August Update

Dear Friend,

As we enter August, several community gatherings and holidays enter the horizon. I hope you are beating the heat and enjoying the dog days of summer. Below is an update on recent work of the General Assembly, upcoming community events, and helpful resources and reminders.

Special Session Update

The General Assembly convened for a special session on July 18. The House and Senate passed legislation that repealed changes to the Virginia Military Survivors and Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) that had been included in the compromise budget passed earlier this year. As mentioned in my previous newsletters, the VMSDEP program’s associated cost has grown exponentially with little guardrails prompting the Legislature and Governor to adjust the program to control the cost for institutions of higher education. Families who use the program expressed concern with the expedited effective date of the changes resulting in the repeal to allow for public input and further study of policy options. You can read about the General Assembly’s actions in this article from The Virginia Mercury.

Joint Subcommittee on Health & Human Resources Oversight

The Joint Subcommittee on Health & Human Resources Oversight met Tuesday, July 9, to receive updates on the Medicaid Unwinding process from the Department of Medical Assistance Services, as well as receive an update on the increase of Developmental Disability waiver slots from the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services. You can find the agenda for the meeting here and watch a recording at this link.

National Night Out

Tuesday, August 6, is National Night Out, a national effort to encourage communities to gather with local law enforcement and other first responders to strengthen sense of community, build productive and respectful relationships between communities and law enforcement, share important information to reduce crime and substance abuse, and celebrate togetherness amid Summer’s long days and warm weather. Gatherings are organized by civic associations and neighborhood groups and often include cookouts, parades, contests, and family friendly programs.

Festivities are organized by neighborhoods. To find out if your neighborhood is planning an event, get in contact with your local civic association. If you are unsure whom to contact, you can find a directory of civic associations at this link from the City of Richmond. If you would like to plan a National Night Out gathering and would like to coordinate a street closure and invite members from the Richmond Police Department, you can do so at this link.

Sales Tax Holiday

This weekend, August 2-4, will be Virginia’s Sales Tax Holiday. Qualifying items are school supplies, clothing, footwear; hurricane preparedness items including generators and chainsaws; and qualifying Energy Star and WaterSense home appliances. For more information on qualifying items, visit this guide from the Department of Taxation.

Back to School

The first day of school for Richmond Public Schools is August 19. Families can reference this comprehensive webpage from RPS for back-to-school paper work, bus routes, checklists, and much more.

Additionally, there are numerous school supply drives happening in the coming weeks across the City. Whether your family could benefit from the drive or is in a position to contribute, you may be interested in the VCU Ultimate Backpack Supply Drive, happening August 8, at the Richmond Convention Center (more information here), the YMCA Bright Beginnings Program (more information here), or supporting RPS’s efforts to ensure students are set up for success (more information here).

Richmond People’s Budget

The Richmond People’s Budget is a new initiative from the City Government. A fund has been dedicated to responding to the most requested Capital Improvement Projects from each City Council District. Anyone 14 years of age or older who lives, works or studies in the City is invited to submit their proposals for projects. Later this year, voting will be open for citizens to review and support their preferred projects, which will then be moved forward and funded in Summer of 2025. More information can be found at the dedicated website for the Richmond People’s Budget.

Richmond Civilian Review Board

The City is accepting applications from City residents for the Civilian Review Board. The Board consists of 8 members, four appointed by the Mayor and four appointed by Council. Applications for Council-appointed seats are live and available at this link. Members will serve 3-year terms during which they will review police activity and make recommendations to City Government. You can learn more about the Civilian Review Board here.

Inclement Weather

Temperatures have remained high, with severe heat warnings being issued on a frequent basis. The City has set up cooling stations across the City including at Public Libraries. When temperatures reach 92 degrees or higher, the City has a walk-up inclement weather station at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue. More information available here. Additionally, the Department of Social Services has energy assistance services. More information here.

Additionally, we are in the middle of Atlantic Hurricane Season, which runs through November. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) has a comprehensive guide including preparedness guides available here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

New Laws in Effect

Dear Friend,

Summer festivities are in full swing. Whether you are staying local during the summer or finding time to travel, I hope you find a chance to rest and relax. The first of July marked the enactment of many new laws; and, Independence Day is upon us with a plethora of celebrations taking place. Below is an update on newly enacted laws, other state news and local happenings.

Special Session Update

The General Assembly will convene July 18, 2pm to vote on legislation repealing changes made to the Virginia Military Survivors Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) in the compromised budget. The program has undergone exponential growth that has been unsustainable for institutions of higher education, prompting the initial changes. In response to concerns from veteran families over the changes and how soon they would go into effect, the legislature has moved to repeal the changes so further study, including a review by the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission as well as public testimony, can be considered before changes are adopted. You can find the legislation at this link. You can watch a livestream of the session here.

New Laws in Effect

July 1 marked the enactment of the 845 pieces of legislation that were approved by the General Assembly and the Governor. These pieces of legislation range a wide array of topics; from minor tweaks to major changes. Some pieces of legislation will be immediately noticeable and others will cause behind-the-scenes changes. Below is a small recap of some of the newly enacted laws.

New Biennial State Budget

The most significant legislation is the State budget. I have covered the compromise budget that was passed in mid-May in previous newsletters, but a helpful refresher can be found in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Gun Safety

• HB36 & SB44 create a felony that carries a maximum of 10 years in jail for parents who allow their children access to firearms if the child is known to pose a threat of violence.

• HB22 bans the use, possession, or distribution of auto sears, also known as switches, which are small devices that convert firearms into automatic firearms.

• SB363 makes it a class 1 misdemeanor to posses and a class 6 felony to purchase, sell, or distribute any firearms that have had their serial number removed or destroyed. This law does not apply to antique firearms.

Marriage Equality

HB174 prohibits the denial of a marriage license on the basis of sex, gender, or race of the parties involved.

Hate Crimes & Anti-Discrimination

HB18 & SB7 expand anti-discrimination and hate crime law to include victims who were targets of hate crime based on their ethnic origin or individuals who were unlawfully discriminated against in employment or places of public accommodation on the basis of their ethnic origin.

Subscription Payment Plans

HB744 is a new consumer protection law that requires vendors that offer automatic renewal provisions with their continuous service products to alert Virginia customers of their option to cancel 30 days prior to the contract renewal date.

Utility Shut Offs

HB906 prohibits public utilities from disconnecting service during periods of extreme temperatures, during declared state of emergencies, and on Fridays, weekends, state holidays or the day preceding a holiday.

Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC)

Through a provision in the budget, ABC is now an independent state agency. Additionally, several ABC-related bills have gone into effect.

• HB688 & SB635 make “cocktails-to-go” permanently legal, by repealing the 2024 sunset date that was included in previous legalizing legislation. Additionally, third-party delivery licenses are set to be repealed in 2026, while a workgroup meets before then to establish recommendations.

• SB26 allows for public consumption of alcohol on campgrounds, with some controlling provisions.

• Several pieces of legislation standardized and streamlined the mixed beverage licensure for performing arts venues (such as Richmond’s Riverfront Amphitheater) and sports facilities.

Further reading on ABC-related laws can be found in this blog from ABC as well in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Nicotine Product Regulations

HB1069 & SB550 establish a regulatory framework to curtail the sale of illegal and unregulated nicotine vapor and cigarette products. A registry will be created at the Office of the Attorney General with products that meet certain criteria, including FDA approval. Additionally, HB790 & SB582 prohibit internet sales of vapes unless it is to retail dealers and also creates large penalties for retailers who sell vapes or other liquid nicotine products to individuals younger than 21 years old.

Preventing Financial Exploitation of Elders and Vulnerable Adults

HB692 & SB174 allow elders and vulnerable adults to submit and update lists to financial institutions that the institution can contact if there is suspected financial exploitation of the elder or vulnerable adult.

Clockwise from top left: Touring the International Rescue Committee’s Richmond Office; Representatives from Ceres a nonprofit advocacy group focused on sustainability; Touring the Moore Street School with Colette McEachin and Jerome Legions; Presenting a commending resolution for The Shepherd’s Center to Julie Adams-Buchanan.

Data Privacy & Security

Several bills regarding data protections were enacted, including:

• HB707 establishes data protections for children including a ban on storing data of minors if it is used for target advertising. Additionally, it is prohibited for online and data firms to collect geolocation data of minors.

• HB78 prohibits the issuance of a court order for the collection of one’s menstrual data.

Speed Limits

HB1071 grants localities the authority to lower the speed limit on state roads running through the localities commercial or residential zones.

All Terrain Vehicle Impounding

HB234 & SB516 permit localities to adopt an ordinance for the lawful seizure and impounding of an ATV or off-road motorcycle that is illegally operated on a sidewalk or highway.

Cannabis Use Protections for Employees

HB149 & SB391 ensure that employees are not discriminated against on the basis of their lawful use of medicinal cannabis oil. The law contains exceptions for jobs such as law enforcement officers.

Tenant Protections

Numerous tenant protections have come into law including:

• HB957 holds landlords liable to remedy damages for tenants who had to vacate the property due to a building code violation that threatened their health and safety. Further conditions on the bill require the tenant to have notified the landlord and then to have been forced to vacate due to a condemnation of the building or unit.

• HB73 requires courts to expunge eviction records for dismissed cases.

• HB764 allows victims of domestic violence or sexual assault who have a permanent protective order to terminate a lease early.

College Admissions

SB46 prohibits legacy admissions at public institutions of higher education.

Legal Age for Marriage

HB994 establishes 18 as the legal age for marriage by removing previous language that granted conditions by which minors could get married.

Animal Welfare

HB223 & SB11 allow the court to prohibit those guilty of felony animal cruelty from ownership of companion or equine animals, for life. Those guilty of misdemeanor animal cruelty can be prohibited from ownership of the same such animals for a period of up to five years. An additional new animal welfare law is HB1354, which prohibits the declawing of cats with exceptions for cases such as recurring infection or abnormality in the claws or paw.

Restroom Access

HB474 requires that retail establishments that do not have a public restroom but have an employee restroom, allow members of the public to use the employee restroom if they have a qualifying medical condition such as pregnancy, Crohn’s Disease or other conditions.

Further Reading

This is certainly not a comprehensive review of Virginia’s new laws. The Division of Legislative Services publishes “In Due Course,” a helpful and more thorough review of newly enacted laws. You can find the 2024 edition at this link. You can find a list of all approved bills here. In addition, there are numerous articles that have been published including:

• This article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch highlighting bills that resulted from Richmond tragedies, but also a broader review of other new laws.

• The Virginia Mercury published a housing law focused article, available here.

• Axios Richmond published a broad round-up, available here.

Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission

On Monday, July 1, JLARC met to receive reports from the Auditor of Public Accounts spanning localities in fiscal distress to institutions of higher education. Additionally, the Commission received oversight reports and annual status reports on both the Virginia Retirement System as well as Virginia529.

You can watch a recording of the meeting here and find links to the reports at this link.

Fourth of July Celebrations

There will be numerous festivities across the Richmond region for the Fourth of July. Activities include a Naturalization Ceremony at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture (more information available here). The Diamond will host a home game for the Flying Squirrels followed by a special fireworks display. Dogwood Dell will host a free night of live music and celebration. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden will offer free admission. The Capitol will host an Independence Day Celebration brought by the Virginia 250 Commission (more information here). For more local happenings, visit this guide from Richmond Region Tourism.

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Conference

I joined several of my colleagues from the Virginia General Assembly in attending the 2024 SREB Annual Meeting & Legislative Conference in Dallas, Texas. Topics discussed included building a first rate teacher workforce in high poverty schools, using artificial intelligence to increase effectiveness and educational outcomes, career pathways for economic success, and addressing diverse literacy needs across lifespans. You can find presentations and other information from the SREB at this link.

Virginia Outdoors Foundation Grants

The Virginia Outdoors Foundation has made $1.7 Million from its Preservation Trust Fund available for grants supporting projects that increase public access, promote water quality, historic and cultural resources, wildlife habitat, or high-quality farmland and forests. More information available here.

Legislative Scorecards

Following each legislative session, various groups issue “legislative scorecards,” a form of accountability from legislators to issues of importance to these organizations. Recently I was informed of my “100%” rating from the League of Conservation Voters; my “100%” scoring from Equality Virginia; my “A+ Champion” designation from Repro Rising Virginia; and my designation as an “Economic Security Ally” from Freedom Virginia. Indicated above are links to the various scorecards.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

June Update

Dear Friend,

School has ended and the temperature and humidity have begun to climb. I hope you get a chance to enjoy the long days and spend some quality time with your loved ones. Below is an update on the state budget and legislation.

Compromise Budget

The General Assembly met Monday, May 13, to consider a compromise budget that the Governor and House and Senate budget conferees worked on together. The budget is the most important piece of legislation for which the General Assembly is responsible. Conference negotiations required both the legislature and the Governor’s office to make significant concessions on each of their priorities. Conference negotiations worked off of the conference report that the General Assembly sent to the Governor at the end of session. The work centered on preserving the funding for all the General Assembly’s priorities, including K-12 education and mental health. The Governor would not sign a budget which raised taxes or contained RGGI. The legislature’s priorities could be fully funded without tax increases due to increased revenues.

A significant concession is the exclusion of language in the budget requiring Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional market that caps carbon dioxide emitting industries at an allowed level of emission and requires them to purchase allowances for additional emissions. Proceeds on the auction of these allowances are invested in climate resilience efforts.

While RGGI plays a significant role in Virginia’s long-term plan to combat climate change, its exclusion from the budget was due to the Governor’s hardline stance of no new taxes, of which he considers RGGI to be. Removing RGGI allowed us to pass a budget, with no shutdown, that makes historic investments in our priorities, including education, healthcare, and several other environmental initiatives.

Delegate Rip Sullivan expounded on the loss of RGGI in his excellent and informative floor speech during the Special Session; you can watch it here. One final note on RGGI: the legality of the Governor’s decision to remove Virginia from RGGI is the subject of a current lawsuit.

Another feature in the budget is a suite of changes to the Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP), an educational benefit program for spouses and children of military service members who were killed, taken prisoner, missing in action, or permanently disabled due to military service. The program has been expanded numerous times over the years and the associated cost has become unsustainable for Virginia’s public higher education system. For a history of the program as well as data and analysis on the exponential cost increase, watch this presentation from the House Appropriations Committee Staff.

In response to concern from veterans and their families, a bipartisan taskforce between the legislative and executive branch has been assembled to evaluate the changes and arrive at a long-term solution. The first meeting of the taskforce will be June 10, 2pm at the Virginia War Memorial (621 South Belvidere Street). More information, including public comment, can be found here. Further reading can be found in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch, that includes letters from the Governor as well as the House & Senate Money Committee Chairs.

Education

• $2 Billion in additional funding for the public K-12 system.

• $370 Million to implement several JLARC recommendations aimed to support at-risk students.

• 3% salary increase each year for teachers and other school staff members.

• $61.2 Million to expand reading specialist staffing.

• $3.8 Million to fully staff the Office of School Quality.

• $205.4 Million for Higher Education efforts to increase access, affordability and degree production. This includes limiting in-state tuition increases.

• $40 Million to mitigate the aforementioned increased costs associated with the VMSDEP waiver program.

• $100 Million to support a Virginia Research Triangle focused on life sciences.

Healthcare

• $191.4 Million to add nearly 3,500 medicaid developmental disability (DD) waiver slots as well as a 3% rate increase each year for DD services.

• $745.2 Million to fully fund medicaid and children’s health insurance forecasts.

• $40 Million over the biennium to support a value-based purchasing program for nursing homes; a medicaid reimbursement method that incentivizes higher staffing levels.

• $27.6 Million over the biennium to develop crisis infrastructure.

• $4.5 Million each year to increase funding for System Transformation Excellence  & Performance (STEP-VA), the Department of Behavioral Health & Developmental Services’s initiative to improve the state’s public mental health system.

• $6.2 Million over the biennium to fully fund community health workers in local health departments.

• $3 Million each for free clinics and federally qualified health centers.

Environment

• Removing the delayed enactment on my 2021 legislation creating a gradual ban of polystyrene food service containers.

• $50 Million to support the Richmond Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Project.

• $201.1 Million for the Water Quality Improvement Fund.

• $100 Million for the Community Flood Preparedness Fund. The Governor proposed this in replacement of Virginia’s participation in RGGI. While these funds will be used for important resilience efforts, the volume pales to RGGI’s revenues as well as the varied ways RGGI dollars were deployed.

• $20 Million for a pilot program at the Department of Environmental Quality to solicit private sector investment in nutrient reduction projects.

• $5 Million over the biennium to coordinate invasive species management between the Virginia Departments of Agriculture & Consumer Services, Forestry, Conservation & Recreation, and Wildlife Resources.

Tax Policy

• Does not include any tax cuts for wealthy individuals or for corporations and does not include tax increases.

• The digital sales tax that was previously included has been removed; however, the budget does include a study to prepare legislation for the 2025 session.

Economic Development & Workforce

• $175 Million for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund.

• $456.7 Million over the biennium to support early childhood care and education programs.

• Authorization for a $40 Million treasury loan for Newport News to secure a federal investment of $400 Million to build housing for Navy Sailors docked in Newport News.

• 3% salary increase each year for state and state-supported employees.

Public Safety

• Removes language that overrides the Code to restrict mixed-sentence eligibility for the earned sentence credits program.

• $75.9 Million for community violence intervention programs.

• $21.3 Million to maintain funding for victim services grant programs.

• $6.7 Million each year for Department of Corrections to establish a career progression plan for correctional officers.

Transportation

• Nearly $150 Million over the biennium for operating assistance for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

• $70 Million to expedite the widening of I-81 near Salem.

This is certainly not a comprehensive review, you may enjoy the following resources from the House Appropriations Committee:

• Staff summaries of the new biennial budget as well as the caboose budget.

• This recording of a brief recap on the compromised budget.

• A pdf presentation on balancing the budgets.

• These spreadsheets that highlight the changes to the new biennial budget as well as the expiring caboose budget.

• Lastly, the new biennial budget in its entirety is available here.

In addition to these resources, several articles have been published recently that provide excellent summaries of the budget deal and recaps of the process. The Richmond Times-Dispatch published this article highlighting the compromised budget and The Virginia Mercury published a similar article as well as a brief round-up spotlighting 5 key portions of the budget, available here.

If you are curious about specific policy areas and where they fit with the budget, please feel free to email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org.

Final Action on Legislation

May 17, was the Governor’s deadline for final action on legislation returned to him from the April 17 reconvened session.

The Governor vetoed an additional 48 pieces of legislation, bringing his total to 201 vetoes; a runaway record number. The legislature had rejected numerous amendments on bills at the reconvened session. Those bills were returned to the Governor, who could either veto them or sign them.

Vetoed legislation included:

• SB237 & HB609: ensuring the right to access and use of contraceptives.

• SB212: licensing and regulations for skill games.

• HB568 & SB517: removing tax exemption status from organizations like United Daughters of the Confederacy.

• SB729: creating the Virginia Clean Energy Innovation Bank, which would coordinate significant amounts of federal loans.

Further reading on vetoed legislation can be found in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch as well as this one from The Virginia Mercury.

While most bills that had been returned to the Governor without his recommendations were vetoed, some were approved. This includes my HB1071 which grants localities the authority to lower the speed limit on state highways running through a locality’s commercial or residential zones.

Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) Work Schedule

JLARC met on May 21, to elect its chair and vice-chair and go over the Commission’s work plan for the year. Delegate Mark Sickles was elected as chair and Senator Mamie Locke was elected vice-chair. You can watch a recording of the meeting here. You can find the Commission’s work plan here.

Additionally, the Commission met June 5, to hear reports on the VCU Health System; Custom Grant initiatives; Tolling, traffic, and Public-Private Partnerships; and the Auditor of Public Accounts presented their work plan. You can watch a recording of the meeting at this link. You can find links to the reports here.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial Commission

On June 5, the MLK Memorial Commission met to elect a chair and vice-chair (Delegate Delores McQuinn and Senator Mamie Locke, respectively); hear a report on the Library of Virginia’s Black Delegate Book project; as well as reports on 2024 projects including a tribute for Senator Yvonne B. Miller and a history of lynchings in Virginia. You can watch a recording of the Commission meeting here.

Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) Report

HOME recently completed a study, commissioned by Councilwoman Ellen Robertson, on racial disparities in neighborhood home values. The report includes recommendations on how to balance equitable home valuations while minimizing displacement as well as considerations on the effect of appraisal bias and underinvestment on home values in black neighborhoods.

You can read the report here and find an article on the report’s findings here.

Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) Tenant Town Hall

The VPLC will host a housing discussion, June 11, 6-7:30pm at the Richmond Public Library (101 East Franklin Street). The town hall will consider laws, policies, and funding methods to combat Virginia’s housing crisis. Additionally, VPLC lawyers will explain tenants’ rights and how to protect them. Registration is not required but is requested. You can register here.

Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation

The Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC) is a nonprofit, established by the General Assembly in 2020. The mission of VIPC is to expand innovation, opportunity, and job creation in Virginia.

On Monday, May 20, I joined VIPC leadership for an announcement by the Governor of a new initiative of VIPC; a direction of $40 Million dollars from a federal grant to seven venture capital firms who will match the investment to create a pool of around $100 Million to be deployed to small Virginia businesses who have sited lack of access to capital as a key hinderance to their growth.

You can read more about this initiative in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Great Aspirations Scholarship Program (GRASP) Awards

GRASP is a nonprofit based in Richmond that assists students in overcoming barriers to higher education; from career counseling, school research and budgeting, financial aid applications, and more. GRASP also awards scholarships and stipends to students who complete their program, which extends through the student’s higher education career to ensure their transition is successful.

This year, GRASP awarded 37 scholarships totaling $74,000 and 32 stipends worth $400 per month to students from Armstrong, Huguenot, John Marshall, Thomas Jefferson, and Richmond High School for the Arts (formerly George Wythe). You can read more about the awards in this article from The Richmond Free Press and learn more about GRASP at their website.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Spring Update

Dear Friend,

Virginia’s transitory Springtime is blissful and fleeting. I hope you have had time to enjoy the beauty of Virginia’s dramatic bloom and the longer, sun-filled days.

The General Assembly met for its Reconvened Session to receive and respond to the Governor’s actions on the legislation passed during the 2024 Session. Below is an update on state news and local happenings.

Reconvened Session

The General Assembly sustained the Governor’s 153 vetoes; recognizing the one-seat majorities in each chamber and the need for our Commonwealth’s legislature to work efficiently and with a sense of priority during its Reconvened Session. The 153 pieces of vetoed legislation include bipartisan bills and consequential legislation that would have improved the lives of Virginians. You can watch responses from sponsors of vetoed legislation including me speaking on my HB1088 which would have created educational materials for environmental literacy and climate change here; Delegate Marcus Simon speaking to his HB1539 which would have prohibited extradition of doctors and patients who performed or received abortions in Virginia here; and Delegate Nadarius Clark speaking to his HB351 which would have required a firearm owner to purchase or demonstrate ownership of a locking device when they are purchasing a firearm here.

Deliberations were had on the Governor’s amendments to several bills including SB212 to permit, tax and regulate skill games, which ultimately failed to pass; HB1491 and SB454 to allow Dominion and Appalachian Power Cooperative to recoup costs associated with small modular nuclear reactors, which passed; HB173 to prohibit the import or sale of plastic firearms or unfinished firearm frames, which the Speaker ruled the Governor’s amendments to not be germane; as well as many other pieces of legislation. You can watch deliberations on the Governor’s amendments here.

For legislation returned to the Governor without his recommendations adopted (in other words, when the legislature denied his amendments) the Governor has until May 17 to take final action. He can either veto, sign, or take no action which results in the bill becoming law.

The Budget

The General Assembly unanimously rejected the Governor’s amendments to the Budget. Both the House and Senate leadership, as well as the Governor, joined in the Rotunda of the Capitol after Reconvene Session to clarify that the rejection of the Governor’s budget amendments was done to spur a reconciliatory budget negotiation. Budget conferees and the Governor will find a path forward together to arrive at a budget that sees each party and branch of government making concessions on some goals to provide for their constituencies more broadly.

A special session is scheduled for May 13, where a new budget report will be made available. The General Assembly will vote on the new budget on May 15.

You can read about the Reconvened Session in this article from The Virginia Mercury as well as more information on the budget negotiations in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

My Commission Appointments

The Speaker appointed, and in some cases re-appointed, me to:

• The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC)

• The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Board of Trustees

• The Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center Board of Trustees

• The Commemorative Commission to Honor the Contributions of the Women of Virginia

• The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Commission

Commissions are important ways for legislators to engage more deeply on issue areas, spend time learning about and honoring key historical events and figures, creating forums of discourse for stakeholders and subject matter experts, and coordinating with localities, other states, federal partners, and other leaders on specific projects. You can find a list of all current commissions and studies at this link.

Richmond City Budget

Richmond City Council is in the midst of their budget work. Their next meeting will be Monday, May 6, 1-3pm where budget amendments will be presented. Following this is a meeting Monday, May 13, which will include a public hearing.

More information and background on the City’s budget, as well as other upcoming meetings and helpful links can be found here.

Richmond Diamond District Open Houses

There will be three open houses to gather public input for the Diamond District, May 8, 9 and 14. May 8 and 14 will be virtual and May 9 will be at the Bon Secours Training Center.

More information here.

E-Cycling Event

The City is holding an e-cycling event, May 11, 10am-2pm at 1710 Robin Hood Road. Residents are invited to bring old electronics, documents for shredding, and household hazardous waste for disposal. More information is available here.

Richmond Police Neighborhood Assistance Officers

The Richmond Police Department is recruiting Neighborhood Assistance Officers (NAOs); uniformed, volunteer members of the police department who do not have special arrest privileges, service weapons, or marked vehicles. NAOs work whenever their schedules permit and assist with traffic control, vehicle assistance, sobriety checkpoints, among other tasks and duties.

You can learn more about the program and apply here.

Interns in my Office

My office hosts interns during the legislative session as well as in the interim.

During Session, I had a phenomenal roster of students from varying backgrounds including a Master’s degree student at VCU, a capitol semester student in their undergrad studies at VCU, two students from my alma mater of Hollins University, a senior from the University of Richmond who is now beginning their law studies, a recent graduate of VCU who is now working at the National Institute of Health before she pursues a degree in medicine, a senior at Maggie Walker Governor’s School, and a junior at Trinity Episcopal School who participated through their “Junior Work Week” program.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

2024 Reconvened Session

Dear Friend,

The Governor has reviewed and acted on legislation that passed the General Assembly. Now the General Assembly will meet for its scheduled Reconvene Session on April 17, 11am, for the legislative branch of our government to receive and respond to the Governor’s vetoes and amendments. Below is more information on Reconvene Session as well as other state and local news.

The Governor’s Actions

The Governor completed his review of the 1,046 bills that were sent to him from the General Assembly. He signed 777 into law, amended 116 bills and vetoed 153 bills. The budget bill was among the amended bills, it received 242 amendments. The Governor’s review sets a new record for vetoes as well as a record amount of amendments to the budget bill. This unprecedented number of revisions and rejections contrasts the bipartisan and collaborative spirit of the General Assembly; many of the bills he vetoed or amended were bipartisan, including the budget.

You can find a complete list of vetoed legislation at this link. Among the vetoed bills were numerous pieces of important legislation including:

• 30 bills to increase gun safety including HB2, banning assault fire arms; HB637, establishing training for law enforcement to implement substantial risk orders; HB797, requiring firearm competency for a concealed carry permit; HB1195, establishing a waiting period for firearm sales; and HB1174 prohibiting firearm sales to those under 21 with exceptions for law enforcement, military and other related professions.

• Several bills protecting access to safe reproductive healthcare such as HB519, prohibiting the Board of Medicine for punishing health providers who perform abortion care and HB1539, preventing extradition of health care providers for performing abortion on patients from states that have made such procedures illegal.

• HB1, increasing the minimum wage.

• HB698, establishing a safe, regulated, and taxed retail cannabis market.

• HB1177, directing Virginia’s use of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC).

• HB1244, limiting the use of solitary confinement.

• HB776, authorizing lawfully admitted immigrants who have applied for citizenship, the ability to become law enforcement officers.

The Governor offered amendments to 116 bills. Some amendments are technical in nature or minor in scope. Others are substantial departures from what the legislature passed. You can find a complete list of amended bills at this link.

The Governor heavily amended SB212, a bill legalizing and regulating skill games, slot-like electronic games popular in convenience stores and rest stops. The General Assembly deliberated the topic heavily before agreeing to a conference report that was less stringent than the House’s version of the bill. The Governor has amended SB212 to include further guardrails such as local bans, a cap on the number of machines and more. You can read more in this article from The Virginia Mercury.

Other amended bills include SB35 (Board of Medicine to require unconscious bias training), HB285 (removing small bus shelters from the Uniform Statewide Building Code), HB173 (banning the manufacture, import, or sale of plastic firearms and unfinished firearms), and many more.

Many bipartisan bills were signed into law. You can find a complete list of approved bills here. The nearly 800 pieces of approved legislation include:

• HB22, banning auto sears (small devices that convert firearms to become fully automatic) and SB44 which creates a felony for parents or guardians who allow a child to access a firearm when it has been made known the child posses a threat of danger or violence.

• HB78, prohibiting the issuance of a search warrant for menstrual health data.

• HB174, protecting marriage equality regardless of sex, gender, or race.

• HB769, curbing multiple forms of elder abuse.

• HB252, establishing a statewide registry for sickle cell disease to facilitate more informed policy and treatment coordinations for a chronically underfunded and overlooked disease.

• HB586, establishing harm reduction training standards for law enforcement officers.

• HB106 & HB108, improving the regulation and access to shared solar programs.

• HB149, providing employee protections for those lawfully using cannabis oil for medicinal purposes.

• HB617, creates name, image, and likeness regulations for high school student-athletes that are similar to those already in law for college student-athletes.

This is certainly not a comprehensive review of the Governor’s actions on legislation passed by the General Assembly. If you are interested in a certain policy area or specific legislation, do not hesitate to contact my office at 804-698-1078 or at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org.

The Budget

The Governor communicated 244 amendments to the General Assembly’s budget. Notable amendments include:

• Removing the General Assembly’s language to direct Virginia’s re-entrance into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

• $100 million for flood prevention projects, to offset the loss of revenues from Virginia not rejoining RGGI which has funded $370 million in flood prevention projects since Virginia joined in 2020.

• A departure from his original proposed tax changes and a rejection of the legislature’s approved tax policy. His amendments return much of the tax code to its previous form.

• Reinstating language that limits earned sentence credits for individuals serving concurrent or consecutive sentences for crimes that are not eligible for earned sentence credits.

• Reinstating the delayed effective date of my 2020 legislation to gradually ban polystyrene food service containers.

• Removing vital changes necessary to ensure the Virginia Military Survivors & Dependents Education Program (VMSDEP) remains operable.

• Removing state funding for fetal anomaly abortions.

Further reading on Governor Youngkin’s budget amendments can be found in these more general articles from The Virginia Mercury, as well as The Richmond Times-Dispatch and also Virginia Public Media. Additionally, you may find useful this more thorough review of tax policy considerations; The Commonwealth Institute’s side-by-side comparison of the General Assembly’s budget and the Governor’s Amended Version; this closer reading of the removal of state funds for fetal anomaly abortions; this article on the independence of the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority; and this article highlighting an amendment ending Virginia’s use of a school attendance recovery program.

You can find all of the Governor’s budget amendments here.

My Legislation

I passed 17 bills from the 2024 General Assembly; 2 were vetoed, 1 was amended, and 14 were signed.

The Governor vetoed my HB1088 and HB1100. HB1088 would have tasked the Department of Education with developing instructional materials on environmental literacy for local school districts to adopt. Ensuring our young citizens and emerging leaders and voters fully understand our place in the environment is imperative for fostering better stewardship, respect, appreciation, and attention to our environment. HB1100 would have made an optional ordinance available for any locality to mandate the conservation of mature, fully grown trees during development. In current law, this ordinance is only available to localities in Planning District 8. My bill would have extended this option to all localities. You can read the Governor’s veto statement for HB1088 here and for HB1100 here.

The Governor amended my HB1071, which follows up my 2021 legislation (that granted localities the authority to lower their speed limits) by removing ambiguity in the code that gave VDOT final authority on local decisions to lower speed limits. The Governor amended HB1071 by adding a re-enactment clause (which requires the bill to pass again next year before becoming effective) as well as directing VDOT to study   local control over speed limits. You can read the full text of his amendments at this link.

The Governor signed my remaining 14 bills:

• HB1073: prohibits some predatory towing practices.

• HB1080: limits license suspensions to 10 years to reflect the time period by which courts purge such cases.

• HB1082: authorizes the court to issue a restricted license to a driver who has had their license suspended due to unpaid fines.

• HB1084: extends temporary disabled parking placards from 6 months to 12 months.

• HB1108: provides transparency and fairness for state procurement projects using construction management as the method of project delivery.

• HB1113: increases the maximum thresholds on job order contracting, an alternative form of procurement.

• HB1116: increases the limits on when localities can establish small purchase procedures on procurement projects.

• HB1125: establishes the Business Ready Expedited Permitting Program, to be administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

• HB1126: grants current Virginia members of Congress the authority to perform the rites of marriage.

• HB1131: removes Richmond from the list of eligible host cities for a Casino.

• HB1133: changes Virginia529’s legal name from Virginia College Savings Plan to Commonwealth Savers Plan.

• HB1365: greatly limits when institutions of higher education can withhold student transcripts as a method of debt collection.

• HB1455: establishes the Virginia Memory Project as the state’s alzhimers’s and dementia registry.

• HB1457: makes necessary statutory changes to reinstate the Virginia Investment Performance Grant, an incentive used by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

The Port of Virginia & The Key Bridge Collapse

As a member of the House Transportation Committee I recently attended a briefing led by the Secretary of Transportation on the Port of Virginia’s assumption of additional volume as a result of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Virginia’s Port system is available to step up to the challenge due to significant investments that were made in the recent past to expand the efficiency and capacity of the port. More information can be found in this article.

Department of Historic Resources

DHR works to investigate, analyze, and protect Virginia’s rich history, including the maritime history along the Chesapeake Bay, Atlantic shoreline, and Virginia’s many navigable rivers. DHR’s underwater archaeology program began during the 1970s, and works on and in 84% of state owned land that is submerged. From the sunken ships at Yorktown to fish weirs in the Clinch River, researchers with DHR regularly respond to preservation needs and partner with local landowners, resource managers, and non-profits to better document and understand our shared maritime past.

I recently had the privilege of joining the Department of Historic Resource’s Roanoke Regional team and Statewide Underwater Archaeology team, led by Brendan Burke (State Underwater Archaeologist), for a tour in Botetourt County of an archaeological complex including an unfinished canal tunnel, aqueducts, and locks known as the Marshall Tunnel complex. Abandoned in 1856, the partially-finished tunnel was designed to allow canal boats to pass through portions of the Blue Ridge Mountains and connect tidewater Virginia with the Ohio River drainage. This site is now a national treasure in marine archaeology because of the potential for documentation of  an undisturbed site.

For more information about the work of DHR including directories of sites, research resources, and current programs, visit their website.

Department of Wildlife Resources

I also had the privilege of joining the Department of Wildlife Resources as they tended to the Bosher’s Dam Fish Ladder and as they collected samples of fish near Ancarrow’s Landing, both to track the species of fish present in the James River as well as to pull specimen for stocking initiatives across the state. You can learn more about the work of DWR in our fresh water systems at this link. Additionally, DWR hosts a wide array of volunteer opportunities and is always eager to open up their work to the public. More information here.

In a related note, you may enjoy this recent article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch highlighting the angling allure that the City’s purchase of Mayo Island is sure to bring.

City of Richmond Job Fair

The City will host a job fair, April 16, 10am - 2pm, at the Richmond Convention Center. The job fair will feature everything from dress closets, headshots, and general information sessions to on-the-spot interviews and hiring. Attendees are encouraged to dress professionally and bring multiple copies of their resume. RSVP at this link.

E-Cycling Event

The City is holding an e-cycling event, May 11, 10am - 2pm at 1710 Robin Hood Road. Residents are invited to bring old electronics, documents for shredding, and household hazardous waste for disposal. More information is available here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

2024 Legislative Session Wrap-Up

Dear Friend,

The 2024 Legislative Session has adjourned, sine die. Below is an update on the final week of legislative work, bills communicated to the Governor, the General Assembly’s budget, and what lies ahead.

The Final Week of the 2024 Legislative Session

On Saturday, March 9, the 2024 Legislative Session adjourned Sine Die, concluding the work of the General Assembly. The legislature considered 3,594 pieces of legislation this Session, including bills, constitutional amendments, commending and memorial resolutions, and resolutions requesting studies. In terms of bills, The House passed 656 House Bills of the 1,547 its membership introduced. The Senate passed 390 Senate Bills of the 737 its membership introduced. These bills head to the Governor for his review; he has 30 days to take action on legislation. The General Assembly will meet for a reconvene session on April 17 to receive and respond to the Governor’s actions.

You may enjoy this article highlighting why this Legislative Session was important as well as this article recounting this Session and capturing the sentiments of members on the last day of Session. Finally, the Virginia Public Access Project has created this graphic of the fate of 2024 legislation.

Seven Day Bills

In accordance with the Constitution, the Governor is subject to a seven day deadline for bills that are communicated to him before the last week of Session. This year, 84 bills met that criteria. Of these bills, 64 were signed into law, including my HB1113, which increases limits on Job Order Contracting, an alternative form of procurement useful for localities performing maintenance and small renovations. Additionally, bills were signed into law that will prohibit legacy admissions at state colleges and universities; ensure marriage licenses are not denied issuance on the basis of sex, gender, or race of the parties; as well as many other provisions. A full list of bills signed into law can be found here.

Additionally, 12 bills were amended including changes to Virginia Beach’s Charter, health insurance coverage for contraceptive drugs and devices, as well as several other provisions. A full list of amended bills can be found here.

Finally, 8 bills were vetoed. These include a bill to ensure that policies pertaining to parental notification of sexually explicit content should not be construed as permission to censor books in public schools; a bill to facilitate firearm transfers from those under a protective order or convicted of a misdemeanor; as well as a bill to direct Virginia’s re-entrance into the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). You can find a list of vetoed bills here and the Governor’s veto statements here.

The General Assembly can take action on recommendations and vetoes placed on seven day bills either during the Legislative Session, or they can decide to delay action until the Reconvene Session when the rest of the Governor’s recommendations and vetoes will be received. The General Assembly has decided to delay their actions until the April 17, Reconvene Session.

The Budget Bill

The House & Senate Budget Conferees completed their work this past week and a conference report on the budget bills was finalized. The agreed budget provisions can be found here. This represents a tremendous amount of input, consideration, work, and compromise made to arrive at a budget that makes crucial investments while advancing Virginia forward prudently amid forecasts of pending economic recessions and a sharp reduction in federal funding. Additionally, this budget underlines previous legislative actions that have been repealed, sidelined, or uninitiated by the current administration and previous House majority. These include Virginia’s participation in the Regional Green Gas Initiative (RGGI), removing language that prevented the full implementation of the Earned Sentence Credit, as well as removing the significant delay placed on my 2020 legislation that initiated a gradual ban on polystyrene food service containers. Finally, another point of interest was the budget proposal to establish a Virginia Sports & Entertainment Authority for the purpose of issuing nearly $2 Billion in bonds for the Potomac Yard Arena project, along with accompanying mechanisms for oversight and control over the project. This proposal was in the House budget but was excluded in the final budget. You can read more about the development of this issue in this article from The Virginia Mercury.

You can watch the final deliberation and vote on the General Assembly’s budget at this link. You can also read about the final budget proposal in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch, this more general article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch, as well as in this write-up from The Virginia Mercury.

While the budget is hundreds of pages long and contains countless lines of appropriations and controlling language, I do want to highlight some signifcant changes the General Assembly’s budget made to the Governor’s proposed budget. While this is certainly not a comprehensive analysis, below is a selection of the General Assembly’s budget provisions.

Higher Education:

• Provides an increased funding of $205.4M over the biennium to increase access and mitigate tuition increases.

• Includes a $55M increase over the biennium to support financial aid and operating costs for the Virginia Community College System.

• Grants an additional $79.5M to support financial aid initiatives.

• Includes final needed funds to complete the merger of Old Dominion University and Eastern Virginia Medical School.

Health:

• Retains the landmark investment the Governor made by fully funding all priority one developmental disability waiver slots, but acknowledges that funding all slots must also include support to the provider network to ensure there is capacity. As such, this budget includes a 3% rate increase for DD services each year over the biennium and a quarterly phase-in of slots to control the uptake.

• Fully funds $745.2M over the biennium for the medicaid and children’s health insurance forecasts.

• Allots $150M in FY2025 as contingency funds to reflect higher rates of medicaid enrollment than previously forecasted.

• Adds $40M over the biennium to support a value-based purchasing program which incentivizes higher staffing levels at nursing homes.

• Includes $11.3M over the biennium to increase medicaid dental rates by 3%.

• Provides $27.6M over the biennium to continue developing behavioral health crisis infrastructure.

• Adds $6.2M over the biennium to fund community health workers in local health departments.

• Includes $5.5M over the biennium for Child Advocacy Centers.

K-12 Public Education:

• Overall includes $1.2B more than the introduced budget.

• Provides $243.1M over the biennium to continue the hold harmless provided by the State as a result of the elimination of the grocery sales tax.

• Provides $539.1M over the biennium to account for the state’s share of a 3% salary increase each year for teachers and support staff.

• Adds $116.7M to the Governor’s introduced budget for a total of $527.8M over the biennium to support early childhood care and education programs.

• Includes $371.3M over the biennium to implement recommendations from the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission’s (JLARC) study on K-12 funding in Virginia.

Commerce:

• Provides $175M for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable housing.

• Includes $114M to support life science research initiatives at UVA, VT, VCU, and ODU, which supports creating a rival to North Carolina’s Research Triangle.

• Includes $79.5M over the biennium to support increasing the state’s minimum wage to $13.50 in 2025 and $15 in 2026.

State Employees:

• Includes $178.8M in FY2025 and $366.4M in FY2026 for a 3% salary increase each year.

Transportation:

• Provides $65M in FY2025 and $84.5M in FY2026 for additional operating assistance for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, includes $25,000 for a joint subcommittee to explore long term cost-containment strategies.

While this is certainly not a comprehensive list of the budget’s provisions, I hope it provides more insight. You can find the complete conference report here. If you have questions regarding portions of the state’s budget, or are curious about a particular issue, please do not hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or by phone at 804-698-1078.

Other Legislative Action

The final week of Session often sees long, start-stop floor sessions as the House and Senate work on committees of conference, which are small working groups of Delegates and Senators who work to resolve competing policy proposals to establish a consensus report to be considered for a vote. This year, 65 House Bills were sent to conferences.

The final conference reports included bills streamlining and expanding the calculations used for earned sentence credits; requiring firearm purchasers to also purchase or prove ownership of a firearm locking device if they reside in the same household as a minor; requiring labeling for sale of invasive plant species; excluding of small bus shelters from the uniform statewide building code, a necessary move to streamline and promote the construction of bus shelters. Additionally, there were were conference reports on multiple bills to mitigate the sale of nicotine vapor products to minors and the promulgation of the illicit imported vape market; as well as many, many other proposals. You can find a full list of conference reports that have been agreed to at this link.

In addition to the long agendas and substantial work on the House Floor, members rose for points of personal privilege to highlight or discuss matters of importance to them, their district, their communities, and the Commonwealth. Last week included several notable points of personal privilege including:

• Delegate Sam Rasoul rose to speak to the start of Ramadan and its spiritual significance. You can watch his floor speech here.

• Delegate Karrie Delaney rose to highlight women in aviation. You can watch her floor speech here.

• Delegate Phil Hernandez rose earlier in the week to speak to his personal connection to the hearing impaired community and underlined the need and ways we can support the deaf and hard of hearing community. You can watch his point of personal privilege here.

My Introduced Legislation

I passed 17 bills this legislative session, one, mentioned above, having already been signed by the Governor. The bills I’ve passed are below.

• HB1071: Clarifies expanding authority of any locality to reduce their speed limit to as low as 15mph.

• HB1073: Prohibits towing operators who are not subject to contracts (including price caps) with a locality from approaching the driver of a wrecked or disabled vehicle if law enforcement is on scene. This preserves the contracted price and services that law enforcement requested tows are subject to and that non-contracted towers currently shirk.

• HB1080: Is an efficiency bill that eliminates instances when drivers have their licenses suspended despite the underlying case having been purged by the courts (which often happens 10 years after the offense), leaving defendants in a grey-area with an ambiguous path forward.

• HB1082: Authorizes the court to order a restricted license to a judgement debtor who's license was suspended for failure to pay. This bill recognizes the need to drive as a means to employment so the underlying judgement can be paid.

• HB1084: Allows temporary disabled parking placards to be issued for 12 months (as opposed to the current limit of 6 months). It also eliminates a nominal fee currently associated with extending temporary disabled parking placards.

• HB1088: Directs the Board of Education to develop model policies and instructional materials on environmental literacy and climate change for adoption by local school districts.

• HB1100: Makes available statewide an optional ordinance currently only offered in Planning District 8 (Northern Virginia). This ordinance requires the conservation of trees during the land development process.

• HB1108: Is a broad consensus bill providing increased transparency and competition for public procurement projects utilizing construction management and design-build contracting as the method for delivery.

• HB1113: Was signed by the Governor and increased the limits on Job Order Contracting, a type of alternative procurement useful for localities doing small repairs or renovations.

• HB1116: Increases the limits on small purchase procedures adopted by localities in which they can forgo competitive sealed building so long as the project’s cost is below the bill’s threshold of $300,000.

• HB1125: Creates the Business Ready Expedited Permitting Program, administered by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership. This bill will allow two sites and four projects a year to be given a permitting concierge treatment by VEDP who will oversee the completion of all required permits in a timely fashion, with guardrails to ensure public comment periods are not abbreviated.

• HB1126: Extends the privilege to perform rites of marriage to current Virginia members of Congress.

• HB1131: Removes Richmond from the list of eligible host cities for Casino gaming.

• HB1133: Changes the legal name of Virginia529 from Virginia College Savings Plan to Commonwealth Savers Plan.

• HB1365: Limits when transcript withholding can be used a debt-collection practice by institutions of higher education.

• HB1455: Establishes the Virginia Memory Project at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Virginia Center on Aging as the State’s Alzheimer’s and Dementia disease registry, tasked with collecting and analyzing data on Alzheimer’s and related Dementias.

• HB1457: Makes changes necessary to reinstate the Virginia Investment Performance Grant, a key incentive tool used by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

• I introduced 29 bills this year, passing the above 17. Many of my bills that did not pass were brought by or responded to legitimate concerns from my district and I look forward to continue working on these issues in the next legislative session. Some of these bills include:

• HB1072: In response to tragic pedestrian fatalities, this bill would have allowed institutions of higher education to set-up school zones and therefore make use of speed mitigation tools such as increased fines, additional signage, and of key interest, photospeed monitoring. The House did not pass any expansions to the placing of photospeed monitoring devices, except for one bill, SB336, which allows devices to be placed within 1000 feet of schools (current law is 750 feet) only if a traffic fatality has occurred in the area in the recent past (the bill states since January 1, 2024).

• HB1077: Would have allowed cyclists to perform “safety stops,” which are rolling stops at some stop signs that allow them to negotiate intersections to avoid being hit from behind or having to cross busier intersections with no momentum or starting speed. This bill failed to report from the Senate Transportation Committee, who tabled two other bike safety bills as well, all in response to concern expressed by VDOT, DMV, State Police, and the Secretary of Transportation’s office.

• HB1105: Would have created the Zoning for Housing Production Pilot Program, an incentive grant program to reward localities who opt into zoning practices currently offered in state code that promote the construction of affordable housing. This bill came from a recommendation in the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission’s 2021 Affordable Housing study. The Senate Finance & Appropriations Committee substituted this bill to become another study, signaling a lack of understanding in the background of this bill. This bill would require around $5M in seed funding which added to the Senate Money Committee’s reluctance.

• HB1121: Sought to require the Department of Corrections to make available online educational courses for inmates. Upon introduction stakeholders committed to this issue brought up a recent change to Second Chance Pell Grants that went into effect in July 2023. They committed to working with me over the summer to craft a bill that can utilize this change to maximize the impact and access to meaningful higher education programs for Virginia’s imprisoned population.

• HB1122: Sought to grant Richmond access to an optional ordinance relating to inclusionary zoning for affordable housing. After convening a stakeholder workgroup to address concerns, a collaborative spirit developed between previously opposing groups and led to an idea for legislation to be introduced next session that will provide for more expedient deployment of affordable housing than the originally introduced legislation.

• HB1124: Was the Faith in Housing for the Commonwealth Act, which would have granted faith organizations by-right development authority to construct affordable housing. There were concerns over the density allowed as well as technical concerns. This bill was sent to the Virginia Housing Commission to arrive at a fine-tuned bill for introduction in the 2025 Session.

• HB1456: Sought to require new school construction to include the infrastructure necessary to implement roof-top solar. This bill was tabled in House Appropriations due to its indeterminate fiscal impact. I look forward to working to fine-tune the language of this bill as well as review other means of promoting energy efficient and carbon neutral government buildings.

Neighborhood Infrastructure Walks

The Museum District Association is planning an infrastructure walk, where neighbors walk the district and note items in need of repair and report them on RVA311. The event, March 18, at 5pm, concludes with a happy hour.

I share this event not only for residents of the Museum District who may be interested, but for other neighborhoods who may be interested in organizing this for their own neighborhoods. Strong, consistent, and thorough reporting of infrastructure needs is a crucial way for citizens to get their projects prioritized by the City.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Penultimate Week of Session

Dear Friend,

The seventh week of Session has come to a close. Below is an update on some of the past week’s work in the legislature.

The Seventh Week of Session

This past week the standing committees of the House and Senate completed nearly all of their work, sending bills to each chamber’s floor for final considerations. This coming week will require deep collaboration between each chamber as differences in recommendations on remaining bills are resolved in committees of conference, which are small working groups of Delegates and Senators who work to produce a consensus approach to the given policy.

The Budget Conference

The most important bill that is in a committee of conference is the budget bill. I am honored to have been selected as a conferee, joining Delegates Torian (Chairman of House Appropriations), Sickles (Vice-Chair), Bulova, Austin, and Bloxom as the House’s voice on final changes to the budget. The Senate selected Senators Lucas (Chair of Senate Finance & Appropriations), Deeds, Locke, Boysko, McDougle, and Pillion as their conferees. Together, we will correct differences in each chamber’s budgets to arrive at a biennial budget for the Governor’s review. The House and Senate do have a difference of opinion regarding distribution of funds and technical applications of taxes; however, we are united in our commitment to make transformative investments in Virginia’s public education system, buttress our healthcare system, invest in a clean economy and resilient infrastructure, and work to ensure all Virginians are supported through livable wages and support for working families.

As a budget conferee I have heard input from a wide array of groups regarding:

• K-12 funding particulars such as lifting the support staff cap, investing in economically disadvantaged schools, increasing teacher salaries, special education improvements, and investing in school construction among others.

• Budget priorities from the Virginia business community that span major economic development initiatives as well as early childhood education investments.

• Historic rehabilitation tax credits and other preservation related initiatives.

• A multitude of healthcare initiatives including free clinics, medicaid expansion for all children, improving nursing home medicaid payments, support for community healthcare workers, as well as many other pressing investments.

• Higher education initiatives spanning funding structure tweaks to financial aid programs and piloting dollars for new and fledgling programs to fuel Virginia’s workforce.

• Vital environmental issues such as ensuring Virginia’s participation in RGGI, promoting multimodal transportation, protecting our waterways, and planning needed resilience measures.

Among the plethora of interests, requests, and proposals I have heard, budget conferees will also need to consider more structural differences and innovations to the State Budget. For example, the Governor included a digital sales tax for streaming and storage services. The Senate removed the Governor’s exemption for business-to-business transactions, establishing another nearly $1 Billion in revenue for the State. Another point of interest is differences in modernizing the State’s information technology infrastructure, specifically which systems are updated first. You can read more about the issue in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Ahead of budget negotiations, Governor Youngkin, as is custom, sent a letter to the budget conferees outlining and reemphasizing his priorities. You can find the letter within this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch analyzing the negotiating landscape.

Other Legislative Action

In addition to the budget, several important pieces of legislation are in conference, or have recently reported out of one. Skill games was a topic of much debate this year. While they can and have provided boons to small businesses and can offer additional tax revenue to the state, I join my colleagues and many community members in concern over their proliferation, regulation, and impact they will have on our neighborhoods. A conference report was agreed to in the General Assembly which sought to put guardrails on the rollout of these machines. This legislation is heading to the Governor for his review. You can read more about the conference report here. You can watch the House’s final consideration of the conference report at this link.

Another topic of much discussion was a retail marketplace for marijuana. The factors of consideration for lawmakers were to establish a marketplace that would eradicate or severely hinder the illicit market while ensuring safe and quality products and access to equity for small businesses to participate. This legislation is also going to the Governor’s desk for review. You can read more in this article. You can watch the House’s final consideration of the conference report here.

While skill games and retail marijuana were rightfully the subject of much consternation and attention, they are certainly not the only products of this renewed democratic majority’s work thus far in the General Assembly. Bills to increase the minimum wage and ban assault firearms are already on their way to the Governor. Additionally, bills to shield menstrual data from search warrants (HB78); ensuring insurance coverage of contraception (HB819); statutory increases to teacher pay.          (HB187 & SB104); as well as many other pieces of policy. Following the conclusion of the General Assembly’s work, I will provide more thorough reviews of legislation that has passed the General Assembly and is before Governor Youngkin.

Black History Month

With the end of Black History Month, I wanted to highlight a few of the wonderful, touching, and enlightening points of personal privilege delivered by my colleagues throughout Black History Month.

Delegate Josh Cole spoke to Negro spirituals and the transcendental role they played for enslaved African Americans in this floor speech from February 2.

Delegate Candi Mundon King delivered this floor speech on February 6 speaking to the international kinship and pervasive shared history members of the African Diaspora share.

Delegate Alex Askew rose to speak to the contributions of African Americans in and from Virginia Beach, stretching from the origins of the first landing to this year’s legislative update to the Virginia Beach City Charter. You can watch his speech here.

Delegate Michael Feggans spoke to the daunting and metamorphic time of Jim Crow Era for those seeking to serve their communities, such as black law enforcement officers, in this floor speech.

Delegate Katrina Callsen delivered a moving Valentine’s Day floor speech on Loving Vs. Virginia as well as her own family history. You can watch the speech here.

Delegate Karen Keys-Gamarra delivered this floor speech, February 15, on fair treatment and humanity and how the disgraces of yesterday still echo today.

Delegate Delores McQuinn spoke in this floor speech to her simile of black women as atoms; fundamental building blocks, unbreakable, yet their contributions are largely unseen.

Delegate Cliff Hayes delivered a point of personal privilege on February 21 speaking to the potency of memory and the collective spirit felt by all. You can watch it here.

Delegate Destiny LeVere Bolling spoke to the everyday citizens who are unaware of the impact they will have on history in this speech from February 22.

Delegate Rae Cousins spoke to the history of Richmond in this floor speech from February 23.

Delegate Jackie Glass delivered this speech on February 28 regarding the vital role of the overlooked stories of martyr mothers of Black History leaders.

Although this is not a comprehensive list, these speeches illustrate the diverse backgrounds and perspectives my esteemed colleagues brought during Black History Month.

Other Points of Personal Privilege

During each day’s Session, members of the General Assembly can rise on the floor to give recognition to visitors watching from the gallery. This past week I had the privilege of introducing Peter Blake and moving passage of a resolution commending his service to the Commonwealth as the director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. You can watch the presentation here.

Additionally, this past week the House defeated the Senate for the 12th consecutive year in the annual Capitol Square Classic Basketball game in benefit of Massey Cancer Center. Additionally, the Governor’s office beat the Lobbyists. Despite long days at the General Assembly, members find time for camaraderie and companionship. Whether it is for basketball games for good causes (which raised just under $100,000 for Massey Cancer Center) or if its with some friendly post-game taunting, like this resolution from Senator Aaron Rouse challenging the validity of the House’s victory and this response from Delegate Marcus Simon.

During the past week of Session, my staff and I met various representative individuals and groups including:

• Longwood University Leadership

• Housing Opportunities Made Equal

• Richmond Redevelopment & Housing Authority Leadership

• Norfolk State University Leadership

• Dulles Greenway & Loudon County

• Arlington City Representatives

• Virginia Poverty Law Center

• The Commonwealth Institute

• Dennis Clark, New Librarian of Virginia

• Old Dominion University Leadership

• University of Mary Washington Leadership

• Energy Efficiency Council

• Baptist Minister’s Conference

• James Madison University Leadership

• UVA Health

• Virginia Sexual & Domestic Violence Action Alliance

• Virginia Agribusiness Council

• Virginia Farm Bureau

• Hazel Health

• Capitol Caring

• Virginia Home

• Encircle Virginia

• Legal Aid Justice Center

It is my goal to keep my constituents informed of the work happening at the General Assembly. There are several websites which provide troves of helpful information. Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here. A searchable database of legislation can be found here.

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Super Tuesday

This coming Tuesday, March 5, is Super Tuesday, the day 16 states and territories will hold presidential primary elections. More information can be found on the Department of Elections’ website.

Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline

The Legislative Sportsman’s Caucus held their final meeting of the year this past Thursday. We were joined by Dr. Scott Barras, State Director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services Program who gave updates on invasive species and predator management for livestock producers. Additionally, he discussed the Virginia Wildlife Conflict Helpline, a collaborative project between the USDA and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. The helpline, reachable at 804-739-7739, assists in calls concerning bears in neighborhoods, deer on airplane runways, questions of animal identification, and animal disease reports. Dr. Barras shared a map of call density; the Richmond Metropolitan and D.C. Metropolitan area were the runaway leaders by call volume.

Dr. Barras shared with myself and Delegate McClure (Arlington) that some call density is explained by our districts’ more limited experience with wildlife, but more is explained by the density of humans, reduction of animal habitat, and increased chance for human wildlife conflicts.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Sixth Week of Session 2024

Dear Friend,

The sixth week of Session has come to a close. Below is an update on some of the past week’s work in the legislature.

The Sixth Week of Session

This past week began with the House Appropriations Committee unveiling the House budget. The proposed budget was then reviewed by the members of the House who had opportunities to contest items in the budget, as well as offer further amendments on the House Floor. On Thursday, the budget was taken up for a vote. Uncontested provisions were voted on in a block. Then, members deliberated over contested portions of the budget before voting on each item’s passage. You can watch the full consideration of the House budget at this link.

The House and Senate bills, having both passed their respective chambers, will now be before each other’s chambers. The budgets differ in many ways, and the remaining time at the General Assembly will be dedicated to rectifying these differences to arrive at a budget proposal to be sent to the Governor. Large differences range in the conditions of funding, distribution of funds across secretariat portfolios, and changes to the tax system. The House budget requires Virginia’s participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which is a multi-state carbon marketplace that seeks to reduce emissions by taxing carbon production and then use tax revenues to invest in energy efficiency and climate resiliency. This is not included in the Senate budget. While both chambers rejected Governor Youngkin’s tax proposals, the House and Senate did include a novel sales tax for digital storage and streaming services. The Senate extended this to business transactions as well. Authorization and funding for a Northern Virginia Arena development was not out-right authorized in either chamber’s budget. While the Senate includes no language (and has not passed any legislation) for the arena, the House did include language that had been included in the House bill (HB1514). This language adds extra guardrails to protect Virginia, but most importantly would delay any state expenditures until the General Assembly passes the language again in the 2025 Session. While both budgets prioritize education and healthcare, the mechanisms and avenues of these investments differ. This can also be said of important infrastructure decisions, like increasing funding for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, which the House includes and the Senate does not.

Further reading on the competing budgets can be found in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch and this one from The Virginia Mercury. You may also enjoy this commentary on the negotiation landscape of the budget as well as this article analyzing the denied tax proposals.

You can watch a recording of the House Appropriations Committee’s report here and their briefing to the House members here. You can watch the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee’s report here. Additionally, each Chamber’s reports can be found online here and a break down of approved amendments can be found at this link.

During each day’s Session, members of the General Assembly can rise on the floor to give recognition to visitors watching from the gallery. This past week I had the privilege of introducing the YWCA Empower RVA Teens to the House. I also had the honor to participate in a surprise award presentation to Speaker Don Scott, who received the United Network for Organ Sharing’s inaugural “Living It Forward Award.” You can watch a recording of the presentation here.

During the past week of Session, my staff and I met various representative individuals and groups including:

• Virginia Government Employees Association

• Virginia Conservation Network

• Virginia Education Association

• Medical Society of Virginia

• University of Virginia Leadership

• Virginia Transportation Construction Alliance

• Virginia Heavy Construction Contractors Association

• Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association

• St. Joseph’s Villa

• YWCA Empower RVA Teens

• Community Associations Institute

• Virginia Military Institute Students

It is my goal to keep my constituents informed of the work happening at the General Assembly. There are several websites which provide troves of helpful information. Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here. A searchable database of legislation can be found here.

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

I-95 Bridge Rehabilitations

Five bridges over I-95 in Richmond are being rehabilitated. There will be occasional, significant impacts to traffic. Beginning 8pm, March 1 through March 4, I-95 traffic will be reduced to one lane at mile marker 74 and the ramps for exit 74C will be closed. More information and other impacts can be found here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Crossover Session Update

Dear Friend,

The fifth week of Session has come to a close. Below is an update on some of the past week’s work in the legislature.

The Fifth Week of Session

This past week marked an important milestone for the 2024 Session. Tuesday was Crossover, the last day each body has to act on its own legislation. After Crossover, each chamber can only act on legislation from the other body. In the wake of Crossover, the legislative landscape evolves. Policy proposals that are unique to one chamber (meaning there were not identical House & Senate Bills) restart the legislative process in the other chamber. Proposals that exist in both a House and Senate bill often meet smooth sailing as long as the bills are identical. If each chamber has a competing proposal, then crossover marks a rigorous and collaborative process to hopefully arrive at a bi-cameral solution. When this is not possible, bills will be sent to a conference; a small workgroup of legislators tasked with a last effort to arrive at a piece of legislation that both chambers can agree.

The House has taken action on a wide array of issues this session. This past week, several bills of interest met their final action in each chamber. HB1514, would establish a necessary State Authority for the financing and development of a Northern Virginia Arena. The House passed this bill, but with a healthy dose of skepticism over the project’s potential return on investment. The House bill contains an enactment clause; meaning the General Assembly would have to pass this bill again next year before any state commitment is finalized. You can read more about the Arena bill here.  Another topic of interest has been the regulation and licensure of skill games. The Senate passed a loose set of regulations while the House version includes higher tax rates, local authority to block these games, among other guardrails. You can read more about the competing bills here. Of course, in the preceding weeks, bills have been passed on issues such as gun safety, criminal justice, marijuana, the minimum wage, abortion protections, and much more. Nineteen of my 29 bills have passed the House. This article from The Virginia Mercury provides an inventory of where legislation stands on various topics after Crossover.

Appropriations Committee Reports

After Crossover, budget considerations in the General Assembly heat up. Today, Sunday, House and Senate Budget Committees will each meet to release their committee reports. Each report reflects the budget recommendations from the subcommittees of each chamber’s budget committee. I chair the Higher Education subcommittee in House Appropriations. You can watch the House Appropriations committee report at 1pm today (Sunday, February 18) at this link. Committee reports will be posted online here. You can find the member introduced budget amendments that are being considered (including my own) at this link.

The state budget is a bill, albeit the most important bill, and as such it is heard on the House Floor. After today’s reports, members will have a few days to review and propose further amendments. Then, on Thursday, the House members will vote on the House budget. Uncontested items in the budget are voted on in a block. Contested portions of the budget as well as amendments brought forward on the floor, are considered individually. Following the budget bills passing each chamber, the two bodies will review each other’s budgets and a conference will be established of members from each chamber’s budget committee to arrive at a consensus budget bill. All this must be done by Tuesday, March 5.

I am hopeful that today’s committee reports reflect a House budget bill that dutifully acknowledges the fiscal constraints Virginia will face in the next biennium, including an ending of federal pandemic relief funds as well as a looming recession, and prudently steps forward with meaningful investments in our Public K-12 education system and shores up our healthcare ecosystem with judicious investments in vital services. Next to these glaring funding needs, our state budget can also support transformational education opportunities for all Virginians, crucial investments in our environment and infrastructure, as well as many other initiatives to improve the lives of Virginians.

During each day’s Session, members of the General Assembly can rise on the floor to give recognition to visitors watching from the gallery. Last Monday, I had the privilege of introducing the Reverend Ben Campbell of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church who gave the morning invocation.  On Valentine’s Day, I recognized the work of VCU’s Pauley Heart Center during the 4th morning hour for personal privilege. In addition, at the League of Women Voters weekly morning roundtable, I discussed my affordable housing bills.

During the past week of Session, my staff and I met various representative individuals and groups including:

• Senior Connections

• AARP Advocates

• Richmond Bar Association

• Virginia Tech Corp of Cadets

• Service Employees International Union

• Virginia Personal Care Providers

• Dominion Energy Employees

• League of Women Voters

• Planned Parenthood Advocates

• Athletic Trainers

• Wildlife Network

• Virginia Agribusiness Council

• Virginia Farm Bureau

• Virginia21 Advocates

• George Mason University Leadership

• George Mason Student Advocates

• Arlington City

• Ladies Professional Golf Association & Solheim Cup Representatives

• Students for Equity and Reform in Virginia

• Virginia Housing Alliance

• Equifax

• Richmond Public Schools Interfaith Advisory Council

• Virginia Association of Recovery Residences

• Virginia Food Industry Association

It is my goal to keep my constituents informed of the work happening at the General Assembly. There are several websites which provide troves of helpful information. Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here. A searchable database of legislation can be found here.

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Fourth Week of Session 2024

Dear Friend,

The fourth week of Session has come to a close. Below is an update on some of the past week’s work in the legislature.

The Fourth Week of Session

The General Assembly is barreling towards Crossover, which is the last day each body can act on legislation that originates from its own members before sending them to the other body. Committee dockets have been long, but efficient. Floor Sessions have stretched for long hours. Monday and Tuesday are expected to be long days on the Floor. Crossover marks the beginning of the time when the two distinct bodies of the General Assembly will work together to find a consensus package of legislation to send to the Governor. The House has passed two bills of high priority to our Democratic majority; HB1 to increase the minimum wage and HB2 to ban assault weapons.

In the busy lead-up to Crossover, the committees I sit on considered many important and interesting pieces of legislation. In General Laws, we worked through the 187 bills docketed to us since the start of Session to report 130 bills out. These bills include: edits to the Virginia Public Procurement Act and the Freedom of Information Act, which came from the subcommittee I chair; regulation of skill games; a cannabis retail market; regulation over nicotine vape products that are posing a daunting health crisis for Virginia’s children; tenant protections and affordable housing measures; and even considerations and discussions around licensure for automated systems used to replace human professionals, to name a few of the topics discussed.

In Transportation, we received 97 bills from the Speaker and reported 60. These bills include some of my own that reinforce local authority to lower speed limits, limit predatory towing, and implement bike safety measures, but they also include topics such as local authority to regulate towing; toll policy updates; manufactured housing property rights; transportation infrastructure streamlining; transparency for gig-workers in transportation network companies (like Uber); as well as many other diverse topics. We finished with a presentation from the Virginia Spaceport Authority, which you can watch here.

In Appropriations, we received 259 bills and reported 152. This reflects the unique role of the Appropriations Committee, which is tasked with reporting the House Budget Bill. Appropriations, like other committees, considers policy when deliberating legislation, but only fiscal policy. Other Committees vet the consequences of legislation in terms of their topic area, whether it be Transportation, Health & Human Services, General Government, or others. If legislation has an associated cost to the State, it will come before Appropriations who consider if the State can afford said cost and if that action is consistent and not in conflict with other State funding obligations. The result is very tough decisions and members often have to lay bills on the table that in other committees they would vote to report. This year that was especially the case; innovative ideas for state healthcare and housing, as well as economic drivers for the film and creative industry, were left in committee.

The General Assembly has taken action on numerous bills and issues such as; skill games regulations; authorizing a Northern Virginia Arena state authority; authorizing medical-aid in dying; ending tax-breaks for Confederate related organizations; marijuana law expansions; as well as many other topics. For a final note of further reading, you may enjoy this eclectic round-up of bills from the previous week.

I am expecting to pass 19 pieces of my own legislation from the House; ranging from administrative housekeeping to impactful conservation and affordable housing bills. For a list of all my bills, visit this link. Below, I will briefly highlight some of my legislation.

Urban Tree Canopy preservation is an issue of much interest in Richmond. Dr. Jeremy Hoffman, studied the environmental injustice of urban heat islands. These studies connect the wide differences in how heat waves impact Richmond with larger issues of formerly redlined neighborhoods, economic disparities, and consequences for our environment at large. Slightly related, a VPM article from late last summer highlighted the staggering amount of bus stations that lacked shelters and the insurmountable costs and barriers to building more. In this spirit, I introduced HB1100 which would make available statewide, an ordinance to preserve trees during land development. This legislation, along with a proposal from Delegate Delores McQuinn (HB285) to streamline the regulatory framework for building bus shelters, helping to right some environmental injustices and to promote a healthier and environmentally resilient Richmond.

Affordable Housing is a pressing need in our City and statewide. I am expecting to pass HB1105, which creates an incentive grant program for localities to adopt zoning ordinances to promote affordable housing. Grants can go to a wide array of public needs, creating a win-win for affordable housing production and common good infrastructure build-out. I had introduced HB1122 to make a further affordable housing statue available to Richmond. After discussions with relevant stakeholders, this bill has been continued to 2025 to arrive at a policy proposal that can be more expediently deployed with greater impact.

Transportation Safety is another issue of paramount priority in Richmond. I am expecting to pass HB1071 which reinforces the authority of localities to lower their own speed limits. HB1073 will prevent predatory towing in Richmond for those who have a wrecked or disabled vehicle. An added benefit is that this will curtail tow-truck operators who drive recklessly to arrive first at the scene of an accident. Additionally, HB1077 implements the safety stop for bicyclists, a practice that promotes bicycling and reduces traffic incidents. I had also introduced HB1072 to allow institutions of higher education to implement school zone crosswalk measures such as additional signage and photospeed monitoring. This was in memory and reflection of the traffic tragedies on VCU’s campus last year. This bill did not pass subcommittee, but I remain dedicated to mitigating traffic fatalities.

In addition, members of the General Assembly can rise on the floor to give recognition to visitors watching from the gallery. This past week I had the privilege of introducing the Virginia History Day winners, Jewish Community Federation advocates, and Richmond Public School advocates.

During the past week of Session, my staff and I met various representative individuals and groups including:

• Rural Caucus of Virginia

• Virginia Economic Development Partnership

• Department of Professional & Occupational Regulation

• Arc of Virginia

• Virginia Film-workers

• Christopher Newport University Leadership

• The Nature Conservancy

• Affordable Energy Coalition

• American Society of Suicide Prevention

• League of Women Voters

• Institute for Advanced Learning & Research Leadership

• Virginia Poverty Law Center

• Swipe Out Hunger

• Virginia Space Grant & NASA Langley

• James Madison University Student Government

• Richmond SPCA

• Jewish Community Federation of Richmond

• Virginia Commonwealth University Pauley Heart Center Leadership

• Virginia Forever

• Stratford Hall and Menokin

• Special Olympics of Virginia

• Virginia Beer Wholesalers

• Virginia Maritime Association

• Brain Injury Awareness Association

• Judicial Candidates

• Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy Student Advocates

• Hollins University Leadership

It is my goal to keep my constituents informed of the work happening at the General Assembly. There are several websites which provide troves of helpful information. Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here. A searchable database of legislation can be found here.

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Virginia Governor’s Fellow Applications

Applications are being accepted until March 4 for the 2024 Governor’s Fellow Program. This prestigious program offers rising college seniors, graduating college seniors, and enrolled graduate degree candidates an opportunity to get first-hand experience in government administration.

More information including applications and qualifications can be found here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Third Week of Session 2024

Dear Friend,

The third week of Session has come to a close. Below is an update on some of the past week’s work in the legislature.

The Third Week of Session

This past week saw busy committee meetings. Crossover, the last day for each body to act on legislation that originates from its members, is just on the horizon, February 13. In order to get bills through subcommittees and committees in time, agendas had to be loaded full this week. Some subcommittees have had their final meetings before crossover as well. Many bills passed unanimously, reflecting the bipartisan work and wide scope of nonpartisan legislation the General Assembly works on each year. Other bills saw spirited debate and rigorous review through subcommittee, full committee, and on the House floor as well.

Bills on a variety of topics were heard this week; among them were hearings on skill games, photo speed ticketing expansions, eliminating the car tax, to-go cocktails among others. Further reading can be found in this article highlighting a variety of bills, this one on skill games, an article about paid family and sick leave, this one involving my budget amendment for state employee pay, and finally this update on Governor Youngkin’s tax proposal.

This past week several of my bills were heard and passed from committee.

HB1126 passed the Civil subcommittee of Courts of Justice unanimously. This bill would allow Federal representatives to perform rites of marriage.

HB1088 passed the K-12 subcommittee of Education and later full committee before being referred to the Appropriations committee. This bill would task the Department of Education with establishing environmental education materials for adoption by local school districts.

HB1080 passed the Transportation committee unanimously. It is a government efficiency bill, helping those whose driving privileges have been suspended but their case was purged by the court. It limits suspended licenses to a period of 10 years which reflects the period of time by which cases are purged.

HB1084 passed the Transportation committee unanimously. This bill allows temporary disabled parking placards to be issued for longer than 6 months (the current maximum allowed), with a new maximum of 12 months, as long as a healthcare provider can certify that the qualifying condition is expected to last that long.

HB1071 passed the Transportation committee. It clarifies the code to ensure localities are able to lower their speed limits to 15 without relying on VDOT for the final authority.

HB1131 passed General Laws unanimously. It removes Richmond as an eligible host city for a casino.

HB1108 passed General Laws unanimously. It provides transparency for state procurement projects that are being delivered using construction management as the procurement and delivery process.

HB1113 passed General Laws unanimously. It increases the limits on job order contracting, a type of procurement method for goods and services used most commonly by localities.

HB1082 authorizes courts to order a restricted license for those who are paying a motor vehicle-related civil judgement and as a result had their driving privileges suspended. It passed its subcommittee unanimously.

HB1077 passed its subcommittee in Transportation. This bill allows cyclists to treat certain stop signs as a yield; a practice known as the bike safety stop.

HB1100 passed the Counties, Cities, and Towns committee. It extends an optional ordinance from Planning District 8 to statewide. The ordinance, if adopted by a locality, would provide conservation of trees during new land development.

HB1455 establishes the Virginia Memory Project at the Virginia Center on Aging as the statewide registry for Dementia and Alzheimers. This bill passed its subcommittee in the Health & Human Services committee unanimously.

HB1456 passed its subcommittee in General Laws unanimously. It would require that some new government buildings, like schools, be built with infrastructure to support rooftop solar.

HB1125 passed its subcommittee in General Laws unanimously. It would establish the Virginia Business Ready Sites Permitting program at the Virginia Economic Development Partnership as a concierge expediting program for major economic development projects.

HB1073 seeks to prevent predatory towing practices for wrecked or disabled vehicles. It passed its subcommittee in Transportation unanimously.

In addition, members of the General Assembly can rise on the floor to give recognition to visitors watching from the gallery. This past week I had the privilege of introducing the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.

During the past week of Session, my staff and I met various representative individuals and groups including:

• AFL-CIO

• Central Virginia Labor Federation

• United Way

• Law Enforcement Sheriffs

• Virginia Business Higher Education Council

• Equality Virginia

• Virginia Partnership for Out of School Time

• JMU Leadership

• Virginia Institute for Marine Sciences

• UVA Wise Leadership

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation Advocates

• Autism Advocates

• Virginia Restaurant Lodging and Tourism Association

• Virginia Academy of Clinical Psychologists

• Rx Partnership

• Richmond Association of Realtors

• Daily Planet Free Clinic

• Virginia Academy of Nutritionist and Dietitians

• Open High School Student Advocates for Conservation  

• Garden Club of Virginia

• Marymount University Leadership

• Virginia Business Roundtable

• Virginia Voices

• Clinicians for Climate Change

It is my goal to keep my constituents informed of the work happening at the General Assembly. There are several websites which provide troves of helpful information. Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here. A searchable database of legislation can be found here.

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Massey Cancer Center’s Capital Square Classic

The Massey Cancer Center Capital Square Classic basketball game will be February 29. This fundraiser pits the Governor’s office against the lobbyists and the House against the Senate in two games at the Siegel Center in benefit of the Massey Cancer Center.

More information is available here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

Second Week of Session 2024

Dear Friend,

The second week of Session has come to a close. Below is an update on some of the past week’s work in the legislature.

The Second Week of Session

Committees have been working through large dockets of legislation and bills have begun to pass the House. As of Friday, 33 bills have been sent to the Senate from the House. The Senate is slightly ahead of schedule, due to their bill limits and that the last election did not change the majority party. The Senate has passed 78 bills to the House. Both bodies have significant work to do in the coming weeks. February 13 is “crossover,” the last day for each body to complete work on their legislation. You can find a list of bills and resolutions that passed the House here, and a list of bills that passed the Senate here.

An important function of the General Assembly is the nomination and election of judges. Virginia used the legislative election method for judicial selections. The legislature fields candidates for judicial vacancies and finalizes selections into a resolution that is then voted on by the General Assembly. This past week, the General Assembly made appointments and renewals to local and district courts, but more importantly, the legislature filled both vacancies at the State Corporation Commission. Having all three seats filled is a critical win for consumer protection and regulation in Virginia. Kelsey Bagot moves to fill a seat carrying a 6 year term. She is an attorney for NextEra Energy and was formerly an advisor to a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Sam Towell is an attorney at Smithfield foods and formerly was an attorney in the Office of the Attorney General. Due to election cycles, his seat will expire in 4 years. Kelsey Bagot and Sam Towell join Chairman Jehmal Hudson, who was appointed to a six year term in 2020. You can read more about the appointments here.

This past Thursday, my HB1105 was heard in the General Laws subcommittee on Housing and Consumer Protection. It was moved to be reported and referred to Appropriations by an unanimous vote. This bill would establish an incentive grant fund at the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Grants would be awarded to localities who decide to implement zoning ordinances that promote the production of affordable housing. This incentive fund takes a realistic approach to affordable housing production. The state can and has established optional zoning practices, but they are rarely implemented at the local level. Incentive grants are a necessary addition to encourage adoption and get badly needed affordable units produced.

Members of the General Assembly can rise on the floor to give recognition to visitors watching from the gallery. This past week I had the privilege of introducing the Virginia Association of Recovery Residences and the Virginia Association of Museums. On Wednesday, I introduced Bishop Gayle Harris of the Episcopal Diocese who offered the morning invocation.

During the past week of Session, my staff and I met various representative individuals and groups including:

• Virginia Automobile Dealers Association

• Virginia Reproductive Equity Alliance

• MS Society

• Virginia Restaurant and Lodging Tourism Association

• Associated General Contractors of Virginia Association

• Virginia Emergency Management Association

• Breast Cancer Foundation

• Southern Environmental Law Center

• Wetlands Watch

• Virginia Pharmacists Association

• Medical Society of Virginia

• American Council of Pediatrics

• Virginia Tech Leadership

• Radford University Leadership

• Council of Independent Colleges of Virginia

• American Cancer Society

• J. Sargent Reynolds Community College Leadership

• Childhood Cancer Foundation

• AARP of Virginia

• James Madison University Leadership

• Virginia Association of Museums

• Birth in Color (Doula Advocates)

• Family Lifeline

• Early Impact Virginia

• Church World Service

• Virginia Radiological Society

• Virginia Community Healthcare Association

• Homebuilders Association of Richmond

• Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

• Randolph Macon Advocacy Students

• Virginia Apartment Managers Association

• Pace-o-matic

• Richmond Parent Teacher Association

• SeaGrant

• AFL-CIO

• Judicial Candidates

• Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

• Old Dominion Highway Contractors Association

• Community College Foundation

It is my goal to keep my constituents informed of the work happening at the General Assembly. There are several websites which provide troves of helpful information. Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here. A searchable database of legislation can be found here.

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

First Week of Session 2024

Dear Friend,

The first full week of Session has come to a close. Below is an update on the work of the legislature as well as an overview of some of the issues the General Assembly will be working.

2024 Legislative Session

Friday was the deadline for bills to be introduced; 1,545 bills were introduced in the House and 736 in the Senate, not including resolutions. These bills cover a wide array of issues. It is the work of the General Assembly to consider each proposed policy and determine how it will impact the lives of all Virginians.

The most important piece of legislation is the budget bill. Virginia passes a biennial budget in even-numbered years, and amendments to that biennial budget in odd-numbered years. This year, Governor Youngkin is doing several things for the first time. The most notable is that this is his first time crafting a biennial budget; in 2022, he worked on amendments to outgoing-Governor Ralph Northam’s budget plan. Another notable first-time task for the Governor is to pass a budget with a Democratic-controlled General Assembly, which represents a new negotiating landscape. Finally, another novel experience for this Governor, and for many legislators, is passing a budget amid a rather bare fiscal outlook. Previous years have seen record revenues and large surpluses. Pandemic aid is now drying up and a recession is forecasted for sometime in the second and third quarter of 2024. We must be prudent with our spending, prioritizing the pressing needs of Virginians. The State should also be reasonable with its tax policy; not burdening vulnerable Virginians, but instead ensuring vital projects are funded at their required levels through a progressive and equitable tax system.

The General Assembly will consider legislation on issues including reproductive healthcare, gun safety, minimum wage increases, environmental protection, school funding reform, clean energy, voting rights, and much more.

Several recent articles highlight bills being introduced this session. The Richmond Times-Dispatch wrote on several of the early filed pieces of legislation in this article and the Virginia Mercury wrote this broad primer just ahead of the Assembly first meeting.

Other articles touch base on the goings-on like “Lobby Day,” which sees hundreds of advocates using the state’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday to meet with legislations, read more here. Further reading, focusing on specific legislation, can be found in this article about the Potomac Yard Arena plan, this article about local control over school funding, and in this article that spotlights three more eclectic pieces of legislation. Finally, this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch covers an important business ready site permitting bill Senator Mamie Locke and I are carrying.

Committee assignments have been finalized. In addition to sitting on the Appropriations, General Laws (of which I am vice-chair), Transportation, and Rules Committees, I also will chair three subcommittees; Appropriations-Higher Education; Transportation-Infrastructure and Funding subcommittee; General Laws-Procurement and Open Government.

During the past week of Session, my staff and I met various representative individuals and groups including:

• Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy

• National Federation for the Blind

• Virginia Moms for Change

• Electrification Coalition

• Marijuana Justice

• Virginia Association for the Education of Young Children

• Virginia Healthy Youth Foundation

• Young Democrats

• Moms Demand Action

• Virginia Citizens Defense League

• 911 Dispatchers

• Medical Society of Virginia

• VCU Physical Therapy students

• Virginia Dental Association

• Families of those Incarcerated at Keen Mountain Correctional Center

• Monumental Sports

• Reston Homeowners Association

• National Guard Association

• Virginia Commonwealth University Leadership

• VCU Massey Cancer Center Leadership

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation

• Sierra Club of Virginia

• Old Dominion University Leadership

• Virginia Fire Chiefs

• Judicial Candidates

It is my goal to keep my constituents informed of the work happening at the General Assembly. There are several websites which provide troves of helpful information. Livestreams and past recordings of Session, as well as committee meetings can all be found at this link. Legislation, as well as meeting calendars and committee information can be found here. A searchable database of legislation can be found here.

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Early Voting Opens for Virginia’s Presidential Primary

Virginia’s Presidential Primary Election Day will be March 5. Early voting is open until March 2. In addition to the ongoing Republican Primary, President Biden is facing competition. You can read more about the primaries here and access your voting information including registration status and polling location at this link.

Richmond Hires Joe Damico, Former DGS Director

At the end of 2023, it was announced that Joe Damico, a longtime and incredibly admired state procurement official would be retiring from his role as the Director of the Department of General Services (DGS), which is the business-arm and represents the infrastructure of Virginia’s State Government. In what is a tremendous windfall for the City, Joe has joined the City’s Administration as Deputy Director of Public Works. His experience and leadership is an invaluable asset for the City.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch has written this article on Joe Damico’s new role.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

The 2024 Session

Dear Friend,

The 2024 Legislative Session has begun. The 140 citizen-members of our Commonwealth’s historic legislative body gaveled in Wednesday, January 10, to begin this year’s 60 day lawmaking Session. I will provide weekly updates during Session. Below is the first.

2024 Legislative Session

Following redistricting, retirements, and elections, the General Assembly is welcoming many new faces. The Senate has 17 new members, some who came from the House, others who are new to the General Assembly. The House has 34 new members, two of whom served previously.

History was made on day one. The General Assembly elected Delegate Don Scott as the new Speaker of the House. He is the first Black Speaker in the legislature’s 405 year history. You can watch the nomination for the election of Delegate Scott, by Delegates Torian and Austin here. You can watch Speaker Scott’s swearing in and first speech at this link.

Following Speaker Scott’s swearing in, the House elected to return G. Paul Nardo as Clerk of the House. Paul Nardo has 12 years experience, including serving as Clerk the prior two years under Speaker Todd Gilbert. You can watch his nomination and election here.

Committee assignments were made following the establishment of leadership. I will serve on the Appropriations, General Laws, Transportation and Rules Committees. I will serve as Vice Chair for General Laws. In Appropriations, I serve on 4 of the 5 subcommittees, and chair the Higher Education Subcommittee. Additional appointments to subcommittees in other committees are still pending. You can find full committee information here.

The State of the Commonwealth was held at Joint Assembly of the House & Senate  at the end of the first day. You can watch Governor Youngkin’s remarks here, or read a transcript here.

I had the honor, with Senator L. Louise Lucas, President Pro Tempore, of delivering the Democratic response to the Governor’s remarks. You can watch the response at this link.

My bills have been filed and introduced. I am carrying bills to promote affordable housing, pedestrian and roadway safety, education for prisoners, environmental education and protection, as well as legislation to support small business and economic development. You can find information on all my bills at this link.

During the first week of Session, I met with several individuals or groups representing:

• Virginia Community College Systems

• Virginia Commonwealth University

• CodeRVA Regional High School

• Child Advocacy Centers of Virginia

• Virginia Poverty Law Center

• College of William & Mary

• Justice Forward Virginia

• Virginia Banker’s Association

• Moms Demand Action

• Virginia Humanities

• Volkswagen

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Changes to FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been updated and is now available to college applicants for the 2024-2025 school year. The FAFSA is the main application families use to determine their eligibility for federal student aid, and it has been notorious for difficult questions and length. It is ordinarily available to students beginning in October, however it has been delayed as the Department of Education was working to streamline and make a more user friendly application.

The new application is available. To learn more about the changes to the FAFSA and federal aid process, visit this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

New Years Update

Dear Friend,

2024 is here. I hope you have had an enjoyable and restful holiday season, full of cherished moments. Below is an update on relevant state meetings as well as a look-ahead to the 2024 Legislative Session.

Governor Youngkin’s Proposed Budget

In late December, Governor Youngkin presented his budget to the Joint Money Committee. This budget covers the next biennium, fiscal years 2025-2026. You can find a link to the budget here.

The Governor’s proposed budget contains a 12% reduction in income tax across all brackets. In an effort to offset the loss of revenue, the proposed budget increases the sales tax by 0.9% and will apply this increased rate to some digital goods that are not currently subject to state sales tax.

Additionally, Youngkin announced his intention to remove the local vehicle ownership tax; a process that will require extensive legislative action. Localities would be able to offset the loss of revenue with other increased taxes.

Following his introduction, the budget will now have to pass the General Assembly during the upcoming legislative Session. Members of the General Assembly will be able to submit amendments to the Governor’s budget, either to add or remove provisions, as well as edit or add language.

Due to Virginia’s limit on consecutive terms as well as the timing of biennial budgets, this is the only budget  that Governor Youngkin is able to initiate, oversee its passage through the legislature, and then preside over the Executive Branch during the spending of the appropriations.

You can read more about the introduced budget in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch or this one from The Virginia Mercury.

Newly Enacted Laws

Several bills from the 2023 Session carried delayed enactments, including my HB1744 which established home study reciprocity for foster and adoptive care. They became law in the New Year. You can read about some of these new laws in this article from The Washington Post and at this link from CBS9.

A more thorough review of bills that passed last Session can be found in this publication from the Division of Legislative Services.

2024 Legislative Session

The 2024 Legislative Session begins January 10, 2024, at 12 PM. This year’s Session will last 60 days.

During Session, the 140 citizen-legislators of Virginia convene in Richmond to introduce, deliberate, and take action on proposed legislation, including the Commonwealth’s budget.

All legislation has to be introduced by late morning, January 10. You can find a link to all the legislation that has been introduced so far at this link.

Session moves fast and I will do my best to keep you updated on what is happening in the General Assembly through weekly updates.

In preparation for the upcoming Session, I have met with many groups such as:

• McShin Foundation

• Longwood University

• Maymont

• The Shepherd Center

• Virginia Society of Interior Designers

• American Heart Association

• Richmond Association of Realtors

• VA Kids Belong

• Virginia Early Childhood Foundation

• Virginia Public Media

• Altria

• Virginia Focused Ultrasound Foundation

• University of Mary Washington

• Richmond City Leadership

• Council of Independent Colleges of Virginia

• Asian Chamber of Commerce

• Richmond Academy of Medicine

• American Civil War Museum

• Virginia Housing Alliance

• Virginia Pride Liberation Project

• James Madison University

• The Hunt Institute

• ChamberRVA

• No Kid Hungry Virginia

• Virginia Restaurant Lodging & Tourism Association

• James River Association

• Urban League

• Virginia Business Council

• The Mill House

• Virginia Association Personal Care Providers

• Virginia Business Higher Education Council

• State Council of Higher Education of Virginia

• United Methodist Foster Services

• The Valentine Museum

• Virginia Apartment & Office Building Association

• Chesapeake Bay Foundation

• Homebuilders Association of Richmond

• Virginia Poverty Law Center

If you have legislative priorities, questions or concerns to share with me, email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or call my office at 804-698-1078.

Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission Presentations

The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission met December 11 to hear reports on State Psychiatric Hospitals, GO Virginia (Growth & Opportunity), The Virginia Retirement System, as well as State Spending on the K-12 Standards of Quality.

You can find a link to the reports, as well as a recording of the presentations, at this link.

Retirement  of Joe Damico

Joe Damico, Virginia’s Director of General Services (DGS), has retired. Joe served the Commonwealth through his work at DGS for 20 years, 16 of which he served as Deputy Director.

Joe has been a model of service throughout his career. DGS oversees state procurement and real estate holdings; much of their work is behind the scenes. Despite this, some of the biggest work the State has completed has been under Joe’s purview. He tended to the renovation of Capitol Square including building the new General Assembly Building, renovating Old City Hall. He also helped consolidate a lot of DGS business on eVA, a citizen friendly digital platform.

We will miss Joe’s institutional knowledge, thorough and attentive service, as well as his savvy ability to balance feedback and guide DGS in the interest of the Commonwealth’s good. You can read more about his service in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

E-Cycle & Christmas Tree Disposal Event

The City will host an e-cycle day, January 13, 10 AM - 2 PM, at 1710 Robinhood Road. In addition to electronics, paper materials, and household hazardous waste, residents can also bring their Christmas trees to be turned into mulch.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1078 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

November Update

Dear Friend,

Happy Thanksgiving! We are entering the holiday season, and I hope you are able to find a moment to rest and revel in quality time with loved ones. In this reflective time of year, we have much for which to be grateful.

Election Day Results

November 7 was Election Day. I am very grateful to have the privilege of serving the citizens of the 78th District; I thank the 27,269 voters who entrusted me to be their representative in the House of Delegates. Citywide, 67,738 voters turned out, marking 42.49% voter turnout. I am encouraged and delighted to see such hearty turnout. Voting is the best way to ensure our democracy works. For full voting results, visit this link.

Most Richmond residents had unopposed races on their ballot for the House of Delegates and Senate. Senate District 15 which includes portions of South Richmond had a contested race. The results of the House and Senate races are below.

In addition, Richmond voted on the Richmond Grand Casino proposal, which was defeated.

House of Delegates

District 78: Betsy Carr (D)

District 79: Rae Cousins (D)

District 77: Mike Jones (D)

Senate

District 14: Lamont Bagby (D)

District 15: Ghazala Hashmi (D)

Statewide, the House of Delegates has flipped to Democratic control with 51 seats to the 49 for the Republicans. In the Senate, Democrats have maintained control, with 21 seats in the 40-member chamber.

The Virginia Public Access Project has user friendly election results, which can be found here. Additionally, they recently hosted a conversation between Democratic and Republican strategists, as well as academics. The talk, titled After Virginia Votes, can be found here.

Following elections, the House and Senate Democratic caucuses have elected their internal leadership. In the House, Don Scott has been selected as Speaker-Designee, setting him up to be the first African-American Speaker of the House of Delegates. Delegate Charniele Herring will be Majority Leader and Delegate Kathy Tran will serve as Caucus Chair. The full press release can be found here.

In the Senate, Senator Louise Lucas will remain President Pro Tempore. Senator Scott Surrovell has been elected as Majority Leader and Senator Mamie Locke will be Caucus Chair. Their full press release can be found here.

House & Senate Money Committee Meetings

The House Appropriations & Finance Committees met for an annual retreat on November 14. You can find the agenda here, and a recording of the presentations here. Additionally, the Senate Finance Committee held a retreat in Tysons Corner on November 15 and 16. Their presentations can be found here.

A key takeaway from the meetings was that Virginia’s large recent revenues are reutrning to pre-pandemic levels. Virginia has been enjoying budget surpluses, which have allowed the state to undergo significant investments in areas like education, workforce development and behavioral health initiatives. However, major contributors to the increased revenues, like federal medicaid matching and COVID relief funds, have dried up, and a looming recession detracts from future revenue forecasts.

The bottom line is that the legislature will need to be prudent this coming session when considering the Governor’s proposed budget. Initiatives such as major tax cuts or rebates cannot be a priority when funds are limited and the state has clear obligations to fund pressing needs such as education, medicaid, housing and mental health.  

You can read more about the money committee annual meetings in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Additionally, this article from The Virginia Mercury highlights Virginia’s underfunded school system amid this bare financial outlook.

Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission Presentations

On November 13, members and staff of the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission met to hear presentations and reports. Reports included topics such as economic development initiatives, public defenders, the Virginia Information Technology Agency, as well as reports on JLARC’s impact and other legislative actions that could be taken.

You can find the reports here and a recording of the presentations at this link.

2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament

The National Speech & Debate Association has announced that Richmond will host the 2026 National Speech & Debate Tournament, June 14-19. The event is expected to bring 10,000 student competitors and visitors, and will be held in 750 rooms across schools in Central Virginia. This event will coincide with America’s Semiquincentennial Birthday, which is a theme of the event.

More information can be found on the Richmond Forum’s website.

Community Thanksgiving Events

On Thanksgiving, two community luncheons will be happening. The Giving Heart Community Feast will be at the Richmond Convention Center from 11 AM - 2 PM. Volunteers and food donors can learn more at this link. Additionally, there will be a Community Luncheon from 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM at Diversity Thrift. Interested volunteers should contact Cheezi at 804-304-3034.

Disposal of Unused Drugs

At a recent drug-take-back event at the State Capitol, I learned of a valuable resource for disposal of unused drugs. This website from the U.S. Department of Justice as well as the Drug Enforcement Agency, lets you find nearby locations that are disposal centers of controlled substances.

VCU Leadership Program Applications

The VCU L. Douglas Wilder School is now accepting applications for two leadership development programs. Those interested in the Minority Political Leadership Institute can learn more and apply here. Additionally, more information and the application for the Higher Ground Women’s Leadership Development Program can be found at this link.

Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program

The Virginia Folklife Apprenticeship Program encourages those who are experienced in a cultural tradition to teach it to a member of their community. Grants award $5,000; $4,000 for the mentor and $1,000 for the mentee. Grants have been awarded to a vast array of areas, including custom car bodywork, baking and cooking, and instrument manufacturing among many others.

Program information can be found here and application information can be found here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1069 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

October Update

Dear Friend,

October marks the onset of Virginia’s fantastic foliage transformation; as our ancient deciduous forests flame out with the warmer temperatures and longer days. The upcoming season promises awe-inspiring autumn sights, an election, and the holiday season not long after. Following is an update on upcoming state meetings, local news, the work of community organizations and state partners.

Election Day

We are less than a month away from Election Day, which will be Tuesday, November 7. Early voting is open now until Saturday, November 4, 5 PM. The deadline to register to vote or update your registration address is October 16.  

For Richmond residents, there are three early voting locations:

• Office of the Richmond Registrar (2134 West Laburnum Avenue)

• Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 East Belt Boulevard)

• City Hall (900 East Broad Street)

You can enter your address into this website from the Virginia Public Access Project to see a sample ballot, your polling location, financial disclosures from candidates, local political ads, and more. To check your registration status, visit this website from the Department of Elections.

Upcoming State Meetings

The House Appropriations Committee will be meeting next Monday, October 16, 1 PM, to receive updates and reports on state revenues and spending. You can watch a livestream of the meeting at this link.  

The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) will also meet next Monday, October 16, at 10 AM. Among the reports JLARC will present are their findings on self-sufficiency & child care. Their study findings will be available online after the meeting; however, the Richmond Times-Dispatch recently published this article highlighting the importance of access to child care for Virginia’s labor force and economy. You can watch the livestream of Monday’s JLARC meeting here.

2023 Tax Holiday

The 2023 Tax Holiday will be October 20 - 22. You can purchase, without state sales tax, qualifying school supplies and clothing, emergency preparedness items like generators, and efficient home appliances. Visit this website for more information.

General Assembly Building

The new General Assembly Building is now open. This new purpose-built home for the state legislature has been over 6 years in the making and will offer great advancements in public engagement, constituent service, and education capabilities. You can read more about the new building in this article.

Peak Foliage Season

The Virginia Department of Forestry has this helpful website for tracking the peak times to see fall foliage in Virginia. In general, the best time for fall foliage is October 10 - 31, however that varies on temperature and rainfall.

Free Home Energy Assessment

Dominion Energy is offering no-cost energy assessments. A participating contractor will evaluate your home, identify energy-saving opportunities, and upgrade lighting free of charge. For more information, visit this link.

COVID Vaccines & Test Kits

An updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for anyone 6 months or older. As we enter flu season and heightened levels of COVID-19, you can use this website to coordinate your vaccinations.

Additionally, households are able to order four free COVID-19 test kits. Visit this website to do so.

Speed Management Symposium

The Department of Public Works (DPW) is hosting a Speed Management Symposium, November 8, 5:30 - 8 PM, at the Main Street Station (1500 East Main Street). At this interactive event, DPW will discuss their efforts to reduce traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities. Citizens will have an opportunity to speak directly with roadway administrators.

Civic organizations can use this link to let the City know their organization will be represented.

Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth Grants

The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) is accepting funding proposals until Monday, October 23, 5 PM. Grants will go to three-year tobacco use prevention projects that focus in either youth development or community innovation.

You can learn more about applying at this link.

Chesapeake Bay Threat

I had the pleasure of attending a private showing of “The Biggest Little Fish You’ve Never Seen,” a documentary that was shown at the Richmond International Film Festival. This film describes the importance of menhaden, a forage fish critical to the health of the Chesapeake Bay’s ecosystem. The industrial harvesting of this resource has had a major negative impact on the food supply for both waterfowl and marine life, such as ospreys and rockfish, both of which are in dramatic decline in the Bay. For instance, of the 83 osprey nests in Mobjack Bay, only 3 chicks were produced due to the lack of menhaden, the crucial food source for osprey. These two iconic species, as well as others, are being threatened by political influence on policy makers within our state government.

You can find a link to the documentary here and learn more about forage fish recovery efforts here.

The Solheim Cup

Virginia will host the Solheim Cup, one of the world’s major women sports events (in addition to Wimbledon and the World Cup), next September. The Solheim Cup is a biennial match between the 12 best golf athletes from the Ladies European Tour and the 12 best U.S. golfers from the Ladies Professional Golf Association. The tournament will be held at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, September 10 - 15, 2024. More information is available here.

State Partner Organizations

State legislators work with various organizations and foundations that partner with the state. Recently, I have had the chance to hear about the important work some of these groups are doing.

The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) was created 31 years ago by the General Assembly as a public-private partnership. It receives state funding, which it supplements with private sector contributions for the purpose of expanding access to primary healthcare for uninsured and medically underserved Virginians. In the new House District 78 for instance, VHCF has invested almost $40 million in access initiatives, including around $30 million which has gone to free prescription medicines. More information about the VHCF and their work can be found here.

Drive to Work provides legal services to low income or previously incarcerated individuals to restore their driving privileges. The organization has worked with clients from 34 states and D.C. and in the past year was able to field 425 new inquiries and restore 28 licenses. You can learn more about their work here.

Communities in Schools (CIS) was founded in New York City in the 70s with the mission of bringing community resources into schools, making the benefits of the resources accessible and impactful to kids. In Virginia, CIS serves 25 school districts, 164 schools and 113,000 students. You can learn more at the CIS Virginia website.

Virginia Early Childhood Foundation is a public-private partnership founded in 2005, dedicated to investing in the lives of young children to ensure healthy development and school readiness. Their work takes diverse approaches, from community health initiatives, nutritional education, gun violence prevention, tobacco use prevention and cessation, and more. You can learn more about their work here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1069 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

State Budget Update

Dear Friend,

The General Assembly met last week to pass a budget. Earlier this week the Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) also met to hear presentations and reports. Below is an update on these portions of State news as well as community happenings.

State Budget

The General Assembly passed a budget agreement last Wednesday, September 6. HB6001 was sent to the Governor, who signed it September 14. The budget includes tax refunds, investments in public education, natural resources and mental health.

Included is a one-time tax refund which will be issued to tax payers; $200 for individual filers and $400 for couples filing jointly. The standard deduction has also been temporarily raised up to $8,500 for individuals and $17,000 for joint filers. There are not tax cuts for big corporations, a provision that was in House Republicans’ original proposal. The budget does reinstate the state tax holiday, which ran out due to a lack of a budget agreement. The 2023 sales tax holiday will be the 3rd weekend in October. Another tax provision of note is that military retirees will be eligible to exempt their retirement pay from income tax. This exemption is being phased in and will grow to $40,000 by 2025.

A significant investment in education was also included in the budget. $420 million will go to school districts as a flexible, one-time payment to be used for pandemic-related learning loss recovery and operating expenses. The State has also committed to an additional 2% raise for teachers, making teacher salaries rise 7% over the past two years. Additionally, $150 million is set aside for funding of new positions; both instructional and support staff.

Also of note was the exclusion of $100 million in funding for Richmond’s Combined Sewer Overflow project, which was in the Governor’s introduced budget. I was disappointed that this provision was excluded as it is so desperately needed. I have written a letter to the Governor and he has since assured me it will be included in the next budget.

A full breakdown of the budget can be found at the House Appropriations Committee website. Further reading about the State budget agreement can be found in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch and this one from The Virginia Mercury.

Early Voting

Early voting begins Friday, September 22. For Richmond residents, there will be three early voting locations:

• Office of the Richmond Registrar (2134 West Laburnum Avenue)

• Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 East Belt Boulevard)

• City Hall (900 East Broad Street)

You can enter your address into this website from the Virginia Public Access Project to see a sample ballot, financial disclosures from candidates, local political ads, and more. To check your registration status, visit this website from the Department of Elections.

JLARC Reports

On Tuesday, September 12, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission met to hear reports on the K-12 teacher pipeline and on business location and expansions incentives. JLARC’s report on the teacher pipeline comes at an important time; the teacher vacancy rate has grown 3.8%. It was only 0.8% in the 2021-2022 school year. JLARC found several barriers that may be deterring qualified applicants including an outdated state licensure test, unclear requirements for licensure and preparation costs. However, JLARC also found root causes driving the high vacancy rates and advised that addressing these issues is essential to tackling the vacancy rate. A July 2023 survey found that many teachers who left the field cited high workload and low salaries, as well as a lack of support and effective school leadership.

You can read the JLARC report at the link above or watch the entire presentation here. The Virginia Mercury has also published this article on the issue.

Virginia Department of Emergency Management

I recently had the opportunity to tour the Virginia Department of Emergency Management’s (VDEM) Logistics Support and Coordination Center (LSCC) in South Richmond. This impressive facility has been serving Virginia and other states facing disasters since 2020. VDEM coordinates resource requests from localities and tribal nations and manages the receipt and distribution of resources, as well as providing support to other state agencies responding to events, all coordinated through the LSCC in a hub-and-spoke system.

VDEM also manages first responders, including regional teams of whitewater recovery specialists and search and rescue, as well as VDEM hazardous material response teams among others. Their support helps communities impacted by natural disasters but also helps in other ways, like helping farmers mitigate losses during droughts.

You can learn more about VDEM, find information about training, grant opportunities, and emergency preparedness at their website.

The Nature Conservancy Photo Request

The Nature Conservancy is accepting submissions for their global photo challenge through September 30. You can view other submissions and enter your own at this link.

Commonwealth History Fund Grant

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture has announced a new grant cycle. Grants are awarded for projects that support history education and preservation throughout Virginia. Applications are due by September 30. More information is available here.

House Page Program

The House of Delegates Page program provides 13 and 14 year old students the opportunity to work in the General Assembly during the Legislative Session to become deeply familiar with the State’s legislative process. Applications are being accepted until October 16, 5 PM. Learn more and apply at this link.

Richmond E-Cycle Day

The City will host an E-Cycle day, September 30, 10 AM - 2 PM at 1710 Robin Hood Road. The event will offer giveaway of biodegradable leaf collection bags, paper shredding, electronics recycling and household hazardous waste disposal (such as paint and motor oil).

Beginner Farmer Training Applications

Future Harvest (Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture) is accepting applications for their Beginner Farmer Training Program. Programs are available for beginner, intermediate, and advanced backgrounds in farming. Training is done over 12 months and includes comprehensive classroom training and hands-on learning at farms in the region. Applications are due October 15. Learn more and apply here.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1069 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

End of Summer Update

Dear Friend,

Summer is winding to a close and the fall season is on the horizon. As the heat breaks, Virginia’s fall splendor will flourish and with it a time of traditions and quality time with close ones. I hope you are staying cool in the meantime and have an enjoyable Labor Day weekend for a last hurrah of Summer. Below is an update on state and local news.

Joint Money Committee Meeting

Wednesday, August 23, the House and Senate Money Committees met to receive the Governor’s address on the fiscal status of Virginia. You can watch the Governor’s speech and the following update on state revenues from the Secretary of Finance at this link. You can find a transcript of the Governor’s speech here.

State Budget

General Assembly budget conferees announced last Friday, August 25, that a budget deal had been reached, ending a month’s long negotiation process. The General Assembly will reconvene September 6, 10 AM, to review and vote on the new budget bill, HB6001, which covers through June 30, 2024. You can watch a livestream Wednesday of the House Floor at this link.

The budget agreement will include a one-time tax rebate of $200 for single filers and $400 for families, which will total nearly $1 billion. Discussions over permanent tax cuts had been a sticking point in budget negotiations. Other details about the budget (HB6001) will be available no later than 48 hours before Wednesday’s session on the Legislative Information System website (LIS). You can read more about the agreement in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Early Voting

Early voting begins Friday, September 22. For Richmond residents, there will be three early voting locations:

• Office of the Richmond Registrar (2134 West Laburnum Avenue)

• Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 East Belt Boulevard)

• City Hall (900 East Broad Street)

You can enter your address into this website from the Virginia Public Access Project to see a sample ballot, financial disclosures from candidates, local political ads, and more. To check your registration status, visit this website from the Department of Elections.

RGGI Lawsuit

As I mentioned in the last newsletter, the State Air Pollution Control Board voted to withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The Southern Environmental Law Center has officially filed a suit on behalf of a group of environmental advocacy groups.

The lawsuit contends that Governor Youngkin’s administration does not have the authority to withdraw Virginia from RGGI without approval from the General Assembly.

You can read more about the lawsuit in this article from The Washington Post.

General Assembly Building Complete

Construction on The General Assembly Building (GAB), located at the corner of 9th & Broad Streets, has been completed. The General Assembly moved out of the old GAB in 2017 to the Pocahontas Building (900 East Main Street).

Now, six years later, construction on a 15 level (14 above surface and one below), 414,000 square foot building has been completed. This is the first purpose-built building for America’s historic legislative body. The new building is designed to allow for greater public engagement in the law making process, capable of hosting field trips, lobby days, and large events.

Legislative staff will begin moving into the new building which will be open to the public following the dedication on October 11. I hope to see you downtown soon or during the Legislative Session.

Read more about the new building in this press release.

Short Term Rental Ordinance

At the most recent meeting of the Richmond Planning Commission, the Commission voted to continue consideration of the Short Term Rental ordinance until the September 5 meeting, when the Planning Director will be present. The primary reason for delay was to find alternatives to the ordinance’s primary residency requirement, which neighborhood groups have voiced is a necessary measure to prevent speculative purchasing of long-term housing stock. If you have concerns with this measure either attend the September 5 meeting and/or contact your City Council member to ensure your voice is heard. Find the attachment hosted at this website for information in participating in the upcoming meeting.

Virginia Poverty Law Center Housing Forum

The Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC) and their housing partners (Housing Opportunities Made Equal, League of Women Voters, Virginia Housing Alliance, and Virginia Interfaith Center of Public Policy) are hosting a candidate forum that will be open to the public, September 12, 6 - 8:30 PM at the Richmond Public Library (101 East Franklin Street).

Richmond area candidates, including myself, for the House of Delegates as well as the Senate will be participating in the forum. I hope to see you there.

Richmond Connects Survey

The City has extended the deadline to complete the Richmond Connects surveys. The questionnaires are collecting feedback on hundreds of projects that make up the “Near-Term Action Plan,” which covers the next 10 years in the City.

There are 17 surveys that correspond to different neighborhoods of the City. Richmond residents are encouraged to complete surveys for neighborhoods in which they live, work, commute through, or spend a significant amount of time. Surveys, as well as a map of the listed projects, can be found at this link.

The survey that has recieved the bulk of the responses is for the Carytown area. This survey includes the proposal of making Carytown a car free area. You can read more about the proposal in this article from RVA Mag or this one from Richmond Bizsense.

Surveys close September 15.

Virginia Acorn Collection Program

The Virginia Department of Forestry collects acorns each year which are supplied to the State’s Augusta Nursery Center, which nurtures them to seedlings. The seedlings are sold to landowners for reforestation efforts. Publicly donated acorns made up roughly one third of the seeds planted last year, which amounts to around 1 million seeds.

To learn more about collecting and donating acorns for the program, visit this website. You can also read more in this article from The Virginia Mercury.

Dominion Energy’s Environmental Education Grant

Dominion Energy is accepting applications from eligible nonprofit and educational organizations, who can apply for a grant of up to $50,000 to be used for environmental education and stewardship programs. Applications are due by September 30.

You can learn more here.

House Page Program

The House of Delegates Page program provides 13 and 14 year old students the opportunity to work in the General Assembly during the Legislative Session to become deeply familiar with the State’s legislative process. Applications are being accepted until October 16, 5 PM. Learn more and apply at this link.

National High School Rankings

Open High School and Richmond Community High School were ranked 2 and 3 respectively in US News & World Report rankings of Virginia High Schools. Both schools ranked in the top 10% nationally. Franklin Military was also highly ranked, 72 in Virginia. You can read more in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch.

GRASP

Great Aspirations Scholarship Program (GRASP) is a nonprofit operating statewide to help students achieve their post secondary school goals. GRASP provides advisors in school districts who meet with students and help them plan for their future. The advisors’ primary focus is assisting students from financially disadvantaged households; however, they meet with any interested student.  

GRASP helps students identify schools and programs, assists them with the financial aid process, and provides advisors and peers to help set them up for success in post-secondary education. Additionally, GRASP provides several scholarships for a variety of needs and programs.

Visit their website to learn more.

Richmond Public Schools Adult Education

Enrollment for GED & ELA adult classes is now open. Classes begin the week of September 18. Those interested can email adulted@rvaschools.net or call 804-780-8311 for more information.

Civic Associations

Civic associations are great ways to engage with your neighbors, advocate for changes you’d like to see, and gather helpful information and alerts. You can use this website from the City to find your civic association leadership and contact them for meeting schedules.

Feed More

Feed More is a nonprofit serving food insecure populations in 29 counties and 5 cities in Virginia. Their programs span food banks, school supply drives, mobile pantry and meal distribution, nutritional education, and more. With so many programs come many ways to volunteer. Additionally, they are always accepting food and other resource donations. You can learn more about volunteering and donating at this link.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1069 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy

August Update

Dear Friend,

I hope you have been enjoying summer festivities and staying cool during the late summer heat waves. Fall is approaching and preparation for the season is beginning. Below is an update on news of interest.

2023-2024 School Year

August 21 marks the first day of school for Richmond Public Schools. A back-to-school guide can be found at this website from RPS, which includes the 2023-2024 school year paperwork packet as well as helpful links to family resources, supplies checklist, bus routes, meal information and more.

Parents of rising Kindergarten, 7th, or 12th grade students should consult this website from RPS about required vaccinations. Additionally, Superintendent Kamras shared via his “RPS Direct” newsletter several resources for vaccinations and physicals which are relayed below.

Richmond & Henrico Health Districts will host several free immunization and physical events until August 17. Visit this website to find upcoming dates.

Daily Planet Health Services offers school immunizations & physicals by appointment at the Southside Health Center (180 East Belt Boulevard). Call 804-783-2505.

Bon Secours Care-a-Van offers same day pediatric appointments (including immunization & physicals) on Tuesdays & Wednesdays throughout August. Call 804-545-192 between 7-8:30 AM to schedule an appointment.

CrossOver Healthcare Ministry will host an event at their Henrico clinic (8600 Quioccasin Road), August 17, 5:30-7:15 PM. Call 804-655-2794 to schedule an appointment.

I wish all our students a happy, healthy and productive school year!

Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission Recent Findings

The Joint Legislative Audit & Review Commission (JLARC) on which I serve, recently met to present their findings from a review of Virginia’s K-12 education funding and funding formula.

The full report can be found here and a recording of the presentation can be found at this link. The report confirms what is no secret: Virginia underfunds its public education system. What is of importance from this report is the degree to which Virginia underfunds its education system and the discrepancy between the funding formula and the true cost. JLARC’s report found that per-student, school districts in Virginia receive 14% less than the 50-state average, and regionally receive less than Maryland, West Virginia, and Kentucky. This comes to about $1,900 fewer dollars being spent on each student than the national average.

JLARC found that Virginia’s Standards of Quality funding formula routinely projects funding needs that are 38% lower than what districts actually end up spending. For example, in 2021, the formula calculated a cost of $10.7 billion. Districts that year spent $17.3 billion.

You can read more about the JLARC report in this article from The Virginia Mercury.

Richmond Charter Review Commission’s Recommendations

The Richmond Charter Review Commission has concluded its review and drafted their proposed changes. The proposed changes include changes to the structure of Richmond’s governance, with recommendations to change the nine seat city council to a six seat, as well as the addition of a city manager, as well as other changes. Any changes to Richmond’s charter would require State and local approval. Town halls on the subject are expected to be held in the near future.

You can read more about the Charter Review Commission’s work in this article from The Richmond Times-Dispatch and this article from Richmond Free Press. You can read the press release announcing the conclusion at this link and you can find the 168-page document of the proposed changes here.

Early Voting Locations

The Richmond Electoral Board has reversed its previous decision to close two of the three early voting locations after public outcry. The Board did decide to cancel early voting on Sundays.

Beginning September 22, Richmonders can vote early at the Richmond Registrar’s office (2134 West Laburnum Avenue), Richmond City Hall (900 East Broad Street), and Hickory Hill Community Center (3000 East Belt Boulevard).

Ensuring equal access to the ballot is vital for our democracy and I am happy to see the Board reverse their decision to limit access.

Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Update

The State Air Pollution Control Board voted in June for Virginia to withdraw its participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which is an 11 state market that requires electricity producers to purchase allowances for each ton of carbon dioxide they produce. The revenues, which have totaled over half a billion since Virginia began participation in 2021, are used to fund energy efficiency and flood resiliency efforts.

In response to the Air Pollution Control Board’s vote, a lawsuit is expected to be filed in Fairfax by the Southern Environmental Law Center, on behalf of environmental groups such as Appalachian Voices, Association of Energy Conservation Professionals, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions, and Virginia Interfaith Power and Light. The basis of the lawsuit is that Virginia’s participation in RGGI is under the General Assembly’s authority and the Governor’s administration does not have the authority to unilaterally decide to withdraw.

You can read more about the lawsuit in this article from The Virginia Mercury.

RetirePath Program Launch

RetirePath Virginia is a new program, administered by Virginia529, which creates a workplace savings retirement account for employees who are not offered one at their current job. Employers who do not currently offer an employer-sponsored retirement savings option can enroll in RetirePath and give employees a retirement savings account while not bearing any fiduciary responsibility or additional fees. This provides a tremendous boon to the 1 million private-sector employees who are on their own when it comes to retirement planning.

Employers can learn more, register, and certify existing plans at this link. If you are self-employed or work for an employer who is not registered with RetirePath, you can still enroll by using this link. Finally, if you would like RetirePath to host a webinar and present to your organization, fill out this form.

Richmond Connects Survey

Richmond Connects is collecting feedback on hundreds of projects that make up the “Near-Term Action Plan,” which covers the next 10 years in the City. There are 17 surveys that correspond to different neighborhoods of the City. Richmond residents are encouraged to complete surveys for neighborhoods in which they live, work, commute through, or spend a significant amount of time. Surveys, as well as a map of the listed projects, can be found at this link.

City of Richmond Tax Relief for Elderly and Persons with Disabilities

The City of Richmond’s Department of Finance Tax Relief Team is hosting a community engagement event, August 19, 10 AM - 2 PM at Huguenot Community Center (7945 Forest Hill Avenue, Building 26). The event will provide information about the tax relief program and give citizens an opportunity to get personalized assistance with their applications. If you are interested in the program, but unable to attend this event, you can email TaxRelief@rva.gov for information and assistance.

Update on Virginia Craft Beer Distribution

As mentioned in the last newsletter, the passage of HB2258 established the Virginia Beer Distribution Company (VBDC), a state agency nested in the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Through the VBDC, craft breweries will be able to self-distribute up to 500 barrels of their product directly to retailers if they do not already have a distributor. This bill still upholds Virginia's "three-tiered" system which protects consumers and ensures a robust marketplace because the Commonwealth will act as the distributor through the VBDC and allows craft breweries whose volume did not warrant going through traditional distribution a way to market.

As a note, the VBDC would require $760,000 in initial funds from the state budget to form, before self-funding through fees. Due to ongoing budget negotiations, this initial funding is not yet appropriated.

Virginia Museum of History & Culture Honored

The Virginia Museum of History & Culture received the “Award of Excellence,” the highest honor from the American Association of State and Local History (AASLH). The Museum’s recent renovation and reimagination, completed in 2022, was the deciding factor in the Museum’s nomination and award.

The Museum has several exhibits and events upcoming, like “Virginia Distilled,” a celebration of Virginia craft spirits, September 9, 6 PM (event information here).  

Librarian of Virginia to Retire

Sandra Treadway, the Librarian of Virginia, announced she will retire at the end of the calendar year. She has served the Library of Virginia for 45 years, serving as the State Librarian for the last 16 and as Deputy Librarian for 11 years prior to that. Dr. Treadway’s leadership saw the library greatly expand its digitization of archives and make them accessible in new and relevant ways for Virginians. Additionally, Dr. Treadway oversaw monumental historical commemorations during her tenure as State Librarian such as Jamestown 2007; the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission; The Virginia Bicentennial of the War of 1812 Commission; and American Evolution, 2019.

You can read more about Dr. Treadway’s career as well as the search process for the tenth state librarian at this link. In addition she co-authored the two volume Virginia Women: Their Lives & Times.

House Page Program

The House of Delegates Page program provides 13 and 14 year old students the opportunity to work in the General Assembly during the Legislative Session to become deeply familiar with the State’s legislative process. Applications are being accepted until October 16, 5 PM. Learn more and apply at this link.

CARITAS

CARITAS has provided solutions to community members facing homelessness and substance use disorder for more than 30 years. They recently completed a complete renovation and overhaul of a derelict factory building in Southside, which now houses the majority of their programs; which range from providing temporary shelter, to rigorous curriculums designed to help treat substance use disorders while building social emotional coping and workplace readiness skills. CARITAS also manage a furniture bank and administer a workforce development program. Through these diverse programs, they serve over 3,300 individuals annually.

If you would like to learn more, donate furniture or other resources, or get involved, visit their website.

Tech For Troops

Tech For Troops is a nonprofit organization in Richmond that is focused on bridging the digital divide for veterans and their families. It provides training, equipment, and preparedness resources for veterans returning to civilian life. Is also “upcycles” old electronics; so if you have an old laptop, desktop, tablet, cell phone, keyboard, mouse, or even old wiring, you can donate it the cause.

Learn more about donating and Tech For Troops’ services offered at this link.

Thank You

It is an honor to serve in the House of Delegates. Please never hesitate to contact me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1069 if I can be helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Betsy