I ran for office because I wanted to serve a community, Commonwealth, and Country that I love.
Yet the notion of service can be abstract. This past week has been a week in which it has been viscerally concrete.
As armed groups descended on the Capitol, a group of students asked my friend Delegate Chris Hurst and I whether we could ensure their voices weren’t drowned out. They too wanted to have the opportunity to stand for their principles and speak to their legislators without fear of intimidation or violence. So we let them sleep in our offices Sunday evening so that Monday they too could lobby for gun violence prevention. Then we stood vigil for victims of gun violence.
Friday, after Lisa Sales testified about the powerlessness she felt as she could not get an order to remove guns from a man who injured her in a violent assault, we passed seven pieces of gun violence prevention legislation out of the Public Safety committee (where I sit) to make our Commonwealth safer for all.
This week a 14 year old girl testified about how her cancer treatment resulted in infertility— and that she can now never become a mother because we don’t mandate insurance company coverage of fertility treatment in Virginia. Her family couldn’t afford it. It was hard to keep dry eyes hearing her testify—I certainly didn’t. Delegate Mark Keam’s and my bill, HB 776, would ensure this never happens again. The bill has now been continued to 2021 so that it can be studied by the Health Insurance Reform Commission. Thank you to all of the advocates who came out to support this important first step!
This week a woman who experienced a sexual assault testified on behalf of my bill HB 913 that provides amnesty from disciplinary action for nonviolent offenses to those who report sexual assaults at institutions of higher education. Afterwards she wrote of the experience that she was “thrilled” that she “was able to contribute in a small way to making Virginia Universities safer for students.” For the team and I, her presence and testimony were incredibly powerful, and we’re so happy that this bill is moving forward on a bi-partisan basis.
And this week local community members came to Richmond to testify about the deadly intersection at Popes Head Road and Fairfax County Parkway and helped get my bill addressing the intersection out of subcommittee. This bill will ensure the County addresses the intersection before spending Commonwealth money on a separate, unneeded project at Shirley Gate which has been used to justify delays on the Popes Head intersection, even as people have continued to die there.
It is such an honor to be the delegate for Virginia’s 40th District and to have this opportunity to serve. I appreciate all those who testified this week and shared their stories about how we can continue to improve our Commonwealth.
LOCAL HAPPENINGS
What a weekend in the 40th District! Take your pick from a long list of events that will keep your kids—and you kid-at-heart adults—smiling. Come join the HayMaker STEAM Expo at Battlefield High School, the Ceramics Celebration at Gainesville Life Time Athletic, a Frozen Event with ice cream and character meet-and-greet, and finally an Orchid Extravaganza hosted by Merrifield Garden Center. If you have any energy left come tomorrow, head on over to the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum for Game Day with train-related activities for all ages.
ACTIVITIES & MEETINGS
One of the best parts of the session season is visits with constituents who make the journey down to our state’s Capitol in Richmond. I am grateful to the many individuals and groups who put the time and energy into visiting us, including SEIU Virginia 512 union members (pictured below). It was an honor to sit down with representatives from SEIU 512 and discuss what can be done to forward the fight for fair wages. I commend their efforts and feel proud to join them in ensuring that Virginia being best for business doesn’t mean being worse for workers.
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
Things have really kicked into high gear now, and I’ve had the opportunity to move forward lots of good legislation that should help our community and Commonwealth. I’ve already talked about some of the legislation I’ve been helping lead, but I also had the chance to help support other legislation this week including:
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Fair wages legislation such as HB56, which ensures tipped workers make at least the minimum wage — this addresses an inequity particularly felt by airport workers that often resulted in them making below minimum wage
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Environmental legislation such as HB408, which extends a tax credit to provide new green jobs in the Commonwealth
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Pro military, military family, and veteran legislation such as HB143, which ensures that a military spouse can claim unemployment if the spouse is forced to relocate due to military orders; and HB135, which prevents predatory lenders from laying claim to veterans benefits
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Affordable housing legislation such as HB590, which allows landlords in Northern Virginia to take advantage of a tax credit for providing housing for low income individuals
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Tax reform, such as HB316, which makes it much easier for the county to issue a refund if they screw up your property taxes; and HB466, which allows localities to waive business license fees for very small businesses
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Consumer Protections, such as HB509, which ensures you don’t have to pay to put a freeze on your credit report
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Criminal Justice Reforms such as HB33, which restores the opportunity for parole to those unfairly sentenced because of poor jury instructions, and HB35, which ensures that minors who made terrible mistakes have at least the chance of redemption after twenty years in prison through access to parole hearings
I also participated in a number of committee and caucus meetings including:
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The Military and Veterans Caucus, where we looked at ways to address the veterans suicide crisis in Virginia and received an update on the Civil Air Patrol
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The Labor Caucus where we evaluated bills to ensure public sector workers like teachers and firefighters have an opportunity to have a say in their working conditions
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The Firearms Subcommittee where I was able to stop dangerous gun bills, such as ending even our minimal requirements for obtaining a concealed carry permit, from coming to the floor
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The Transportation Committee and Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee where I heard critical transportation and environmental legislation in both subcommittees and committees.
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Next week, I will be providing input into a critical transportation bill that, among other things, restores and expands transportation funding to Northern Virginia, allows expanded rail service, and ensures better upkeep of our secondary roads.
The House Clerk also announced on Friday that I will now be joining the Communications, Technology, and Innovation Committee, making me the only freshman lawmaker to be assigned to four committees.
All of our bills can be found here. We’ve been busy meeting with constituents, stakeholders, and experts to refine our language and ensure that the legislation will not have any unintended consequences.
Finally, I want to encourage you to take the linked survey. This will help inform my perspective on the issues that affect our community and our Commonwealth – please share with friends and neighbors.
Thank you, as always, for staying engaged in the legislative process and joining me for this session. If you need anything at all or want to provide input on legislation, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Warm Regards,
Dan