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