March 20, 2022
Neighbors,
Happy Spring! I hope you will join me at my Legislative Town Hall on 3/28 for my wrap up of the regular legislative session and discussion about what we can expect during the special session.
In this newsletter, I’ve included information about the following:
Upcoming Town Hall
Highlights of the Regular Session
Star Staff Team
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
UPCOMING TOWN HALL
Legislative Town Hall on 3/28 at 6:30pm
Join me at my upcoming legislative town hall on Monday, March 28 at 6:30pm. We’ll be discussing the regular legislative session and the upcoming special session. Register here!
Thanks for Participating in the Electric Reliability Town Hall
Thank you to everyone who attended my Electric Reliability Town Hall with Dominion Energy last week. We had a vigorous discussion about the steps Dominion is taking to make our electric grid more resilient.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE REGULAR SESSION
It is an honor to represent our community. This year, the legislative session lasted 60 days during which we considered thousands of bills. On some days, committees began meeting at 7am and concluded late in the evening.
Next week, our newsletter will focus on key legislation that passed during session. This week, I wanted to share some memorable moments from the session with you.
Hosting Constituents in Richmond
It was wonderful to host Cub Scout Pack 684 and Girl Scout Troop 5551 for their visits to the Capitol. I had a lot of fun introducing them in the Gallery and talking about my work on behalf of our community with them.
Many thanks to Reverend Bryan Brock from Westwood Baptist Church in West Springfield in the 42nd District for delivering the House of Delegates’ opening prayer on February 24. Thank you for your message of peace and building a loving, inclusive community.
I had the honor of collaborating with constituents and advocates on several pieces of legislation. I am grateful to them for sharing their experiences and time, including providing virtual or in person testimony in Richmond.
Thanks to Toby, Lindsay, Amanda and Robert for your testimony on behalf of our bill to support students who use augmentative and alternative communication.
I was able to introduce Traci and other advocates in the House Gallery while they were in Richmond advocating for our bill to support surviving military spouses.
Hearing from Constituents
Thank you so much to all of my constituents who reached out to share your priorities for our community, whether you emailed, called our office, or met with us virtually or in person. I appreciate your taking time to provide your feedback or to meet with me and my team!
Town halls provide an opportunity for me to hear directly from you and dialogue about our work in the General Assembly. To date, I have hosted or participated in seven town halls about the 2022 Legislative Session. Thanks to everyone who has attended and I hope to see you at a future one!
Page Programs
Each year, 13- and 14-year-olds apply to serve as pages in the House of Delegates or state Senate. They support legislators and the Offices of the House and Senate Clerks to run the operations of the General Assembly.
This session, I had three constituents participate in the programs: two served as pages in the House of Delegates and one served as a page in the Senate. It was wonderful to see them during the session and hear about their experience!
I enjoyed meeting my constituents in the House Page Program and some of their fellow pages. We talked about their policy interests and how much they were learning through the program.
I joined my fellow Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus members to visit the House Pages to talk to them about the formation of our caucus — and to bring them treats!
Honoring Mr. National
I had a chance to briefly meet Ryan Zimmerman when he was recognized by the House of Delegates for his career with the Washington Nationals and his work through the zimMS Foundation to raise awareness about multiple sclerosis. My family and I are big fans of the Washington Nationals, and this was definitely a special moment!
STAR STAFF TEAM
Many of you have met Benjamin, my Chief of Staff, who is with my office year round. During the session, we were joined by a team of all stars and I am grateful for their hard work for our office and the people of the 42nd district!
Callie was my session aide. She was instrumental in keeping our office running smoothly and supporting the legislative processing of our bills.
Colin, my administrative assistant, greeted all visitors warmly and smoothly ran intake for our office.
Valentina, Joy, Alexia, and Isabelle were our awesome interns from American University, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Richmond, and the University of Mary Washington. We appreciated all of their support.