Hold the fiscal line, governor

Northam should keep budget changes focused on those in greatest need

Gov. Ralph Northam, take Del. Mark Sikles up on his offer. Reach for the veto pen. Do not be shy. “It’s the role of the legislature to set spending priorities,” Sickles, D-Fairfax told the Richmond Times-Dispatch in an interview with veteran reporter Michael Martz. “Of course, he can veto any item not to his liking.”

“He” would be the governor, of course. There you go: an open door.

The so-called “special session” of the General Assembly, extended and contorted beyond any resemblance to the previously more restrained and focused variety of “special sessions,” was launched to amend a revenue-denied state budget.

But then the lawmakers — the Democratic Party leaders, that is — got exuberant and decided to fix the world, via police and criminal justice reforms, as well assorted pandemic-related (more or less) measures.

Those were just the legislative proposals that garnered public attention. The usual scrutiny applied to proposed new laws was substantially compromised by the lengths legislative leaders traveled to do their thing, while not getting infected by the plague.

A plea to future Virginia lawmakers: If circumstances deny you the opportunity to adhere to the normal expectations of the legislative process, which includes some deference to the public interest, including an opportunity for public participation, then don’t do it at all.

Sickles is right on the assigned role of the General Assembly. On public money matters, it rules. It sets the sources of revenue; it determines its appropriation.

It is the role of the executive branch, however, to administrator state government with the resources made available, without day-to-day involvement of the General Assembly in session.

That’s not a hard rule. You could change it. But by habit and tradition, these have been the arrangements in Virginia for a long time and bear the imprimatur of tested theory and experience.

Otherwise, you would be governing in a constant state of politically charged uncertainty.

True, we’re into unusual times and the lawmakers have pleaded, as a rationale for their being in session, that Virginia faces an “emergency.”

Democrats have, in fact, become the party of emergencies: Pandemic emergencies. Equity emergencies. Police emergencies. Climate emergencies.

Only, when the emergencies come on, the rules of order and tradition frequently go out. The old rules get set aside.

This impulse (quick, do something) makes for bad lawmaking and ought to be discouraged.

Northam can help.

The governor’s preference, as reported, is to proceed with moderation and spend less, not more. Be sensible, he says, Virginia is far from being clear of the pandemic’s economic effects.

How is there anything to spend at all, with the projected state revenue shortfall approaching $3 billion?

Because, in March, Congress passed the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, and Virginia has roughly $700 million left from the $1.1 billion it initially received.

There are guidelines for its expenditure

— standards imposed by Congress — and Northam has been conservative in the application of these funds, based on an economy that will likely remain tepid for some time to come.

Northam has not hesitated to identify where the available money can do the most good. In collaboration with lawmakers, for instance, the governor announced on Wednesday that Virginia is allocating $30 million in CARES funds to improve broadband access in underserved localities.

“Broadband is to today’s economy like electricity was generations ago — when you have it, you can get ahead,” Northam said — and he’s right about that.

“The overarching concern the governor has is the cash left on the bottom line in the budget,” Clark Mercer, Northam’s chief of staff, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch earlier this week.

“We didn’t leave that cash on the bottom line to be spent and certainly not on things unrelated to helping citizens and small businesses get through the health crisis.”

Right. Good thinking. Stick to it. Veto as required.