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