McDonnell submits budget amendments - NBC12 - WWBT - Richmond, VA News On Your Side

McDonnell submits budget amendments

By Ryan Nobles - bio | email
Posted by Terry Alexander - email

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) – Governor Bob McDonnell has completed his work on the commonwealth's biennial budget.

The governor did not veto any portion of the state budget that he and state legislators were forced to carve more than $4 billion out of. Instead he amended a series of budget bills he hopes will spur economic development. 

Governor McDonnell was very active in the state budget process, so it is not a surprise that he used his review period to tweak, not overhaul the spending plan. 

McDonnell sent down 96 amendments on this year's budget. 70 percent of which he claims are designed to boost the economy. They include reinstating a tax deduction for businesses and boosting funds to the governor's opportunity fund. 

Despite his pro-life stance on abortion, the governor did not veto the creation of a new "pro-choice" Virginia license plate. The funding raised from the sale of the plate will go to planned parenthood, although the organization will not be able to use that money on abortions. 

To help pay for these budget changes, McDonnell is proposing raising the speed limit fine up a dollar, from $5 per mile over to $6. The speed limit fine has not been increased since 2003. 

And as we mentioned this was much more of a tweak, than an overhaul and it did involve more than just the budget. The governor reviewed every bill passed during the session and signed more than 700 of them into law, amending 122 of them, most pertaining to the budget. The General Assembly will take the changes up on April 21.

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