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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Thank you to the voters of the 37th House District for the honor of representing our community for another term! I am blessed to work with so many people who care about each other and contribute to our quality of life in so many ways.
With the elections behind us, I am now focused on the important work ahead for the 2022 session and beyond. In addition, Virginia is wrapping up the process of redistricting to reflect shifts in population and to un-gerrymander district lines in accordance with the constitutional amendment adopted in 2020. Please see below for opportunities to provide your input!
Redistricting Maps - Your Chance to Comment!
I hope you will take a once in a decade opportunity to share your thoughts on proposed state and federal legislative districts.
While I represent the 37th District for the next two years, all legislators will run in new districts come the next election. Unfortunately, the bipartisan Virginia Redistricting Commission was not able to come to consensus on new maps. As a result, that responsibility has fallen to the Virginia Supreme Court. The Supreme Court solicited the help of two special masters – one from a list submitted by the Democratic Party and one from the Republican Party. Together, these two masters have released a draft of Virginia’s new districts.
Overall, the special masters have done a pretty good job – with districts being relatively compact and respecting jurisdictional boundaries. However, as with any such effort, it is difficult for map makers on a state-wide scale to truly understand local communities of interest. For example, communities often have shared interests when it comes to schools, HOAs, civic associations, cultural activities, etc. That is where you come in!
Now that the draft maps have been released, the public is invited to make suggestions for improvements. The best place to start is this memo from the Supreme Court. From here you can access proposed state and federal maps as either PDFs or in an interactive format. The interactive map has a handy feature where you can pick a spot on the map and make comments. You can also email comments to redistricting@vacourts.gov. The deadline for comments is December 20 at 1:00 p.m.
As for the current 37th District? Well, the proposed map splits it up three ways. The bulk of the current district is in the new 11th District, which includes the City of Fairfax, Fairfax Villa, the Fair Oaks area, and Oakton. Sideburn (my home precinct), Eagle View, and Powell precincts are now in the new 10th District, which includes Fairfax Station, Clifton, and parts of Centreville. That puts me together Delegate Dan Helmer, who currently represents the 40th District. Finally, Fair Oaks, London Towne, and Stone South precincts are in the new 9th District, which includes Fair Lakes, Chantilly, and parts of Centreville.
Do you have ideas for how to make the maps better – please weigh in!
Pre-Session Public Hearing
Each year, the Fairfax delegation gathers for a pre-session public hearing. This is a great way for residents to share their priorities and concerns about the upcoming session.
This year’s event will be held on Saturday, January 8, 2022, at 9 a.m. Advanced registration is required. Speaker registration opens on Monday, December 20, and closes on Thursday, January 6 at noon. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Governor’s Proposed Budget
Today, Governor Northam introduced his proposed budget for the FY2023/FY2024 biennium. In Virginia, we have the interesting phenomenon where the outgoing governor introduces the budget even though he will not be in office when it gets debated.
Overall, there is a lot to like – much of which is enabled by a surplus from last year and a healthy revenue outlook. While that is good news, we need to be cautious to not structurally imbalance the budget by committing to new ongoing programs with one-time increases in revenue.
With that caveat, here are just a few of the highlights:
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Fiscal Stability: $1.7 billion to the Commonwealth’s revenue reserves. This is important as we face continued uncertainty in the economy and with COVID-19.
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Virginia Retirement System: $1 billion into VRS. This will ensure that our system is structurally sound and that Virginia can honor our commitments to public employees.
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Raising Teacher Pay to the National Average: 10% raise for teachers over two years to finally bring Virginia’s teacher salaries up to the national average.
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Funding for Law Enforcement: $223 million in increased funding for State Troopers, correctional officers, deputy sheriffs, and regional jail officers.
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Community Services: $263 million for community-based services to individuals with behavioral health needs. This includes expanding permanent supportive housing and enhancing crisis and addiction support services.
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Developmental Disabilities: $675 million to strengthen services for individuals with developmental disabilities, including adding 1,200 new Medicaid waiver slots.
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School Construction/Renovation: $500 million for grants to localities for school construction or renovation.
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Educationally At-Risk Students: $268 million for at-risk students, including funding to address learning loss as a result of COVID-19.
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Early Childhood Education: $73 million to expand access to early childhood education.
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Parks and Outdoor Recreation: $245 million to improve and maintain our state parks and to expand Virginia’s system of trails.
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Land and Water Conservation: $410 million in land and water conversation, including $313 million to the Water Quality Improvement Fund for Chesapeake Bay restoration.
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Wastewater Treatment: $165 million to help Richmond, Alexandria, and Lynchburg upgrade wastewater systems and prevent sewage overflows to local rivers.
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Economic Development: $150 million in site readiness initiatives to help Virginia better compete for large and mid-sized manufacturing projects.
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Affordable Housing: $190 million deposit into the Virginia Housing Trust Fund to reduce homelessness and create and preserve affordable housing.
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Higher Education: $150 million to increase undergraduate financial aid.
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Free Community College: $38 million in additional investments to expand tuition-free community college for low- and middle-income students who pursue jobs in high-demand fields.
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Cybersecurity: Over $60 million for cybersecurity upgrades to the Virginia Information Technologies Agency and across state government.
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Gun Safety: $27 million to establish the Center for Firearm Violence and Intervention and Prevention to research and implement programs to reduce gun violence in our communities.
The Governor has also proposed three tax reductions/rebates:
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Grocery Sales Tax: Eliminate the state sales tax on groceries (currently 1.5%).
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Earned Income Tax Credit: Make up to 15% of the federal earned income tax credit refundable for eligible families. This program is designed to reduce the amount that low- and middle-income working people owe in taxes.
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One-Time Rebates: Provide a one-time tax rebate to everyone who files state income taxes in Virginia - $250 for individuals and $500 for married couples.
I welcome your thoughts!
My Legislation
This year is shaping up to be a busy one for my own legislative agenda. At the end of November, I submitted drafting requests for 25 bills. These touch on topics including campaign finance reform (this last election went on record as the most expensive in Virginia’s history), early childhood education, SOL/testing reform, public input on state construction projects, climate change resiliency, digital literacy, and rooftop solar – just to name a few. I am also working on several budget items related to economic recovery, water quality, affordable housing, and education. More details to come in future newsletters.
Finally, please watch your mailboxes for my annual constituent survey and information about our mid-session town hall meeting – which hopefully will be in person this year!
Wishing you and your family peace and joy for the Holiday Season and the New Year!
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