In a proclamation Thursday, Gov. Ralph Northam said he will call the General Assembly back to work next Wednesday for a special session immediately following the end of the 30-day regular session. In effect, the order will expand the 2021 General Assembly session to its typical length of 46 days.
The reason behind the proclamation is a partisan battle over the length of the regular session this year; usually the 30-day short session is extended to 46 days, but Republicans declined to support the extension measure, which requires two-thirds of the vote by the state Senate and House of Delegates.
In an interview with Virginia Business before this year’s session began, House Minority Leader Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, said that an extended session was not necessary because state legislators met for a record 84-day session last fall and had adjusted the state’s budget to reflect the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I don’t know how necessary 2½ months of special session was when, frankly, all Democrats did was make life a lot harder on police and a lot easier on criminals in that special session,” Gilbert added, referring to a large slate of policing and civil rights measures voted in by the Democratic majority after a summer of social justice protests.
