Va. assembly to act on military education

But the legislature’s narrow agenda also is notable for what it doesn’t include: legislation to legalize electronic skill games in restaurants, convenience stores and truck stops across the state.

Senate Finance Chair Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, a strong advocate for legalizing the gaming devices, said this week that she hopes to return in October to consider a compromise, but she said the House of Delegates isn’t ready to deal on the issue.

“It’s not going to do any good for us to return until the House is ready,” Lucas said on Wednesday.

House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, said it makes no sense to act now on skill game legislation, especially after Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a previous compromise that had passed the chamber by just one vote. Youngkin vetoed Senate Bill 212 — the Virginia Small Business Economic Development Act — after the assembly rejected his proposed rewrite of the legislation to prevent operation of skill games near schools and churches or within 35 miles of a city that hosts a casino.

“The House is not ready to deal with it right now,” Scott said on Thursday morning.

However, the speaker said the House would remain in special session after acting on legislation to repeal budget language that restricted eligibility for tuition waiver benefits provided through the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program.

“That gives us the opportunity to deal with some things,” Scott said.

Scott said he doesn’t want to “waste members time” to consider legislation that the House might not support or Youngkin might veto.

When Youngkin signed the two-year budget on May 13, he indicated that he was willing to consider a potential legislative compromise on skill games, but spokesman Christian Martinez said Thursday, “I am not aware of any conversations at this time.”

Scott said, “I think the governor needs to do a little bit more work with the Senate right now.”

Meanwhile, the assembly budget committees are scheduled to meet at midday on Thursday to act on legislation to quell a furor among military families and their supporters over restrictions imposed in the budget on eligibility for tuition waiver benefits under a state program established in 1930 for families of soldiers killed in World War I and expanded over the years to also include those who become 90% or more disabled while on active duty, not necessarily in military combat.

House Bill 6004, introduced by House Appropriations Chairman Luke Torian, D-Prince William, and Senate Bill 6011, introduced by Lucas, both would repeal the changes while directing the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study the program and recommend changes by Sept. 1. Similar studies already are underway by a task force that Youngkin appointed soon after signing the budget into law and a Senate work group that Lucas created last month.

The legislation also would appropriate an additional $90 million in state tax funds to cover the cost of the fast-growing program at public colleges and universities, which say they have been bearing the additional cost through tuition paid by other students and state money for general operations. Together with $40 million already included in the budget, the legislation would provide $65 million a year, which is the estimated cost of the program last year.

Military families have demanded repeal of the program restrictions, originally proposed by Youngkin in legislation and then included by the assembly in the budget, but they remain concerned about what they call “a money grab” by colleges and universities with little accountability for the costs the funds would pay.

“I think we have tremendous concerns going forward,” said Kayla Owen, co-founder of Friends of VMSDEP. “There’s money tied to it, but there’s zero accountability for it.”