June 7, 2022
Neighbors,
June is Pride Month! Let’s join together to celebrate the many contributions of the LGBTQ+ community and commit to always fighting for equality.
I had the pleasure of recently presenting commending resolutions to two community leaders, Maura Keaney and Dora Briones.
Maura, a constituent, is an educator and librarian at Island Creek Elementary School. She was recognized for her incredible effort to help students learn Virginia’s complete history and identify prominent Black Virginians to be recognized by historical markers. Several of her students’ proposals for historical markers have been approved and erected in Fairfax County and other Virginia locations.
Dora Briones was commended for being named the FCPS Outstanding Operational Employee for the West Springfield Pyramid. Dora is an assistant building supervisor at Cardinal Forest Elementary School in the 42nd District and her contributions are deeply appreciated by the Cardinals.
Congratulations to both Maura and Dora on their achievements, and thank you for all you do for our students!
In this newsletter, I’ve included information about the following:
Legislative
Biennial Budget Update
Redistricting Update
Primary Voting
Transportation Updates
I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension Project
Extended Nighttime Single-Lane Closures
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, 42nd District
Legislative Update
Special Session Update
On June 1, the General Assembly convened to consider a proposal for a biennial budget that was negotiated between the House of Delegates and state Senate.
As I’ve shared in previous newsletters, we are constitutionally required to pass a balanced biennial budget by the end of the fiscal year on June 30.
We had an historic surplus and negotiators focused on how to ensure we are increasing funding for education, health care, transportation and other government services while increasing tax relief for Virginians.
The proposed budget is expansive; you can see it here. I would also encourage you to review a summary prepared by The Commonwealth Institute, a non-partisan Virginia think tank; they refer to the proposal as the “conference” budget, and you can find that summary here.
I have highlighted some key areas below for your information:
Tax Relief
The proposed budget includes $4 billion in tax relief, such as raising the standard income tax deduction to $8,000 for individuals and $16,000 for joint filers, and providing rebates of $250 for single filers and $500 for joint filers. It also eliminates the state tax on groceries and menstrual products, phases in tax relief for eligible military retirees, and refunds a portion of the earned income tax credit.
Education
The proposed budget includes pay increases for K-12 teachers and support staff by an average of 5 percent each of the next two years. It provides $1.25 billion for school construction, $271.6 million to hire more support staff, and $62.5 million to increase the number of reading specialists in elementary schools. For higher education, it includes an additional $140 million for financial aid for students at our public universities and $28.3 million for Tuition Assistance Grants for students at private universities.
Health Care
The proposed budget funds an additional 600 development disability waivers and provides $214.2 to increase reimbursement rates for combined personal care, dental, and home and community-based services. It also includes $19.6 million to improve our state mental health facilities.
Areas of Concern
There are several areas in the budget with which I have concerns. For example, I believe we should have invested more in several key areas like gun violence prevention, which is only receiving $4 million per year.
Also, the budget includes $100 million for the expansion of lab schools, which would essentially create a new K-12 school system that may not have to meet the public K-12 achievement standards. Instead, this additional funding could have been dedicated to our public K-12 system, which has been under-funded for years.
There are also instances where the budget is being used to set policies that are usually determined by legislation, creating a troubling precedent. For example, the budget includes a new misdemeanor for possession of over four ounces of marijuana. Historically, criminal penalties have been set via the legislative process, and the General Assembly agreed in 2021 to begin the process of legalizing possession of marijuana.
Next Steps
Overall, the biennial budget proposal makes significant progress in key areas, and I voted for the proposal. The bill passed the General Assembly with bipartisan support and is now with the Governor for his signature, veto, or proposed amendments.
Redistricting Update
Recently, Fairfax County sent a mailer that reminds residents that redistricting maps following the 2020 Census have been approved. The mailer provided us with information about our new polling location and districts for US House of Representatives, Virginia state Senate and House of Delegates, and Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.
A gentle reminder that the old maps from the 2010 Census will continue to be in effect until the next election for that position.
For the US House of Representatives, the new maps take effect this year given we have Congressional elections.
For the Virginia House of Delegates and state Senate, the next anticipated elections will be in 2023. As such, I will continue to represent the 42nd House District until that time when the new maps take effect.
For the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the new maps have taken effect, per Virginia law, when the Office of the Attorney General approved the County’s proposal earlier.
If you would like to see what district you are redistricted into for the next election, you can find that information on the Supreme Court of Virginia’s order.
Elections Update
Primary Voting Reminder
Early voting for the Democratic nomination in the 8th congressional district (CD) is ending soon! The deadline to request a mail-in ballot from the Fairfax Registrar’s office is this Friday, June 10 at 5:00pm. You can request a ballot here.
The deadline to vote early in-person is Saturday, June 18. You can find a list of voting locations and their hours here.
Primary election day is Tuesday, June 21. To find your voting location, visit the Virginia Department of Elections’ website.
Note: The Democratic nomination for the 10th and 11th CDs are uncontested and the Republican Party in the 8th, 10th and 11th CDs have chosen to select their nominees by a method other than a primary election.
Transportation Updates
I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension Project
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), Transurban, and contractor Lane Construction will be holding Project Update Meetings for their I-495 Express Lanes Northern Extension Project. You can learn more about this project here. The public meetings will be held:
VIRTUAL MEETING
Tonight, June 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. (presentation at 6:30 p.m.)
Visit 495NEXT.org/public_meetings for details on how to join the meeting
Extended Nighttime Single-Lane Closures
VDOT has extended their nighttime single-lane closures. From May 31st through June 10th, VDOT is implementing weekday nighttime single-lane closure between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for expedited milling and repaving of heavily traveled primary arterial ramps and roadways, including:
Westbound Route 289/Franconia Springfield Parkway from Spring Village Dr ato east of Route 286/Fairfax County Parkway interchange
Southbound Route 286/Fairfax County Parkway from ramp at Rolling Road/638 to Barta Road interchange
Route 235/Mount Vernon Memorial Highway between Old Mount Vernon Rd and George Washington Memorial Pkwy
Route 235/Mount Vernon Highway between Route 1/Richmond Highway and George Washington Memorial Parkway