NEWSLETTER

February 1, 2023

Neighbors,

Throughout February, we celebrate Black History Month and lift up the immense cultural, social, and economic contributions of Black people to Virginia and our country. We must also commit to working in solidarity to achieve racial and economic justice.

I was honored to present a commendation to my constituents Dan and Natalie on behalf of Northern Virginia Resettling Afghan Families Together (NoVA RAFT). When the US left Afghanistan in August 2021, Dan and Natalie led efforts to organize volunteers in our community to help hundreds of Afghans resettle throughout Northern Virginia. NoVA RAFT continues to provide assistance to Afghan families, inspiring us with their leadership, compassion, generosity, and dedication to helping our new neighbors.

Thank you to all of my constituents who have shared their input to legislation that we are considering in the General Assembly this year. For tips on staying engaged in the legislative process, see my website here.

In this newsletter, I’ve included information about the following:

  • Town Halls

  • Community Meetings

  • Press Conference

  • Legislative Updates

    • My Legislative Agenda

    • Speaking on the House Floor

    • Other Legislative Updates

  • Transportation Updates

    • WMATA Multi-Year Strategic Transformation Plan Input

    • Supervisor Walkinshaw’s community meeting

  • Small Business Tourism Grants

As always, let me know if you have questions or need assistance by calling my office at (804) 698-1042 or emailing me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov. 

Best, Kathy

Kathy KL Tran

Delegate

Town Halls

Town Hall with Delegate Kathy Tran

 and Senator Scott Surovell 

February 4 at 10:00am

South County Middle School

8700 Laurel Crest Drive, Lorton, VA 22079

Please note venue change

I hope to see you at the in-person legislative town hall I am hosting with Senator Scott Surovell on Saturday, February 4 at South County Middle School - Please note venue change!

Thank you to the more than 200 constituents and neighbors who participated in my town hall this week to discuss road safety on Lee Chapel Road. Thanks to VDOT, Fairfax County Department of Transportation, Senator George Barker, Board of Supervisors Chair Jeff McKay, Supervisor Pat Herrity, Supervisor Dan Storck, School Board Member Laura Jane Cohen, and School Board Member Karen Corbett Sanders for joining and working together on this issue.

Community Meetings

I thanked CASA members for advocating for my bill, House Bill 2210, to expand health care to all kids, regardless of immigration status, affordable housing, and support for students who are English language learners. 

It was a pleasure to see my constituent, Scott Stroh, who is the executive director of Gunston Hall. He shared updates about the estate and the priorities of the Virginia Association of Museums. 

And a huge thank you to all of the constituents and activists who came to see me last week! My staff and I visited with Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, the NoVA Association of Realtors, The Arc of Northern Virginia, Virginia Humanities, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Burke United Methodist Church, Virginia Dental Hygienists Association, and Postpartum Support Virginia.

Press Conference

I joined Delegate Marcia Price, The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, Voices for Virginia’s Children and parents at a press conference to push for targeted relief for working families. Virginia has almost a $4.5 billion surplus. Rather than giving large corporations a tax cut at a time when profits are soaring, we have an opportunity to put working Virginia families first. 

I spoke about my bill HB2205 to establish the Commonwealth Kids Credit. This bill aims to help address child poverty for an estimated 1.3 million Virginian kids by establishing a tax credit of $500 for every child under the age of 18 in households making up to $100,000.

Legislative Updates

My Legislative Agenda

Six of my bills were heard in subcommittee last week.

  • HB 2211 passed unanimously out of subcommittee. This bill helps fill our critical nursing workforce needs while tapping into the skills of immigrants and refugees by clarifying the process by which internationally trained nurses are tested and certified for work in Virginia. Thank you to Church World Services, the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, Inova, HCA Hospitals, and Virginia Health Care Association for your support.

  • HB 2453 passed unanimously out of subcommittee. This bill creates a pilot program to provide all-terrain wheelchairs at our state parks to increase accessibility. I appreciate having the support of the disAbility Law Center and the Mason Neck State Parks Friends Association, whose members, Kris and Hillary, my constituent, testified during the hearing.

You can read more about the use of all-terrain wheelchairs in state and national parks across the country in this Washington Post piece.

  • HB 2472 failed on a party-line vote. The bill requires hospitals that participate in the federal 340B program to report how they are investing the savings from the program into the local community. The 340B Drug Pricing Program helps safety-net nonprofit hospitals save money by purchasing prescription drugs at a discount, with a goal of ensuring these hospitals have additional resources to increase services for low-income patients. The Richmond Community Health Equity Coalition, Virginia Poverty Law Center, and Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy stood with me in pushing for health equity.

This bill was covered by the 340B Report, WRIC ABC 8News, and was featured on the front page of the Richmond Times-Dispatch. 

  • HB 2210 failed on a party-line vote. This bill expands health care to vulnerable kids by creating a Medicaid-like program for about 13,000 undocumented children in Virginia. I have introduced this bill for two years and am grateful for the support of many organizations, including The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, New Virginia Majority, CASA, Virginia Poverty Law Center, and Virginia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and many other organizations.

  • HB 2215 failed on a party-line vote. This bill requires long-term care insurance companies to notify their policyholders if they request an increase to premiums, and ensures that Virginia’s insurance regulator takes into consideration the impact to policyholders when evaluating these requests. I have worked on this issue for two years and thank my constituent, Jeff, for sharing his experience and the Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and Virginia AARP for their support.

  • HB 2217 failed on a party-line vote. This bill requires the Secretaries of Education and Labor to study the realignment of our workforce system to maximize the best outcomes for Virginia’s job seekers and employers. Thank you to the Virginia AFL-CIO for standing with me.

Speaking on the House Floor

I made a floor speech to celebrate the Lunar New Year and address the mass shooting in Monterey Park, California. I called for solidarity with the AAPI community as we deal with the devastation of a shooting in a majority AAPI community and the generational impact of harmful stereotypes. You can view my floor speech here.

Other Legislative Updates

Below I have highlighted some legislation that was considered in the House of Delegates.

  • House Bill 1378 — This bill repeals laws that the General Assembly passed in 2021 to implement a low-emissions and zero-emissions vehicle program for cars with a model year after 2025 in order to reduce carbon emissions. In addition, undoing our current laws would make it more difficult for Virginia car dealers to get electric cars, forcing many Virginians to travel out of state to purchase their electric vehicles. I voted against this bill, and it passed out of the House of Delegates on a party-line vote. Note, versions of this bill died in the state Senate.

  • House Bills 2319 and 2138 — These bills are part of Governor Youngkin’s proposed tax cuts. House Bill 2319 would lower the highest state income tax rate from 5.75 percent to 5.5 percent, as well as raise the standard deduction from $8,000 to $9,000 for single individuals and from $16,000 to $18,000 for joint filers. It would cost Virginia $428.2 million in the first year and over $1 billion in the fifth year. House Bill 2138 would lower Virginia's business tax rate from 6% to 5%, along with smaller tax deductions for small businesses. It would cost us $462.6 in the first year and rise to $525.5 in the fifth year.

I believe we should provide targeted tax relief and ensure the state’s ability to provide essential services to Virginians, like fully funding our public schools, expanding health care, and improving our roads. I voted against these bills, and they passed the House of Delegates on a party-line vote. These bills are linked to the negotiations for the budget, and I know we will continue to debate the appropriate barnacle between tax relief and investments into our core services.

  • House Bill 1877 – This bill reduces our current 45 days of early voting to just two weeks immediately before an election, as well as eliminates the option for local governments to offer early voting on Sunday. I believe we should expand voting access and I voted against this bill. It passed the House on a party-line vote.

  • House Bill 1517 – If a vendor offers a free trial as part of its subscription, then this bill requires them to let consumers know within 30 days if the free trial is ending so that you have an opportunity to cancel the service before being charged. This bill passed out of the House of Delegates unanimously, and I supported it because it’s an important consumer protection measure.

  • House Bill 1968 — This bill requires the Department of Historic Resources to create new signs for locations and businesses identified in the “Green Book.” The Green Book was a guide to hotels, stores, barber shops, and restaurants that were safe for traveling Black Americans to visit during Jim Crow. The bill passed unanimously out of the House of Delegates, and I was proud to support it.

Transportation Updates

WMATA Multi-Year Strategic Transformation Plan Input

The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is seeking public input on its draft multi-year strategic transformation plan. For information on how to provide your input, see here. 

Virtual Community Meeting on Proposed Improvements at Old Keene Mill Rd and Ainsworth Ave

Constituents have reached out to me with concerns about pedestrian safety on the section of Old Keene Mill Road in front of Washington Irving Middle School. I have raised these concerns with VDOT and earlier this fall, VDOT completed school sign upgrades, new reduced school speed limit ahead warning signs, end school zone sign, and tree trimming.

Supervisor James Walkinshaw is hosting a virtual community meeting on additional proposed road improvements in this area. The virtual community meeting will be held on February 13, 2023, from 7- 8:30 p.m. For more information on how to participate, click here.

Small Business Tourism Grants

Virginia Tourism is accepting applications for the 2023 rounds of the Destination Marketing Leverage Program, Marketing Leverage Program, and Special Events and Festivals Program.

If you or someone you know runs a special event, festival, tourism-oriented small business, or destination marketing organization, you may be eligible for a grant! The deadline for applications is Tuesday, February 28, 2023 at 5 p.m. Click here to learn more.