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Efforts Fail to Upgrade Virginia Tax Code

Don Rush

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Emergency legislation designed to confirm Virginia's tax code with new federal tax law has failed in the House of Delegates.

The failure could leave the state unable to immediately process thousands of tax returns it's already received for the 2018 tax year.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that a House bill proposed by Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, failed to receive the 80 votes needed to pass emergency legislation. The bill died Monday on a 63-35 vote.

House Republicans immediately moved to return the bill to its amendable state. That would enable them to strike the emergency clause and pass the bill later in the day with a simple majority. That would mean the legislation could not take effect until two months after the state's May 1 tax filing deadline.

Don Rush is the News Director and Senior Producer of News and Public Affairs at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.