By Phil Boykin, VBWA President & CEO There are nearly [...]
By Phil Boykin, VBWA President & CEO Last week was [...]
By Phil Boykin, VBWA President & CEO The General Assembly [...]
By Phil Boykin, VBWA President & CEO The General Assembly [...]
The 2024 General Assembly Session gaveled in this week for [...]
Analysis by Phil Boykin, President and CEO, Virginia Beer Wholesalers [...]
Fifty beer distributor leaders representing 15 wholesalers statewide spent Thursday morning at the Virginia General Assembly to advocate for a series of bills that support the three tier system, grow craft breweries, create jobs, and protect public safety.
This is the last full week of session, so it’s pretty intense at the state Capitol. Budget negotiators have been appointed and have started the process of negotiating a state budget, and the Governor’s proposed tax cuts are a key sticking point. Most committees met for a final time last week, so this week is focused on working out conference reports for bills where there wasn’t agreement, budget negotiations, and electing judges.
It's been a busy week with both the House and Senate getting to work. As expected, both parties highlighted issues of importance to their respective bases with the House GOP passing the Gov's $1 Billion tax cut, passing "election integrity" bills and killing all the Democrats gun control bills. In the Senate, the Democratic majority killed all GOP drafted bills restricting abortions, passed a constitutional amendment protecting gay marriage and put the Gov's tax cuts on life support. There were really no surprises by most political observers. We can expect more of the same next week as it's the last full week before the legislature hits the critical "crossover" deadline on Feb. 7th.
