State employees to get pay raises in new budget

(AP) – Virginia state employees will be getting raises, some of them quite hefty, under a budget plan headed to Gov. Terry McAuliffe's desk.

The GOP-controlled General Assembly on Saturday passed a state spending plan that includes significant pay increases for state police and other law enforcement officers, as well as a 3 percent across-the-board raises for state employees and the state's share of a 2 percent raises for teachers. The budget does not include tax increases.

The state had to scrap planned raises last year because of lower-than-expected tax revenues, but those revenues have increased in recent months. Lawmakers said they made employee compensation and funding mental health care a priority this year.

McAuliffe, a Democrat, has said he's generally happy with the budget lawmakers came up with.