Constituent Newsletter - February 7th, 2020

Dear Jack,

I hope you and your family are doing well during these tough times. We'll be sending out weekly Bulletins to update you on all the information you need in the 13th District. Please reach out to my office with any questions or concerns you may have regarding legislation or state policy. If you are having trouble with a state agency, such as the VEC or the DMV, we are happy to assist you and be your advocate. You can call our office at 571-367-9080, or email us at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Senator John J. Bell
Senator of Virginia
13th District

Session Crossover

This past Friday was Crossover Day -- the day by which all Senate bills need to be sent to the House, and all House bills need to be sent to the Senate. The Senate was in session for over 13 hours on Friday to pass the last of our legislation, and I'm proud of the great bills that we're sending over to the House of Delegates for consideration.

SB1165, which would abolish the death penalty in Virginia, passed the Senate on Tuesday by a vote of 21-17.
SB1406, which would legalize marijuana possession in the Commonwealth and allow for retail sales by 2024, passed the Senate by a vote of 23-15.
My bill, SB1259, which would bring financial accountability to the Greenway and curb unjust toll increases, passed the Senate by a vote of 32-5.

Vaccine Updates + Town Hall

Virginia has been rapidly improving our vaccination administration over the past few weeks, and I am proud to say that we are #10 in the whole country for vaccinations. We are now giving out doses more efficiently, reporting more accurately, and using our supply quicker instead of holding on to stock specifically for second doses. That said, our federal supply is not enough to meet demand, and we do not expect it to for several weeks at least.

Through a federal partnership, CVS will now be starting to give vaccines in Virginia. Signups for vaccination appointments will begin February 9th, with vaccines beginning to be administered February 11th. You can get more information here.

If you have more questions about Virginia's vaccination response (and specifically Loudoun County's response), please join us for a vaccine town hall with Dr. Danny Avula from the VDH and Dr. David Goodfriend from the Loudoun County Health Department on Tuesday, February 9th at 6pm on Zoom. You can register here, and email any questions in advance to [email protected].