Commonwealth Of Virginia Has Plenty Of COVID Relief Funds, But Can’t Decide On How To Spend The Money
Earlier this week, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced more than 250 million dollars in COVID Relief Funds for education, fasttrack broadband projects and rent and mortgage programs. The Commonwealth still has another 700 million dollars in remaining federal funding, with 84 days left to spend the money. There’s just one problem, the Governor and members of the General Assembly can’t agree on how to spend the funds before the December 30 deadline. The money can’t be spent to cover state revenue losses. The house and Senate are proposing specific line items, such as unemployment insurance and utility debt forgiveness. Lawmakers have been in special session for nearly two months dealing with the two year spending document.