Friends,

We’re just 19 days from the most important election of our lifetimes. I’ve got some updates regarding our voter outreach work and our work in closing out the Special Session of the General Assembly. Before I share those details, I’m pleased to highlight the Governor’s recent proclamation for Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

Indigenous Peoples’ Day
On Monday, Governor Northam proclaimed October 12 as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day will now be celebrated on the second Monday in October. The Governor stated, “For the first time in Virginia history, we are recognizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day—this year on Monday, October 12. As a country and as a Commonwealth, we have too often failed to live up to our commitments with those who were the first stewards of the lands we now call Virginia—and they have suffered historic injustices as a result.”

For far too long, the history of the Americas’ indigenous communities has been either ignored, mischaracterized, or improperly appropriated. Governor Northam’s announcement brings us one step further along in our state’s collective efforts towards a more inclusive Virginia that shares the full narrative of our past.

You can find Governor Northam’s full announcement here.

Early voting in Virginia
In recent weeks, I’ve worked with several organizations to engage diverse groups of voters, sharing the message of how critical it is to be civically involved. Here’s just a quick snippet of the work we’ve been doing:

• Bring Back the Blue to the White House: Recently, I was invited to speak at an event with New York Democrats about how Virginia engages voters. In this conversation, I was joined by several Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) leaders in New York, and we discussed how to empower voters with information on when, where, and how to vote before Election Day, while staying safe.
   
• Virginia Filipino Americans for Biden-Harris: Last week, I joined Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, Senator Jennifer McClellan, and Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor for a discussion on getting out the vote (GOTV) ahead of the November 3 election.
   
• Henrico County Democratic Committee: This past Monday, former Governor Terry McAuliffe, Senator McClellan, and I spoke to the Henrico County Democratic Committee about the Biden-Harris plan to Build Back Better.

As Virginia continues leading the nation in early voter turnout, we are expanding our voter outreach efforts to ensure that all voters are able to cast their ballots safely and securely in this critical election.

Please be mindful of poll closing deadlines and make sure to cast your ballot before or on November 3. You can find more information on voting deadlines on our Department of Elections website.

Closing Special Session
This week, we near the end of Special Session, a session that has turned out to be much longer than we originally anticipated when we first convened back in August. Historians will surely have much to write about: this remarkable Special Session was held in the midst of a global pandemic, with the Senate meeting in the Science Museum of Virginia for health safety reasons and with the larger Chamber meeting virtually. We navigated committee meetings with public testimony delivered remotely; we faced a few technical challenges; and we struggled to make Floor speeches while wearing masks.

Yesterday, October 14, we worked our way through several of the Senate and House bills that had been sent to Conference Committees. I am pleased to share that the Conference Committee Report for my bill, SB5035, and its companion House Bill, HB5055, passed out of both Chambers. This legislation is permissive, granting localities the ability to establish Civilian Review Boards (CRBs). This legislation emerged from several weeks of conversation this summer with many key stakeholders: Legal Aid Justice Center, the ACLU, members of the Charlottesville civilian review board, city attorneys, community activists, in addition to wide research on other successful CRBs established throughout the country.

On Friday, we will vote on the remaining Conference Committee Reports and also vote on the budget that has been agreed to by Senate and House finance committees. Next week, I’ll share updates on key areas of funding in the biennium budget.

Remember, you can always follow all legislation, view all committee meetings and floor sessions, and stay in touch with your representatives by visiting https://lis.virginia.gov/.

If you need assistance or if you want to schedule a Zoom or phone call with our team, 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 Hashmi