Session Week 7
The last week of the Regular Session 2023 Virginia General Assembly has ended. Two of my bills, HB 2038 and HB 2041, have passed the House and Senate and have been sent to the Governor for his consideration. I eagerly await his signature to make it official!
To recap: HB 2038 would expand health care access by allowing disabled adult children of state employees access to independent living care while continuing state insurance coverage. HB 2041 would increase connectivity of trail and path networks by easing liability when a privately owned trail is connected to our public trail and sidewalk networks.
Not passed, but progress has been made: My efforts to continue to ban price-gouging in jails did not pass, but it picked up a lot of support this year. I think legislators are finally realizing that price-gouging incarcerated individuals primarily punishes families, and I remain optimistic that we’ll be able to reintroduce a bill next year to continue this work. On Tuesday, February 14th, I appeared on a public affairs podcast called Bold Dominion to discuss the exploitative costs of items and services in jails. You can listen to the episode here.
The last week also culminated with House Democrats attempting to pass a constitutional amendment to protect the reproductive rights of all Virginians. HR 323 would have allowed this constitutional amendment, SJ 255, to be voted on by the entire House. Previously SJ 255 passed the Senate in a 21 to 18 vote.
The House Republican majority did not think that reproductive health, and protecting the rights previously enshrined in Roe v. Wade was worthy of a vote. Every member of the Republican caucus voted to deny this vote. Sadly, Republican members used this debate as an excuse to spread abhorrent falsehoods about health care and abortion rights. These statements included denying that abortion care was essential health care, claiming that Democrats believe pregnancy is a disease, and stating that reproductive health care was a euphemism.
I was proud to stand with my Democratic colleagues in the House to vote for a debate on a constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion access rights in Virginia. You can view the final vote here.
Left undone: The House and the Senate budget chairs and conferees are still in negotiations, so we were unable to vote on the full budget during the regular session. In order to plug a $200 million funding error from the Virginia Department of Education, the House and the Senate passed a stopgap funding measure to make sure local public schools receive the level of state funding they expected to receive. This funding package also makes deposits to the state “rainy day fund” and provides some funding for existing construction projects.
Despite this stopgap funding measure passing overwhelmingly, the House and the Senate budgets are very far apart in taxes, spending, and priorities. Virginia’s economy is strong, and this increased economic activity has provided our state with a budget surplus. Republicans in the House have primarily appropriated this surplus in the form of tax cuts to big corporations. Democrats in the Senate have primarily appropriated this surplus in the form of increased state funding support for public education.
A lot of what we do in Richmond is decide on priorities. We could either make subsidizing corporations a priority, or make investing in teachers, counselors, mental health, support staff, administrators, and state employees a priority. My priorities are with the students, the families of Virginia, and the people who choose to work in public service.
I expect the budget conferees to continue their work, and the House will address their compromise budget in the coming weeks.
This year also marks the end of an era in the House of Delegates. Our neighboring Delegate, Ken Plum, announced his retirement after serving for 44 years. The Herndon and Reston area share many neighborhoods and amenities, and we truly are neighbors. I’ve had great respect and admiration for Delegate Plum in my time in the assembly. I have learned from his experience, and I know he will continue to serve our community after his retirement from the House. Our community is indebted to him for his decades of leadership and service.
Constituent Meetings:
On Monday, members of the Virginia Young Democrats came by for their lobby day to discuss their priorities of protecting reproductive rights, investing in clean energy initiatives, and creating a strong economy for all Virginians.
The Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus took our annual trip to bring snacks for the House Pages. Delegate Kathy Tran, Delegate Suhas Subramanyam, and I also got to share our personal stories and experiences of public service. I expect we will see great things from the 2023 class of House Pages!
The House of Delegates class of 2022 (and 2023) pictured here for a group photo. I am lucky to have come into the General Assembly with such a dedicated and hardworking group of public servants. We may disagree, sometimes vehemently, on issues but the overwhelming majority of us take on this job because we truly want to serve and lift up our communities. I am grateful to them for their service and camaraderie.
Announcements:
Virtual Post-Session Town Hall
On Tuesday, February 28th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Senator George Barker, Senator Jennifer B. Boysko, Delegate Kenneth R. Plum, Delegate Karrie Delaney, and I will be hosting a virtual Town Hall.
We’ll share updates on our legislation, answer your questions about new laws, and provide insights into the state budget. We hope you’ll be able to join us! You can register here: https://bit.ly/herndontownhall2023
ADAMS Center Turkey and Syria Relief Fund
The devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey has affected millions of people, and taken tens of thousands of lives. In response, the ADAMS Center has created a relief fund to help provide assistance for those in need.
Help out and donate here.
Herndon Parks&Rec: Kids Fishing Derby
Come out to Runnymede Park on Saturday, March 18th from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for the kids fishing derby. Register before March 17th at 4:45 p.m. for the advanced registration price of $10. To learn more about the event and how to register click here.
American Citizenship Preparation
Cornerstones is providing classes to help with the challenges and stress of preparing for citizenship. They are offering two classes to ensure everyone can have the knowledge and resources to succeed in their journey to citizenship. Classes are on Tuesdays, beginning March 7 at 11:00 AM and on Thursdays at 6:30 PM. For more information and locations, contact them at 571-323-9575. For more information click here.
VDOT: 495 NEXT Project Lane Closures and Traffic Changes
Read the Lane Closures & Traffic Changes Report for 2/24 - 3/3 for construction-related lane closures and traffic changes planned to occur in the I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension (495 NEXT) project corridor here.
Metro Seeks Community Input
Metro has opened public comments on the proposed Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) budget. Learn more about the budget and how to submit comments here.
2023 Real Estate Assessments
The 2023 real estate assessments are available online and will be sent through the mail. On average, due to rising home values paired with a strong housing market, assessments went up countywide by 6.97%. To learn more about the real estate assessments click here. Seniors and people with disabilities can qualify for real estate tax relief, and the Fairfax Board of Supervisors recently approved including tax relief for surviving spouses of military members who died in the line of duty. For 2023, the maximum gross income to qualify for tax relief is $90,000, with a maximum net worth of $400,000.
The filing deadline for your tax relief application is May 1st. You will be notified about your tax relief status by June 30th. For more information on tax relief, including Tax Relief Workshops, visit the Department of Tax Administration website.
MWAA: Dulles Toll Road All-Electronic Tolling
Starting March 1, 2023, drivers will no longer be required to stop at a toll booth on the Dulles Toll Road as a new pay-by-plate payment system for motorists not using E-ZPass or other payment devices. By eliminating cash toll collection, it is expected that traffic flow will be sped up. To learn more about the all-electronic tolling system, click 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.