Third Week: Democrats Pass Meaningful Legislation

Sunday, February 2, 2025

Dear Friend,

This past week was eventful and impactful in so many ways. In an unusual practice for my session newsletters, I would like to take a few moments to comment on issues that are bigger than the backdrop of the Virginia General Assembly.

The Mid-Air Collision at DCA: The mid air collision at Washington National Airport was a horrific accident and something we will never forget. My heart aches for the victims, their families and all who were affected by this tragedy. I want to commend our local first responders and the regional coordination that has been critical in assisting federal and state agencies in recovery efforts.

Fortunately, counseling services and other supports are being offered to the families and friends of the victims. I can only hope that enough information is available to determine the cause of the accident – so something like this will never happen again. 

Federal Uncertainties: For all who are suffering personal upheaval and fear because of President Trump’s hateful and vindictive policies, I stand with you. Noted below are examples of such policies that are particularly harmful to our Northern Virginia communities.

Federal Employee Layoffs: The Northern Virginia economy is going to suffer from layoffs of federal employees and forced retirements. But of even greater concern is the impact that the loss of such talent will have on our national security and our health and safety. Wherever possible, the Democrats in the General Assembly are attempting to address anticipated impacts, but unsurprisingly, Governor Youngkin does not believe a reduction in the federal workforce will impact Virginia.

Immigration Control and Enforcement (ICE) Activities: I know that our immigrant neighbors are concerned about their wellbeing and the ability to keep their families together since President Trump and his administration have been ramping up arrests and deportations across the country. Mass deportation efforts by the Trump administration are not only inhumane, but irreparably harmful to the fabric of the Commonwealth.

Fear in the immigrant community has been heightened since a recent Trump regulation now notes that places of worship, school buildings and daycare centers will no longer be safe havens in the implementation of immigration enforcement programs. I am particularly proud of a letter that Dr. Michelle Reid, Superintendent of the Fairfax Public Schools, recently released on this topic.

Safety Net Programs:

Virginia safety-net groups reeled from a since-retracted House directive that placed a spending freeze on federal assistance to public schools, food banks, community medical centers, and many other organizations that serve our most vulnerable neighbors. I challenged Governor Youngkin on a point of personal privilege to make a commitment that no Virginian in our Medicaid or Medicaid expansion programs would lose healthcare coverage as a result of President Trump’s actions.

Eight More of My Bills Pass the Senate (for a total of 20 at this time):

This week, I was able to push another large number of bills through the Senate and over to the House for consideration. I added eight more bills to the twelve that successfully passed out of the chamber last week. Next week, in our last few days of session before crossover (when all bills must be out of their original chamber), I’m hopeful that I can add several more to this list. Details of these bills are noted below:

My bills moving to the House for consideration include:

Protecting Healthcare Providers from Extradition:

SB743 - This bill, which passed on a party line vote, protects healthcare providers who are providing abortion care that is legal in Virginia and the recipients who receive this care from extradition to a state that has an abortion ban. Virginia is the only southern state where abortion is legal under the Roe v. Wade framework. The extremes to which some southern states are going to control a woman’s body is truly alarming, and lawmakers who pass these harmful policies are also intent on enforcing them. This makes my bill even more important, especially for the millions of women of reproductive age, who are living in nearby states with abortion bans. Governor Youngkin vetoed this exact bill last year, and I am bracing for the same veto this year.

Therapeutic Interchange Drugs:

SB745 - This bill directs the Board of Pharmacy to convene a workgroup of stakeholders to study the current therapeutic interchange process in Virginia and make recommendations to facilitate the availability of more such drugs to consumers. A therapeutic interchange drug is a generic drug that is in the same therapeutic class as the brand name drug that was prescribed. The generic drug is less expensive and often more available. Recommendations from this legislation should enable the Board of Pharmacy to provide helpful guidance to pharmacists in the therapeutic interchange space. It passed the Senate unanimously.

Juvenile Mental Health Screenings:

SB747 - This bill, which was widely supported by criminal justice advocates, will provide judges with the ability to order a comprehensive assessment of a juvenile’s mental, behavioral, and developmental conditions by a multidisciplinary team at the time of sentencing. We know that treatment interventions at early stages in the juvenile justice system offer high probabilities for rehabilitation. I reminded the lawmakers on the Courts of Justice Committee that rehabilitation is the ultimate goal of our juvenile justice system. My bill was passed out of the Senate unanimously.

Prescriptive Authority for Clinical Psychologists:

SB752 - This bill directs the Board of Psychology and the Board of Medicine to convene stakeholders to study and issue a report on the feasibility of expanding the prescriptive authority of licensed clinical psychologists. With nearly a quarter of Americans taking psychiatric medications, combined with a practitioner shortage, carefully expanding prescriptive authority for clinical psychologists may be a good idea. Recommendations from this workgroup should facilitate better and more affordable access to counseling services, and the medications that are needed to help patients on their path to wellness. My bill passed the Senate unanimously.

Extending Deadline of Absentee Ballots:

SB760 - This legislation, which extends the time by which a ballot must be received from noon to 5 PM on the Friday following Election Day, passed out of the Senate on a vote of 23-15. I was proud to work with the League of Women Voters and other good governance advocates to ensure that each ballot postmarked by Election Day has an increased chance of arriving on time (because of this reasonable extension) and being counted.  

Housing for Youth Aging out of Foster Care:

SB773 - My bill requiring local Departments of Social Services to develop housing plans for youth aging out of foster care and creating access to housing vouchers for these youth, passed the Senate unanimously. The state department of Social Services will be working with local public housing authorities and local departments of social services on these efforts. Many foster youth age out of our foster care system without the resources to secure housing, in too many heartbreaking situations, they end up homeless and targets for human traffickers.

Broadband Access for Mobile Health Clinics:

SB842 - This bill directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to include broadband access services for mobile health clinics as a priority in the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program. Reliable internet access can provide a wide range of health care services; however, mobile clinics often have difficulties operating in remote areas where their services are most needed because of challenges connecting to broadband. This legislation passed unanimously and is a recommendation of the Joint Commission on Healthcare, of which I am a member.

Studying Emergency Regions in Virginia:

SB1385 - This bill, which passed the Senate unanimously, directs the Department of Emergency Management and the Department of Health to study the makeup and composition of the seven emergency management regions, the five Virginia health regions, and the 35 local health districts to determine the feasibility of combining them into one set of regions. If effective, this would allow for more cohesive and efficient collaboration during emergencies, ultimately enhancing the effectiveness of statewide emergency responses.

A Note on the Fairfax Casino Proposal:

SB982, a bill that would allow Fairfax to join the list of eligible localities for a casino referendum, is set to be voted on in the Senate this upcoming Monday, February 3rd. I opposed this legislation in the 2024 Session and have continued to vote against the bill and advocate against the bill as it has moved through the Senate in the 2025 Session. If the legislature allows for the expansion of casino operations by authorizing the Board of Supervisors to hold a referendum on the question, we will set a precedent that would encourage other jurisdictions to request a similar designation. I want to be clear that the enabling of more casinos in Virginia does not correspond with the vision I have for the Commonwealth.

I know that lawmakers supporting the casino bill believe that the tax revenue (both local and state) should be reason enough to support the project. I, however, believe that the General Assembly should revise our income tax structure so extremely wealthy Virginains and corporations pay their fair share and the burden on working families is reduced. A more progressive state income tax structure would better enable the state to be a true partner in the funding of public education. 

Moreover, there is no guarantee that additional tax revenue at the local level would reduce property tax rates. Fairfax supervisors remind us regularly about the many unmet needs in the county.

It is also worth noting that no Fairfax government official has made a request to the legislature asking for the authority to hold a casino referendum. This is in stark contrast to the proposals for the other five casinos, where local officials unanimously supported a casino for their locality. At this time, the position of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors has not changed, so I will not be reconsidering my position on this issue.

I do want to take a moment to thank many of my former constituents for writing to me about their concerns related to the placement of the casino. I was particularly impressed by a letter sent by former officials in the national security space who made a compelling case that gambling addictions and the crimes associated with such addictions could compromise the region’s national security activities.

I hope you’ll visit my website at BarbaraFavola.org and subscribe to my regular newsletters. I also have a dynamic social media presence through Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Blue Sky. I hope you’ll follow my work using one or more of those platforms. You may also track legislation through Virginia’s Legislative Information System. The Commonwealth’s General Assembly Website is a useful tool as well. You can follow events, find pertinent information, observe sessions, and monitor committee meetings through the site.

It is an honor and a privilege to represent you in Richmond.

Sincerely,