NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER 30, 2020
Neighbors,
The 2021 legislative session starts on January 13. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the General Assembly to continue moving Virginia forward.
The House of Delegates will convene virtually during the upcoming session. Similar to previous years, I invite you to share your feedback about your priorities for our community. As always, you can email me or call my office with your input. I will also be hosting or participating in town halls, publishing my electronic constituent survey, having session office hours, and sharing details about how to virtually follow the session. More information to come!
Below are upcoming opportunities to have your voice heard and updates on Virginia’s COVID response.
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.
Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!
Take care, Kathy
Delegate, 42nd District
UPCOMING TOWN HALLS
South County Delegation Tele-Town Hall
Tuesday, January 5 at 7pm
Join South County Delegates Vivian Watts, Mark Sickles, Paul Krizek, and me for a tele-town hall to discuss our priorities for the upcoming 2021 legislative session.
Dial-in (605) 472-5239 | Access Code 811044 | Submit Questions here
Fairfax Delegation Public Forum
Saturday, January 9 from 9am-noon
Members of the Fairfax County Delegation to the Virginia General Assembly will hold a virtual public forum. This is an annual opportunity for Fairfax County residents to share their concerns as we prepare for the 2021 legislative session. There will be 70 speaking slots, each for two minutes. County residents must sign-up ahead of time for a slot. The following link will be updated with a live registration form on January 4: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/countyexec/genassemblydelegation_publichearing
Save the Date: Virtual Transportation Town Hall
Saturday, January 16 at 10am
I will be hosting a virtual town hall with the Virginia Department of Transportation to discuss winter weather preparation, the upcoming 2021 repaving schedule, and infrastructure projects in the 42nd District and our region. I will provide more information about how to register soon.
COVID-19 UPDATES
Rebuild Virginia Economic Recovery Fund
Governor Northam has allocated an additional $20 million in CARES Act funding for the Rebuild Virginia Economic Recovery Fund, which will help small businesses and nonprofits that previously applied before the funding was exhausted. To date, Rebuild Virginia has provided critical funding to 2,500 small businesses and nonprofits impacted by COVID-19.
Unemployment Insurance Benefits
New way to file UI claims - The Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) has announced that individuals filing for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits must now file initial and weekly claims through Gov2Go (https://web.getgov2go.com/signin) instead of the Virginia Workforce Connection site. The VEC has sent robocalls and texts to all claimants who have used the internet over the last six months to file their UI claims with this information. As always, if you are experiencing issues with your UI claim, please reach out to me via email or phone.
Other Updates for UI claimants and businesses- Governor Northam issued Executive Order 74 requiring the VEC to automatically distribute UI benefits to certain Virginians who have had their benefits halted by the VEC’s adjudication process.
Additionally, to mitigate the potential rise in UI taxes for businesses, businesses will be “held harmless” for lay-offs that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. This temporary change means that Virginia businesses will not have to pay an additional $200 million to replenish the UI Trust Fund.
You can read the announcement by Governor Northam here and read the full text of Executive Order 74 here.