Virginia Gov. Youngkin delivers 2024 State of the Commonwealth Address

RICHMOND, Va. (7News) — Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin delivered his State of the Commonwealth Wednesday in front of a new Joint Assembly mostly seated by Democratic Party members after the 2023 state elections.

Youngkin is expected to speak starting at 4 p.m., addressing leaders and outlining his agenda for the state in 2024.Watch the address below:

The governor kicked off his speech by highlighting the addition of roughly 233,000 jobs across the state and the $5 billion in tax relief in 2023.

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He also touted increased financial support towards schools across Virginia and strides toward renewable energy resources in the state.

"We regained our commitment to conserve God’s great natural resources, with significant progress to meet our Chesapeake Bay 2025 goals," Gov. Youngkin said.

In his third year in office, Gov. Youngkin has his eyes set on reducing the cost of living.

He quickly switched to concerns over a growing trend of people leaving the state to move elsewhere, many of whom he said are people who make $100,000 or more.

“So that Virginians can keep more of their hard-earned money, have great jobs, and stop moving away,” Gov. Youngkin said.

He also addressed education concerns, ultimately proposing a $20.2 billion plan over two years to support schools.

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The Governor also pushed lawmakers to back a bill that would remove a car tax, tying it into a discussion on more jobs in the state.

However, some Virginia Democratic lawmakers do not support the current proposal.

"Putting out a car tax proposal without making the hard decisions of building it into your budget, explaining exactly what you want to do is not serious policymaking. It's a campaign stump,” Sen. Scott Surovell said Wednesday.

Democrats hold slim majorities in the House of Delegates and the State Senate. But that didn’t stop Youngkin from asking the legislature, again, to untie Virginia from California’s vehicle emission standards.

“We must reject the current misguided law that allows California to dictate our vehicle laws,” said Youngkin. “With this misguided law in place, the regulatory process is starting this year, meaning more and more Virginians will see higher costs and fewer choices. The fastest way to fix this is for Virginia’s General Assembly to pass a bill allowing Virginians to decide what car they drive.”

It’s a request that received backlash from top Senate Democrats during Youngkin’s first year in office.

“One of the things that we want to do by 2035 is to come up to zero emissions," Sen. Louise Lucas told 7News in August 2022.

The governor also discussed the proposed Monumental Sports and Entertainment move to the Potomac Yard in Alexandria, Va. Despite concerns from those who reside there, Youngkin expressed that the new site would bring 30,000 new jobs to region and help support small businesses.

“Together, we can welcome both a new NBA team and a new NHL team, $12 billion in new economic activity and 30,000 new jobs,” said Youngkin. “To be clear – all of this is accomplished with no upfront cash commitment from the Commonwealth, no new taxes, and a one-of-a kind public-private partnership where Virginia shares in the project’s success. It will be a huge win – not just for the Commonwealth, but for the region, and for the City of Alexandria. Small businesses will win too. One of those small businesses is Pork Barrell BBQ in the Del Ray Neighborhood. Where for over a decade, you'd find its owner Bill Blackburn behind the counter. He is a father of two, and his roots in Alexandria run deep. And he knows that when opportunity knocks, you should open the door.”Governor Youngkinalso acknowledged a number of Virginians in his speech, including a 96-year-old holocaust survivor.

“And I want to challenge us,” Youngkin said. “I want to challenge all of us: Pass a bill which says the Commonwealth of Virginia won’t do business with companies that boycott Israel. Pass a hate crime bill which ensures all forms of antisemitism, not just religious bigotry, are treated as hate crimes under the law.”

The governor spoke about the economy more than any other topic in his State of the Commonwealth address.

Watch the Virginia Democratic Party's response to the Governor's speech below:

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