Friends,

I am pleased to share updates about next week’s Special Session of the General Assembly, as well as our Education Town Hall earlier this week.

Special Session Legislation
On August 18, the General Assembly will reconvene for a Special Session in Richmond. Governor Northam has called us back to restore essential items within the biennium budget that were frozen because of the COVID-19 crisis. We will have a better idea about the budget as we reconvene next week, and I will share more information as it becomes available.

During the Special Session, I will be introducing two bills:

First, I will introduce a bill giving localities the power to establish Civilian Review Boards (CRBs) and a community oversight process of their police departments. These CRBs will provide community leaders with tools to hold local police departments accountable by empowering review boards with oversight authority such as subpoena power and the ability to make binding determinations.

Second, I am introducing an Eviction Moratorium bill. The COVID-19 crisis has devastated our economy, leaving millions unemployed. As a result, members of our community are struggling, and it’s critical that we help families avoid the added crisis of homelessness. My bill, concurrent with rent and mortgage relief for landlords, will extend the moratorium for the next several months so that families in distress can remain in stable housing.

Meanwhile, if you or someone you know needs assistance, please look for resources at https://www.stayhomevirginia.com/quick-links or call the Eviction Legal Helpline at 1(833)-663-8428.

The Marcus Alert Act ensures that individuals experiencing mental health challenges receive care and treatment at the hands of mental health professionals, instead of police officers. The school nurse expansion bill supports the placement of nurses in every school so that we have necessary medical professionals on site to address the healthcare needs of students.

Wednesday’s Education Town Hall
This week, I welcomed a group of panelists from across District 10 to help discuss the plans, concerns, and strategies for managing the new educational landscape we face during the 2020/2021 academic year. Here’s some of what we heard on Wednesday:

• Chesterfield County Schools will be using critical health data and metrics to evaluate phased re-openings of schools. If the community COVID data stays the same between now and the School Board meeting scheduled for August 25, children receiving Level 2 Special Education Services will be brought back to school.
   
• Richmond Public Schools is committed to ensuring that every student has access to computers and devices for the continuation of learning. Access to stable broadband services is a challenge for many community members.
   
• Working parents are trying to navigate the next few months but are facing remarkable challenges with trying to balance childcare concerns, educational support for children at home, their own job requirements, and the uncertainties brought about by the pandemic.
   
• A broader and uniform statewide plan for the reopening of schools, rather than asking local school divisions to make individual decisions, would have been the preferred and perhaps more effective way to approach this academic year.
   
• The trauma of the pandemic on the mental and emotional health of children must be addressed with care. As schools focus on educational needs, trauma-informed resources are vital, and training and support for parents and teachers in trauma-informed approaches will need to be put into place.
   
• The crisis we face must be addressed as a community; we are all navigating uncharted waters, and our solutions need to consider the full scope of our community. Listening to everyone’s voices (parents, students, teachers, administrators, health officials) is vital because our individual perspectives will lead to informed decisions.

 

Closing thoughts

As we're navigating the COVID-19 crisis and legislating for necessary police reform, what we accomplish during the Special Session this month will signal who we are as a Commonwealth. I’m honored to represent this district in the Virginia Senate, and look forward to sharing your concerns with me in Richmond next week.

If you need assistance during these challenging times or if you want to schedule a Zoom or phone call, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. As a reminder, email is the best way to contact us. We can be reached at [email protected].

-- Ghazala

 

P.S. My team set a goal to raise $5,200 so we can increase our outreach, engagement, and communication with constituents across our district. So if you can, please chip in $25 or more towards our August operating costs to help expand our impact in District 10.
 

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