lucas said she was tired of killing bills on Governor Abigail Spanberger's agenda without hearing from someone from the executive branch.
“Because after we dispose of it, I’m done with it," Lucas said. "So, if the governor wants these bills, as she’s sending them down, I want to see a representative in here.”
Monday morning, Lucas gave Spanberger a B- as a grade for her work with the Senate.
“I think they got the message and we’ll see something different next session,” the Portsmouth Democrat said.
That’s not to say Spanberger’s people haven’t been present; the governor’s pick to lead the Department of Environmental Quality appeared early during the session to back an effort to have Virginia rejoin the multistate environmental compact known as RGGI. And others say conversations about legislation are happening in office rather than committee hearings.
And in a follow-up statement sent after deadline, a Spanberger spokesperson said the admin regularly sent cabinet members to committee meetings. They also said only a single bill in her agenda was killed by Lucas so far.
Spanberger will also get the chance to provide feedback on bills between the end of this session Saturday and the late-April veto session. Until then, a spokesperson for the governor said, “Spanberger has enjoyed working with members of the General Assembly to deliver for Virginians since before she was sworn into office.”
"I'm hoping [they will be around more]," Lucas said of Spanberger's people negotiating ahead of veto session. "I don't know they will be."
Lucas added, in the meantime, she was still focused on producing a balanced budget, "with the data center exceptions dealt with."
The Portsmouth Senator is looking to increase taxes on data centers to fund numerous priorities in the budget, an idea both Spanberger and House Speaker Don Scott have been tepid on.
"We need to keep Virginia’s competitive advantage," Scott told reporters last week. "We need to make sure they pay their fair share, take care of problems with noise, but we also need to foster the job growth we've seen."
"We can walk and chew gum at the same time," Scott said.
“Many communities want to welcome data centers as businesses, as, frankly, local revenue, that is very important,” The governor told reporters earlier in the session. “There are many more conversations to be had.”
But Lucas said she thinks her side is "winning this one in the court [of opinion]." She's eyeing nearly $2 billion in new taxes from the data center industry.
As for Spanberger being on board with the effort, Lucas said her and the governor may not have been on the same page last week, but now? "I think there's opportunity to move in the same direction."
University of Mary Washington political science professor Stephen Farnsworth told Radio IQ, “When everybody is on the same team that’s when things get interesting.”
And as budget negotiations heat up, power struggles reemerge, even when Democrats control both chambers and the governor’s office.
“Any new governor has to learn how to deal with the legislature and often times that first year is a rocky one," Farnsworth said. "No matter who's governor.”
