It’s been a cold week, and I hope all are staying safe and warm. I am thinking of friends in Texas and other locales more severely impacted by this cold spell, and I hope that your own friends and family are doing okay. Severe weather, including unusual cold and hot extremes, is a feature of global warming. Combating climate change and increasing our resilience to severe weather are critical priorities of mine in the General Assembly.
I have been disappointed that my efforts to reach across the aisle on climate action have often confronted the hard reality of our hyper-partisan times. But despite deep divisions, I remain committed to building common cause wherever possible. On that front, I’m incredibly excited that House Bill 1820 passed unanimously yesterday out of the Senate after its unanimous passage out of the House a couple weeks ago. This bill will help put food on the table for more than 25,000 families and create more than $100 million per year in economic activity in Virginia. To me, it is proof that there remain opportunities to bridge divides and help those in need, even on issues like food assistance that have proven divisive in the past.
I remain as committed as ever to the principles that made me decide to be involved in politics in the first place. But I also remain equally committed to finding allies wherever I can and creating coalitions that help us achieve those principles. Not every effort of mine to reach across the aisle, or even my own party, is successful, but I’ll continue to try. And along the way I hope to continue to find opportunities to legislate, like this bill, where the opportunities to agree are far larger than the opportunities to disagree and where doing so can build a better community and Commonwealth.
Events and Meetings
Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to donate blood through INOVA Blood Donor Services. Blood donors are needed to maintain supply and your donation will have a direct impact — according to the Red Cross, every 2 seconds someone in America needs blood, and your donation may save up to three lives. If you are able, sign up for an appointment by clicking here or calling 866-256-6372.
On Tuesday, I met with Virginia health officials to discuss updates for the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. During our meeting, I raised concerns I have heard from our district surrounding Virginia’s new statewide pre-registration system as well as Fairfax County’s decision not to take part in this new system. While Fairfax County has decided to temporarily opt out of the statewide pre-registration system for logistical reasons, this decision will result in no disadvantages to Fairfax County residents. Prince William County has joined the statewide registration system, and Prince William residents can pre-register for an appointment here. Additionally, going forward both Fairfax County and Prince William County residents will receive weekly email updates on their waitlist status. With a number of new changes to the vaccine registration process this week, I’m glad I had a chance to speak with health officials about what these developments mean for our district.
This Sunday, I am hosting a virtual vaccine town hall focusing on distribution in Fairfax County with Delegate Karrie Delaney and Senator Dave Marsden. We will also be joined by Virginia’s vaccine coordinator, Dr. Danny Avula, and the Director of the Fairfax County Health Department, Dr. Gloria Addo-Ayensu. The town hall will begin at 1pm on Facebook Live and you can find a link to the event here; you do not need a Facebook account to attend. This town hall will provide participants with an opportunity to hear directly from health officials about the status of the vaccine rollout. If you have any questions that you would like to raise for the event, you can submit them in advance here. It is my hope that this town hall will provide some much-needed clarity on vaccine distribution.
We are currently collecting petition signatures to get us on the ballot. In an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, it was recently announced that candidates will be allowed to collect petition signatures electronically.
If you are an eligible voter in the 40th District and would like to help us get on the ballot for re-election, 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.
Please let me know if you have any questions or have trouble completing the form and a member of my team will assist you.
Legislative Updates
Earlier this week, Governor Northam signed the General Assembly’s emergency COVID-19 legislation into law. Going forward, all healthcare workers licensed by the Virginia Department of Health or the Virginia Department of Health Professions, trained healthcare students, and recently retired healthcare workers can volunteer to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. As we move to our goal of 50,000 shots administered per day, this legislation will be immensely helpful in getting more Virginians vaccinated faster, and I was proud to help advance this bill as a co-patron in the House of Delegates.
This week, we saw two of our bills, HB 1811 and HB 1820, pass the Senate floor with bipartisan support. HB 1811, which helps Virginia invest in energy efficient products and helps save taxpayer dollars, passed the Senate on Monday. HB 1820 will expand access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during a time where food insecurity rates are on the rise in our Commonwealth, and this bill received unanimous support in the Senate. These two measures passing both the House and Senate represent major milestones in their progress, and I’m confident that we will see them signed into law.
We also saw many of our bills pass out of committee this week. On Tuesday, HB 2020 reported out of the Senate Privileges & Elections Committee with bipartisan support. This bill ensures that active duty military, students, and people with disabilities can participate in their party’s nominating processes. On Wednesday, HB 1908 and HB 2001 both passed out of the Senate General Laws Committee. HB 1908 secures housing protections for government workers who missed rent payments due to a government shutdown; and HB 2001 helps decrease costs and increase efficiency in government buildings in our Commonwealth. I am encouraged to see all of these bills take another step forward, and I’m looking forward to working to get them across the finish line.
I was also glad to be able to lend a helping hand to my friend Senator Spruill, whose Senate Bill 1157 will move all local elections to November. I believe that this pro-military, pro-student, pro-democracy measure will expand access to the ballot box, and was glad to help it pass the House. You can watch my floor speech about this bill here.
COVID-19 Updates
Virginia is now using a statewide vaccine registration system, which you can access here. However, it is important to note that Fairfax County has chosen to opt out of the statewide system for the time being, and Fairfax residents can pre-register for the vaccine here. For Prince William County residents who have already pre-registered for the vaccine through their county health department, you do not need to re-register on the new statewide system. Those who have already pre-registered have been automatically transferred to the statewide system, and your registration status will not be affected. If you are unsure of whether or not you pre-registered for the vaccine, you can now check your registration status here.
Governor Northam has also announced a new vaccine hotline, which you can reach at (877) 829-4682. 750 people were hired to work the phones, and the hotline has multiple language options. This hotline will be accessible from 8am-8pm each day with the goal of providing Virginians information about the vaccine distribution as well as registration assistance. Prince William County residents can also continue to use the Prince William Health Department Call Center, which can be reached at (703) 872-7759 from 9am-4:30pm each day.
CVS Pharmacy is also administering vaccines to Virginians ages 65 and older. CVS receives their own vaccine supply from the federal government and does not use Virginia’s pre-registration list for their appointment registration. You can check their page for available appointments here.
With our vaccination rate continuing to rise and cases continuing to fall, I am hopeful that our Commonwealth is getting closer to a safe reopening and a return to normalcy. It is critical we do all we can to get our kids back in school and to re-open Virginia safely.
Additionally, I am encouraged by recent initiatives to increase communication and transparency for this process. However, there is still work to be done to improve our vaccine rollout. We still do not have enough vaccines for all who are eligible, which I know is frustrating for those who have been waiting for an appointment for many weeks. Additionally, the multiple avenues for vaccine registration can make this process confusing. If you have any questions or concerns about recent updates to the vaccine rollout, please let me know.
Favorites of the 40th
Located in Centreville, Yeppi Grooming offers a variety of dog grooming services at a reasonable price. Yeppi Grooming proudly uses the best organic products on the market, and their services include grooming, bathing, brush-outs, nail care, ear cleaning and teeth brushing. In addition to their professional grooming services, Yeppi Grooming strives to provide love and care for your dog. If you would like to learn more about Yeppi Grooming, you can visit yeppipetgrooming.com.
Thank you for your engagement and partnership in our work this past week. If our office can be of assistance to you in any way, please feel free to reach out. I hope you have a happy and healthy weekend.
Warm Regards,
Dan Helmer