Dear John, I can't believe July is over already--summer is flying by! First, I will start with some legislative updates:
Last session, SJ 253 established the Joint Subcommittee to Study the Consolidation and Scheduling of General Elections in Virginia, and I was appointed chair. The legislation dictates we hold four meetings to explore this topic in 2025 and four in 2026. Our goal is to consider all the processes and implications of moving Virginia elections to even-numbered years via discussion and testimony from experts, stakeholders, and members of the public. On July 22nd, we held our first meeting, on the historical, political, and legal context of Virginia elections and this change. Two days later, on July 24th, we met for the second time to hear about the impact even-year consolidation would have on campaign finance. See media coverage of our work here, here, and here.
The next meetings will take place on August 20th and September 2nd at 8:30am about the potential effects of this consolidation on the budget and on administration of elections, respectively. The meetings, live and recorded, are available for viewing on LIS and on the Senate of Virginia YouTube channel.
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On Thursday, July 24th, I also participated in a press conference with fellow members of the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus. In the face of the recent partisan attacks on Virginia Military Institute, the University of Virginia, and George Mason University, we affirmed that we will not let the Trump and Youngkin Administrations dismantle the educational institutions make Virginia successful. Eight Democratic Senators and I filed a lawsuit against the Youngkin Administration after he directed eight of his Board of Visitors appointees to illegitimately continue to serve on three university boards after a majority of us on the Senate Privileges and Elections rejected them. Fortunately, the following Tuesday, a judge ruled in our favor, upholding the Constitution, rule of law, the people's will and sanity. The Virginia Constitution, like the U.S. Constitution, protects us from king-like executive power run amok, and this ruling ensures our universities will represent Virginians and not MAGA. You can hear what I have to say about these attacks on Virginia's higher education system in this epiosde of NetworkNova's Friday Power Lunch.
The following week, on July 29th, I attended the second workgroup meeting to address issues with recovery homes in Virginia. Thanks to my SB 838 that passed last session, we will continue to explore ways to hold uncertified recovery homes accountable and improve the system, all to ensure that residents get the help and security that they need.
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Finally, I was honored to get to present two resolutions that I carried in the General Assembly. On July 1st, I had lunch with Henrico County Circuit Court Judge Lee A. Harris and presented him with a commending resolution for his 40 plus years of service in the Commonwealth. By the time of his retirement, Judge Harris was the longest serving judge in Virginia. He's also a life-long Henrico resident, and it was my pleasure to celebrate him with this distinguished honor!
On July 18th, I was excited to present the owners of Final Gravity Brewing Company with a resolution recognizing them for all their achievements! (I even got a new hat while I was there!) They are a pillar of Lakeside, which I represented when I was in the House of Delegates, and Tony and Jessica are some of the nicest people around. |
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Otherwise, through out July, I went to many events in the 16th District and beyond! On July 3rd, I was joined by my daughter, Delegate Dr. Mike Jones, and CD-01 and my constituents to protest Congressman Rob Wittman's vote to take away health care for over 300,000 Virginians and balloon the national debt to give tax cuts to the wealthy. This was immoral and wrong and we deserve better! |
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That weekend, on Saturday, July 5th, it was my pleasure to attend and address attendees of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's 75th Jalsa Salana Convention in Richmond. This took place blocks away from the General Assembly, where the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was passed in 1786. “Love for all, hatred for none,” is a principal we should all live by! On Sunday, July 6th, I enjoyed visiting Mount Olive Baptist Church in Glen Allen. It's always a pleasure to join Pastor Thompson and the Mt Olive congregation. His sermon on resilience was particularly timely! |
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The next week was a BUSY one!
On July 14th, Delegate Rodney Willet and I visited the Cedarfield Retirement Community for a packed town hall. We covered a lot of territory, everything from last session to the fallout from federal action to energy policy. There were so many engaging questions--I always enjoy visiting Cedarfield! |
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On July 16th, I had a great tour of Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens to check out their expansion. They do so much great work, from collaborating with Reynolds College to providing their produce to FeedMore to hosting field trips from Henrico Schools and other area school districts! Later that day, I visited ICNA Relief RVA in Henrico. They provide vital services to people in need in the RVA area, including medical services and school supplies and relief from disasters and food insecurity. For more information, check out their website.
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On Thursday, July 17th, I had a blast attending the YMCA Power Scholars Academy Showcase & Closing Ceremony at Charles M. Johnson Elementary School. It's a great program--the teachers and kids worked hard this summer and it showed! Later that day, I enjoyed touring Vasen Brewing Company with some of my legislative colleagues to learn more about the Virginia craft beer business. Henrico and RVA have a thriving craft beer scene and we want to see them continue to prosper!
On July 18th, I was excited to celebrate, along with my fellow Henrico officials, the 20th anniversary of Henrico Supervisor Reverend Tyronne Nelson’s work at Sixth Mount Zion Baptist Church. He’s an incredible leader in the community, and he has done so much to make Henrico and RVA a better place. I couldn't think of a better way to end the week than to celebrate him! |
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On Saturday, July 26th, I stopped by the 2nd Annual Muslim American Heritage Festival in Richmond. It was great to see so many friends, especially at the Iraqi, Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi, and Egyptian tables. A special shout out to the Muslim Student Group from Deep Run High School for showing up in the summer to represent their community there!
On July 29th, I joined the folks at Quorum for a thoughtful conversation about how AI is impacting my work as a representative, legislator, policy-maker, and teacher. In short, AI is useful in politics and education for quick searches, summaries, and sifting through information. But it's not a replacement for human interaction, building relationships, critical thinking, expertise gained through experience, and hard but necessary conversations.
On July 30th, I attended Voices for Virginia’s Children's Policy Incubator Workshop, with their Youth Advocacy Council, Virginia's Youth in Action (VAYA), which brings together Virginia young people ages 15-24 to engage them in advocacy, storytelling, policy, and change-making. We participated in a mock legislative meeting and an insightful panel discussion. I shared my experiences as a Virginia legislator, we discussed why youth participation in state policy is so important, how I can continue to amplify youth voices, and advice on how to be successful in lobbying!
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On the political front, on Saturday, July 19th, I went to The Cultural Arts Center in Glen Allen along with over 500 people to hear Beto O’Rourke speak. It was a great rallying cry for Democratic statewide and House of Delegates campaigns and upcoming elections in November. We must move forward!
Last weekend, 100 days before the election, Abigail Spanberger, May Nivar, Rodney Willett, and I helped to fire up fellow canvassers in western Henrico before they went out to talk with voters about the importance of electing our Democratic statewide and House of Delegates candidates: Abigail, Ghazala, Jay, Rodney, and May!
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I'll be back after the end of August with another update. In the meantime, there are more details to come, but I wanted to give you a heads up about my first big fundraiser since I was elected to the Virginia Senate--it will be on Tuesday, September 16th at 6pm at the Capital Ale House at Innsbrook..
Otherwise, if you would like to reach out and discuss any of my legislative priorities, share an opinion, or if your organization or community group would like to invite me to an event or to speak, please don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected]. For campaign or political inquiries, reach out to [email protected].
Thanks so much for your support! Yours in service, Schuyler VanValkenburg, 16th District |
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PO Box 28782
Richmond, VA 23228
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