Rob Bloxom’s Final Report for 2025

Hi, this is Rob Bloxom with the latest Capitol Report.

This week I will discuss the major items that were included in the amendment package to the budget that was sent to the Governor. The conference report for House Bill 1600, known as the budget bill, is the agreed upon amendments between the House and the Senate. This budget gives rebate checks to taxpayers, makes large investments in our schools and to public employees, and it does not raise taxes.

The budget provides a two hundred dollar rebate for individual filers and a four hundred dollar rebate for joint filers. The budget also increases the standard deduction $250 for single filers and $500 for married couples and extends the standard deduction for another year. It also included an increase to the earned income tax credit from 15% to 20% until 2027. This gives tax relief in a different way than what the Governor had proposed but it still puts 1.1 billion dollars back into the hands of hard-working Virginians.

The next largest item in our conference report is an additional 782 million dollars in state funds to our public schools. It lifts the support cap on support personnel imposed during the Recession of 2008. This adds over 400 million dollars to the state’s expenses yearly, but it was promised to be returned when the state could afford it. I felt it was imperative to fulfill our obligation to the local schools. Included in the amount above is a one thousand dollar bonus to teachers in June with no local match required.

State and state supported local employees will receive a 1.5% bonus this summer. There were some targeted raises for E-911 dispatchers, juvenile corrections officers, as well as Virginia State Police. This is in addition to the base budget raises that were already in place.

A lot of money was also invested to help our state colleges keep tuition increases to a minimum. The other large expenditures at the colleges were in capital with new buildings. University of Virginia received funding for a new arts center which was promoted by the Senate. The project the House received in exchange was for Virginia 

Commonwealth University to acquire the Altria building for the expansion of its medical school. Virginia Tech received funding for two new buildings which both chambers supported. These capital projects totaled approximately 550 million dollars of state investment.

The budget does not show the schools’ investment from their supporters. One way in which we judge a project is if we have matching money in order that our investment goes further. There is a lot of spending in this budget that I do not like and I wish the money was going to other priorities, but I am in the minority. I will say the budget is well-planned, balanced, and is weighted to a one year spending project so as not to add too much to ongoing expenses.

Now I would like to focus on the amendments that I proposed. I received a bit of flexible spending to rejuvenate the old ferry dock on the backside of Wallops Island. The language in the budget also included some direction to use the dredge material for beneficial usage for marsh replenishment. 

I am hoping the timing works and that we will be able to harden the shoreline to help protect the southern tip of Chincoteague and Curtis Merritt Harbor. I was furthermore fortunate to receive money for the natural gas pipeline permitting and detailed engineering to bring this project one step closer to reality. The final project I was successful in receiving was a rebuilding of Hare Valley School which houses the Area Agency on Aging, Head Start, and Meals on Wheels. The appropriations may not completely rebuild the facility but the building will receive a new roof, air conditioning and heating, and hopefully new windows. These groups do such a marvelous job and need a respectable building in which to work. In the upcoming weeks I will discuss a few of the bills we sent to Governor Youngkin to veto, amend, or sign into law.

It has been a pleasure to represent you, and I look forward to seeing you in the upcoming months now that I have returned to the district. As always, if you need to contact me, please call the district office at (757) 824-3456 or email me at delrbloxom@house.virginia.gov.

Thank you.