Uh, Governor? This is How It Works
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25 responses to “Uh, Governor? This is How It Works”
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“But, to close observers of state government, such as senior members of the General Assembly money committees and their staffs, they are a signal that the Secretary of Finance is still trying to find his way around state financial processes or, if has done so, the Governor is not talking to him about it.”
Or he doesn’t care and he is announcing all of this as a political stunt to score points so he can run for President. Thanks for sharing the details though.
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He IS running for the WH. He’s going to try the same Mr. Milquetoast act nationally to be a counter to Governor DeathSentence.
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Dick, what am I missing? The opining sentence of the RTD report wrote:
“Gov. Glenn Youngkin will set aside almost $400 million for additional tax relief in the budget he will propose in December, using almost $3.2 billion in surplus revenue and unspent appropriations in the fiscal year that ended on June 30.”
It will be in his budget proposal. What am I missing?
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It is the next paragraph in which he says that he will ask the Comptroller to “set it aside” that I am taking issue with. It is not the Comptroller he needs to be giving directions to, but DPB.
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Corporate think. Ya know, president, vice president, treasurer, lawyer or legalzoom, Delaware, and you’re in business. “At Carlyle, we just directed the comptroller…”
But then, his 17-year old son thought he could vote, too.
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It is the next paragraph in which he says that he will ask the Comptroller to “set it aside” that I am taking issue with. It is not the Comptroller he needs to be giving directions to, but DPB.
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What’s the normal timeframe that a Va Gov would be announcing his “plans” along these lines and isn’t it really a proposal to the GA ?
He might be channeling De Santis and the conservative tilt toward autocracy… these days…
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It is a little early to be revealing budget proposals, but it is not unusual to do so at some point. It is clear from his comments that he realizes that he needs the GA to go along in order for them to be implemented.
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Without question far more than $400 million of that balance can be attributed to the tax changes driven by conformity in 2018, especially on the business side. So it could be parked in that existing account code. But by the time a budget appears in December I expect concrete tax proposals will be cited (and not rebates, not that again please). That’s just a placeholder, Dick. You are talking out of your hat to claim it some sign of confusion
My question: $400 million per year or over two years? Neither is a major tax cut, really. And while I don’t think we are in full recession now, in December-January it will be a different story.
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I am just going with what the Governor is saying. You are right–$400 million is not much of a tax cut. Tax cuts affect future state revenue, not surpluses from the prior biennium. You don’t need a “taxpayer relief fund” for taxpayers to benefit from tax cuts–they just pay less tax. So, if you are going to “give back” $400 million or more, then you are talking about rebates. Either that, or the governor is even more confused that I thought. (In other administrations, these presentations by the Governor are reviewed by the Secretary of Finance and the heads of other finance agencies for any errors. Therefore, I am assuming the Governor meant what he said.)
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That’ll assuming SecFin knows what he’s doing too. Blind, blind, ditch.
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Virginia still has some unmet needs in things like k12 education, affordable housing, opiods, mental health and transportation ( hundreds of unfunded projects including deficient bridges).
The Coastal Areas of Virginia have issues with flooding.
VITA, VEC, VDH also seem to have some issues.
I’d like to see Youngkin address BOTH the surplus AND the needs.
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He may address some of these needs. We will have to wait until December when he releases his proposed amendments to the biennial budget.
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” (Obviously, the Commonwealth’s economy was not in as much of a “rut” as he claimed during last year’s campaign.) ”
Oh, don’t worry, it’s easily claimed as the result of brilliant changes instituted in his first 6 months.
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Virginia employment remains 100K below pre-pandemic levels. The U.S . overall is back to the old level, many states have blown past 2020, but we lag. Despite the federal government presence. So yes, we were in a rut and haven’t climbed out. Details in yesterday’s presentation.
There is nothing untoward with the Governor stating his intention to bake some additional tax relief into his future budget, and announcing how much of the surplus he has set aside for this. As part of the state government mandarin class, Dick has his nose out of joint because the new SecFin was not chosen from among the elect, but came in from the business world and thus doesn’t dance the steps exactly as Dick and his friends are used to. Who the F cares, Dick? The bottom line is, the state is embarrassingly fat with cash and more tax cuts are in order. If the economy were firing on all cylinders, it would be even more flush.
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how can we “lag” when the revenues are overflowing?
There seems to be conflicting data and viewpoints, eh?
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http://hac.virginia.gov/Committee/files/2022/8-19-22/JMC%20FINAL%20AUG%202022.pdf
Slides 20-23, if you want facts and not Dem Party talking points…
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As I said initially, most citizens don’t care about the details. And his announcements may be a shorthand way of signalling more tax relief. But, when he doesn’t seem to know which agency as the statutory responsibility of preparing the budget, that is a signal to the GA money committees. The Secretary of Finance may not dance the steps exactly as has been done in the past, but the world of government finance is different from the business world and those who know the rules, such as Hunter Andrews, Chris Jones, Ric Brown, and John Bennett, are the ones who get things done. By the way, I have heard that Youngkin has spent some time in DPB, getting to know the personnel there and what they do. That is a good sign and it makes his announcement all the more puzzling.
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OMG he was reading a prepared speech. Of course he knows that DPB is, what it does, who runs it, and so does Secretary Cummings. This is a nothing burger, Dick. He is entering his first of four budget prep seasons and he’s about to get the deep lesson. Nobody is dissing your favorite agency!
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How do you know what he knows? Further, why would he know it? Twelfth-grade government class in 1978?
OTOH, is it really important that he know it? The fact that the Sun revolves around the Earth affects your efforts as a lobbyist how, exactly?
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He’s also spent time in Kansas within spitting distance of Iowa.
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Steve, seriously. US elections, and Virginia by inclusion, are popularity contests. We don’t elect people who actually know anything about government, and Youngkin is a prime example. I’m not saying they’re incompetent or incapable, just ignorant — at first.
Maybe an unpaid internship program is in order?
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$400 million, eh? Don’t give it all back. Contact every mayor, county supervisor and PD, and ask, “What’s the most dangerous intersection or stretch of road, and how much would it cost to improve it?”
Sort by TCs, injuries, and deaths and start fixing them until the money is gone or they’re all fix. You know there are 100s of small jobs — maybe just signage– that will save millions in insurance claims, lost time, and death out there.
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That is actually a good idea. The Governor could get a lot of good PR out of it, as well.
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Well, it ain’t a social issue. It’s widespread, statewide. Everybody gets to see something done in their neighborhood instead of a $50 rebate.
And unless you’re the love child of Grover Norquist with a poll tax (we all know who I mean), who could object?
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