RICHMOND, Va. – The Virginia General Assembly met in the state Capitol for the first time in more than a year Monday to finalize plans for the commonwealth’s share of federal disaster relief funding.

Over the course of about two weeks, legislators will be taking up a wide-ranging budgets proposal crafted by Gov. Ralph Northam and fellow Democratic leaders. It calls for spending most of Virginia’s  $4.3 billion share of American Rescue Plan funding on initiatives such as increasing broadband access, supporting small businesses and tourism, improving air quality in public schools, boosting mental health and substance-abuse treatment, and backfilling the state’s unemployment trust fund.

The proposed budget also contains provisions that would offer some protections against evictions and utility disconnections, and it would help fund state agencies’ ongoing pandemic response efforts. Some funding would remain unallocated for later use.

Republicans, in the minority in both chambers, have complained that they were shut out of the budget-writing process.

“We’re not allowing all Virginians to be heard,” Del. Bobby Orrock said in a speech on the House floor.

Del. Luke Torian, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, shot back that if Republicans wanted to weigh in, they needed only to reach out.

“I have never shut the door,” he said.

A meeting of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee proceeded with less divisiveness. The panel advanced the budget bill on a bipartisan 14-2 vote.

While the session is expected to conclude in about a week or so, last year’s special session began in August and didn’t end until October.