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VaULT VA Special Session Budget Alert

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VaULT VA Special Session Budget Alert

First, we want to say we appreciate the sustained effort of organizations during the entire 60-day Session.  Thank you! And thanks for your engagement as we gear up for the April 11th special session!

Background:

The Virginia General Assembly adjourned on Saturday, March 10 with no budget.  Adjourning without a budget gave Governor Northam the authority to call a special session and to introduce his own budget.  Governor Northam has called a special session for Wednesday, April 11, and last week he introduced a budget that is identical to the budget introduced by Governor McAuliffe in December.

This McAuliffe/Northam budget is much better for land conservation than the budgets the House and Senate proposed.  But we fully expect the House and Senate to almost immediately amend the Governor’s budget to include at least some of the amendments they adopted during Session.  The Senate’s need to include significant cuts in its budget proposal was driven by its removal of Medicaid dollars from the introduced budget. If the Senate’s position on Medicaid expansion changes, the Senate may adopt a budget with fewer cuts.

The fiscal year ends on June 30, 2018 so that is the drop dead deadline when there has to be an agreement.  Once/if a compromise is reached on Medicaid, we expect the rest of the budget will be agreed to very quickly. This is new territory for many of us so we welcome feedback as you learn more from colleagues and as you talk to legislators.

What Action Can We Take before April 11th?

We ask land trusts to call, write, or visit legislators in their district offices leading up to the April 11th Special Session.  While budget conferees will be making the final decisions on the budget, it’s important for all legislators to hear that the budget must include land conservation funding.

What is the message?

Citizens in every region of Virginia depend on healthy land and water:  Support Land Conservation Funding in Virginia.

  • Support Virginia Outdoors Foundation operating budget as included in Governor Northam’s budget.

  • Support $4.5 million a year for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation.

  • No changes should be made that would reduce the impact and availability of the Land Preservation Tax Credit.

  • Amend budget language that limits DCR’s ability to acquire key pieces of land when they become available.

Additional Background:  

A misunderstanding of how mitigation dollars can be used had a negative impact on land conservation funding during the 2018 Session.  Funding those geographic specific projects to remediate harm done should not be substituted for the Commonwealth’s established land conservation funding priorities that citizens and communities rely.

  • Support Virginia Outdoors Foundation operating budget as included in Governor Northam’s budget:  Virginia should provide adequate funding for our easement-holding state agencies so they are able to accept, hold, and provide stewardship for the important property interests they hold on behalf of the Commonwealth.  VOF is Virginia’s leader in land conservation, protecting more than 800,000 acres in 107 counties and independent cities. VOF was created by the General Assembly in 1966. Mitigation money cannot be used for agency operations except as those operations relate directly to management of the mitigation money.

  • Support $4.5 million a year for the Virginia Land Conservation Foundation:  Virginia should provide full support for its successful land conservation grant programs.  State law requires that the Governor fund land conservation programs at $20 million a year with $16 million of that to VLCF.  The $4.5 million included in the Governor’s budget is already significantly less than state law requires.

  • No changes should be made that would reduce the impact and availability of the Land Preservation Tax Credit:  Citizens across the Commonwealth demonstrated support for the LPTC in the 2017 Session.  The limit on individual credit use should remain at $50,000 per year.  Consistency and predictability are key to the success of the LPTC.

  • Amend budget language that limits DCR’s ability to acquire key pieces of land when they become available.

In addition to contacting your own legislators, it is also helpful to contact budget conferees:

Senate Finance:

House Appropriations:

Important Dates

Land Conservation & Greenways Conference, April 28-30, 2025, The Virginian, Lynchburg, VA

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