May 2024 Edition Friends, As the dust clears on Governor Youngkin’s record number of vetoes, Virginia still does not have a budget. Two weeks ago, the General Assembly went back to Richmond for the annual reconvened session. During the session, we reviewed the Governor’s vetoes and amendments to bills. One bill that has drawn much attention is Sen. Hashmi’s Right to Contraception Act. As originally written, the bill would have prohibited Virginia from restricting access to contraceptives; however, Governor Youngkin sent back an amended version of the bill that significantly weakened its provisions. I am a strong supporter of protecting access to contraceptives, and I opposed the Governor’s amendments. During the reconvened session, the Senate decided to return the original bill to the Governor’s desk, and he will now need to decide whether to sign or veto the original bill. Regarding the budget, due to Youngkin's record number of amendments and vetoes, leadership in the House and the Senate decided that it would be better to start over on the budget. Therefore, we have been called to a special session on May 13th where we will review and approve a new budget. One budget issue that I have taken particular concern with is funding for WMATA. In the budget that passed the Senate and House earlier this year, it was agreed that the Commonwealth would fund an additional $150 million for Metro over the next 2 years and lift the 3% cap on additional Metro funding. This is to keep up with rising costs due to inflation, post-pandemic ridership changes, and the loss of pandemic-era funding. However, in the budget that Governor Youngkin returned to the General Assembly, he replaced the additional dedicated funding with a ~$130 million dollar transfer from the NVTC. This would take away money from other projects around the region and delay them, while shifting more of the funding onto Northern Virginia localities. I oppose shifting even more of the funding onto localities and believe that the Commonwealth should fully fund Metro. Metro is crucial to Northern Virginia’s economy, and we cannot regress on the recent improvements in service that we have seen. To continue my support for Metro and transportation, I have been appointed to one of the open seats on the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission. On a different note, last weekend, I held my first annual Eid celebration in the City of Fairfax. It was a wonderful event where people of all faiths and backgrounds came together to learn more about Ramadan and Eid while sharing a delicious dinner. I hope to continue this tradition in the years to come, and I want to thank everyone who attended. Elections Tomorrow marks the first day of early voting for the June 18th non-Presidential primaries. There will be a Democratic primary in the 11th district between Rep. Gerry Connolly, who I have endorsed, and Ahsan Nasar. Rep. Don Beyer is already the Democratic nominee for the 8th district because no one else filed to run. For those who live in an area where a primary is happening, I encourage you to get out and vote! Lean more about voting here. There are also local primaries happening outside the district, In Alexandria, I have endorsed my friend and Alexandria school board member Abdel Elnoubi who is running for City Council. Abdel will be a progressive voice for Alexandrians and I encourage you to donate to his campaign or volunteer. I will be co-hosting a canvass launch for him this Sunday, May 5th at noon in Chinquapin Park. I hope to see you there! Photo Gallery Sen. Salim and Fairfax Clerk of the Court Chris Falcon Sen. Salim at his Eid Celebration Sen. Salim at a Vishakih Mela hosted by the Sikh community in Manassas. Sen. Salim at the Taste of Vienna Sen. Salim throwing out the first pitch at a Falls Church High School Jaguars Baseball Game Sen. Salim, Del. McClure and Del. Srinivasan addressing the YIMBYs of NoVA VDOT CAUTIONS PEOPLE OF FRAUDULENT TEXT SCAMS Text Messages Claim People Owe Money for Unpaid Tolls The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is encouraging people to be on alert for a text message scam, also known as smishing, that is sending requests for payment of outstanding toll charges. The FBI recently issued a warning about the scam, which has occurred in various states and does not specifically target E-ZPass customers. Since March, people across the country submitted complaints to the FBI about receiving text messages representing toll road collection services claiming they owe money for unpaid tolls. The link in the text message is created to impersonate a toll facility’s or collection service’s name, and phone numbers appear to change between states. By clicking the link, people could risk giving away sensitive data, including credit card information. To date, VDOT is not aware of Virginia residents receiving these smishing messages. Should anyone receive an unsolicited text message suggesting it is from E-ZPass Virginia or a specific toll facility in Virginia, they should not click on the link. If anyone receives these text messages, they should reach out directly to appropriate facility to verify authenticity. E-ZPass account holders and toll customers can check their accounts and pay tolls by going to the Toll Roads in Virginia website and E-ZPass website. People may also contact customer service representatives for the appropriate facility to validate their toll balance along with upcoming or past due payments. Those who believe they received a smishing text about tolls due can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov and include the phone number of the text message as well as the web link listed within the text.   City of Fairfax Democrats announce their 2024 Endorsement process for City Council & Mayor The committee has scheduled an unassembled caucus to decide endorsements for City Council and Mayor. The caucus will be for CFDC members on June 29th, 2024, from 2-4pm. To participate in the caucus, individuals who are not currently CFDC members must apply for membership by May 29th, 2024. Details regarding membership applications are available at cityfairfaxdems.com/membership. Candidates who receive the CFDC endorsement will receive significant exposure and support from local Democrats. Successful endorsement includes a spot on the official CFDC sample ballot distributed to voters at polling stations and participation in the 2024 CFDC coordinated campaign. Interested candidates must fulfill ballot qualifications and submit a completed endorsement application by June 18, 2024. To provide more information, CFDC plans to conduct an informational session on May 18th at 1PM at the City of Fairfax Library. Candidates interested in endorsement or attending these sessions are encouraged to reach out via email at [email protected]. For comprehensive information on the endorsement process, both voters and candidates can visit cityfairfaxdems.com/endorsements. May - AAPI Heritage & Jewish Heritage Month In the month of May, we celebrate both AAPI Heritage month and Jewish American Heritage month. Both the AAPI community and the Jewish community are incredibly important to Northern Virginia, and we honor the deep history, culture, and heritage they bring to our community this month. Contributions During the annual legislative session, legislators are forbidden from accepting political donations. Now that the session is over, please consider making a donation. During non-election years, your donations are crucial towards paying staff and keeping my operations going. Click HERE to contribute. Donate $25 Donate $50 Donate $100 Sincerely, Senator Saddam Azlan Salim Virginia State Senate District 37   Send me your Thoughts! PAID FOR AND AUTHORIZED BY FRIENDS OF SADDAM AZLAN SALIM THIS NEWSLETTER WAS PAID FOR BY CAMPAIGN FUNDS. NO TAXPAYER FUNDS WERE USED IN THE CREATION OF THIS NEWSLETTER. 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