The Virginia Senate adjourned from a special session Tuesday without advancing legislation to either amend restrictions to a military family tuition program or to legalize skill games, despite a commitment from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to work on the issues.

Sen. Louise Lucas, the head of the Finance and Appropriations Committee, declined to advance any proposed legislation, instead announcing that a working group would convene to tackle the tuition waiver program issues on June 28. Sen. Barbara Favola, D-Arlington, would oversee the group, which will collect public comments and submit recommendations to the committee by mid September.

Lucas also directed the Joint Legislative and Audit Review Commission to review the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program, which waives college tuition for children and spouses of some veterans killed or injured in action, and make recommendations by Nov. 1.

“All of us — all of us want to protect this program,” Lucas, a Portsmouth Democrat, said during the meeting. “We will work together to find a responsible solution.”

The Virginia Senate later adjourned until Friday afternoon after a chaotic day filled with delays, confusion and no action on the issues lawmakers planned to address.

Senate Democrats had announced a special session last week and lawmakers introduced a flurry of bills Sunday seeking to address concerns in the tuition waiver program and to legalize and regulate slot machine-like skill games.

Speakers in support of the tuition waiver program excoriated the committee for not bringing forward a full repeal of changes made this year that scaled back the tuition waiver applicability to rein in program costs.

“We can’t claim to protect women’s issues and unceremoniously disregard our lived pain,” said Kristy McGinnis, a Virginia Beach veteran and program participant speaking on behalf of women veterans.

Explaining her decision not to move forward bills on either issue, Lucas said Gov. Glenn Youngkin indicated Monday he would not sign skill games legislation until the tuition program issue was resolved.

The Republican governor said in an emailed statement Tuesday he was disappointed the Senate failed to take up a full repeal of the tuition waiver program changes and he stood with military families.

“I stand with our military heroes, first responders, and their families today who are stunned that Senate Democrat leadership failed to even consider a simple bill, supported by a bipartisan majority of Senators, to reverse the changes to VMSDEP by fully repealing the language, and addressing this in the full light of day,” Youngkin said. “These men and women deserve so much better.”

The chaos on Tuesday included a more-than-one-hour delay to the start of the finance committee meeting, floor speeches from lawmakers wondering why advocates bothered to show up for a session without any action and several procedural snarls regarding attempts to adjourn the body. The Senate is set to return Friday.

House Speaker Don Scott previously announced the House of Delegates would reconvene on June 28 to consider military tuition program changes. Scott confirmed via text message those plans were still in effect following Tuesday’s events.

At the full Senate session Tuesday, Republicans criticized the finance committee for not advancing any legislation.

“To say I’m disappointed is an understatement,” said Sen Bryce Reeves, R-Fredericksburg.

Some lawmakers had also sought to use the special session to bring back an unsettled matter from the General Assembly: skill games. Several skill games bills were submitted but not taken up Tuesday — one from Lucas and fellow Democrat Sen. Aaron Rouse of Virginia Beach and another from Sen. Christie New Craig, R-Chesapeake.

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The General Assembly initially banned skill games in 2020, but then-Gov. Ralph Northam delayed implementation to help the state raise money for a COVID-19 relief fund. A court case challenged the law, but proponents of the skill games lost and the ban took effect at the end of last year.

Lawmakers sent a skill games legalization bill to Youngkin, but his amendments effectively banned the machines in most of the state, including Hampton Roads. He vetoed the legislation after the amendments were rejected.

While many lawmakers spoke of a desire to fix the tuition program, there did not appear to be agreement on how to move forward. Lucas’ bill on the tuition program changed the budget language to grandfather in all current program participants who enroll by this fall, and also exempted Gold Star families: spouses and children of those who are killed, missing in action, taken prisoner or at least 90% permanently disabled as a result of military service or combat.

Two other bills would have repealed the program changes outright.

Lawmakers and Youngkin received pointed criticism from military families, many from Hampton Roads, after the passed budget scaled back the military tuition program in order to reduce costs for state college and universities.

Previously, the program provided tuition waivers and an annual stipend to spouses and children of veterans who are killed, missing in action, taken prisoner or at least 90% permanently disabled as a result of service. The budget imposed several program restrictions, like requiring applicants to be Virginia residents and limiting the program waivers to undergraduate degrees. The budget also requires applicants to apply for and use other sources of state and federal financial aid first.

During the Tuesday session, Majority Leader Scott Surovell, D-Mount Vernon, explained that the program was created in 1930 to help families of soldiers in World War I. Over the years, the program has grown to include first responders and cover post-graduate degrees.

Costs for colleges and universities have also ballooned, he said. Participants can use the program to complete high-cost degree programs like University of Virginia law school or medical school.

“It’s jeopardized the viability of the program because a lot of our smaller schools cannot afford this,” Surovell said.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com