Category: Helmer Happenings

A few weeks ago in our district, in a town built on former plantation land by freed slaves, the Clifton Town Council raised a banner, “Welcome to Clifton Where Black Lives Matter.” In a Commonwealth where we have acquiesced to systemic racism expressed in an unequal education system; high mortality rates for Black mothers; a…

There’s something special about a bill you’ve fought for becoming a law. As a new legislator, I’m both excited and humbled that several bills I’ve championed are now officially the law of Virginia. Based on a conversation with a woman who had the courage to come forward and discuss with our office a sexual assault…

In dark times, it can be hard to find hope. This week gave us cause. Early in my Army career, a West Point classmate confided in me that he was gay. Having served honorably in Iraq, his chief fear was not being sent back to a war zone but that he would be discharged simply…

Today I was on the phone with a business colleague, and she told me about a woman she had met in the supermarket who had stopped and talked with her. Suddenly the woman broke into tears, “This is the last basket of food I can afford for my family right now,” she said. “I lost…

I hope you are staying healthy and staying home during these challenging times. This Wednesday, I returned to Richmond for our reconvened legislative session to vote on bills for which the Governor offered amendments or recommendations, including Virginia’s budget. Even in the midst of a pandemic such as this, it is important that we do…

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…

We have considered some weighty matters this year in the General Assembly. Of course, some are a little lighter as well. For all who were concerned, subject to the Governor’s signature, it will now be illegal in Virginia to build a duck blind where it is already illegal to shoot ducks. Perhaps more importantly, as…

Perhaps nothing says more about a people than how we spend our money. This week we passed the House budget, and, as a result, we’ve set the potential for massive gains in Virginia while being prudent with the money that each of us has worked so hard to earn. The House Budget freezes tuition at…

What stands out about being a new delegate is the sheer speed at which our citizen legislature operates. Everyday, I’m reviewing nearly 100 bills as they make their way to the floor as we approach “cross-over,” the day next week when all of our bills need to be passed in order to go to the…