Legislative Updates
My 2027 Session Legislative Slate is off to a great start. I have requested drafts for 9 bills - tackling criminal justice reform, support for teachers, employment discrimination, healthcare access, and housing affordability. My schedule is filled with meetings with advocates and other stakeholders.. Our bill limit will be 15 bills plus an additional 5 if we requested the drafts by August 31 which I did. Once my legislation is drafted and changes made, I will file it and you will find the bills on lis.virginia.gov - this is my page.
I also have the opportunity to recognize members of our community for their accomplishments - please let me know if there is someone you would like to receive a commendation or memorial resolution.
To submit ideas for legislation, please email [email protected].
Continue the Fight Against Tysons Casino Legislation
Governor Spanberger vetoed the 2026 Session casino legislation, SB 756, and the Senate sustained the veto by voting to pass the bill by for the day. In meetings with the Governor’s team, they mentioned the many emails you all sent. We have made it clear that our community does not want a casino, would not benefit from a casino financially, and in fact would be harmed by a casino. Despite the clear rejection of our community, sponsors of the legislation have vowed to introduce the bill again so we will continue the fight.
All of you who oppose this proposal should stay engaged. By organizing, educating our neighbors, and reaching out to state leaders, we have made sure that our concerns were heard loud and clear and we will continue that work. You can sign up for updates, and take action, visit the No Fairfax Casino coalition. Together, we can continue building momentum and strengthen the No Tysons Casino movement.
Three Amendments to the Virginia Constitution on the November 3 Ballot
Reproductive Freedom Amendment
The Reproductive Freedom amendment protects access to a broad range of reproductive health care and puts the power where it belongs—with Virginians, their families, and their doctors. No matter your faith or personal beliefs, these are decisions that should be made personally, not by the government.
The amendment was crafted to follow the current laws in Virginia, to take the politics out of reproductive healthcare, and to protect the fundamental freedom to make these decisions for ourselves. You are probably aware that the US Supreme Court Dobbs decision removed the fundamental right to privacy regarding abortion, leaving it up to the states. The Constitutional Amendment will guarantee Virginians the fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to make and carry out decisions relating to one's own prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care.
The state would not be allowed to interfere with a person's right to make their own reproductive health choices, for example, by banning certain types of care (like abortion), or making it more difficult to access that care without a strong justification for why doing so would protect patients’ health and safety.
The state would still be able to regulate abortion in the third trimester, including by restricting access to the procedure. But the Commonwealth would allow access to abortion, even in the third trimester, where it’s to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual or when a fetus is not viable.
Virginia would not be allowed to treat people differently from others on the basis of their identity when it comes to protecting or enforcing this basic right.
Patients and doctors would be protected from being charged or jailed for accessing or providing reproductive healthcare. Virginia would not be allowed to punish or take action against someone for making their own reproductive healthcare decisions. Virginia also cannot punish someone who helps another person make these choices, as long as the person being helped agrees to it.
Virginia would only get involved in someone’s reproductive healthcare choices if it’s necessary to protect or improve the person’s health. Any regulations the Commonwealth imposes on reproductive healthcare, like abortion, must follow trusted medical guidelines and research. The Commonwealth would not take away a person's right to make their own decisions about their body. This language prevents laws that create unnecessary obstacles to abortion care - like “Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers” or “TRAP” laws and laws like a 72-hour waiting period or biased counseling before an abortion.
The General Assembly passed my legislation twice - once in the 2025 Session and once in the 2026 session. Constitutional amendments require passing the bill in two sessions with an intervening election. Delegate Herring passed identical resolutions. The referendum on the amendment will take place during the November 3 election and all registered voters can vote for or against the amendment.
I am working with the Virginians for Reproductive Freedom to encourage people to vote for the amendment. You can also volunteer with Planned Parenthood’s NOVA organizer, Rhea Simon, at [email protected]. Now is the time to act—to secure reproductive freedom for generations to come. I urge you to vote yes.
Marriage Amendment
Question 2 would repeal Virginia's 2006 Marshall-Newman Amendment, a ban on marriage between same-sex couples that remains in our Virginia Constitution today, and replace it with an affirmative guarantee that the government must treat all marriages equally under the law. It would enshrine the freedom for adult couples to marry, as the current law in Virginia allows. Virginians for Marriage Equality is a coalition of Virginia families, couples, faith leaders, and advocacy organizations working to protect the freedom to marry in Virginia.
Voters will see Question 2 on their general election ballot: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?
As Virginians, we value fairness, dignity, and equal rights. Every Virginian deserves the freedom to marry the person they love, free from government interference. This amendment is simple. It repeals Virginia’s ban on marriages between same-sex couples and ensures every Virginian can marry who they love, free from government interference.
This amendment ensures all married couples are protected, no matter what
happens at the federal level. Marriage is a fundamental right that provides legal protection, stability, and security. For over a decade, the law on marriage for same-sex couples has been clear, and people have made decisions – bought homes, raised families, built businesses, planned for life – based on it. Virginians shouldn’t have to question whether this right might be taken away in the future.
This amendment is about our values. As Virginians, we believe that regardless of who we love, we should be able to live, work, and make deeply personal decisions about our lives with dignity, respect, and equal rights and freedoms. That’s what this amendment is all about.
This amendment repeals Virginia's ban on same-sex marriage so Virginians – not politicians – have the freedom to make decisions that are right for themselves. Who you marry is one of the most personal decisions a person can make; the government has no place in deeply personal decisions about love, marriage, and family.
This amendment ensures the freedom to marry the person you love is a right enjoyed by every Virginian for generations to come. I urge you to vote yes.
Restoration of Rights Amendment
The third Constitutional Amendment that you will see on your ballot pertains to the restoration of rights for returning citizens after completion of their incarceration. It creates an explicit constitutional right to vote for every eligible Virginian, something Virginia’s Constitution does not currently guarantee. Protect against current and future attacks on voting rights by taking the right to vote out of politicians’ hands. Ensure a fair process that doesn’t rely on the whims of politicians by automatically restoring voting rights to Virginians with felony convictions once they have completed their sentences and returned to their communities. The amendment also protects people with disabilities from automatically losing their right to vote when put under a guardianship by empowering judges to decide case-by-case if that person understands the act of voting. Learn more at https://www.varighttovote.org/about-us. I urge you to vote yes.
Herndon Town Council Election Update
The mayor and all members of the Herndon Town Council are on the ballot this November. If you are a town resident, living in Herndon 1, 2 or 3 precincts, I urge you to do your research on all of the candidates.
There will be a number of opportunities to meet and listen to the candidates. I am helping host an event for four promising new candidates in September.
