Governor Spanberger urges bipartisan action on "Affordable Virginia" agenda focusing on health care, energy and housing

RICHMOND — Governor Abigail Davis Spanberger told a joint session of the Virginia General Assembly that her administration will prioritize affordability and seek bipartisan support for a legislative package focused on health care, housing and energy.

"My door is open to every member of this body, Democrat or Republican," Spanberger said, urging members to "join me in that endeavor" as she laid out proposals aimed at lowering costs for families.

Spanberger said pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs, have contributed to rising prescription costs and that her legislation would require rebates be passed back to patients rather than retained by middlemen. She also proposed targeted premium assistance for people buying coverage on the Affordable Care Act marketplace and new incentives to recruit and retain health care providers in underserved areas.

"No Virginian should have to choose between filling a prescription and paying for groceries," she said, arguing the state can act where federal lawmakers have not. The governor directed cabinet secretaries and agencies to identify immediate and longer-term cost reductions and ordered those reports within 90 days.

On energy, Spanberger said the Commonwealth will expand energy-storage capacity and weatherization programs and supports offshore wind development, calling it a jobs and economic opportunity for Hampton Roads. She also said Virginia will rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) to restore a revenue stream that previously funded flood mitigation and energy-efficiency programs.

"Withdrawing from RGGI did not lower energy costs," Spanberger said, urging a return to the regional program to fund programs that lower household bills.

On housing, she proposed extending the statutory window tenants have to respond to lease-termination filings from five days to two weeks, saying the change would give families time to get a paycheck or find an alternative. Spanberger also proposed new local tools for affordable housing and a revolving loan fund to support mixed-income development.

"We need to get ready to build more housing," the governor said, calling for cutting red tape on permitting and regulation that can delay construction.

Spanberger announced the creation of an economic resiliency task force to assess the impact of federal funding cuts and other national disruptions, and she cited a decline in cargo traffic at the Port of Virginia as evidence of economic headwinds facing farmers and exporters.

She also announced plans and priorities on workforce development, veterans' employment, education improvements including stronger core instruction in reading and math, and public-safety investments including recruitment and mental-health resources for first responders. Among labor proposals, she called for a statewide paid family and medical leave program and a $15 minimum wage.

Spanberger highlighted several constitutional amendments on the ballot later this year, including measures addressing reproductive freedom and marriage equality, and she praised a constitutional amendment passed by the General Assembly to automatically restore voting rights to people who have completed their sentences.

The governor closed by invoking Martin Luther King Jr. and calling for civility and cooperation as the General Assembly considers her proposals. The joint assembly appointed a committee to notify the governor that the assembly was organized, heard her address, and then agreed to adjourn. The House later voted to adjourn and reconvene the following day at noon.