When the General Assembly adjourned in March, Virginia had a $2.2 billion budget surplus making historic investments in areas such as early childhood education, healthcare for vulnerable populations, and environmental stewardship to name a few. However, that surplus turned into a revenue shortfall of $2.8  billion in a matter of weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same timeframe, the state’s unemployment rate rose from 3.3% in March to 11.2% in April, crossing into double digits for the first time. 

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