Helmer Happenings: March 12th

It has been incredibly busy over the past couple weeks as we finished passing all of the legislation that will pass this year.

We’ve also been following COVID-19 closely. Just today, Governor Northam announced a state of emergency in Virginia, and we received a briefing from the Virginia Department of Health on the disease. We have been in touch with Congresswoman Wexton, local school systems, government officials, and hospitals to discuss how best to fight the threat. We’ve been doing all we can to keep our communities safe, and I encourage you to stay up-to-date on the latest with the VDH and CDC. More details follow later in the newsletter.

I spent much of the past couple weeks in negotiations with friends on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers to ensure we could get critical legislation over the finish line. This included serving on the conference committee to finalize our law allowing communities in Virginia to address Jim Crow era Confederate monuments.

It has been an amazing session, and I’m looking forward to having time to step back and absorb for myself the staggering breadth of what we’ve accomplished in Virginia. I believe we have laid down a beacon for how government can work for everyone.

Even bold actions have flown under the radar.

For example, SB 321 requires the Commonwealth and local governments to provide benefits to veterans who were dismissed under the military’s bigoted don’t ask don’t tell policy. A southern state like Virginia passing this would have been front page news in the Washington Post or New York Times last year. Because of all we’ve done this year, I don’t even think it got a mention in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

As a freshman delegate, I’m thankful to have been able to lead on a number of issues that have become laws and are on their way to the governor. Some of the bills I’ve had the pleasure to be at the forefront of include:

• The Virginia Clean Economy Act, which sets the stage for Virginia’s transition to 100% renewable energy by 2045 and gets us to “net zero” in the early 2030s

• Gun Violence Prevention policies including universal background checks and extreme risk prevention orders

• Improving access to healthcare, particularly for poor Virginians, including my bill that allows dispensing of prescription drugs like birth control and insulin at free clinics

• Critical veterans legislation including fixes to the Veterans Service Foundation and a tax credit for veterans with service-connected disabilities

• Tackling campus sexual violence by providing good Samaritans and survivors the ability to report sexual assault without fear of retribution

I also had a chance to work with Senator Louise Lucas and other leaders in the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle to pass redistricting reform that will put Virginia at the forefront of election reform, right alongside our changing of election laws to make it easier for Virginians to vote — from no-excuse absentee voting to making Election Day a state holiday.

It will take months to fully appreciate the impact we are going to have on Virginians lives, from helping our teachers, to capping insulin co-pays, to creating our own health exchange in Virginia. I am so honored to have this position and to be here at this exciting time.

And there’s still so much work to do. If you have ideas on where we should be working next year to help our community, Commonwealth, and country, my team and I are already working to build our legislative priorities for next year. We’d love to hear from you!

COVID-19 UPDATE

Earlier this afternoon, Governor Northam announced a state of emergency in our Commonwealth. There are seventeen known presumptive cases in Virginia. The Governor has cancelled state conferences and large events for the next 30 days, directed state agencies to limit non-essential in-person gatherings and meetings, advised localities and nonprofits to limit large public events, and encouraged private employers to opt for tele-working or paid time off for their employees. There are a number of current statewide efforts to address COVID-19, including:

• Advising school districts to update pandemic guidelines

• Expanding testing criteria so that Virginians in nursing homes with symptoms can obtain immediate testing

• Working to ensure that vulnerable populations can keep access to critical services, and not go hungry in the event of extended school closures

• Adjusting transportation network cleaning schedules, and training employees in the transportation sector to detect indicators of COVID-19

You can read the full release from the Governor’s office here.

FAVORITES OF THE 40TH

For our final shoutout of the 2020 General Assembly session, I wanted to highlight the incredible work of our team here in Richmond, especially our interns. To conclude our time in Richmond, our office toasted to a great session serving the 40th over soft pretzels and fried pickles at Richmond’s Capital Ale House. After two months together it will be sad to part ways, but we’re looking forward to following everyone’s future public service endeavors. To Haley, Melissa, Stuart, Sarah, and Daisy — thank you!

Thank you again for your engagement and using your voice in the legislative process. If you need anything at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Warm Regards,

Dan