Week Six of the 2024 General Assembly Session

The mid-point of each legislative session brings both crossover and a welcome dose of festivity to the Virginia House of Delegates with the arrival of Valentine's Day. While the pace in the General Assembly Building is extraordinarily hectic at crossover, it is always sweet to find the corridors adorned with decorations, flowers, and tasty treats in observance of this holiday. I hope you also had an enjoyable Valentine's Day and took a moment away from your routine to celebrate. I am always grateful for the cheerful pause during an otherwise intense time in Richmond!

Legislatively, this was a very big week in the Capitol. Crossover - the deadline for all introduced bills to be heard in their house of origin - was on Tuesday. We took up a whopping 338 bills over the course of Monday and Tuesday in the run-up to that deadline, which made for some long days on the House floor! I am happy to report that 16 of my bills made it to this stage in the process.

As I reflect on the legislative progress made this week, I want to highlight not just the bills advanced by my own office, but also some of the standout measures championed by my esteemed Democratic colleagues:

Consumer Protection & Affordable Housing

My colleague Delegate Tran had two exciting bills pass the House to protect renters - one that would prohibit charging tenants for damages not due to misconduct and one that would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to create model renter agreements in more languages to increase accessibility. I am also excited about Delegate Bennett-Parker’s proposal to give localities the authority to refuse sales on publicly supported affordable housing sites to sustain affordable housing options in our communities.

Criminal Justice

I was proud to stand with my colleague, Delegate Hayes, on his bill to ensure that affordable housing applicants aren’t discriminated against based on their arrest records, an important step towards ensuring everyone has access to a place they can call home. While researching my bill to address profiteering in Virginia’s local and regional jails, I came across research that emphasized the importance of facilitating communication between inmates and their support systems outside, both for mental health and for the inmates’ success after leaving the correctional facility - so I am excited for Delegate Rasoul’s bill which would mandate that state prisons provide free telephone and email communications services for inmates. Lastly, I was also proud to stand with Delegate Cole in his push to significantly restrict the use of solitary confinement.

Labor

In the labor rights realm, I’m happy to report that Delegate Askew’s bill to grant collective bargaining rights to firefighters and other EMS workers. Collective bargaining is an essential tool across industries to ensure fair working conditions and wages, and extending that to our firefighters and other lifesaving EMS professionals is a step in the right direction.

Abortion Rights & Reproductive Health

We had a couple of heated debates on the House Floor on the topic of abortion rights in the midst of crossover. Delegate Griffin’s outright attack on abortion access triggered an unprecedented, hyperpartisan motion to challenge a ruling of the Speaker when it was time to vote on the measure. I am pleased to report that not only did our majority stand firmly by Speaker Scott, we also defeated the bill. A little while later, we passed Delegate Simon’s bill to protect individuals receiving or providing reproductive healthcare from extradition. We also passed a bill from Delegate Watts that would prevent search warrants for accessing menstrual data - a woman’s period tracking should never be used in a court of law for any reason. Thanks to our Democratic majority, we are actively working to ensure that abortions remain safe and legal here in the Commonwealth.

Gun Safety

Common sense gun safety bills like Delegate Simon’s bill to restrict semi-automoatic firearms in public spaces and Delegate Hayes’ bill to implement a five-day waiting period before purchasing a firearm will help save lives in Virginia. Furthermore, Delegate Hope’s bill will prevent guns from falling into the hands of domestic abusers for five years following the conviction.

Environmental Progress

And finally, I’m happy to report that Delegate Anthony’s and Delegate Carr’s bills (HB 1002 and HB 1088, respectively) have passed the House. These bills would improve Virginia’s ability to take advantage of federal programs for energy efficiency, and mandate that our public schools teach about climate change and environmental literacy, creating citizens of tomorrow that are equipped with the knowledge and skills to face environmental challenges.

Over to the Senate!

This week, I also saw my first bill pass through the Senate General Laws committee, My real estate wholesaling bill, aimed at regulating predatory practices within the industry, reported unanimously on Wednesday.

Meetings

On Wednesday, it was great to meet with volunteers from the Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia! My Democratic colleagues and I will continue to do everything we can to defend reproductive freedom and justice.

Some of my absolute favorite meetings are with Virginia’s young people who come to Richmond to advocate for our collective future. It was so great to meet with representatives from Virginia21 this week and Students for Equity and Reform in Virginia to hear about their legislative priorities. My staff and I also really enjoyed meeting with the GMU student delegation, learning about their budget priorities and talking about my bill to ensure that all college students who are victims of sexual violence can access appropriate, timely, trauma-informed care.

Community Engagement

ArtsFairfax’s nomination forms for artistic innovation, artistic achievement, and philanthropy in Fairfax County and the city of Falls Church are out! If you know an artist (or an organization/business for the philanthropy category), check out this link to nominate.

WMATA is asking for public input on their FY25 budget! The budget proposal includes…

Fares

• Up to 25 percent fare increase

• 20 percent parking rate increase

Metrobus

• Eliminate service on 83 of 184 routes

• Reduce service on 51 of 184 routes

• Shorten routes with rail service

Metrorail

• Close 10 lower ridership stations

• Turn back every other Red Line train at Grosvenor-Strathmore and Silver Spring

• Turn back Silver Line trains at Stadium-Armory

• Decrease service on all lines – weekdays every 15 minutes, weekends every 20 minutes

• Decrease Hours of operation: Close the rail system at 10pm; or

• Keep existing rail system hours and open earlier and close later weekends: open at 6am on Saturdays and Sundays, close at 2am on Fridays and Saturdays

MetroAccess

• Reduced service area due to a reduction in fixed route bus service

• Approximately 20 percent of MetroAccess trips would no longer be served

There will be several in-person and virtual townhalls (see the full list here) and there is also a survey (linked here). Be sure to make your voice heard!

It is always wonderful to get a visit from you! Please call my office at 804-698-1008 or email delishin@house.virginia.gov anytime to schedule a visit to my new office in the General Assembly Building, #1115. My door is always open. My entire team - Chief of Staff Kristina, Administrative Assistant Becky, Legislative Interns Mrudula and Carolyn, and Legislative Aide Noor - is ready to assist you however we can. We are grateful for the honor of serving you and our district.

I look forward to continuing to keep you updated on our work in Richmond. Thank you for trusting me to represent the priorities of our community and Commonwealth.