Dear Friend,
As we enter the month of June, I want to provide you with an ‘end of May’ update.
While Memorial Day often marks the unofficial start to summer, I hope that you were able to pause and remember the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation. Particularly this year, the semiquincentennial of our nation’s independence, we owe them a debt of gratitude.
In this update, I am providing you with information pertaining to the state budget, ongoing concerns at Shoosmith Landfill, vetoed legislation, and the recent redistricting referendum. I hope you find this informative and useful.
Budget Update
The House of Delegates will return to Richmond on June 18 to continue work on the state budget. The Senate returns on June 22. The new fiscal year begins July 1. If a budget is not in place by that date, the state government will shut down.
To date, Democrats have not produced a budget to be voted on. It is my understanding that the conference committee responsible for hammering out the differences between House and Senate proposals has not met since early March. This may sound obvious, but the legislature cannot vote on a budget until a budget is drafted.
The biggest hold up in passing a budget appears to be data centers. Virginia currently taxes data centers, and the revenue a locality receives can be significant. The increase in local tax revenue is one of the reasons why many many local governments are willing–if not eager–to approve new projects in their communities. And while the discussion about ending certain tax breaks for data centers is an appropriate one to have, it should have occurred during regular session and not be used to hold up the state budget. And make no mistake, raising taxes on data centers will not result in tax cuts elsewhere! This entire ordeal is a textbook example of how not to run a state government.
I look forward to reviewing the budget as soon as it is made available. I will be sure to update you on the contents of that document at the appropriate time.
Shoosmith Landfill
Earlier in May, I shared with you an important update about Shoosmith Landfill. If you missed that email, you can read it here.
In short, the now bankrupt dump will soon be unable to properly manage the toxic leachate that is a byproduct of landfills. In order to manage the toxic leachate and protect surrounding waterways, the state will likely need to take over the landfill. The immediate cost of stabilizing the leachate issue is expected to be around $50 million, with additional taxpayer dollars further down the road.
Like you, I still have many questions about what exactly occurred. My understanding of the matter continues to evolve as I am made aware of new pieces of information. The whole ordeal is frustrating, but must be solved in a timely manner.
At present, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is working to finalize a plan for the state to take over management of this site. There is a hope that a plan will be included in the upcoming state budget. I will update you as soon as additional information is available.
Legislation Update
The Governor has now acted on all legislation from the 2026 General Assembly Session. Over the last month, she made her final decision on several key pieces of legislation.
The most notable veto, and possibly the one that impacts our local community the most, was the decision to veto collective bargaining. Under current law, public employees via their unions can participate in collective bargaining if the local governing body authorizes it. A number of cities and counties, including Richmond, have authorized it.
Earlier this year, I sent a letter to the Governor highlighting the high cost of implementing this legislation. Both Colonial Heights and Chesterfield would have seen an increase in administrative costs necessary to hire attorneys that would be tasked with negotiating. The proposal also would have overridden local control on this issue, something that currently works well for the localities in our district.
I do expect this issue will return next session. It is imperative that any plan be mindful of local budgets and the taxpayers.
Redistricting Update
I want to provide what I expect will be the final update on redistricting for this calendar year.
On May 8, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that the process by which the redistricting referendum was placed on the ballot violated the state constitution. There is a clear process that Democrats needed to follow in order to properly bring this matter to the voters. Because they opted to rush the process and ignore the law, millions of taxpayer dollars were wasted for a referendum that does not count. Democrats sought to appeal to the US Supreme Court, but that body unanimously declined to hear the appeal.
This issue is dead for 2026, with this November’s midterm elections taking place under our existing fair maps. It certainly is possible that another attempt to gerrymander our state occurs in the future, but that remains to be seen. I will continue to advocate for fairness and oppose attempts to implement gerrymandered maps in Virginia.
In the News
Here are a few news articles from recent weeks that you may find of interest:
- Virginia Supreme Court strikes down redistricting referendum approved by voters in special election
- Virginia nursing home appeared to ‘inflate’ costs to get more Medicaid money, audit suggests
- Governor Spanberger to veto Virginia collective bargaining bill, Republicans ‘thankful’
- Virginia Democrat faces backlash over Supreme Court justice comments
In addition to my monthly email updates, I try to share information about the work I am doing for our district on social media. I encourage you to follow me on Facebook, X, and Instagram to stay up to date.
It remains an honor to represent our community in the House of Delegates. If I can help you or your family with a state-related problem, please let me know. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
MIKE CHERRY