NEWSLETTER

AUGUST 18, 2020

Neighbors,

Today is the start of the 2020 Special Legislative Session. Governor Northam has convened the General Assembly to finalize our biennial budget as well as to consider legislation to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and make police, criminal justice, or social justice reforms. 

We met at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Siegel Center where we were wearing masks and able to maintain social distancing. Many thanks to VCU for their hospitality and to the House Clerk’s team for their hard work to ensure we had a successful session.

Thank you to all those who have reached out to share your experiences during the pandemic and provide your input to issues and legislation being considered during this session. I look forward to working with my colleagues to address these important issues.

Below are updates regarding:

  • Special Legislative Session

  • COVID-19 Updates 

    • Support for Businesses and Nonprofits - Rebuild VA Grants

    • Rent and Mortgage Relief

    • Pediatric Coronavirus Serology Study

    • Fairfax Connector Schedule

    • Metro Schedule

I will continue to provide updates through my e-newsletters and on social media. I encourage you to let your friends and neighbors know that they can sign up for my updates at www.kathyfordelegate.com. 

As always, please let me know if I can be of assistance by calling my office at 804-698-1042 or by emailing me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov. 

Best, Kathy

Delegate, 42nd District 

Legislative Updates

Special Session

  • Unlike a regular legislative session, when General Assembly members are able to introduce bills on any issue, during a special legislative session, members are only able to introduce and debate bills related to the purpose for which the session was convened. Since the 2020 Special Legislative Session has been convened to finalize the biennial budget, address the state’s response to COVID-19, and make police, criminal justice, and social justice reforms, only bills pertaining to these issues will be considered. 

  • Per Virginia’s Constitution, bills passed by the General Assembly during a special session and signed into law will take effect on the first day of the fourth month following the special session. The exception are any bills that pass with an emergency clause, which requires 80% of votes, as well as budget bills. These take effect immediately upon being signed into law.

    • Biennial Budget - As I shared earlier this spring, when the General Assembly passed the biennial budget at the conclusion of the regular legislative session in March, we anticipated a significant budget surplus. However, due to the economic uncertainties of the pandemic, in April, the General Assembly took Governor Northam’s recommendation to keep the budget at the levels of the previous biennial budget and generally “unallocate” or freeze new spending until the state’s revenue could be reforcasted. 

    • Today, based on our revenue reforecast, the Governor announced the biennial budget to be $45.8 billion, which is about a $2.7 billion shortfall from the budget we passed in March. Note, the Virginia Constitution requires us to have a balanced budget.

    • I look forward to working with my colleagues to finalize our budget for fiscal years 2021-2022. Some priorities we will need to address are: 

      • making investments in K-12 education and higher education

      • increasing access to healthcare

      • expanding broadband

      • extending housing protections

      • making reforms to our criminal justice system

      • ensuring the integrity of the November elections

      • COVID-19 Pandemic Relief: To support Virginians impacted by the current public health pandemic, my priorities include: 

      • establishing paid sick leave for Virginia workers, including those who must undergo COVID-19 quarantine.

      • creating a presumption of workers’ compensation for first responders, teachers, and other essential workers

      • prohibiting price gouging for personal protective equipment

    • Criminal Justice Reform: As I have discussed previously and shared in my recent Tele-Town Halls, I stand with my colleagues in the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and many constituents who have reached out in the past few months in support of reforming our criminal justice system to make it more equitable. Below are some of the proposals I support:

      • reforming Virginia’s expungement policies, which is an issue I worked on during the 2020 Regular Legislative Session. 

      • banning the use of chokeholds and other lethal restraints

      • strengthening Virginia’s laws regarding Citizen Review Panels

      • expanding the definition of hate crimes to include false 911 calls made on the basis of race

      • standardizing and enhancing training for all police academies

    • To see the full list of the priorities of the Virginia House Democratic Caucus for the Special Legislative Session, please click here.

  • Staying engaged - You can see the recording of today’s session, as well as subsequent sessions and committee meetings, here: https://virginiageneralassembly.gov/house/chamber/chamberstream.php. 

  • I will share additional information for how you can provide public comments at committee hearings for issues that are important to you. As always, I welcome your feedback. Please do not hesitate to let me know your priorities by contacting me by email or phone.

COVID-19 Updates 

Support for Businesses and Nonprofits - Rebuild VA Grants

  • As I have mentioned, applications for Rebuild Virginia grants are currently being accepted from eligible small businesses and nonprofits. This $70 million program is funded by the federal CARES Act and provides grants up to $10,000 to applicants whose operations have been disrupted by COVID-19. More information is available here.

Rent and Mortgage Relief

  • If you or someone you know is experiencing financial hardships as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and need rent or mortgage assistance, please consider applying to the Rent and Mortgage Relief Program. Below are requirements for eligibility:

    • Households must demonstrate an inability to make rent or mortgage payments due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

    • Monthly rent or mortgage must be at or below 150 percent Fair Market Rent

    • Gross household income must be at or below 80 percent of area median income (AMI)

  • To see if you are eligible or to identify the local RMRP administering organization, visit dhcd.virginia.gov/eligibility or dial 2-1-1 from your phone. 

  • As a reminder, can find housing information and resources in Virginia at stayhomevirginia.com.

Pediatric Coronavirus Serology Study

  • Governor Northam announced that the Virginia Department of Health will conduct a pediatric serology study in Northern Virginia to measure the proportion of children and teenagers with COVID-19 antibodies. The interim results of an ongoing serology study on adults estimates that 2.4 percent of adults across the state have COVID-19 antibodies. To see more information about this announcement, click here. 

Fairfax Connector 

  • The Fairfax Connector will resume full service on August 29 with additional service enhancements. To learn more about the service enhancements and their new safety protocols, click here. 

Metro

  • WMATA announced that the East Falls Church and Arlington Cemetery metro stations are set to reopen on August 23, which is ahead of their previously announced schedule. Additionally, the Dunn Lorring and Vienna metro stations are scheduled to reopen on September 8. To see the full announcement, click here. 

View my summary of the 2020 legislative session here.

View my previous e-newsletters here.

View my new COVID-19 resource page to see a summary of state actions, guidance, and resources here.