Dear John,
By midnight on February 4th, each chamber had to act on any bills still left on their respective dockets to ensure that legislation passed in one body could be heard in the other chamber. I am delighted to say that each chamber met this constitutional requirement and some meaningful House bills are being heard in our Senate committees. Moreover, 27 bills of which I was the chief patron crossed over to the House.
Impact of Trump’s Policies:
Unfortunately, legislating on the state level was not the only responsibility facing the General Assembly these past few weeks. Many lawmakers, myself included, have been hearing from constituents who are directly affected by Trump’s illegal and chaotic policies, particularly his policies to fire and lay off a significant portion of the federal workforce and punish certain civil servants in the FBI.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Speaker Scott announced the formation of the Emergency Committee on the Impacts of Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions, a bipartisan workgroup created to address the effects of recent federal workforce firings and layoffs, contractor reductions, and frozen funding. Specifically, the 12-member committee will analyze the economic and budgetary impacts on Virginia, engage with stakeholders, and develop policy recommendations for the 2026 General Assembly session. Virginia Democrats are committed to protecting our communities as much as possible and to ensuring that Trump’s harmful policies do not go unchecked.
Unsurprisingly, Governor Youngkin is supporting Trump’s harmful policies despite their impacts on Virginians. He said “In some parts of Virginia, there could be jobs lost, but the great thing is Virginia's economy is soaring.” The full article on his statements is here.
It is also important to know that all of Virginia's Democratic federal representatives are taking whatever steps they can to ensure that the harmful impacts of Trump’s policies are mitigated. Examples of steps being taken are noted in Senator Kaine’s message to federal workers. That message can be found here.
I am planning a zoom event on Thursday, February 27th, with special guests to discuss state and local responses to hurtful federal policies. More information will be forthcoming regarding the details of this event.
Senate Democrats put the Lt. Governor on Record:
An opportunity presented itself last week to illustrate an important policy difference between the two political parties. When Senator Hashmi’s bill to codify the right to contraception came to the floor, the Democratic caucus made the vote a tie, forcing Lt. Governor Winsome Sears (who breaks ties as President of the Senate) to tell Virginians her views on the right to contraception. Unsurprisingly, Lt. Governor Sears cast her vote against reproductive freedom, a move that will certainly be raised in her upcoming race for governor of Virginia. Once the bill failed, the Senate reconsidered the vote, and this time, the Democrats passed it 21-18. It will now move on to the House.
Each Chamber Passes a Budget- Highlights Are Noted Below:
As a member of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee (SFAC) and the subcommittee on Health and Human Resources, I was able to considerably influence the Senate budget priorities. Many of my requested budget amendments are contained in the Senate budget, particularly in the Medicaid, maternal health, mental health, and child welfare spaces.
Taxes and Revenues—Both the House and Senate budgets increase the standard deduction to $8,750 for a single tax filer and $17,500 for a married couple filing jointly. Fortunately, each chamber’s budget acknowledges the value of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low-income Virginians and extended the credit to 20 percent of the federal EITC. Governor Youngkin’s proposed budget would allow this EITC credit extension to expire.
Public Safety and ICE Language—Governor Youngkin’s introduced budget threatened to withhold public safety funding from localities if they adopt any ordinances or policies that would prohibit local cooperation with and assistance for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. Both the House and Senate budgets removed this language.
K-12 Education—Once again, the Democrats in each chamber passed budget bills that bolster K-12 public education and remove funding for private school vouchers. Moreover, I am proud to say that the House budget eliminates the cap on support personnel and the Senate budget funds the cap at current ratios. Another helpful addition in each budget was a $52M flexible fund to support students with disabilities.
The Democrats are advocating for a one-year delay in the implementation of the Board of Education’s recently endorsed accountability system. I am hopeful that we prevail on this request and I also hope that more than $50M will be allocated to help schools in both the “off track” and the “needs intensive support” categories.
Child Care Subsidy Program—In an effort to create more child care slots and reduce the long waiting list (over 12,000 families are waiting for a slot) both the House and Senate budgets require a certain co-pay on the part of families qualifying for the Child Care Subsidy Program. The majority of families in this program are earning between $60,000 and $100,000 per year. The Senate budget requires a family to pay up to 7 percent of their gross income to offset some of the childcare expenses and the House requires a co-payment of up to 5 percent. So many families must give up the earnings of one parent (often the mother) because the cost of childcare is so expensive. Affordable quality childcare is truly an economic issue.
Maternal Health—I am proud to say that each chamber focused on improving maternal health. A few examples of initiatives in this important area are: the pregnancy mobile application for Medicaid, maternal mobile health clinics, and midwife parity in Medicaid reimbursement. Gratefully, improving maternal health, especially for mothers of color has garnered bipartisan support and funding in the governor’s introduced budget.
Medicaid and Federal Policies—Language was added to the Senate budget to ensure that a workgroup of lawmakers meet and provide guidance on state strategies for protecting those who may be negatively impacted by reductions in the federal funding. I am in this workgroup.
My Bills that Passed:
To see the complete list of the 27 bills that I sponsored this year and that passed out of the Senate, click here.
Other Important Measures:
Fairfax Casino Bill – The bill to allow for a referendum to build a casino in Fairfax, carried by Senator Surovell, passed the Senate 24-16. I spoke against passage of the bill as did Senator Boysko and other lawmakers. One point I emphasized was that it is better public policy to reform our income tax structure so the very wealthy pay their fair share rather than creating an environment where Virginians develop gambling addictions.
Retail Cannabis – Identical bills are working their way through the process, but Governor Youngkin has sent a clear message that he will not allow a regulated retail cannabis market to be implemented in Virginia.
