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Dear Friend,
This week’s newsletter highlights our recent Special Session and the passing of the state’s biennium budget, discusses the upcoming review of Virginia universities’ responses to student protests, and highlights this week’s community engagements. Thank you for reading and staying informed.
Monday’s Special Session
The General Assembly reconvened on Monday for a Special Session to vote on the state’s biennium budget. The Senate and House conferees released the negotiated budget this past Saturday, giving the other members of the General Assembly and the public 48 hours to review the budget bill as required by law, and enabling us to vote on the budget and adjourn on Monday. Immediately upon adjournment, the governor signed the budget bill [[link removed]] .
This budget contains many of the key priorities that Democrats fought for during this 2024 Session, including historic investments in public education.
This budget contains:
3% salary increase for teachers, for each year of the biennium
3% salary increase for state employees, for each year of the biennium
Over $2 billion in direct aid to our public education system
Historic investments of $370 million for the at-risk add-on to support our low-income students
Several of the budget amendments that I introduced are included in the final state budget, including the following:
Over $335 million across the biennium for English Language Learners in public schools, implementing staffing ratios based on proficiency level to support our students of greatest need
$5 million across the biennium to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program, which provides grants to community-based organizations partnering with school divisions to support before- and after-school and summer learning programs for school-age children attending high-poverty, low-performing schools
$4 million across the biennium for state agencies to facilitate and improve language access, a top priority for the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus
$600,000 to support the Joint Subcommittee on Elementary and Secondary Education Funding, which will examine the Standards of Quality funding policies and to make recommendations to transition school funding to a student-based formula
Although this budget contained many of our key Democratic priorities, some crucial items were not included, including an amendment that would have brought Virginia back within the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). RGGI has generated over $827 million for the Commonwealth [[link removed].] , investing in low-income energy efficiency programs and flood resilience. Current legal challenges presented by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) [[link removed]] ask our courts to hold the Youngkin administration accountable for its illegal actions in pulling Virginia out of RGGI.
Senate Education & Health Committee to Review Institutions’ Responses to Student Demonstrations
Over the past several weeks, student demonstrations occurred at a few colleges and universities across Virginia. In the wake of protests on Virginia Commonwealth University’s campus and subsequent actions that impacted constituents, I released a statement [[link removed]] that outlined my concerns regarding academic freedom, the rights to engage in peaceful civil disobedience, and the need to ensure that all students, faculty and staff feel safe at our institutions of higher education.
Across Virginia’s colleges and universities, the responses to student demonstrations have been varied. Some institutions initiated actions by law enforcement and were sites of clashes between demonstrators and police. Some universities’ policies have been challenged as being unclear or having been changed unilaterally and hastily, creating confusion.
As Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee, a committee that has responsibility for our colleges and universities, I will be calling the Committee together in the next few weeks to examine the institutional responses to student demonstrations and inviting representatives of the universities, students, faculty, and staff to offer their knowledge and insights on the actions that occurred. The purpose of the fact-finding discussions is to ensure that we have clarity and consistency of policies across the state and to understand whether or not fundamental civil rights, as well as the rights to free speech and expression, were violated.
Select Community Engagements
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Last Friday, I joined members of the Hanover Democratic Committee for their 15th Annual Blue Moon Bash. This year’s theme was “Women of the Commonwealth Protecting Our Democracy.” I was honored to address the Committee along with our former Secretary of Education Anne Holton and Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor as we spoke about the efforts that are necessary to ensure that our democratic structures are protected as we head into the 2024 and 2025 elections.
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On Saturday, I met with the Orange County Democratic Committee to speak with members about the legislative session, how crucial it is to elect Democrats this November, and my own campaign for Lieutenant Governor in 2025. Our local Democratic Committees are invaluable partners, dedicating themselves to organizing, supporting candidates, and educating voters.
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On Tuesday, members of the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus (VAAPIC) hosted a fundraiser in Richmond with a special guest, Speaker of the House Delegate Don Scott. As someone who served with VAAPIC’s founding Chair, former Delegate Mark Keam, Speaker Scott is wonderfully supportive of our Caucus’ goals, legislative priorities, and community outreach efforts. Throughout Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month, VAAPIC will be hosting events across the Commonwealth to highlight the work of the Caucus and continue to build strong relationships with our diverse AANHPI communities across Virginia.
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On Wednesday and Thursday, I was in Washington, DC, for the annual Indian American Impact Summit, an event that brings together hundreds of South Asian organizers, advocates, elected officials, changemakers, and community leaders from across the United States. Panel sessions ranged from healthcare concerns, business and entrepreneurship, political activism, interfaith dialogue, mental health, and much more. We had a surprise visit from Vice President Kamala Harris, whose historic election to the Vice Presidency broke glass ceilings for both women and South Asians.
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At the Indian American Impact Gala on Thursday night, I had the honor of presenting Impact’s 2024 Dalip Singh Saund Award to Maryland’s Lieutenant Governor, Aruna Miller [[link removed]] . As the first South Asian, first woman of color, and first immigrant elected to statewide office in Maryland, Lieutenant Governor Miller is a trailblazer.
Connecting With My Office
My office can be reached at the following:
Email: [email protected] [gmail.com]
Phone: 804.698.7515
If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here [[link removed]] .
— Ghazala
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