NEWSLETTER

GREETINGS FROM RICHMOND

Greetings!

We are less than two weeks away until the end of the legislative session. Both the House of Delegates and the State Senate are continuing to work diligently to finish committee hearings as well as negotiate a final budget.

Below are my updates from my past week in Richmond. As always, if I can be of any assistance, please email me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov or call (804) 698-1042. 

Cheers, Kathy

Budget Highlights

This legislative session, one of the General Assembly’s key responsibilities is to pass a biennial budget for 2020-2022. I voted in favor of the House of Delegates’ budget proposal - this proposal makes strategic investments to expand access to healthcare, strengthen our public schools, and modernize our transportation system while meeting our Constitutional requirement to balance our budget and increasing investments in the state’s “Rainy Day Fund.” Below is a highlight of the proposed budget: 

To expand access to healthcare, the proposed budget:

Provides $36.5 million for a state reinsurance program, beginning in Year 2022, aimed at lowering overall premiums for Virginians. 

Invests $41.8 million to add 1,135 new developmental disability waiver slots. 

Increases rates for Medicaid providers, including personal care workers, by investing $164 milion.

Addresses racial disparities in maternal health by funding a certified doula program and expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months. 

To invest in our public schools, the proposed budget:

Invests $290.6 million over the biennium to give our hardworking teachers a 2 percent pay raise each year of the budget. 

Increases funding for the Virginia Preschool Initiative by $79.4 million to expand pre-K access across our Commonwealth. 

Provides $111.8 million to public institutions of higher education to continue the freeze on tuition. 

Establishes Governor Northam’s proposed “Get Skilled, Get a Job, and Give Back” (G3) program by providing $71 million to assist eligible students in attending Virginia’s community college system. 

To address our transportation needs, pursuant to the passed of House Bill 1444, the budget:

Increases SMART Scale funding available to Fairfax and Loudoun County by $200 million.

Restores an additional $45 million for the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, which is used to improve our regional transportation infrastructure. 

Increases the Virginia Department of Transportation’s road maintenance budget by $40 million, which includes maintenance of secondary roads and highways. 

Expands VRE and Amtrak service by increasing VRE service on the Fredericksburg line by 75 percent and doubling Amtrak service between Richmond and DC. 

The proposed budget also invests in the following initiatives:

Provides $2.4 million to establish the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Prevention Fund.

Increases funding for the Housing Trust Fund by $56 million. 

Creates a Food Access Investment Program that will provide $5.8 million in grants to underserved communities.

I am also pleased to share that a number of my funding requests for the 42nd District were approved by the House of Delegates, and the budget:

Increases funding to Mason Neck State Park by $2.6 million to address staffing and infrastructure needs. I am thankful to have worked with Friends of Mason Neck State Park on this important investment. 

Provides $100,000, a portion of my request, to support the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial and honor suffragists who fought for women’s right to vote. 

The proposed budget will also add $300 million to the state’s “Rainy Day Fund,” bringing it to historic levels and helping us to maintain our AAA bond rating.

You can view the Senate and House budgets, as well as an analysis by The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, in the hyperlinks. 

Two of my bills have passed the Senate and are now on their way to Governor Northam to be signed into law. Here is an update on the two bills:

House Bill 1198: This bill amends current provisions regarding the Virginia Board of Workforce Development to align with federal law and gives the Board flexibility in making decisions on staffing needs and committee structures.

House Bill 1199: This bill will provide whistleblower protections for employees and independent contractors if they report that their employer is misclassifying workers to avoid paying required benefits or other compensation. 

One of my bills this week unfortunately failed in the Senate. Here is an update on that bill:

House Bill 1142: This bill would restrict access to alcohol for attendees at public K-12 school sponsored events hosted at non-school facilities. This issue was brought to me by Kyle, a constituent. Unfortunately, the Senate Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services tabled the bill for the year.

Constituent Meetings

This week my staff and I met with constituents from the Virginia Land Title Association, Christopher Newport University, and Edu-Futuro. Additionally, I welcomed Girl Scout Troop 52027 from the 42nd District and introduced them from the House of Delegates gallery.

Thank you to all the constituents that attended the Town Hall that I hosted at Laurel Hill Elementary School with Delegate Mark Sickles, Senator George Barker, and Senator Scott Surovell. We had a robust discussion on a variety of issues, including transportation funding, environmental protections, services for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, expansion of dental coverage, and the various gun safety legislation that were introduced this year. 

If you belong to a homeowners association, community group, or neighborhood huddle and would like me to provide a legislative update at a future meeting, please email me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov.