RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney addressed what he wants to see in the upcoming legislative session at a Thursday press conference.
Stoney held a press conference Thursday afternoon to discuss what he wants to see prioritized in the upcoming Virginia legislative session. This came about a month after he officially announced his run for Governor of Virginia.
At the press conference, Stoney listed priorities for Richmond, starting with the James River. Stoney said the city plans to ask the state for more money to help stop sewage overflow into the water.
“We have to ensure that this project gets done. And currently, I know the governor’s budget of $50 million in appropriation, we need $100 million,” Stoney said about the city’s effort to stop sewage overflow. “It’s a step in the right direction. But I’m saying today that we need more.”
Stoney also said he supports a bill introduced by delegate-elect Michael Jones which would ban the use of “switches,” modifications that turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic weapons. He said crimes have been committed in the city using guns with switches.
He’s also in favor of another bill by Jones which would increase the number of locations where speed cameras can be installed.
“If we’re going to do an incremental, one step at a time process, then expanding to the higher education zone seems reasonable,” Stoney said about the installation of speed cameras.
When the casino was on the ballot, Stoney promised to prioritize tax money that would have been generated for childcare funding. And now, even without the casino, he said that it’s still a priority.
Stoney also said he supports Governor Glenn Youngkin’s proposal for a $448-million-dollar investment to address staffing shortages across Virginia and help families pay for childcare. But he added that amount may still not be enough to cover the entire state.
“If you want to ensure that this economy is booming, you need to ensure that everybody has the ability to get back to work,” said Stoney. And the toughest barrier to that right now is the inability to acquire good quality childcare that’s affordable.”
