Our View of the Legislature – The Budget
2025 Virginia General Assembly
February 28, 2025
On the final day of the 2025 legislative session, the General Assembly proposed a series of amendments to the existing biennial budget. Some of the changes were suggested by the Governor, while others were not. The budget bill is now with the Governor, who may amend it, approve it or veto it.
We expect the Governor will make many amendments to the budget bill that was sent to him. But in the meantime, here are some of the features of that bill:
Item 125 – 6 adds $52.8 million to the funds that support the state share of Special Education instructors and to support each special education student.
Item 288 – 13 provides funding to develop a 20-bed facility for individuals with traumatic brain injuries. The neurobehavioral and neurorehabilitation facility shall be considered as a specialized institutional placement for individuals with a traumatic brain injury diagnosis.
Item 296 – 4 provides $12 million to support pilot programs for individuals with dementia or geriatric individuals who may otherwise be admitted to a state facility.
Item 296 – 5 reduces the amount that the Governor requested to support additional “special conservators of the peace” to respond to people in mental health crises. The Governor requested a little more than 90 million for the expansion over two years. The budget reduced that by 31 million.
Item 301 – 1 requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to develop a plan for the closure of Hiram Davis Medical Center, including an assessment of the need for skilled nursing beds and consideration of creating nursing beds at Southeastern Virginia Training Center.
Item 314 – 2 supplies an additional 750,000 to enhance community services for individuals with brain injury. This is significantly less than what is needed.
Item 314 – 3 provides an embarrassingly tiny increase in funding to the state’s Independent Living Centers – slightly more than 17,000 per center.
Item 329 – 2 requires DSS to study the feasibility of requiring local departments of social services to apply for benefits administered by the Social Security Administration or the Department of Veterans Affairs on behalf of eligible children in foster care and require local departments that are representative payees for children in foster care to conserve such federal benefits in an appropriate trust instrument.
Our mission, at the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, is to advance independence, choice and self-determination; protect legal, human and civil rights; and eliminate abuse, neglect and discrimination of people with disabilities through zealous and uncompromising legal advocacy and representation.