December Newsletter
The Monthly Rundown
I hope you and your family have been enjoying the holiday season. I wanted to touch base as the General Assembly will be back in session on January 11th and I wanted to provide a rundown on what’s been happening throughout the Commonwealth, in the 86th District, and the work I have been doing as your Delegate. It is an honor to represent our community in the House of Delegates and to advocate for our priorities and values. As always, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office if we can be of service.
Silver Line Phase II Opening
November 2022 marked the opening of Phase II of the Silver Line Metro extension. After decades of planning and construction, the Silver Line Phase II project has finally finished construction on six new metro stations and an additional 11.5 mile route that connects our community to Eastern Loudoun County and Washington DC. Generations of workers, residents, and elected officials have tirelessly labored to complete the fulfillment of an idea that originated in 1966 and demonstrated remarkable dedication and commitment to seeing this project become reality, as it will serve our community for many generations to come. Workers, tourists, and residents will benefit as they can now enjoy the convenience of commuting from Largo to Washington DC to eastern Loudoun County, or vice versa, without having to leave their seats and without having to contend with highway traffic. This will undoubtedly save residents and visitors time and gas money while providing a new source of business opportunities throughout the greater Washington DC region.
Rejection of the Youngkin Administration’s K-12 History Standards
Prior to Governor Northam’s departure, his administration spent over two years crafting the new K-12 history standards that are to be updated every seven years. Over the past few months, the Youngkin Administration has been drafting our school systems’ latest K-12 history standards to be proposed to the Virginia Board of Education.
Our state law dictates that every seven years there shall be an update to our K–12 history standards. Prior to Governor Northam’s departure, his administration had spent nearly two years crafting the new standards in anticipation of the next update. The document crafted by the Northam Administration was originally supposed to be voted upon back in August, but state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow urged the board to delay the vote until newly-appointed board members would have time to review the document. On Friday, November 11th, the Virginia Department of Education released an entirely new document despite previous statements anticipating no significant changes from the Northam Administration’s original document. The newly released K-12 history standards proposal was rife with gaffes and historical inaccuracies that led to the Board of Education voting 8-0 to direct the Youngkin Administration to create a new document that would fix the mistakes and incorporate elements of the Northam document.
One of the more notable gaffes was a statement in the document that said Native Americans were "America’s first immigrants." Other mistakes were the absence of Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from holiday sections for elementary schools. Also, there were numerous mentions of President Ronald Reagan, but not President Barack Obama. Superintendent Balow has repeatedly stressed transparency regarding the history proposal document, yet she has not disclosed the exact role of the conservative Thomas Fordham Institute or Hillsdale College in the creation of Youngkin’s new document.
The Future of Abortion Rights in the Commonwealth
It is no secret that Governor Youngkin and Republicans have been vying to introduce and implement strict, crude legislation to ban abortions after 15 weeks. This is a major attack on women’s bodily autonomy and could have major adverse effects for abortion providers when they are trying to provide the best standard of care for their patients experiencing miscarriages. Last year, Governor Youngkin attempted to pass a budgetary amendment that would have prohibited state Medicaid from covering abortion procedures in cases of "incapacitating" physical or mental fetal deformities; this includes cases where the baby would be born without parts of their brain or skull. This year's proposed budget amendments by Governor Youngkin include a proposal for $50,000 towards establishing a ban on abortions after 15 weeks. The $50,000 is a technical requirement for any new legislation involving a crime, which is evidence that the Youngkin Administration would seek to criminally punish those who seek or provide abortions following the 15-week ban.
I will oppose any legislation that undermines reproductive rights and encroaches on a person’s autonomy over their own bodies and futures.
Gun Violence Prevention and Intervention
Uvalde. Highland Park. Buffalo. Charlottesville. Chesapeake.
Some of the communities devastated by the uniquely American epidemic of gun violence in 2022. I grieve these senseless tragedies and the immeasurable loss of life; and commit to continue to do everything I can to curb gun violence in our Commonwealth and country. I believe that we all deserve to feel safe – shopping at Walmart, going to church, attending school, or going to a movie theater. As a member of the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus, I will keep pushing for legislation to impement waiting periods, ban ghost guns, strengthen our red flag laws, and keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.
Kimchi Day and Kimchi Festival
Earlier this year, the General Assembly passed my resolution HJ147 to establish 11/22 as Kimchi Day.
For folks who are unfamiliar with kimchi, kimchi is a fermented vegetable – primarily cabbage but it can be radish, cucumber, etc – that is a staple of Korean cuisine. According to my dad's philosophy, a meal is never complete without kimchi!
Kimchi Day is meant to be a fun celebration of a popular Korean banchan (side dish) that has gained global popularity... but more than that, I hope Kimchi Day will be a celebration of the rich diversity of our community in the Commonwealth.
I was delighted to attend the Kimchi Day festival hosted by the Korean American Society of Virginia celebrating Korean heritage and enjoying delicious kimchi!
Herndon Wintermarkt
I was so thrilled to enjoy the festivities with my friends Mayor Olem and Councilmember-elect Keven LeBlanc. We loved exploring the various vendors and seeing our community together.
VOICE Assembly
Virginians Organizing for Interfaith Community Engagement hosted their 2022 Assembly here in Herndon, at Trinity Presbyterian Church. Their priority for the upcoming session and year will be funding for mental services in our communities. I look forward to working with them and collaborating on this important issue that impacts so many of us personally.
Conclusion of my Build Your Own Bill Workshop
Since September, I have been hosting a "Build Your Own Bill" workshop with the purpose of helping community members engage more deeply with the legislative process and learn how to be an effective advocate for the issues they care about.
It has been a tremendous experience for me, as a delegate, as I have learned and engaged with constituents on a more personal level about the issues of importance to them.
I look forward to hosting this workshop again next year!
Announcements
Just Married!
In some personal news… My longtime partner Peter and I tied the knot in a small civil ceremony with our families on November 11th. We are so excited to be married and to start our life together as husband and wife!
Fairfax and Loudoun Delegation Public Hearing Forums
One of the many privileges of being a Delegate is having the opportunity to speak and meet with you to hear about the issues that matter the most to you all. To that end, I am looking forward to the Fairfax and Loudoun delegations holding pre-2023 session public hearings on January 7th.
We are eager to hear from the community and to discuss our plans for the upcoming legislative session. Registration links with more details below:
Fairfax County: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/countyexec/genassemblydelegation_publichearing
Loudoun County: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuzfNdH-_s9BuYObj_foT1xIc9qU8R6rTLocbZKGVIqZrvqg/viewform
Winter Shelters Across Fairfax County
With frigid temperatures forecasted for the region this upcoming weekend I wanted to share resources detailing homeless shelters around the region.
https://www.novaregion.org/174/Homeless-Shelter-Lists
Virginia529 and RetirePATH
For far too long, people with disabilities have not had the ability to save for the future. The federal Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2014 allows states to create tax-advantaged savings programs for eligible people with disabilities (designated beneficiaries), and recent legislation in the General Assembly has directed Virginia529, an independent agency of the Commonwealth, to begin helping Virginians with disabilities save through ABLE Accounts and also help Virginians without access to retirement funds or a workplace retirement savings option save through the RetirePath Virginia program, set to launch in 2023.
The start of both programs will be incredibly beneficial to Virginians with disabilities and those whose workplace does not provide retirement savings options.
Flu Shots!
The flu season is upon us. The CDC recommends receiving a yearly flu vaccine as it is the first and most critical step in protection against the flu virus. Learn more about how to further protect yourself against the flu here.
—
In closing – thank you again for allowing me to serve as your representative in the House of Delegates. My team and I are always here to assist you so please do not hesitate to reach out by phone at 703-677-8334 or by email at DeliShin@house.virginia.gov.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and a healthy, happy new year!
Warmly,
Irene