November 26, 2024

Neighbors,

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are able to spend this holiday with your family and friends — I wish you joy, peace, good health, and a delicious Thanksgiving meal! 

VDOT will be temporarily delaying road work and lane closures to ease Thanksgiving traffic — See below for more information.  If you are traveling for the upcoming holiday, please drive safely and take care! 

We are just a few weeks before the start of the 2025 legislative session, and I hope to hear from you about your priorities for the General Assembly. Please email me, call my office, or attend one of the town halls that I will be hosting or participating in. Please watch my newsletter and social media for updates!

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

  • Town Halls

  • Community Updates

    • Take Your Legislator to School Month

    • Friends of Accotink Creek

    • All-Terrain Wheelchair Ribbon Cutting at Mason Neck State Park

  • Touring Local Businesses 

    • Reworld Facility in Lorton

    • DeVita Dialysis in Newington

    • Capital Area Food Bank's Northern Virginia Distribution Center

    • Inova Franconia-Springfield Campus Groundbreaking Ceremony

    • Fairfax Radiology Center Ribbon Cutting

  • Legislative Updates

    • Legislative Meetings

    • Legislative Summits and Board Meetings

      • House Appropriations and Finance Retreat 

      • Joint Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Retreat

      • Black Maternal Health Summit 

      • House Health and Human Services Committee “Health Care Boot Camp” 

    • Legislative Recognitions

  • Transportation Updates

    • Lee Chapel Road Public Hearing

    • Thanksgiving Travel

As always, let me know if you have questions or need assistance by calling my office at (804) 698-1018 or emailing me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov. 

Best, Kathy

Kathy KL Tran

Delegate

TOWN HALLS

Virtual Pre-Session Town Hall

Thursday, December 19 at 7:00pm

Register here!

I hope to see you at my upcoming virtual Pre-Session Town Hall on December 19 at 7pm  - I look forward to hearing your priorities! 

Thank you to everyone who attended my 4th Veterans and Military Families Town Hall! I would like to give a special thank you to our host, American Legion Post 176 and Commander Kevin Gaddis, and our special guests, Congressman Gerry Connolly and Department of Veterans Services Chief of Staff Michele Crone. Thanks, as well, to Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy and Supervisor Rodney Lusk for attending.

If you or a veteran in your life have a question about benefits, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office for assistance.

COMMUNITY UPDATES

Take Your Legislator to School Month

November is Take Your Legislator to School Month, and I was so glad to join School Board Member Sandy Anderson to visit Saratoga Elementary School and meet with Principal Ragan, staff, students, and families. Go Stallions!

Friends of Accotink Creek

The Friends of Lake Accotink Creek recently invited me to join them to tour a section of the Lake Accotink gorge that is infested with invasive species, especially wisteria. We discussed the importance of controlling these invasive species and potential solutions.

All-Terrain Wheelchair Ribbon Cutting at Mason Neck State Park

I had the pleasure of attending the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new all-terrain wheelchair pilot program at Mason Neck State Park with Delegate Rozia Henson.

This pilot program, which includes providing all terrain wheelchairs at six Virginia state parks, was established as a result of my House Bill 1186. So many wonderful partners worked with me to get this program implemented, and I would like to thank Friends of Mason Neck State Park, Virginia Conservation Network, Virginia Association for Parks, disAbility Law Center of Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for their support.

TOURING LOCAL BUSINESSES

Reworld Facility in Lorton

I recently had the opportunity to welcome legislators from Northern Virginia to the 18th District to tour the Reworld (fka Covanta) waste-to-energy facility in Lorton. This Reworld facility processes all of Fairfax County’s non-recycled waste, which is more than 1.2 million tons of garbage annually.

DeVita Dialysis in Newington

I toured the DeVita Dialysis office in Newington and met with the staff team to learn about the life-saving services and care they provide for patients who have end Stage Renal Disease.

Capital Area Food Bank’s Northern Virginia Distribution Center

I was delighted to join Capital Area Food Bank for the grand opening of their Bedford Falls Foundation Northern Virginia Distribution Center. About 1 in 3 residents in Northern Virginia face food insecurity, and this new distribution center will help address hunger in our region by ensuring people have access to nutritious food, are healthier, and are ready to learn or work.

Inova Franconia-Springfield Campus Groundbreaking Ceremony

I attended the ground-breaking for the new Inova Franconia-Springfield Hospital. In addition to expanding high-quality healthcare for our community, this hospital is expected to bring 1,200 jobs to the area.

Fairfax Radiology Center Ribbon Cutting

My team had the opportunity to attend the Fairfax Radiology Center ribbon cutting in Springfield. The expanded facility brings important upgrades, including a cardiac CT machine and additional ultrasound equipment, to support the health of all the members of our community. 

LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

Legislative Meetings

Throughout the fall, my staff and I are meeting with community members and advocacy groups to learn about their priorities for the upcoming legislative session. 

For example, I joined Senator Adam Ebbin to hear from 200 attendees at the 2nd Regional People’s Congress, which was hosted by New Virginia Majority, the ACE Collaborative, and Tenants and Workers United. We have also met with:

  • AARP Virginia

  • Clean Virginia

  • Everylife Foundation for Rare Diseases

  • Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board

  • International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)

  • Northern Virginia Aging Network (NVAN)

  • Sentara Health System

  • The Hamkae Center

  • The James River Association

  • The Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association

  • The Wildlands Network, Wild Virginia, and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators

  • Virginia Banker’s Association

  • Virginia League of Women Voters

  • Virginia Nurses Association

Legislative Summits and Board Meetings

I have attended several legislative summits as well as board and commission meetings to better understand issues we are likely to face in the upcoming session.

In recent months, I joined my committee members for the following legislative summits:

  • House Appropriations and Finance Retreat — We received our annual budget update and visited cultural, community, and economic development sites in Southwest Virginia.

  • Joint Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Retreat — We visited farms across the Shenandoah Valley, learned about the need for electric vehicle charging stations in this region, and discussed the need to address climate change and ensure healthy waterways. 

  • Black Maternal Health Summit — We met with legislators throughout the South to discuss how we can address  disparate health maternal outcomes affecting Black women. 

  • House Health and Human Services Committee “Health Care Boot Camp” — We received an update about the Medicaid system, which provides health coverage for low-income Virginians. About 1 in 5 residents of the 18th District rely on Medicaid for health insurance.

Over the past several weeks, I attended the following meetings for advisory boards and commissions to which I have been appointed by the Speaker of the House:

  • The Virginia Board of Workforce Development

  • Secretary of Labor Work Group on Workforce Development

  • State Water Commission

  • Joint Subcommittee to Evaluate Tax Preferences

  • The Advisory Council on Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PANS)/ Associated with Streptococcal Infections and Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANDAS).

I am also a commissioner of the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, and was delighted to welcome attendees to a conference hosted by the Commission on invasive species at the Occoquan Regional Park, right here in the 18th district!

Legislative Recognition

I am humbled and honored to have been recognized by several organizations for my legislative accomplishments this year — I am so proud of the work that I do on behalf of my constituents, and I look forward to continuing our progress in the upcoming legislative sessions.

I received the following recognitions this fall:

  • Chesapeake Bay Foundation - Legislator of the Year

  • Virginia League of Conservation Voters - 2024 Legislative Leadership Award

  • VCU Health Children’s Hospital - Breastfeeding Champion

  • Virginia Interfaith Power & Light - Recognized as one of its Legislators of the Year

TRANSPORTATION UPDATES

Lee Chapel Road Public Hearing

Supervisor Pat Herrity is hosting a virtual update with the Fairfax County Department of Transportation on December 10 at 7pm on design alternatives for Lee Chapel Road. While I no longer represent this road, I know many community members are interested in this issue and you can click here for login information.

Thanksgiving Travel

To ease traffic congestion during Thanksgiving travel, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) will be lifting most lane closures and road work on major roads across Virginia from noon on November 27 until noon on December 2. To learn more, click here.

VDOT also has several tools to help you plan for travel, including their Thanksgiving travel trends map, Virginia 511, and directional schedules for express lanes. As always, I wish you safe travels this holiday season!