Va. Gov Proposes Shifting $5M in Lawyer Bar Dues to State’s General Fund
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to tap lawyers to help balance the state’s budget.
McDonnell wants to transfer $5 million from the Virginia State Bar’s cash reserves to shore up the state’s general fund, the Associated Press reports. The money comes from mandatory bar dues and fees.
J. Tucker Martin, a spokesman for the governor, says the money would fund “judicial-related priorities,” such as filling court vacancies and paying for indigent defense, the story says.
The bar opposed the idea in a statement issued last week, the Virginian-Pilot reports. The transfer “would completely wipe out the bar’s cash reserve and would be an unprecedented tax on Virginia lawyers,” the statement said.
The bar maintains state law prevents the transfer, while the governor’s office says it is allowed under the state’s appropriations act.
