Governor Youngkin offered a firm endorsement of local land use authority in his remarks to a joint session of the General Assembly on Monday. In his annual State of the Commonwealth address, which had been postponed from last week, along with all other legislative business, as a result of a lack of running water in the City of Richmond, the Governor touted a series of successes, including Virginia’s designation as CNBC’s best state for business, reductions in violent crime, and improvements in water quality. The Governor had strong words for what he characterized as the shortcomings of recent initiatives to promote clean energy, citing Virginia’s growing need for power, but also strongly encouraged preservation of local decision-making over land use, stating, “We…must not use our growing economy and growing need for power as an excuse to end local control of solar project siting. Local communities must be able to exercise their rights with regards to land use.” In making a similar point about local land use authority over the siting of data centers, he said, “Different communities will make different decisions on data centers, but these must be their decisions.”
The Governor recapped several tax proposals that are incorporated in his budget proposal, including a credit for certain taxpayers against the car tax (“the most hated tax in America”) and the elimination of income taxes on cash tips. He pointed to recent investments in K-12 funding, including his proposals in this area in the introduced budget, and encouraged legislators to modernize the funding formula in a comprehensive fashion, suggesting a “foundational and comprehensive re-design” that would be encapsulated in legislation later this year, rather than a “piecemeal” effort during the 2025 session.
On two issues that have defied consensus in recent years, legalization of retail sales of cannabis and regulation of various newly-authorized forms of gaming, the Governor indicated his opposition to the former, but did encourage legislators to support a proposed Virginia Gaming Commission.
The Governor’s remarks as prepared for delivery may be found at this link, and a recording of his address may be found at this link.
VACo Contact: Katie Boyle