Week Four of the 2024 General Assembly Session
Happy February! To kick off this week’s newsletter, I wanted to share some links to the Fairfax County Public Library and the Fairfax County Park Authority – they have some great programming this month in celebration of Black History Month.
Bills on the move!
Last week I wrote about HB 906 – my introduced legislation to protect Virginians from utility disconnections during extreme weather events and public health emergencies. I am thrilled to report that it passed the House this week with strong bipartisan support. My friend and colleague, Senator Lashrecse Aird, is carrying the companion bill in the Senate and I feel confident that this is the year we are going to get it done.
Another bill that I introduced this year, HB 913, passed the House unanimously this week. This bill proposes a reform to the way the Parole Board conducts its business, ensuring that it can fulfill its responsibilities and missions even when there are vacancies on the Board.
Fighting for families
Working hand in hand with constituents and advocates for the past three years, I introduced two bills this year that propose some much needed improvements to the way the Department of Medical Assisted Services structures our developmental disability waivers and our home- and community-based care programs.
HB 908 proposes to amend the financial eligibility standards for certain waivers providing services to individuals with developmental disabilities so that SSDI income is disregarded by the Department when calculating financial eligibility. It is absolutely critical for aging parents to have the assurance that when they retire or pass, their children will continue to access the support and services they need.
HB 909 will ensure that parents and family members can continue to serve as paid caregivers to their waiver-eligible children. The pandemic was the first time in Virginia parents were ever allowed to be paid caregivers to minors and we saw a myriad of benefits including less strain on the limited pool of for hire caregivers, family income stabilized as parents didn't risk losing jobs or staying home with zero income to take care of kids with complex needs, no rise in costs as a parent being the paid provider does not increase access to services already approved. There’s no justification for forcing parents to be caregivers only as a last resort.
I am proud to share that bills made it out of the Social Services subcommittee on Thursday!
Juvenile justice
I’m also pleased to announce that on Monday, HB 1264 passed out of subcommittee. Very similar to HB 1263, this bill would give judges the discretion on whether to assess court costs and the severity of fines for juveniles that committed traffic infractions. Under the current system, a judge has no leeway in determining a lower fine for minors and can only impose on them the same fine that would be charged to an adult.
Protecting victims of sexual violence
My bill HB 926 aims to allow more broad prosecution of unlawful dissemination of explicit images. All too often, victims don’t even know an intimate image has been created or disseminated. This bill would extend the statute of limitations to allow a person to prosecute someone who nonconsensually disseminated private images of them starting from when they discover the image rather than when the image was created. The subcommittee voted for the bill unanimously.
Elections administration
Four of my bills related to election security and access reported out of the Election Administration Subcommittee. These bills prevent voter and election worker intimidation by reducing accessibility to registrars’ personal information like addresses and prohibiting guns within 100 feet of a polling place, prevent polling satellite locations from being in police stations, and ensure that voters are notified of polling location changes. The work of protecting our democracy and expanding access to the ballot box continues and I am proud to be leading this work.
Advancing racial diversity and gender equality
One of the reasons I am most excited to serve in this class is the historic diversity that exists today in the Virginia House of Delegates. We are closer now than we ever have been to being a Chamber that truly mirrors our communities. I was reminded of that this week on two occasions during committee and subcommittee meetings.
The first was HB 819, a bill from Delegate Candi Mundon King to put Virginia in line with the Affordable Care Act and provide contraception at no cost to patients covered under a health plan. The second was Delegate Vivian Watts’s HB 212 to ensure board-level gender and diversity for companies soliciting significant economic development support from the Commonwealth.
In both instances, it was a party line vote. Which surprised me a bit. Sure, I expect debate and disagreement on the topic of abortions, but to see such partisanship on something so routine and mundane as the pill? Or to vote against a bill that prioritizes ethnic and gender diversity? It really did take me by surprise, but it seems I still have much to learn.
As I looked down the dais to the other side, I realized that every single Republican who voted against no-cost contraception was a man. And similarly, every single Republican to vote against board-level gender and ethnic diversity was also a man. And it reminded me yet again of the importance of diversity in our halls of power and at the tables where decisions are being made. The voices of those who are most impacted deserve to be heard and represented at all levels, and it is clear that there is one party who believes in the fundamental value of diversity while the other does not.
Meetings
Several great groups swung by our office this week - thank you to the Brain Injury Awareness Day advocates, the American Association of University Women, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and numerous others for coming to see me about your priorities!
I had the honor of helping to open the Virginia Conservation Network’s Lobby Day on Wednesday. It was wonderful to see so many people coming out to support environmental justice and conservation here in Virginia, advocating for everything from an equitable transition to clean energy to access to green spaces to improving water quality in our Commonwealth. I recognize the importance of a justice-centered approach to the environmental issues of our time, and I appreciated the passion everyone brought.
I also got to hear from the VA Data Center Reform Coalition about how data centers are impacting land, energy, and water use for Virginians, and how these centers can impact rate payers.
I also got the chance to hear from concerned residents at the Casino Town Hall - when we asked members of the audience who are opposed to the casino to stand up and clap, the entire room erupted. Our community could not be more clear - NO CASINO!
Constituent Services Corner
If you’re a senior looking for guidance on filing your taxes, the Herndon AARP TaxAide Program will be at the Herndon Fortnightly Library on Mondays from 4pm – 8pm and Saturdays from 10am – 2pm. Make an appointment two weeks in advance to guarantee someone will be able to offer help!
There are reduced fares available for seniors on the Metro, for more details please visit this site.
Speaking of Metro, Fairfax County released a dashboard for mobility and transportation data related to the Fairfax Countywide Strategic Plan. The data show more people traveling solo to work - we’ve received many emails from residents of the district about funding WMATA, and I completely agree. Improving public transportation will benefit not only our economy, but have a huge impact on the environment and our quality of life.
And, of course: February is finally here, and with it comes early voting in the Presidential primary! Additional locations will be available starting February 24th, so we’ll send out more information then, but for now you can check out Fairfax County’s elections website here if you want to get your ballot in now!
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 and I stand ready to assist you however we can. We are grateful for the honor of serving you and our district.
