2024 Legislative Agenda
I am honored to represent our community in the 18th District in the Virginia House of Delegates! Below is a summary of the bills and budget requests that I have sponsored to introduce legislation to build a more just, equitable, and welcoming Virginia.
I look forward to hearing your priorities. I hope to be able to welcome you to Richmond or see you at a future town hall! You can sign-up for my electronic newsletter to learn about my work on behalf of our community and see tips on my website on how you can stay engaged with the legislative process.
I’ve summarized the bills and budget requests that I have introduced below, and I hope you click through to learn more about each one. I look forward to hearing about your priorities!
EXPANDING HEALTH CARE
I introduced the following in order to expand affordable health care to vulnerable individuals:
House Bill 970 Cover All Kids — This bill provides health care to vulnerable kids by creating a Medicaid-like program for about 13,000 children in Virginia, regardless of their immigration status. (Failed to pass the House of Delegates)
House Bill 971 Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice — This bill codifies a pandemic-era rule that allows nurse practitioners to practice autonomously after two years of supervision, helping to fill health care provider gaps in Virginia. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
House Bill 995 Refugee Physician Licensure —This bill creates a pathway for immigrants and refugees living in Virginia who are internationally-trained physicians to obtain their medical license in the Commonwealth, enabling them to reach their full career potential while meeting health care needs in underserved communities. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
House Bill 982 Medicaid Coverage for Hearing Aids — Untreated hearing loss profoundly affects quality of life and may lead to cognitive decline. This bill addresses this issue by providing Medicaid coverage for hearing aids for adults. (Failed to pass the House of Delegates)
House Bill 1060 Long Term Care Insurance — People purchase long-term care insurance to reduce financial uncertainty and ensure they have health care when they are older. However, these insurance premiums have risen dramatically in recent years, affecting people’s ability to afford coverage. This bill requires insurance companies to notify their policyholders if they request a rate increase and for the State Corporation Commission to consider input from policyholders. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
Budget Amendment Item 271 #9h Mary Marshall Scholarship Program — This budget request helps address our significant nursing shortage by expanding eligibility for the Mary Marshall Scholarship Program for nursing students to include humanitarian parolees. (Was not included in the conference budget)
STRENGTHENING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
To improve physical safety and mental health support for students at our public K-12 schools and institutions of higher education, I sponsored:
House Bill 980 Support for College Students Who Have Been Hazed — Every student deserves to be safe and not ostracized for speaking up against abuse. This bill ensures that students who report being hazed get referred to ongoing mental and behavioral health supports. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
House Bill 1543 Quick-Build Traffic Calming Work Group — Pedestrian deaths are on the rise in Northern Virginia. This bill directs the Virginia Department of Transportation to assess how to implement quick-build traffic calming projects in school zones to improve safety for kids, teachers, and other pedestrians walking to school. (Failed to pass the House of Delegates)
Budget Amendment Item 442 #5h Rolling Road Light Funding Budget Amendment — This request allows the Virginia Department of Transportation and Fairfax County to fund a traffic light at Rolling Road and Grisby to create a safe crossing point for West Springfield High School students. (Was not included in the conference budget)
Budget Amendment Item 117 #16h Asian American History Model Curriculum and Resources — This request provides resources to the Virginia Department of Education to create a model curriculum, tools, and resources to teach Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history as part of the History and Social Science Standards of Learning and supporting programing for AAPI History Month. ($100,000 was included in the conference budget passed by the General Assembly)
Budget Amendment Item 125 #23h Additional English Learner Teachers — This request, made in partnership with Fairfax County Public Schools, increases the number of English Language Learner (ELL) teachers to meet the needs of our students. ($37,894,669 the first year and $34,182,978 the second year in direct aid included in the conference budget passed by the General Assembly)
LIFTING UP WORKING FAMILIES
I am committed to lifting up working families, from ensuring they have targeted tax relief to expanding opportunities for collective bargaining to addressing the affordable child care crisis. I’m proud to introduce:
House Bill 969 Child Tax Credit — This bill provides targeted relief to working families and addresses child poverty for an estimated 1.3 million Virginian kids by establishing a state child tax credit. (Failed to pass the House of Delegates)
House Bill 984 Head Start Centers in Community Colleges — This bill requires the Virginia Department of Education and Virginia Community College System to provide recommendations on expanding the availability of Head Start programs at community colleges — ensuring working students will have access to affordable, high quality child care programs for their kids. (Failed to pass the House of Delegates)
House Bill 992 Coordinating Workforce Services, VIEW & SNAP E&T Programs — This bill helps make sure participants in the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work (VIEW) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) E & T programs have seamless connection to employment and training services. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
House Bill 1001 Expanding Collective Bargaining — Workers deserve a seat at the decision-making table. But right now, only a fraction of Virginia public workers have the right to negotiate. This bill would expand the right of state employees to collectively bargain for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. (Failed to pass the House of Delegates)
House Bill 1261 Unemployment Overcompensation Protections — This bill alleviates an immensely stressful situation affecting many Virginians by giving the Virginia Employment Commission the permanent authority to waive overpayment of unemployment benefits when the overpayments were made through no fault of the individual. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
ENSURING FAIR AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Housing has become increasingly expensive and complex housing contracts and fees have exacerbated the situation. To help families navigate, I introduced:
House Bill 1487 Language Access in Housing — This bill requires the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development to translate model rental agreements and other rental forms in top languages spoken in Virginia and to make them available on its website so that all tenants, regardless of their language abilities, understand their rental agreement. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
House Bill 993 Rental Fees Ban — This bill prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to pay fees in order to pay their rent or to obtain normal maintenance or repair of their unit, helping to end predatory rental fees. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
BUILDING A MORE WELCOMING AND INCLUSIVE VIRGINIA
Virginia’s diversity is our strength, and to help build a welcoming and inclusive Commonwealth, I have sponsored:
House Bill 1355 Accessible Technology — Technology is ubiquitous in how we perform our jobs, access government services, and learn in school. This bill updates Virginia’s Information Technology Access Act by requiring state agencies, local governments, institutions of higher education, and local school districts to ensure their information and communication technologies are accessible to all persons with a disability. (Passed the House of Delegates; failed to pass the state Senate)
House Bill 1186 Disability Access at Virginia State Parks — From the Blue Ridge to Mason Neck, Virginia has the most beautiful state parks in the country. This bill establishes a pilot program that provides all-terrain wheelchairs at our state parks so that more Virginians can enjoy them. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
Budget Amendment Item 111 #2h Create the New Americans Navigator Program — Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and this request is to create a program to help immigrant business owners start and grow their businesses, including by providing assistance in Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Korean. (Was not included in the conference budget)
Budget Amendment Item 267 #7h Expanding State Government Language Access — This budget request provides funds to ensure that our state government resources are available to every Virginian, including those who do not speak English, speak limited English, or have a disability affecting communication abilities. ($2,000,000 in the first year and $2,000,000 in the second year included in the conference budget passed by the General Assembly)
HONORING OUR VETERANS AND MILITARY FAMILIES
Our military families and veterans sacrifice to keep our communities safe. I have introduced legislation to honor their service:
House Joint Resolution 45 Surviving Spouses Constitutional Amendment — This bill amends the Constitution of Virginia to provide surviving spouses of service members who were killed in the line of duty with equitable tax relief. Note: This resolution is being considered for second passage. If it passes, then this issue will be on the ballot in November 2024 as a voter referendum. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate)
Budget Amendment Item 140 #3h Troops to Teachers Budget Amendment This budget amendment funds the Troops to Teachers program at the College of William and Mary to help military service members prepare to teach in K-12 schools, thereby helping veterans transition successfully to the civilian workforce while filling our teacher gaps. (Was not included in the conference budget)
PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE
In order to protect our air, water, plants, and wildlife for future generations, I introduced:
House Bill 985 Ban High-PAH Sealants — Clean, safe water is essential to public health and the wellbeing of our environment and wildlife. This bill prohibits the sale and use of pavement sealants with high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), which increase cancer risk, particularly in young children. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
House Bill 1531 Banning Bullhooks — Cruelty to animals is unacceptable. This bill creates a costly civil penalty for anyone in the Commonwealth who uses bullhooks or a similar device to hurt or intimidate elephants, who are intelligent and complex animals. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
Budget Amendment Item 355 #3h Assist Workers in Fossil Fuel Industries with Job Training — We must ensure that no worker is left behind in our transition to green energy. This request adds a new priority category for workers from fossil fuel industries for employment services under the federal Workforce Innovations and Opportunities Act programs. (Was not included in the conference budget)
EXPANDING VOTING RIGHTS
Voting is fundamental to our democracy, and I’m proud to introduce legislation to expand access to the ballot box:
House Bill 989 Department of Elections Translations — Having accurate election information enables us to exercise our right to vote. This bill requires Virginia’s Department of Elections to translate and publish key voting information in the most widely spoken languages in Virginia, ensuring that Virginians are not disenfranchised by language barriers. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)
OTHER BILLS
House Bill 986 Increase Allowed Notary Fees — Given inflation, one of my constituents explained that it is more difficult than ever for notaries to make ends meet. This bill increases for the first time since 2005 the amount that notaries may choose to charge for their services. (Passed the House of Delegates and state Senate; awaiting action by the Governor)