April Newsletter
To kick off this month’s newsletter, I want to take a moment to share with you just how excited I am about the eclipse on Monday! It looks like about a 30% chance of rain but in hopes that clears up, here are some resources from our friends at NASA that I hope will be helpful:
Here is an interactive map that shows the path of the eclipse. You can plug in your zip code for timings, weather predictions, and more. For those of us in Herndon, it looks like our max will be about 88% at 3:19pm.
National Science Teachers Association has educator guides and handouts.
In addition to the when/where map, NASA has educator materials here.
The National Science Foundation explains how to safely view the eclipse.
Virginia State Parks is hosting a series of eclipse-watching events.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
I am proud of the hard work my team put in and everything we were able to get done on behalf of the Eighth District during the 2024 General Assembly Session. We passed 15 bills through both chambers, plus a number of commending resolutions.
At the time of writing, nine of my bills have been signed into law and one has been vetoed:
✅ HB 908 - Waiver Financial Eligibility Revising DD Waiver Eligibility Ensuring that inherited SSDI can’t disqualify financial eligibility for disabled adults under the Developmental Disability Waiver program.
✅ HB 912 - Limiting Profiteering in Jails Requiring net profits made from jail commissaries & telecomm services be invested into educational, recreational, & rehabilitative programs.
✅ HB 913 - Parole Board Reform Ensuring that the Parole Board can always work for the people even when there are vacancies on the board.
✅ HB 914 - Establishing Historic Tax Credits Permitting localities to enact a historic district tax credit for the maintenance & repair of historic buildings.
✅ HB 917 - Regulating Predatory Real Estate Practices Placing predatory real estate wholesaling under the oversight of the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.
✅ HB 925 - Residential Towing Requiring landlords & towing operators to provide 48 hours’ notice to a resident prior to removing their vehicle for an expired registration or vehicle inspection sticker.
✅ HB 940 - Polling Place Change Notifications Requiring a posted notification when a polling location has changed or been closed.
✅ HB 943 - Protecting Election Workers Permitting elections officials & workers to be eligible for the protected voter list.
✅ HB 1342 - Access to Rape Kits on College Campuses Ensuring that students have access to a local or on-campus provider trained to administer recovery kits in the event of sexual assault.
🚫 HB 939 - Guns at Polling Places Extending the perimeter around a polling place where firearms are prohibited from 40 feet to 100 feet.
OUT AND ABOUT
There’s no place like home! Since the General Assembly adjourned sine die on March 9, it has been so great to be back home, meeting with folks across the 8th District and sharing some takeaways coming out of the 2024 legislative session. I was delighted to join friends and colleagues with the Arc of NOVA for the A Life Like Yours benefit in March! And I was humbled to join the American Turkish Friendship Association for a special Iftar at the Fairfax County Government Center. It’s always a good time, celebrating St Patrick’s Day with Fairfax’s favorite Irishman, Congressman Gerry Connolly! I enjoyed participating in a special roundtable convened by Senator Tim Kaine to talk about women’s health and what the overturn of Roe means for abortion access in Virginia. And, I was delighted to join three of my legislative colleagues – Del. Karrie Delaney, Del. Holly Seibold, and Del. Karen Keys-Gamarra – for a virtual Regional Report town hall with constituents where we shared our highlights of the 2024 session and took questions from constituents.
HAPPENING IN OUR COMMUNITY
🐎 I wanted to make sure you’d seen that the Horse Expo is back for its third year at Frying Pan Park! Saturday, April 13 from 10am to 3pm. More information here.
🌎 I hope you’ll join me at Earth Day Fairfax 2024 on Saturday, April 20. This family-friendly festival will run from 10am-4pm at Sully Historic Site. The event will feature activities for all ages including furry farm friends, an obstacle course, food trucks, and earth-friendly vendors! More information here.
☀️ Herndon Summer Camp Registration is live and spots are filling up fast, so register now! Registration started on April 3 for Town of Herndon residents and will be opened up on April 9 to non-residents. There’s some great programming available for a range of ages. More information here.
🏠 I am excited to relay that, last month, the Fairfax County Housing and Redevelopment Authority announced a $20 million partnership with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to provide 300 new supportive rental assistance vouchers to Fairfax County residents with serious mental illness and three new staff positions to operate the countywide program. This funding is expected to reduce homelessness for some of Fairfax’s most vulnerable folks while also relieving some of the strain on psychiatric beds in northern Virginia. More information here.
🚴♀️ Registration is now open for Supervisor Walter Alcorn’s Tour de Hunter Mill! This year’s routes (short, 16 miles & long, 27 miles) will not only include a stretch on Fairfax County’s portion of the W&OD trail but will also take advantage of the new shared-use path along the route 7 corridor as it will be open in time for the ride on May 5th. More information here.
👩💻 With Tax Day fast approaching on Monday, April 15, I also just wanted to share these great resources available through the County if you need help with your filing!
KEEP IN TOUCH!
It is always wonderful to hear from you! Please call my office at 804-698-1008 or email delishin@house.virginia.gov anytime to schedule a visit or to let me know what’s on your mind. My door is always open, and my team and I remain ready to assist you however we can. We are grateful for the honor of serving you and our district.
Thank you for trusting me to represent the priorities of our community and Commonwealth.
