NEWSLETTER

AUGUST 24, 2020

Neighbors,

COVID-19 has affected all aspects of our lives, including the way the Virginia House of Delegates operates. While we met in person on August 18 to kick off the 2020 Special Legislative Session, throughout last week, we met virtually to discuss proposed changes to our rules to enable virtual meetings during the remainder of the pandemic.

Meeting virtually allows us to continue serving our constituents while protecting the public health of members, staff, our families, and our communities.

This week, we will have a final vote to be able to continue meeting virtually. Additionally, we will begin working on the House of Delegates updated biennial budget proposal and committees will begin hearing legislation. Below are updates regarding:

Special Legislative Session

Staying Engaged in the Special Session 

Biennial Budget

Legislation

COVID-19 Updates 

Metro service 

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 

Special Legislative Session

Staying Engaged in the Special Session

  • There are many ways that you can stay engaged in the Special Legislative Session. Below is a breakdown of how you can make your voice heard from the safety of your own home:

    • You can view all of the bills that have been introduced for the 2020 Special Legislative Session on the LIS homepage, which is here.  

    • You can watch the live floor session, live committee meetings, and archives of previous meetings here. 

    • Committees will begin hearing legislation this week. You can find the agenda for each committee meeting on the committee’s homepage. Each agenda will identify the bills that have been “docketed” or will be heard during the committee meeting. You can find the full list of committees and access their homepages here.  

    • You can sign-up to provide public comments or submit written comments for committee hearings. Instructions on how to do this is available here.

  • If you have any questions about how to navigate the above resources or want to share your input on any particular issue, please do not hesitate to contact me by emailing me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov or calling my office at 804-698-1042. 

Biennial Budget 

  • Governor Northam introduced his revised biennial budget on August 18. As I mentioned previously, given the economic uncertainty due to COVID-19, the updated budget for fiscal years 2021-2022 is $45.8 billion, which is about a $2.7 billion shortfall from the budget we passed in March at the conclusion of the regular legislative session. You can read the Governor’s updated budget proposal here and watch a recording of his presentation here. 

  • The Virginia Constitution requires us to have a balanced budget. The next step is for the State Senate and House of Delegates to propose amendments to the Governor’s budget. The House Appropriations Committee will be meeting this week to begin hearings on amendments submitted by delegates. 

  • I am introducing several amendments that reflect the needs of our community, including:

    • overtime pay for home health aides

    • waiving in home caretakers from Medicaid’s electronic verification requirements

    • funding for the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial and additional staff for Mason Neck State Park, both located in the 42nd District. 

    • All of these requests were previously included in the budget that passed the General Assembly in March but, in April, were “frozen” or put on hold along with many other initiatives until we can finalize the budget during the special session.

    • In addition, I am asking that medical facilities be required to allow individuals with disabilities to designate a support person to accompany them during appointments. This is to address concerns brought to my attention from constituents who have faced hardships given the changes to visitation and related policies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • The House Appropriations Committee will make all proposed amendments publicly available later this week. Once the amendments are posted, you can view them here. 

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Legislation

  • The 2020 Special Legislative Session has been called to finalize the biennial budget, address the COVID-19 pandemic, and make policing, criminal justice, and social justice reforms. Again, you can view all introduced legislation here.

  • As I noted in my last newsletter, during a special session, we are allowed to only consider bills that pertain to the reasons the Governor has convened the General Assembly. Further, these bills must be within the approved rules that the General Assembly sets at the beginning of each legislative session.  

  • I have introduced a bill to amend Virginia’s  short-time compensation program so that we can be eligible for federal funding. The short-time compensation program allows employers who are experiencing a slowdown to keep workers on their payroll part time rather than laying them off. The affected workers would be able to supplement part of their income with unemployment insurance benefits. This is a priority for Governor Northam and the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis. You can find this bill here. 

COVID-19 Updates

Metro

  • WMATA has announced that starting August 23, 75 percent of Metrobus services have been restored across our region. To see which bus lines are affected and view 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.