Talk To Lawmakers Before Start Of 2023 VA General Assembly Session

FAIRFAX COUNTY, VA — Fairfax County residents will have one last chance this Saturday to talk to their representatives in the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates before they head to Richmond for the start of the 2023 General Assembly session on Jan. 11.

The delegates and senators will be participating in a public hearing starting at 9 a.m., on Saturday, in Conference Room 11 at the Fairfax County Government Center, which is located at 12000 Government Center Parkway.

Residents who wish to speak at the hearing must register online or contact Clerk Services at 703-324-3151, TTY 711. The deadline for registering is 12 noon on Thursday, Jan. 5.

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors recently met with the county's legislative delegation to discuss the 2023 Legislative Program, which the board adopted on Dec. 6, 2022.

The board's overarching priorities include ensuring that the state:

• Meet its obligations in fully funding K-12 education;
• Restore the $102 million in funding to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority that was diverted in 2018 to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority;
• Build upon earlier General Assembly actions to ensure sufficient funding for the region's transportation needs, including new projects, state road maintenance, and continued state assistance for local and regional transit systems;
• Preserve and expand existing local government authority, especially in areas of taxation, land use, and the protection of public health, safety, and welfare, to allow greater flexibility to react quickly and efficiently to emerging problems at the local level.

Find out: Who is my state representative?

Once the 2023 session begins, delegates and senators will be considering Gov. Glenn Youngkin 2023 budget proposal, which he submitted on Dec. 15, 2022. The proposal includes $1 billion in tax cuts for the state's residents and businesses.

Youngkin said he wants to lower the state’s top individual income tax rate from 5.75 percent to 5.5 percent, a change with a $333 million impact. Because the highest income bracket covers all taxable income over $17,000, the top rate applies to the vast majority of Virginia earners, the Virginia Mercury reports.

The governor also suggested cutting the state’s corporate income tax rate from 6 percent to 5 percent, which would lower revenues by roughly $362 million over the two-year budget cycle, according to the Virginia Mercury. Youngkin said he’d like to get the rate even lower, possibly to 4 percent by the end of his administration.

Read the Virginia Mercury's full report: 'Buckle Up': Youngkin Budget Proposal Includes Another $1B In Tax Cuts