Delegate Keith Hodges briefs supervisors on recent General Assembly actions and local priorities

Delegate Keith Hodges (68th District) updated the Gloucester County Board of Supervisors Oct. 7 on several items from the 2025 General Assembly session and related state efforts touching the Middle Peninsula.

Hodges told supervisors the recent short (30-day) session produced a budget he described as generally positive, including tax rebates and an increase in the standard deduction; he said the two-year state revenue outlook allowed replenishing a reserve (“rainy day”) fund with roughly $900 million. He said state per-pupil K–12 spending has increased markedly since the pandemic and that the budget included capital investments for colleges and universities.

Hodges emphasized local concerns: broadband expansion remained a priority for economic development, and he described ongoing discussions about state tools to help rural localities retain residents and attract jobs. He highlighted dredging and living-shoreline work for waterways in the Middle Peninsula, citing an $8 million waterway maintenance fund and steps to move maintenance administration to the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to ease access to funds. Hodges also discussed efforts to support local seafood and processing (including grants for flash-freeze processing) and invasive-species responses.

On public safety and criminal justice, Hodges said he opposed expanded earned-sentencing credits that could reduce time for individuals convicted of serious offenses, and he noted legislation passed to give parents greater control of minors’ social-media access. He also described work on model ordinances and guidance related to FEMA and local floodplain permitting to avoid punitive insurance rate increases tied to permits.

Board members asked questions about broadband funding delivery and the slow pace of federal and state programs; Hodges said bureaucracy and federal/state coordination are limiting factors but that he and staff are working to push projects forward. He also noted the Coleman Bridge toll plaza removal as a recent win and discussed prospects for corridor revitalization funding.

Hodges concluded by urging continued communication between state and local officials on these topics and said he would continue to work with Gloucester staff on issues such as rural health grants, dredging, and economic-development tools tailored to the Middle Peninsula’s coastal and rural character.