February 18, 2024

Neighbors,

The General Assembly always goes all out to celebrate Valentine’s Day — My team and I had a lot of fun decorating our office and delivering homemade goodies for our legislative support staff. I hope your day was filled with love and friendship!

In this newsletter, I’ve included information about the following:

  • Early Voting for Presidential Primary

  • Town Hall

    • Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus Town Hall

  • Constituent Meetings and Legislative Briefings

  • Legislative Updates

    • My Legislative Agenda

    • Biennial Budget

As always, let me know if you have questions or need assistance by calling my office at (804) 698-1018 or emailing me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov. 

 

Best, Kathy

 

Kathy KL Tran

Delegate


Early Voting for Presidential Primary

The Virginia Presidential Primary Election Day is March 5 and early voting is available through March 2.

You may vote in either the Democratic primary or the Republican primary, but not in both. You can vote early at any of the following locations in Fairfax County:

 

Fairfax County Government Center

12000 Government Center Pkwy, Fairfax 22035

Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

 

Mt. Vernon Governmental Center

2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, 22306

Monday-Friday: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

 

North County Governmental Center

1801 Cameron Glen Drive Reston, 20190

Monday-Friday: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

 

You can find more information about in-person early voting on Fairfax County’s Department of Elections’ website.

Need to register to vote, check your registration status, or request your absentee ballot? You can do that on the Virginia Department of Elections’ website.


Town Halls


Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus Town Hall

Thank you to everyone who joined me and members of the Virginia Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus (VAAPIC) for our Crossover Town Hall yesterday!


Constituent Meetings and Legislative Briefings

It was wonderful to meet with Rachna Sizemore Heizer, who represents the Braddock Magisterial District on the Fairfax County School Board. Thanks for all you do to support our students, Rachna!

I enjoyed getting an update from ServiceSource about their work serving individuals with disabilities. 

The House of Delegates and state Senate honored author John Grisham with the 2024 Outstanding Virginian Award. It was a pleasure to meet him, share a note that my eldest son wrote to him, and ask him to sign some books!

My staff and I also had a chance to meet with students from George Mason University, Students for Equity and Reform in Virginia (SERV), and Virginia21.


Legislative Updates

I joined my House Democratic colleagues at a press conference to discuss our priorities as we enter the second half of the legislative session. I was proud to highlight our efforts to lift up working families.

About 2,300 bills were introduced in the General Assembly this year. Now, at the midpoint of the legislative session, about 800 House Bills and more than 400 Senate bills are still in consideration.

For the remainder of session, the House of Delegates is voting on bills that passed the state Senate, and vice versa. 

Bills that passed the House of Delegates cover a wide range of issues, for example:

  • House Bill 1 puts Virginia on a pathway to increase the state minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2026. I voted for this bill, and it passed on a 51-49 vote.

  • House Bill 2 bans the sale or transfer of assault weapons in Virginia after July 1, 2024. I voted for this bill, and it passed on a 51-49 vote. 

  • House Bill 18 protects people from discrimination based on ethnic origin. I supported this bill, and it passed unanimously.

  • House Bill 187 increases public teachers’ salaries to at least the national average by the end of the 2028 fiscal year. I voted for this bill, and it passed on a  vote of 74-24. 

  • House Bill 590 legalizes, regulates, and taxes slot machine-style skill games in convenience stores, restaurants, and truck stops in Virginia, if approved by local referendum. I supported the legislation, and it passed by a vote of 65-34.

  • House Bill 1025 creates a process so individuals can claim roadkill. I voted in favor of this bill, and it passed by a vote of 98 yeas and 1 abstention.

  • House Bill 1496 requires local governments to provide the state with information about surveillance technology used by their law enforcement. I supported this bill, and it passed by a vote of 82-17.

  • House Bill 1514 creates a sports authority that would be able to issue bonds to build a new arena for the Washington Wizards and Capitals. I opposed this bill, and it passed by a vote of 59-40.


My Legislative Agenda

I am excited to share 15 of my 21 bills passed the House of Delegates and are being considered by the state Senate. I have included a brief summary of each bill below.

 

Expanding Health Care

  • House Bill 971 helps address our health care workforce shortage by lowering the number of years that a nurse practitioner must work under supervision by a physician before being able to practice autonomously. I appreciate collaborating with the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners, Medical Society of Virginia, and AARP. This bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 98-1.

  • House Bill 995 creates a pathway for immigrants and refugees living in Virginia who are internationally-trained physicians to obtain their medical licenses in the Commonwealth, enabling them to reach their full career potential while meeting health care needs in underserved communities. This bill passed unanimously from the House of Delegates.

  • You can read more about the challenges that refugee physicians face in this blog post from the Refugee Advocacy Lab . Thank you to the Refugee Physician Advocacy Coalition (RPA), Medical Society of Virginia, Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association, and Church World Service for your partnership. 

  • House Bill 1060 requires long-term insurance companies to notify their policyholders if they request the State Corporation Commission to increase their rates and that the agency must consider the impact on policyholders when reviewing requests for rate increases. This issue was first brought to me by my constituent Jeff and was supported by the Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and AARP. This bill passed the House of Delegates by a 59-39 vote.

Strengthening Public Schools

  • House Bill 980 ensures students who report being hazed are notified about mental and behavioral health services on their college campuses, and it passed the House of Delegates by a 60-38 vote. Thanks to my constituent Kalynne, Love Like Adam Foundation, and Virginia Education Association for their support. 

Lifting Up Working Families

  • House Bill 992 connects participants in the Virginia Initiative for Education and Work (VIEW) and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Employment and Training Program to employment and training services. I collaborated on this legislation with Voices for Virginia’s Children and the Virginia Poverty Law Center. This bill passed the House of Delegates on a vote of 51-49. 

  •  House Bill 1261 gives the Virginia Employment Commission permanent authority to waive overpayment of unemployment benefits when the overpayments were made through no fault of the individual. Thanks to the Virginia Poverty Law Center and Legal Aid Justice Center for supporting this bill. This bill passed the House of Delegates on a 49-47 vote.

Ensuring Fair and Affordable Housing

  • House Bill 993 prohibits landlords from requiring tenants to pay fees to pay their rent or obtain normal maintenance of their unit. I am grateful to my constituent Susan for bringing this issue to me and for the opportunity to partner with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, New Virginia Majority, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Legal Aid Justice Center, Virginia NAACP, and Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia. This bill passed the House of Delegates on a 51-49 vote.

  • House Bill 1487 requires the state to publish translations of model rental forms in top languages other than English that are spoken in Virginia so that all tenants, regardless of their language abilities, understand their rental terms. I worked on this bill with the Virginia Poverty Law Center, New Virginia Majority, Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Legal Aid Justice Center, Virginia NAACP, and Housing Opportunities Made Equal of Virginia. This bill passed the House of Delegates by a vote of 58-40.

Building a More Welcoming and Inclusive Virginia

  • House Bill 1186 establishes a pilot program that provides all-terrain wheelchairs at our state parks and passed the House of Delegates unanimously. Thanks to the Friends of Mason Neck State Park, Virginia Conservation Network, Virginia Association for Parks, disAbility Law Center of Virginia, and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation for working with me.

  • House Bill 1355 updates requires information and communication technologies purchased by state and local governments, public K-12 school districts, and institutions of higher education to be accessible to all persons with a disability. I worked closely on this bill with Virginia Higher Education Accessibility Partners, National Federation of the Blind of Virginia, The Arc, the disAbility Law Center of Virginia, and the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. This bill passed the House of Delegates by a 71-27 vote.

Honoring Our Veterans and Military Families

  • House Joint Resolution 45 gives Virginia voters the opportunity to amend the Constitution of Virginia to provide equitable tax relief to surviving spouses of service members who were killed in the line of duty. Thank you to my constituents Traci and Edie, as well as the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations, for their advocacy. This resolution passed the House of Delegates unanimously. 

Protecting Our Environment and Wildlife

  • House Bill 985 bans toxic asphalt sealants in Virginia and passed the House of Delegates by a 78-21 vote. I appreciate the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, and the Sierra Club for their partnership. You can read coverage of my efforts in WUSA9 and the Richmond Times Dispatch.

  • House Bill 1531 creates a civil penalty for anyone in the Commonwealth who uses bullhooks or a similar device to hurt or intimidate elephants, and it passed the House of Delegates by a 63-36 vote.

    I am grateful for the support of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Virginia Federation of Humane Societies, Virginia Animal Control Association, Virginia Veterinary Medical Association, and the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. You can learn more about my efforts in the Fairfax Connection. 

 Expanding Voting Rights

  • House Bill 989 requires the Department of Elections to translate and publish key voting information in Virginia’s most widely spoken languages other than English, and it passed the House of Delegates on a 88-11 vote. This bill was supported by New Virginia Majority and the Voter Registrars Association of Virginia.

Other Bills

  • House Bill 986 allows notaries to charge up to $10 for notarizing hard copy documents and passed unanimously from the House of Delegates. My constituent Daniel had asked me to help, as these fees have remained unchanged since 2005. Many thanks to the Virginia Association of Notaries for their support.

Biennial Budget

The House of Delegates and the state Senate released their respective budget proposals today. 

As I have shared before, we are required by the Virginia Constitution to pass a balanced, biennial budget this year.

I am carefully reviewing the House budget and comparing it to the Governor’s and the state Senate’s proposals, and I will provide a highlight in my next newsletter. You can see each budget proposal here.