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Dear friends,
This week, I share my thoughts on the recently-debated state budget amendments, discuss an exciting event happening this Saturday, reflect on our Pride Month Town Hall, talk about community events from this past week, and dive into my upcoming trip to Seattle as a Fellow in Early Childhood Education Cohort of the National Conference of State Legislators. Thank you for taking the time to read the newsletter and for staying informed.
Budget Amendments
Last Friday, we returned to the Capitol to take votes on the bills in conference that were connected to the budget’s passing and to also vote on the Governor’s Amendments to the Budget Conference Report that had passed on bipartisan votes from both Chambers a few weeks ago.
The Governor proposed 35 amendments, and I highlight just a few here:
- The transfer of state financial aid support from DACA recipients to students at HBCUs (Amendment 8): The Governor’s Amendment redirected $10 million in aid from DACA students to Virginia HBCUs. This amendment was not necessary; the Commonwealth has the capacity to provide aid to low-income students in need, and we should make this support a budgeting priority. This funding was actually an allocation set aside to support legislation that was passed last year to support DACA students in Virginia’s colleges and universities. Our HBCU institutions did not ask the Governor to redirect this funding. This action unfortunately strips aid from students who are not able to apply for or qualify for federal financial aid. Regrettably, this amendment passed both Chambers and now impacts thousands of Virginia students seeking educational opportunities:
- Passed the House 49-45
- Passed the Senate 20-19
- Earned Sentence Credits (Amendment 19): This budget amendment legislates through the budget, and it impacts incarcerated individuals who have earned sentence credits for good behavior and rehabilitative efforts. Regardless of their earned sentence credits, these incarcerated individuals are already scheduled to be released over the course of the next year. Earned Sentence Credits incentivizes good behavior, self-control, and family engagement by offering individuals the opportunity to return to society a few months earlier than originally sentenced. The impacted individuals and their families have been planning for their early release based on the legislation passed in the previous session and based on assurances made in letters they have received from the Department of Corrections. The Governor’s amendment, which passed on Friday, now means that roughly 550 of 3200 inmates scheduled to be released on July 1 will not be leaving prison that day.
- Passed the House 48-45
- Passed in the Senate 22-17
- Restrictions on Abortion Access (Amendment 30): This budget amendment would remove healthcare access for low-income individuals needing abortion care in the instances of gross fetal abnormalities. Virginia denies state funding to Medicaid-eligible individuals except in the cases of rape, incest, when their life is at risk, and in cases of incapacitating fetal diagnoses. This amendment sought to strike fetal diagnoses from this list. Virginia Democrats protected abortion access for low-income families that have received devastating news about their pregnancies by ensuring that Medicaid could continue to cover abortion costs.
- Passed the House on a 51-45, party line vote
- Defeated in the Senate with a 20-19 vote
- Gas tax (Amendment 31): The Governor proposed a three-month cessation of the collection of the state gas tax. His earlier legislative efforts had failed to pass both Chambers just a few weeks ago: the Republican-controlled House of Delegates left the legislation unheard in the House Appropriations Committee. The Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee defeated the proposal. Economic experts, oil industry experts, and transportation authorities all requested that Virginia not move in this direction. The three-month reprieve would bring an estimated 8 cents per gallon reprieve for consumers at the pump. For families filling up a 20-gallon vehicle, the savings would translate to roughly $1.60 every week. Within these three months, however, we would be creating a nearly half-a-billion dollar hole in the state’s transportation budget. The reprieve would also funnel hundreds of thousands of increased profits to oil companies that have demonstrated little desire to reduce the price at pumps in other states who have tried this action. Instead, to support struggling families, the Budget Conference Report provides a $250 (individual) / $500 (couples) rebate; this is money that will go straight into the pockets of Virginians. Clearly, we need strong and effective action to assist families bearing the brunt of high gas prices and inflation. Gas prices are controlled by global markets, oil producers and exporters, and the energy demands of competing nations. Global leadership and action are required now to bring these prices down.
- Passed the House 51-45, party line vote
- Defeated in the Senate with a 21-18
These are just a few of the highlights among the budget amendments proposed by the Governor.
Molly Ringwald in Richmond
This upcoming Saturday, June 25, from 3:00 - 5:00 pm, I am excited to help welcome acclaimed actress, author, and activist Molly Ringwald at Studio Two Three in Richmond. Molly Ringwald is known for her iconic roles in tv shows and movies, and she has since used her voice to defend LGTBQ+ rights, women’s equality, and reproductive health. On Saturday, we will both speak about the progress made and the work that remains. A few tickets still remain and are available here.
Pride Town Hall Recap
On Tuesday evening, I hosted a Pride Month Town Hall with Dr. Yannick Kluch from the Center for Sport Leadership at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dove Stanley from the Virginia Rural Health Association and Farmville Pride, and Jamie Nolan from Side by Side Virginia. During our discussion, we explored ways to support LGBTQ+ people of all ages in athletics, education, housing, and healthcare. The recording of the town hall is available here. I thank all of our panelists for sharing their expertise and insights with town hall participants.
We will take a break from the monthly town halls during July and August, and we will resume the pace in September as we fully launch efforts for the 2023 Session of the General Assembly. However, this weekly newsletter will continue to reach everyone regularly, and community events and legislative updates are always highlighted in the newsletter, and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
Juneteenth Celebration with Habitat for Humanity Powhatan
On Saturday, I visited Powhatan Habitat for Humanity for its second annual Juneteenth Celebration. I was able to tour the Habitat ReStore and connect with locally-owned businesses, a majority of which are owned and operated by minority business owners in Powhatan and the surrounding counties.
The Habitat for Humanity Powhatan community has had an incredible impact on district residents. From 2020-2021, the Habitat ReStore prevented 78,000 pounds of goods from ending up in landfills, volunteers logged over 3,200 hours of service, and 68 individuals were directly served. More information about the work of Habitat for Humanity - Powhatan is available here.
NCSL Fellowship in Early Childhood Education
Next week, I head to Seattle to take part in the National Conference of State Legislators’ Early Childhood Education Fellows meeting. This fellowship, for which I was nominated for and selected to join earlier this year, helps educate legislators on the impacts of early childhood education and on the research available regarding young children’s social/emotional development as they prepare to be young learners. We will also be examining the educational policies being developed and implemented in other states. As a member of this cohort, I will be meeting other legislators from across the country to exchange ideas.
Over the course of the past two years, under the leadership of Governor Northam and most especially through the legislation championed by the First Lady Pam Northam, Virginia launched an intentional and far-reaching effort to expand access to early childhood education across Virginia. As the chair of the Senate Public Education Subcommittee, I look forward to continuing that work by learning more about best practices, educational resources, and impactful policies that will serve as the foundational means of making Virginia the best state for early childhood education and development.
Community Events This Week
On Saturday, I attended a Memorial Resolution ceremony for three Powhatan County veterans at the Powhatan County Seat Restaurant. My constituent, Paul Mitchell, tirelessly compiled research and conducted one-on-one interviews to tell the stories of these men’s lives and honor them each with a memorial resolution. Paul’s dedication to others is unmatched, and I was grateful to work alongside him throughout this process.
On Tuesday, Delegate Betsy Carr and I toured the Port of Richmond to see how the pandemic and supply chain challenges are affecting the Commonwealth’s economic wellbeing. The Port staff is amazing and learning more about their efforts in making Richmond an essential and valuable part of the transportation of massive tons of goods across the globe was fascinating.
On Wednesday, I had a real treat when I was able to join the American Legion Auxiliary Virginia Girls State Legislative Day at Longwood University. I appreciated the warm welcome, and I shared my experiences as an elected official and emphasized the importance of being an engaged citizen and active member of their communities. The elected mayors of two of the cities established during this Girls State week hosted me and Senator Ruff as we spoke to their respective cities in a joint session.
Connecting With My Office
My staff continue to hold meetings with constituents via Zoom or by phone. You can sign up for a meeting with either of my staff members with our easy scheduling app:
You can also email us at [email protected].
— Ghazala
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