Special Session 2020: What Do Virginians Need Going Forward

Saturday, October 10, 2020

Dear Friend,

As we face the most important election of our life-time, please make a plan to vote. The deadline in Virginia to register to vote in the upcoming election is October 13.

For the November 3, election, you have the option of requesting an absentee ballot that can be returned through the U.S. Postal Service, a ballot collection box, or by hand to your local Registrar’s office. You may also bring your completed ballot to an early in-person voting station or to your regular voting place on election day. The Virginia Department of Elections' website has more information on all of these options.

I urge everyone to vote and be sure that your friends and family cast their ballots as well. We owe our children a functioning democracy and leaders who trust science. History is calling on us to do our part. Let’s do it!

Health Care - Our Lives Depend Upon It:

Virginia’s Safety Net - Virginia House and Senate lawmakers are negotiating what type of safety net we must provide to hospitals, essential workers, and the uninsured to ensure that our healthcare infrastructure remains strong enough to keep all of us safe. Most experts are telling us that a rigorously evaluated vaccine will not be widely available until the spring of 2021. Some scientists believe that even that timeline is ambitious. Now, more than ever, we need federal leaders who understand these challenges and are willing to be helpful partners.

Federal Backdrop for Health Care - It is incredibly worrisome that the soon to be 6:3 conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court will likely remove access to health care for some 22 million Americans. The dignity and life saving measures associated with a medical home would be taken away. The Trump Justice Department has filed briefs arguing that the entire Affordable Care Act ("ACA") should be found invalid. This is a heartless move that impacts all of us. The fact that such an idea is moving forward in the middle of a pandemic shows the callousness of President Trump.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on November 10 in the case of California v. Texas. If the Trump Administration is successful before the Supreme Court, the ACA would end and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions (135 million Americans), subsidies to make individual health insurance more affordable, expanded eligibility for Medicaid, coverage of young adults up to the age of 26 under their parents’ insurance policies, coverage for preventative care with no patient cost-sharing, and closure of the hole in Medicare’s drug benefits would end. The impacts in Virginia, as well as across the nation, would be terrible. The only way we can send a message to the Supreme Court is to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket and help Democratic Senate candidates in competitive races.

Other Budget Topics:

Public Schools - In addition to the health care safety net, lawmakers will ask the Governor for a large infusion of funds to help our K-12 public schools address COVID related issues such as technology support for teachers and students, and transportation for students. We have learned that providing safe transportation for students is very costly for most jurisdictions when you consider that children need to be transported in a socially distanced, safe manner. This standard requires more buses or more bus trips, and school supported transportation is necessary if children are to return to at least a part-time schedule. Moreover, the fiscal impact on public schools is exacerbated because localities are suffering reductions in revenue streams while first responders and other public safety employees are working overtime. Stay tuned for more information, as talks continue.

Broadband - Covid-19 has thoroughly demonstrated that access to high-speed internet is necessary to our economy and public system of education. Governor Northam announced on October 7 that $30M of Virginia’s CARES Act funding would be allocated to fast-tracking broadband projects in Virginia. The state estimates that 200,000 K-12 students, as well as 60,000 college students in Virginia lack access to broadband at home. Localities will be able to apply for money to complete projects that will expand broadband access to underserved communities in Virginia.

Childcare - I have heard from many parents about the difficulties and concerns regarding child care during the pandemic. The stress and anxiety for parents with young children is at an all-time high. In my view, the resurgence of the child care system is essential to our economic recovery and to the health and well-being of our families. Budget negotiations are ongoing, but I will fight to ensure that the below-described $93.2 million in allocations is included in the budget the Governor signs.

Under consideration is $60 million that would go to a child care stabilization fund provided by unallocated CARES Act funds. The Department of Social Services and Department of Education would collaborate to develop a grant proposal designed to facilitate the distribution of program-level stabilization grants to licensed and regulated child care centers and family child care homes. As you might expect, child care providers have been struggling with the costs of providing safe care, coupled with the reduction in payments due to smaller class sizes or parents’ inability to pay the full costs of care. This dynamic has resulted in fewer safe child care options for parents who must work. The goal of the stabilization grants would be to increase accessible and affordable care for working families with children ages 0-5.

The remaining $33.2 million would be available to support short-term child care programs for school-age children. Funds would be provided to local school divisions and local governments to create programs that meet the specific needs of their communities. We understand that working parents must be able to access safe, affordable, and developmentally appropriate learning and recreational programs for their children.

Virginia Community College System - Both the House and Senate budgets currently include $15M for Virginia’s community colleges. This funding will assist in maintaining affordable and equitable access to our community college system. It is my hope that the final budget will include this funding.

Virginia Housing Trust Fund - The Virginia Housing Trust Fund (VHTF) creates and preserves affordable housing and reduces homelessness in the Commonwealth. The budget that was passed at the end of last January’s session included $30M annually to fund the trust (an increase of $23M over previous years’ appropriations). When the pandemic hit, the $23M increase was unallotted. The Senate has restored the unallotted funds in the current budget bill and included an additional $25M for FY2021. The House and Senate conferees seem to be on the same page regarding the need for this level of funding for the Housing Trust Fund.

Census - According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Virginia has a 71.2% self-response rate overall, Arlington has had a 73.3% self-response rate, Fairfax County self-responded at a 75.3% rate and Loudoun County self-responded at a 75% rate. If you or someone you know has not responded to the 2020 Census, there is still time.

However, please be aware that the Trump Administration recently filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court to end counting immediately, rather than follow a lower court’s decree that the count would continue until the end of the month. This intentional strategy to undercount large numbers of residents will have a negative impact on our quality of life, but such a strategy will have a devastating impact on low-income communities and communities of color.

Census counts determine the number of seats allocated to Virginia in the U.S. House of Representatives, a basic tenet of our representative democracy; and information from the Census documents guides federal funding for a number of safety-net programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, Section 8 housing vouchers, Head Start and many other important programs. Even highway planning and construction programs are informed by data collected through the census.

If you agree with the Democratic values that I am fighting for and want to join the cause, please donate what you can to help me stay in office. Thank you, in advance for your generosity. If you have any questions or issues, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office.

Remember, we are in this together. Please take care of yourselves and each other.

Sincerely,