RICHMOND, Va. — Governor Glenn Youngkin gave his final State of the Commonwealth address at the State Capitol Wednesday evening, looking back on his administration as he prepares to hand over power to Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger on Saturday.
Lawmakers filled the state Capitol and gave Youngkin a standing ovation as he began his speech.
"The Commonwealth is soaring. The Commonwealth is alive with opportunity, the Commonwealth is competing and winning, the Commonwealth is stronger today than she has ever been," Youngkin said. "This is the state of the Commonwealth that I have had the immense honor of serving these past four years.
The Republican governor addressed the incoming Democratic-controlled legislature, asking them to continue focusing on tax relief. Youngkin said his administration delivered $9 billion in tax relief over four years, with an additional $700 million proposed in the current budget.
Youngkin celebrated what he described as wins for Virginia, including the state's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, record business investment and job growth, government efficiency improvements and education performance improvements.
"Great education outcomes require a great teacher. And we've supported teachers," Youngkin said. "Teacher compensation is up nearly 20 percent. Teacher vacancies are down 36 percent, and Virginia was recently ranked the number one state to be a teacher."
The governor also highlighted a decrease in fentanyl deaths, saying fentanyl overdoses are down by 59 percent since he took office. Attorney General Jason Miyares praised Youngkin's law enforcement initiatives, saying the state has seen a 30 percent decrease in homicides.
Democratic Sen. Louise Lucas shared concerns after Youngkin's address.
"He vetoed progress and bipartisan bills. He said Virginia is thriving what he didn't say is that families are barely surviving," Lucas said. "He said Virginia is the best state for business, what he didn't say is that our ranking dropped last year to number four as Virginia federal workers got shoved out of their jobs."
Spanberger will be sworn in Saturday to become Virginia's new governor.
Click here to read Youngkin's entire address, or watch it in the video player below. The speech was broadcast on VPM News:
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