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Delegate Keith Hodges briefs Essex County on General Assembly priorities
Summary
Delegate Keith Hodges updated the Essex County Board on the recent General Assembly session, highlighting the state budget and tax rebates, increased education funding, public‑safety priorities, local‑authority protections, and regional environmental and economic initiatives including blue catfish control and dredging plans.
Delegate Keith Hodges spoke to the Essex County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 5 to summarize outcomes from the recent General Assembly session and outline priorities for the coming year.
Hodges said the commonwealth’s budget was large and complex and included both general‑fund and substantial federal passthrough dollars. “We did provide some tax relief for the citizens of the commonwealth,” he said, describing a $200 rebate for individual filers and $400 for joint filers and an increase in the standard deduction (he stated $8,500 for individuals and about $17,000 for joint filers). He characterized budget work on the Appropriations Committee as conservative and bipartisan.
On education, Hodges said the legislature increased per‑pupil funding since the JLARC study and COVID‑era losses,…
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