ADADThe novel coronavirus was just starting to threaten the economy as the legislature took its final votes on the plan, with Northam declaring a state of emergency as the House and Senate gaveled out of its regular session March 12. Democrats resisted calls by Republicans to hold off on the vote, but Northam eventually froze all new spending — amounting to about $1 billion a year in the budget, which took effect July 1. Legislators are expected to use the special session to propose measures aimed at “police accountability and oversight, use of force, increased training and education, and officer recruitment, hiring, and decertification,” the announcement said. House and Senate leaders said Friday that they were still working out logistics for the special session. Northam “issued a statement on the special session today with no mention of addressing the looming crisis in public education and the thousands of children who will be negatively impacted,” Gilbert tweeted.

Source: Washington Post July 17, 2020 16:32 UTC