By Jenna Lapp

(URCNS) – After Richmond’s water crisis caused a 5-day delay, the General Assembly convened Monday in a session that will likely center on tax relief, energy and education.

“The lawmakers are going into a 45-day session, in an election year at that,” said Ben Melusky, a political science professor at Old Dominion University. “I think they already have the main legislative priorities on their minds, so I don’t really see this [water crisis] impacting it too much.”

When the lawmakers arrived in Richmond last week, many found themselves boiling water and taking cold showers instead of donning their suits and heading to the capitol.

“When I was there at the hotel, we didn’t have water,” Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, said. “I got in my truck, I went to Kroger’s, I went to Walmart. There wasn’t a single bottle of water on the shelf, so I feel for these folks that are struggling.”

In his State of the Commonwealth address Monday morning, Gov. Glenn Youngkin described the water crisis as difficult and frustrating. He conveyed a sense of pride and confidence in Virginia’s trajectory, while also acknowledging the need to continue building on these achievements to maintain the state’s competitive edge.

“Virginia is growing, Virginia is competing and Virginia is winning,” Youngkin said. “The state of our Commonwealth is strong, very strong.”

It is the last year of Youngkin’s single 4-year term and he remains unable to achieve a Republican state government trifecta. In the Jan. 7 special election, Democrats maintained the majority of both the House of Delegates and the Senate for a second year. During Youngkin’s first two years in office, Republicans had control of the House.

“There may be some times that we’re just going to have to work through the weekend,” Walker said. “We may have to work overtime, but people expect us to get in and get the job done.”

Conversation surrounding affordable housing, maternal and mental health, data centers and a casino proposal will likely come up and require bipartisan efforts, Melusky said.

Senate Majority Leader Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax County, filed a bill, SB982,  Jan. 7 which will reintroduce a plan to build a casino in Tysons Corner. The proposal has been proposed in the past but never received enough support to pass.

The future of Virginia’s energy production will also spur debate this session. The growth of data centers in Northern Virginia has increased the demand for energy, which has created a dichotomy between business and environmental protection, Melusky said.

Issues of governmental overreach may also become relevant in the energy debate. On Jan. 6, the Commission on Electric Utility Regulation recommended that the General Assembly create a board that would give the state more control over local governments’ approval of large solar and energy storage project proposals, according to the Cardinal News.

On Dec. 18, Youngkin unveiled his proposed amendments for the 2025 budget, which has the benefit of a surplus of funds that came out of 2024. It included his intention to eliminate the personal car tax and the income tax on tips. He also plans to boost funding for education, disaster relief and maternal health, according to the Associated Press.

“I think [Youngkin] is going to be very much focused on what he’s done the last three years, which is the economics of Virginia,” Melusky said.