Sign up to receive the newsletter

Please sign-up to receive legislative updates, community information, and campaign trail news - I look forward to staying connected!

April 7, 2025

Neighbors, 

I hope you are having a good start to Spring and that you had a chance to enjoy the cherry blossoms!

In this newsletter, I’ve included the following updates:

  • Town Halls

    • Legislative Town Hall on 4/10

    • Earth Day Town Hall on 4/24

  • Resources for Impacted Federal Workers

    • Capital Area Food Bank Support for Federal Workers

    • Resource Page for Impacted Federal Workers

    • House of Delegate’s Emergency Committee on Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions April Meeting

  • Community Updates

    • WSLL Opening Day

    • Commending Dr. Ravi Chaudhary

    • The “Enslaved 16” Historical Marker Installation

  • Legislative Update

    • Reconvened Session

    • My Legislative Agenda

    • VBWD Board Meeting

  • Community Resources

    • 2025 Inova Community Health Opportunities

  • Transportation Update

    • Franconia Road and Commerce Street STARS Study Survey

    • I-495 Southside Express Lanes Study Public Information Meetings

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

 

Town Halls

I hope you will join me at my upcoming town halls! 

I will be giving a wrap-up of the 2025 legislative session at my virtual Legislative Town Hall on Thursday, April 10. 

On Thursday, April 24, I will be hosting my 5th Annual Earth Day Town Hall with special guests from the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust, Virginia League of Conservation Voters, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation. 

More information on how to register is below!

 

Legislative Town Hall

Delegate Kathy Tran’s 

Legislative Town Hall

Thursday, April 10 at 7pm

Register here!

Earth Day Town Hall

Delegate Kathy Tran’s 

5th Annual Earth Day Town Hall

Thursday, April 24 at 7pm

Register here!

Resources for Impacted Federal Workers

 

Capital Area Food Bank Support for Federal Workers

The Capital Area Food Bank is hosting pop-up distributions twice a week, including at the Springfield Plaza Giant in the 18th House District, to assist impacted families. 

You will be able to pick-up pantry items and fresh produce every Thursday from 5-7pm and Saturday from 9-11am, or while supplies last.  

You can learn more information about the program and other ways to get help from Capital Area Food Bank here.

The pop-up distributions will be at the following locations in Virginia:

  • Giant: 6364a Springfield Plaza in Springfield

  • Safeway: 4215 Cheshire Station Plaza in Dale City

Capital Area Food Bank will be reassessing the program after June and hope to continue pop-up distributions after then as well.


Resource Page for Impacted Federal Workers

My team and I have put together a Resource Page for impacted federal and other workers that identifies resources from our state government and Fairfax County as well as nonprofit organizations that serve our area. You can view this Resource Page here.


House of Delegate’s Emergency Committee on Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions April Meeting

The House of Delegates Emergency Committee on Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions is holding its next meeting on Tuesday, April 8 at the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Alexandria.

As I mentioned previously, this Committee was established by the Speaker of the House to assess and give recommendations on how we can help impacted workers and communities, maintain essential services, and safeguard Virginia’s economy.

In addition to hearing from subject matter experts, the Committee will be accepting written public comments at this link.

The committee has requested that comments be focused on “(i) how federal spending and employment reductions have affected you, your family, and/or your community and (ii) specific policies, programs, and investments the Commonwealth could adopt to mitigate impacts on affected works and Virginia’s economy.” 


Community Updates


WSLL Opening Day

I was so excited to join WSLL for its Parade of Teams and Opening Ceremony to kick off the season! I’m excited to be the sponsor for the AAA Dodgers and 1A Phillies and wish everyone a wonderful season! Let’s play ball!

Commending Dr. Ravi Chaudhary

I was honored to present a commendation from the General Assembly to Dr. Ravi Chaudhary. Dr. Chaudhary served our country as the former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Energy, Installations, and Environment after a distinguished career in the Air Force.

The Enslaved “16” Historical Marker Installation

I was pleased to join the unveiling of a Fairfax County historical marker at West Springfield High School to recognize the “Enslaved 16,” people who were enslaved on the land where WSHS is located. 

These people were denied their freedom and the only record of their lives are their first name, age, and “value” listed on a December 20, 1856 will and estate inventory. They were:

 

“Charles” aged about 27, $1000.00

  “John’’ age 30, $1000.00

“Peter’’ age 25,$1000.00

“Henry’’ age 35, $1000.00

“Louisa’’ age 22, $800.00

“Hannah & Child’’ age 29, $900.00

  “Harriet” aged about 38, $800.00

“Sally’’ age 56, $100.00

“Daniel’’ age 11, $500.00

“Laura’’ age 9, $300.00

“Ann’’ age 9, $300.00

“Sandy’’ age 6, $250.00

“Sealy’’ age 7, $200.00

“Bill’’ age 4, $200.00

“Cora’’ age 4, $150.00

 

Congratulations to Mr. Heintz and students in his Applied History Class for leading the effort to honor these individuals — It is important that we continue to learn from our past as we build a strong community and future.

Legislative Update


Reconvened Session

On Wednesday, April 2, the General Assembly met for the annual Reconvened Session and considered the Governor’s vetoes and proposed amendments to bills, including the biennial budget, that passed the legislature during the regular session. 


Governor’s Action on Legislation

The Governor signed 599 bills into law and you can see that list of bills here. 

He also proposed amendments on 160 bills, including the budget bill. Of these recommendations, the General Assembly accepted 69 primarily technical changes and rejected amendments to 90 bills. You can see the list of bills he recommended changes to, including those we accepted, here. 

Now, the Governor has until May 2 to either veto these bills, sign them into law as passed by the legislature, or let them become law without his signature.

The Governor also vetoed 157 bills and the legislature was not able to override any of the Governor’s vetoes. 

Below are some bills that were vetoed by the Governor and you can see a full list of the vetoes here:

  • House Bill 1607 and Senate Bill 1181 would have banned future sales of assault weapons and high capacity magazines.

  • House Bill 1724 would have created a Prescription Drug Affordability Board, which is empowered to review the affordability of prescription drugs and limit the price that state-regulated insurance will pay for them. 

  • House Bill 1928 would have raised the state minimum wage incrementally to $15.00 per hour by January 1, 2027.

  • House Bill 1977 and Senate Bill 1110 would have outlawed the possession of firearms, large knives, or other dangerous weapons in hospitals.

  • House Bill 2054 would have allowed localities with affordable housing programs to negotiate for affordable units in any new assisted living facility.

  • House Bill 2531 would have established a statewide paid family and medical leave program, granting workers up to 12 weeks paid time off to care for a loved one, recover from a serious illness or injury, or after the birth of a child.

Biennial Budget

Last year, the General Assembly approved and the Governor signed a balanced biennial budget, as required by the Virginia constitution. This year, we considered amendments to that budget, given updated economic forecasts. 

The General Assembly’s budget proposal passed by wide bipartisan margins. I highlighted some of the items from the General Assembly's budget in my last newsletter, which you can read here. I would also recommend the budget summary by The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis, which you can find here.

During the Reconvened Session, the General Assembly accepted the Governor’s technical amendments to the budget. The Governor now has until May 2 to sign the budget or to veto it. 


My Legislative Agenda

 The Governor signed four of my bills into law:

  • House Bill 2265 supports our youngest students by allowing qualified licensed teachers with over 15 years of experience teaching preschool special education the opportunity to continue teaching in their classroom without needing extra coursework, if their superintendent recommends it.

  • House Bill 2219 requires teachers and staff to be trained on their student’s augmentative and alternative communication before classroom instruction begins so that no student falls behind. You can read more about this bill here.

  • House Bill 2541 helps ensure that Virginians with disabilities are able to equally obtain government services and educational opportunities. It requires information and communication technology that is used to deliver services by state agencies, local governments, institutions of higher education, and local school districts to meet federal accessibility standards for people with all disabilities.

  • House Bill 2269 addresses the proliferation of violence against health care workers in hospitals by requiring this data be captured and analyzed.

During the Reconvened Session, the General Assembly considered the Governor’s proposed amendments to two of my bills. At my recommendation, the General Assembly adopted these changes, and these bills will now become law:

  • House Bill 2266 promotes solar energy by spreading out the costs of expensive infrastructure upgrades needed to install solar panels on our schools, government buildings, and parking lots, among other locations. 

  • House Bill 2218 improves tenant rights by requiring landlords to provide at least one free option for renters to pay their rent. 

Unfortunately, the Governor vetoed four of my bills:

  • House Bill 2764 would have given the right of public sector employees to collectively bargain for better pay, benefits, and working conditions. I made the motion to override the Governor’s veto on the floor of the House of Delegates. Despite a majority of the House agreeing with my motion, we failed to achieve the required two-thirds majority to override the veto. You can read more about this legislation here.

  • House Bill 2241 would have helped reduce gun violence by prohibiting people who are convicted of misdemeanor assault hate crimes from possessing firearms.

  • House Bill 2264 would have re-established a free system to directly file our state taxes and required Virginia to join the IRS’s Direct File program so that no Virginian would have to pay to file their taxes.

  • House Bill 2746 would have required Virginia courts to determine, with clear and convincing evidence, that an individual under guardianship or conservatorship lacks the capacity to understand the act of voting before disqualifying them from voting.

VBWD Board Meeting

I attended a quarterly meeting of the Virginia Board of Workforce Development (VBWD) and received an economic update from Virginia Works. The Board also discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) could be used to help returning citizens understand occupational licensure requirements, and we debated the need to prepare to serve impacted federal workers due to the recent actions by the Trump administration.

Community Resources


2025 Inova Community Health Opportunities

Inova is accepting applications through April 18, 2025 at 12pm for the “2025 Inova Community Health Opportunities Grants.” 

This competitive funding opportunity is available to eligible nonprofit organizations focused on addressing behavioral health, health access, or economic stability. To qualify for the program, a nonprofit must meet the following criteria:

  • Tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code

  • Located in and serve residents in Northern Virginia, specifically in one of the areas evaluated by the Inova Community Health Needs Assessments

  • Focus area of behavioral health, health access and/or economic stability

  • Not a recipient of the 2024 Inova Opportunity Funding

  • Participate with the Unite Us/Unite Virginia platform (if awarded)

Transportation Update

 

Franconia Road and Commerce Street STARS Study Survey

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is seeking public comment on its Franconia Road and Commerce Street Strategically Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) Study. 

The goal of this study is to evaluate possible improvements to safety, operations, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian accommodations along a half-mile stretch of Franconia Road and a half-mile segment of Commerce Street. 

The Franconia Road section runs from Backlick Road to Commerce Street/Loisdale Road and the Commerce Street portion extends from Amherst Avenue to Franconia Road.

The survey is the second for this project and is open until April 17. You can learn more about this project and complete the survey at this link.


I-495 Southside Express Lanes Study Public Information Meetings

VDOT will be holding public information meetings for the public to learn about and provide input on the I-495 Southside Express Lanes Study, which would expand the express lane system between the Springfield Interchange, across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, to the Maryland 210 Interchange.

A future meetings in Virginia will be held:

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Nannie J. Lee Memorial

Recreation Center

1108 Jefferson Street

Alexandria, VA 22314

 VDOT also has presentation materials and is accepting input on this website. 

You can provide oral and/or written comment at any of the meetings above, by using VDOT’s online comment form or by mailing Michelle Shropshire, P.E., VDOT Northern Virginia Megaprojects Director, 4975 Alliance Drive, Fairfax, VA 22030, by Monday, April 21, 2025.