Dear Friend,
As we move into the Fall season, I hope you and your loved ones are able to enjoy the outdoors and changing of the leaves and scenery. Please remain vigilant in your social distancing and personal hygiene practices as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic as well as flu season. Below are updates on the General Assembly’s special session, including the budget, and other interesting community news and updates.
Special Session Updates
The special legislative session began on August 18 and continues meeting a few times per week for committee and floor sessions. At this point, most bills that have gone through the committee process and passed one chamber are being deliberated in the other chamber. Now the main subject for discussion is the budget.
The House budget (FY20-22) is balanced, despite facing a $2.8 billion revenue shortfall and funding new policies. The main priorities of the House budget are K-12 funding, higher education, healthcare, police and criminal justice reform, and protecting Virginians during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is important to note that the reworked biennial budget is still temporary and short-term, triggered by the COVID-19 recession. During the 2021 regular session (beginning in January), the General Assembly will have another opportunity to reassess the economic climate and make further efforts to achieve our budget priorities.
Education
Restores $95.2 million in K-12 funding for FY 2021
Directs Coronavirus Relief Fund (CRF) dollars toward safe school re-opening and virtual learning and provides flexibility to local school divisions as they adapt to new methods of instruction
Supports nutrition and school meal programs
Includes provisions for higher education institutions to weather challenging financial times
Makes record investments in broadband access through the Virginia Telecommunications Initiative to help students learn from home and Virginians work from home
Healthcare
Restores funding to alleviate pressure on state mental health facilities and provide some additional support for children’s mental health services through the Virginia Mental Health Access Program
Extends FAMIS MOMS health insurance coverage through 12 months postpartum
Eliminates the “40 Quarter” barrier to eligibility for Medicaid coverage for legal permanent residents
Directs $56 million in CRF funds to personal care attendants in the form of hazard pay
Continues the allocation of an additional $20 per day, per patient to nursing homes
Police and Criminal Justice Reform
Directs $28 million to fund police and criminal justice reform legislation approved by the House, including: creating the Marcus Alert system; implementing automatic expungement; increasing earned sentence credits; and updating and strengthening various law enforcement conduct and training standards
Restores funding to the Pretrial and Post-Incarceration Services program
COVID-19
Directs $150 million CRF dollars toward Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), $60 million toward child care provider stabilization, and $33.2 million toward short-term child care
Focuses resources on preventing utility shut-offs and evictions through funding and programmatic support to pay down consumer utility bills and provide additional rent and mortgage assistance
Directs Virginia Department of Health to make a plan for the equitable, efficient distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine once one becomes available
Understanding the state budget and where your taxpayer money goes is important. If you ever have questions about the budget or the process, please contact me. I am happy to help explain. Here are some resources to give you a deeper understanding of what is in the House budget:
House Appropriations Committee presentation of HB5005 as introduced
State Budget Website containing the HB5005 and SB5015 floor approved budgets
The Commonwealth Institute’s Budget Side by Side (compares the Governor, House, and Senate budgets)
November Election Reminder
The next general election is on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Across the country, we will decide who will be the next President and Vice President.
What Else is on the Ballot?
In Virginia, we will vote on the following:
U.S. Senator (Mark Warner)
U.S. House of Representatives (all districts) – if you live in the Richmond area, Abigail Spanberger and Donald McEachin are on the ballot
City of Richmond residents will also vote for Mayor, City Council and School Board
You can visit vote411.org to view your ballot and candidates’ position statements.
Constitutional Amendments
1. Create a redistricting commission to draw congressional and state legislative maps
There has been much discussion on this constitutional amendment. I encourage you to review the information available before you cast your vote. Here are a few resources to get you started:
Argument in favor of the amendment from Brian Cannon of FairMapsVA
Argument in opposition to the amendment from Delegates Lamont Bagby and Mark Levine
2. Exempt disabled veterans from paying motor vehicle property tax
Important Reminders
It is important to remember that you do NOT need an excuse to vote absentee, by mail, or early. Additionally, the Attorney General was successful in getting court approval of an order that will allow Virginia’s voters to mail in absentee ballots for the November 3 elections without a witness signature on the envelope.
You also no longer need photo ID; however, you do need some form of ID, such as:
Voter information card or other correspondence from your local General Registrar confirming you are registered to vote
DMV-issued driver’s license or ID card
U.S. passport or any ID card issued by U.S., Virginia, or local Virginia government
Any student ID card issued by a U.S. university, community college, or Virginia high school
Employer issued photo ID card
Any current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document with your name and address
If you are 65 or older or have a physical disability, you can vote on Election Day without leaving your vehicle. Bring a helper to request curbside assistance from an election officer.
In-person voting relies on elections officers to facilitate the voting process. Many officers are older in age and have declined to work on election day this year due to COVID-19. If you are younger or do not have any health conditions, please consider becoming an officer of elections on November 3. You can find out more information here.
Important Deadlines
Register to vote or update registration by October 13
Request absentee mail-in ballot online or by mail by October 23 at 5:00 p.m.
Requested absentee ballots will be mailed to you starting September 18
Vote early in-person at your local registrar's office between September 18 and October 31 – find out the location of your local registrar. (For Richmond residents, the registrar has moved from City Hall to 2134 West Laburnum Avenue.)
Request absentee ballot in person by October 31 at 5:00 p.m.
Return completed ballot by mail or in person to your General Registrar by November 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Vote in person at your polling place on November 3 between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
You can visit elections.virginia.gov for additional information or call 800-552-9745.
Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) Update
It is an honor to continue to serve as a member of JLARC. At the October 5thmeeting, the Commission reported on findings from studies on the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA), Medicaid, and 2020 State Spending.You can view all meeting materials here.
VDOE Findings:The Commission reported that the Department is generally well managed. School divisions and other key stakeholders view VDOE positively and note recent improvements. While supervision of division compliance with state standards works efficiently, the process heavily relies on self-certification and lacks independent verification or thorough monitoring of corrective actions. School divisions are mostly receiving adequate support, but low-performing school divisions and teacher recruitment and retention needs improvement and additional staffing.
VITA Findings:The Commission reported that VITA completed implementation of the multi-supplier service model and improved its management of the model and supplier contracts. Satisfaction with VITA’s infrastructure services has improved, but agencies remain dissatisfied with network connectivity and resolution of service incidents. There is disagreement among agencies on whether VITA sufficiently focuses on customer needs. The Commission recommends that VITA proactively address agency concerns with services.
Medicaid Findings:Virginia’s Medicaid spending grew steadily since 2010, ranking near the median of other states. Virginia spent $13.7 billion on Medicaid benefits in FY20, which was $558 million less than projected. The lower spending was driven by reduced use of non-emergency medical services. Medicaid enrollment is higher due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 State Spending Findings:The Commission annually reviews state spending for the previous 10 fiscal years to identify largest and fastest growing agencies and programs as well as to identify causes of expenditure growth. This study focuses on FY11-FY20. Key findings included:
Virginia’s budget grew 5% per year on average
Adjusted for inflation and population (per year, on average), the total budget grew 3.3%, non-general funds grew 4.1%, and the general fund grew 2.0%
Budget growth was concentrated in a few agencies (DMAS, DOE, and VDOT) and program areas (higher education, health care, and transportation)
State of the Port
Recently, I attended the virtual “2020 State of the Port” annual meeting hosted by the Port of Virginia. I enjoyed learning that barge traffic to Richmond has increased, which has greatly increased economic development outside of the port gates in Richmond. The Port in Hampton Roads is growing and thriving, representing $850 million investment in the Commonwealth. Additionally, 10% of jobs in Virginia are tied to the Port, making it an economic engine and offering seamless access for world markets. The Port has been able to be flexible and utilize new upgrades despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the Port saw a 4.4% increase in September 2020 over September 2019 – the strongest increase in its history. John Reinhart, the CEO and executive director of the Port of Virginia, has provided tremendous leadership and vision for the past 7 years. I wish him the best of luck in his retirement and thank him for the great work he has accomplished for our Commonwealth. You canwatch the State of the Port hereandreview the Port’s annual report here.
Community Updates
The shared cooking space and incubator for small food startups,Hatch Kitchen, is expanding. Located atClopton Siteworksoff Maury Street in the south side of the City since 2018, Hatch Kitchen isexpanding into two other buildings totaling about 50,000 square feet. Additionally, they have opened a new café at 2600 Maury Street and six private kitchen suites as well as private offices, a conference room, and a kitchen space just for bakery operations. I am glad to see this local group thriving in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and offering their 70 members a safe space in the community to continue their business operations.
The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting“Restaurante Week”from October 5 through October 11as part of their virtual¿Que Pasa? Festival. I encourage you to join in the festivities of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by enjoying local Latin cuisine and supporting small Latin-owned businesses.
You can continue your local culinary tour withRichmond Restaurant Week,which is October 12-25, and benefitsFeed More. This year you can opt to eat inside, outside, take out, or do delivery. Nearly 50 restaurants are participating, including several located within the 69thdistrict: The Daily Kitchen & Bar, Rowland Fine Dining, Pizza & Beer of Richmond, Helen’s, Foo Dog, East Coast Provisions, and Barrio.Check out all the participating restaurants here.
As you venture out and about with your family, visit theRichmond Region Tourismwebsite,visitRichmondVA.com, for important information on ways to safely enjoy our City – there a many options from biking the Capital Trail, finding over 100 murals, or visiting the Farmer’s Market. Additionally, they createdTravelSafeRVAso visitors can understand the safety standards and special practices of the Richmond region’s Phase 3 re-opening plan.
The Future of America’s Pastbrought to you by Virginia Public Media and hosted by Dr. Ed Ayers, professor of humanities and President Emeritus at the University of Richmond, has an excellent episode, “What happens when you reopen too soon?” The episode explores the 1918 flu pandemic and how Richmond reacted back then.Watch it here.
Passing of Justice Ginsburg
I was saddened to learn of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in late September. She was a fearless champion for equality and justice. This quote from Justice Ginsburg on the Constitution and the concept of “We the People” is a wonderful reminder of her wisdom:
“[The] Constitution begins with the words, “We the people of the United States in order to form a more perfect union.” Think about how things were in 1787. Who were ‘We the people’? Certainly not people who were held in human bondage because the original Constitution preserves slavery. Certainly not women whatever their color and not even men who own no property. It was a rather elite group, ‘We the people,’ but I think the genius of our Constitution is what Justice Thurgood Marshall said. He said he doesn’t celebrate the original Constitution but he does celebrate what the Constitution has become, now well over two centuries. That is the concept of “We the people” has become ever more inclusive. People who were left out at the beginning – slaves, women, men without property, native Americans – were not part of ‘We the people.’ Now all the once left out people are part of our political constituency. We are certainly a more perfect union as a result of that.”
It is an honor to serve you in the General Assembly. If you have any questions, concerns, or issues that I can help address, please email me at delegate.carr@betsycarr.org or 804-698-1169. Additionally, I am available to meet with you or your civic association or community group via a web call to discuss your legislative priorities. I look forward to staying in touch.
Sincerely,
Betsy B. Carr