Each day, our team begins our daily meeting with one of us talking about what is motivating us. On Wednesday, that was easy for all of us. And yes, we were inspired by the transition of power between Administrations and the elevation of the first woman to national office — in particular as Vice President Harris and Dr. Jill Biden had campaigned alongside me in 2019 for this seat.
But I think what left us feeling even more hopeful and inspired was Carrie Welton. A mutual friend introduced me to Carrie. At 16, after two years of various forms of homelessness, she became pregnant. She graduated high school with her baby in attendance and then worked low wage jobs until her child started kindergarten. She knew she wanted to get a degree after high school to break the cycle of poverty. Working community college studies into her schedule whenever she could, she struggled to get her degree until her welfare caseworker told her that she could still receive public benefits even if she attended school full time. Knowing that, she managed to complete her Bachelor’s Degree, eleven years after she started school. After all her struggles, she decided to dedicate herself to making sure others had access to school. She has become one of the smartest people in the country on public benefits and works today for the Hope Center.
Carrie let me know that at the price of changing coding in our computer systems and adding a staffer or two, changes to Virginia law could result in 25,000 Virginia families having access to food at a time when the number of Virginians facing food insecurity nearly doubled. Children in those families would have access to free lunch and not be hungry in school. Other no cost changes would allow women and men like her to attend school and obtain a degree rather than being pushed into low-wage jobs. Graduating would mean they would be far less likely to need public benefits in the future, breaking the cycle of poverty. These changes would also create $10.5 million in new economic activity in Virginia.
On Wednesday, we brought a bill based on our discussions to a subcommittee and it passed unanimously and with bipartisan support. When we listen to one another and work closely on finding pragmatic solutions, there are still major opportunities for progress on behalf of our Commonwealth. We still have a ways to go before the bill becomes a law, but this Friday, Carrie’s advocacy and the work of helping people in these difficult times has me optimistic that we can build a better politics and improve our community, Commonwealth and country.
Events & Meetings
This week, I had the chance to meet with members of the Virginia Young Democrats. Their legislative priorities for this year include providing time for middle and high school students to participate in a political or civic activity, and allowing those ages 16 and up to pre-register to vote. I also spoke with members of the National Federation of the Blind. During this legislative session, they are advocating for new crosswalks safer for drivers and blind pedestrians, the opportunity for blind people to vote independently, and improved hiring processes for people with disabilities.
During Tuesday’s Military and Veterans Caucus meeting, Major General Timothy Williams gave a presentation on how we can best support our National Guard. I greatly appreciated his thoughtfulness and sound advice on this topic. I and my colleagues in the Military and Veterans Caucus shared a letter of gratitude to our National Guard for their deployment into our Nation’s Capital on January 6th, which you can read here. I am thankful for the Virginia National Guard’s service and sacrifice, and will do whatever I can to support them.
And on Thursday night, I met with members of the Acacia Lodge members in Clifton, located right next to our district office. While this year’s session has brought no shortage of Zoom meetings, it’s great to have the chance to virtually connect with constituents and advocates on all kinds of issues.
Legislative Updates
This week, a number of our bills reached major benchmarks. HB 1908, which helps ensure that furloughed federal employees and contractors can find housing in the future, passed the House with bipartisan support. Two of our green energy bills, HB 1811 and HB 2001, have also passed through the House General Laws Committee this week. These bills will help us reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce energy costs, and ensure we are building towards long-term greener infrastructure in the state. You can follow all the bills we’re working on here.
In addition to the bills that I am carrying, I have had the chance to help lead on impactful legislation patroned by my colleagues this week. HB 1888, which includes a number of reforms to make absentee voting more accessible, passed the House on Tuesday. During a time where many are choosing to stay home to protect themselves and others, I am proud to help Virginians make their voice heard through absentee ballots. HB 1848, of which I am a co-patron, passed out of committee this week. This legislation adds discrimination on the basis of disability as an unlawful employment practice under the Virginia Human Rights Act. This bill represents a necessary step in discrimination protections for people with disabilities, and I am proud to help push this legislation forward.
COVID Updates
Individuals 65+ as well as people ages 16-65 with an underlying medical condition are now eligible to register for the vaccine in both Fairfax and Prince William counties. Prince William County residents can register here and Fairfax County residents can register here.
We’ve been hearing a number of concerns from the district related to the COVID vaccine, including long wait times when registering online and canceled appointments. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak with COVID vaccine czar Dr. Danny Avula and I raised many of your experiences with him directly. Dr. Avula acknowledged that the website software issued by the federal government, which we were promised would work by the CDC, has had issues that have made registering for an appointment online nearly impossible in some cases. He said that in the coming weeks, the Department of Health is going to roll out new software which will hopefully remedy this issue. He also acknowledged delays in vaccine distribution, which have been primarily caused by the federal government giving a smaller allotment of vaccines to the Commonwealth than requested.
In my conversations with health officials, I will continue to stress that we need to do more to improve this process. Please do not hesitate to share your concerns with me — nothing is more important than getting people vaccinated, and I will do everything I can to help fix problems surrounding vaccine distribution and communication.
Favorites of the 40th
Margaret Fisher is a Clifton resident who has been landscaping her property to support our local wildlife and is an organizer for Plant NOVA Natives. This campaign is the joint marketing effort of over 140 Northern Virginia organizations, all working together to promote native plants as the first step toward creating usable habitat on our properties.
Baby songbirds eat a diet almost exclusively of insects, and insects can only eat the plants with which they evolved, so planting native plants and eliminating invasive introduced plants helps rescue our local birds, butterflies, and the rest of the ecosystem. Margaret writes an article each month on how you can use your yard to create a local wildlife habitat, and you can read her articles here.
Thank you for staying engaged in the democratic process and for following along this session. If our office can be helpful to you in any way during this time, please reach out. I hope you have a happy and healthy weekend.
Warm Regards,
Dan Helmer