When I grew up, my dad couldn’t walk away from a stray dog or cat, and we took care of many growing up. We’ve carried on some of that among my own family, and Karen, Harris, Aaron, and I are excited to adopt our newest addition, Ace, who is a 10 lbs, 10 week old puppy and was found as a stray by the side of the road. We’re so excited to have this new addition to the team!
On the official front, last Saturday our regular session closed with the passage of our budget, the final regular session of my first term in office. I ended the session mounting a successful, bipartisan effort to kill a corporate giveaway that would have hurt everyday Virginians, as reported by the Virginia Mercury. I remain committed to ensuring our General Assembly always puts people before profits.
On Monday, March 1st, two bills I carried during last year’s special session to address the pandemic and police reform went into effect. One of those bills helps expand access to PPE for our non-profit and private sector employees. The other ensures that police have the equipment they need to be safe while also ensuring that outside truly extraordinary circumstances, military equipment meant for the battlefield is not being used for civil policing. While running for this seat in 2019, I could not imagine the momentous challenges we’d face on so many fronts. I’m so humbled and thankful to have been part of such an important period in our community, Commonwealth, and country’s history.
During the past two years, we’ve been able to move important issues forward. We’ve taken on the health and economic crisis resulting from COVID. We’ve made our elections freer and fairer by making it easier to vote securely, passing legislation to expand absentee voting and implement same-day voter registration. We’ve taken bold steps to address climate change, creating a roadmap and mandate to make our power generation sector carbon-free. We raised the minimum wage, abolished the death penalty, and implemented mandatory background checks for gun sales.
The trust you’ve bestowed in me to serve our district has been the honor of a lifetime, and I’m committed to continuing the fight for progress for our community, Commonwealth, and country.
Events and Meetings
On Sunday, I hosted a town hall with Senator George Barker. It was great to chat with folks about the bills we’ve been working on and answer questions about this year’s legislative session. Thank you to all those who took time out of their weekend to attend.
On Tuesday, I met with the Sully Democrats. We discussed legislative updates and took a moment to celebrate the progress we’ve made. I had a great time speaking with Sully Dems members and appreciate their continued engagement and support.
This Tuesday, we will be hosting another community check-in phonebank. Our team will be calling members of the district to answer their questions about the vaccine, provide them with resources, and help them with the registration process. This builds on our previous outreach efforts and is going to be a weekly phonebank. No experience is necessary to join. If you would like to help out, you can sign up using this link.
This is our last weekend to collect petition signatures to get on the ballot. If you are an eligible voter in the 40th District and would like to help, you can print out this pre-filled electronic petition form here. Please indicate whether you live in Fairfax or Prince William County, and include all of the following information: Full Name, Full Address, Date, and the Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Legislative Updates
The legislative session officially adjourned on Monday. This year, I introduced seven bills, all of which gained bipartisan support. Of these seven bills, five are headed to the Governor’s desk, including our final bill House Bill 1811 which passed the Senate on Saturday. This legislation helps combat climate change and decreases government costs at the same time. Our bills this year focused on commonsense solutions to the challenges facing our Commonwealth; ensuring that active duty military have a say in their party’s nominee, helping Virginians put food on the table, protecting employees’ lawful use of CBD oil, and moving our Commonwealth to invest in green energy while decreasing costs. I look forward to seeing all five of these bills signed into law by the Governor.
On Saturday, the General Assembly reached an agreement on Virginia’s budget. This year’s budget includes a 5% pay raise for our teachers, who have worked so hard to provide students with a quality education during this pandemic. Also included in the budget is relief for small businesses, many of which have suffered greatly under the pandemic. Additionally, there is much-needed funding allocated for administering the COVID vaccine and purchasing personal protective equipment to protect public safety officials from the virus. I’m glad that the General Assembly could come together and support a budget that provides direct help to Virginians.
COVID Updates
This week, Virginia received an exciting vaccine update. The Governor’s team announced that every Virginian who wants a vaccine should be able to receive one by the end of May, and those in the 1B group should all be vaccinated by April. With the Johnson & Johnson vaccine now approved and available, our Commonwealth is expected to receive a significant increase of vaccine supply, which will help move this process forward. Virginia will be receiving 69,000 doses of the new vaccine this weekend, which only requires one shot and is much easier to store. Additionally, we should be receiving 500,000 to 650,000 doses of the vaccine each week by April.
I am highly encouraged by this recent vaccine news and feel hopeful that a return to normalcy is on the horizon. However, I know that it will require hard work to get this process right and I will continue to do all I can to help get shots in arms. If you are eligible for the vaccine and have not registered yet, those living in Fairfax County can do so here and those living in Prince William County can go here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding the vaccine and I will work to get you answers.
Favorites of the Fortieth
This week, Manna Bistro and Bakery was named as one of Yelp’s Top 100 places to eat in 2021. Manna is a family-owned restaurant in our district serving Ethiopian and Spanish cuisine. Congratulations to the entire team at Manna for this well-deserved recognition.
Thank you for your continued engagement during our legislative session this year. As always, my office is here to be a resource during this time — please don’t hesitate to reach out. Wishing you a happy and healthy weekend.
Warm Regards,
Dan Helmer