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VA State Employees Get Raises in Latest Budget

Don Rush

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Virginia state employees will be getting raises, some of them quite hefty, under a budget plan headed to Gov. Terry McAuliffe's desk.

The GOP-controlled General Assembly on Saturday passed a state spending plan that includes significant pay increases for state police and other law enforcement officers, as well as a 3 percent across-the-board raises for state employees and the state's share of a 2 percent raises for teachers. The budget does not include tax increases.

The state had to scrap planned raises last year because of lower-than-expected tax revenues, but those revenues have increased in recent months. Lawmakers said they made employee compensation and funding mental health care a priority this year.

McAuliffe, a Democrat, has said he's generally happy with the budget lawmakers came up with.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.