In March, we closed out a historic General Assembly, just as a national emergency was declared for COVID-19. Our values haven’t changed since then, but our world has.
On Tuesday, I went down to Richmond for a special and extraordinary session of the General Assembly during which we will address COVID-19 and make additional efforts to achieve racial justice and equity in Virginia.
With physical distancing impossible in the crowded House chambers, we met instead in VCU’s basketball arena. We adjourned for the day and are now meeting virtually for the first time in the 401-year history of our General Assembly.
I am now working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure we both address the critical challenges posed by this pandemic and the enduring issues brought tragically to the forefront in the wake of the murder of George Floyd. I am looking forward to coming out of this special session with a stronger Virginia and wanted to thank all of you for your input on both my legislation and the legislation submitted by all of my colleagues. With a citizen legislature like ours, I am so thankful for all of your thoughts, ideas, and expertise. Please continue to send your suggestions as we proceed through this Special Session, which will likely end in mid-September.
I also ask that everyone continue to keep one another in their thoughts. The level of suffering we are seeing in our community, Commonwealth, and Country is deeply distressing, and our office continues to help those in need of help with unemployment, access to care, and other challenges arising from this pandemic. If you know of someone who needs help, please do point them our way, and our office will do everything we can to assist.
Please be safe and well during these challenging times.
Veterans Town Hall
In case you missed it, I joined Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Carlos Hopkins as well as General Assembly colleagues Delegate Karrie Delaney and Senator George Barker for a town hall focused on veterans issues last week. If you are interested in watching the conversation, you can find a recording here. Additionally, if you are interested in supporting Service-Disabled Veteran-owned businesses in Virginia, you can find a directory here.
Legislative Updates
This week, my General Assembly colleagues and I began our special session to tackle COVID-19 relief and criminal justice & police reform during this critical point in our Commonwealth’s and our nation’s history.
During this special session, I’ve introduced two pieces of legislation. the Best Equipment for Law-Enforcement Act (HB 5049) and HB 5050. The Best Equipment for Law Enforcement Act ensures that Virginia police forces have access to all funding measures to ensure availability of personal protective equipment and naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses while prohibiting the use of funds to purchase military equipment. HB 5050 allows Virginia’s Governor to procure and distribute personal protective equipment for Virginia nonprofits and small businesses. After conversations with group homes, Medicaid providers, and Virginia small businesses, it has become clear that there remains insufficient access to PPE for many in Virginia. This bill will allow organizations providing critical services to the community and fueling our economy to have access to the equipment they need to stay safe.
As always, I welcome your thoughts on legislation coming before the General Assembly.
COVIDWISE
If you have not already, download the app COVIDWISE on your iPhone or Android to help combat the spread of COVID-19. This app will play a critical role in ensuring we do our part to public health while protecting Virginians’ privacy. And once you’ve downloaded it, tell your friends and family to do the same — this will be most effective the more of us that use it. For more information, visit the Department of Health’s COVIDWISE webpage.
November Election: Make a Voting Plan & Elimination of Witness Requirement
The November election is just around the corner, and early in-person voting begins in under one month at your local registrar’s office. I encourage all of you to make your plans to vote in November if you have not already done so; you may find more information on requesting an absentee ballot here.
Additionally, the Attorney General just announced that a federal court approved the waiving of Virginia’s absentee ballot witness requirement for voters that are at-risk during November’s elections. This news is significant — especially for senior and immunocompromised Virginians who may live alone. I welcome this decision, and will continue to advocate for strengthening our democracy moving forward.