by Jackie Nunnery
RICHMOND—After weeks of negotiation and compromise, the state now has a final budget for 2026-28. The General Assembly on Monday, June 29, accepted Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s amendments, just ahead of the July 1 start to the fiscal year.
Gov. Spanberger submitted 14 budget recommendations to lawmakers on June 26. In a statement accompanying those changes, she said they provided language and technical changes in addition to providing $2 million to create a cancer screening program for firefighters; a 4% increase in home care worker salaries; an additional $680,000 to the Virginia Department of Elections; and $2 million for a study of the Atlantic menhaden fishery.
One amendment, which allows data centers to use evaporative cooling, was opposed by Sen. Richard Stuart….
