Northam Calls Special Legislative Session To Allocate COVID Funds

RICHMOND, VA — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam issued a proclamation Wednesday calling members of the General Assembly into special session on Aug. 2.

The special session is needed to fill judicial vacancies and allocate more than $4.3 billion in COVID-19 relief funding received from the federal government, the governor’s office said.

“Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, we have a unique opportunity to fund public schools, support small businesses, achieve universal broadband access, and make generational investments in our shared future,” Northam said in a statement Wednesday. “I look forward to working with legislators to get it done.”

President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law in March, directing $350 billion in economic recovery funding for state, local, territorial and tribal governments.

Northam and his fellow Democrats in the General Assembly hope to use the federal funding on several initiatives, including upgrading state and local public health services, boosting affordable housing, and helping residents pay their utility bills.

The funds also will likely go to the Rebuild Virginia economic recovery program and the state Unemployment Trust Fund as well as for upgrading public school buildings and accelerating a plan to expand broadband access across the state.

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