Week 2: The Blue Wall is Reinforced

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Dear Friend,

This past Wednesday was particularly exciting in the Virginia Senate because we were able to welcome a new Senator, Senator Aaron Rouse. Aaron won the special election to represent voters in SD 7. I send a huge “thank you” to all who donated, knocked doors or wrote post cards to make this victory possible. Senator Rouse’s win adds a much needed margin to our previous one vote Democratic majority. 

I am delighted to say that our new Senator was appointed to the Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee, a committee which I chair that exercises oversight over the operations of our prison and jail systems, among other responsibilities. This additional voice gives the Democrats a two-vote margin on this important Committee. Now, every committee that deals with human services, criminal justice reform or other hot button topics has at least a two vote Democratic margin.

Update on Major Legislative Issues:

Jail and Prison Operations—The Rehab and Social Services Committee sent a strong message to the Appropriations and Finance Committee on Friday by passing a bill with bi-partisan support that would require Virginia’s state prison system to offer no fewer than 20 free communication contacts, per month, to phone numbers identified on a call list. I am hoping that this action will also send a strong message to our local and regional jails. Increasing free communications is an incredibly important step towards bolstering the rehabilitative strategies that the Rehab and Social Services Committee has been advancing over the past few years.

Another area the Committee is working to correct is the pricing on commissary items. I strongly believe that more public funding should be made available to operate the educational and rehabilitative programs in our state prisons and local jails, rather than funding such services on the backs of inmates. A senior Republican on the Appropriations and Finance Committee agreed with my point and publicly stated his intent to “help right the paradigm” at the Rehabilitative and Social Services Committee meeting.

Increasing Access to Counseling Services for Youth—In my role on the Joint Commission on Behavioral Health, I learned about the importance of evidence-based preventive care when behavioral health symptoms are first exhibited. The Commission endorsed early intervention strategies in our schools and I agreed to carry legislation to make these early intervention strategies a reality. I am proud to say that my two bills—one which defines “counseling” services in statute under the public school section of the code; and the other which allows public schools to hire psychologists using the provisional license option—passed out of the subcommittee unanimously. I worked with the Virginia Association of School Counselors on these bills.

Care Management Grants for Hospital Emergency Departments (ED)—The Joint Commission on Health Care, a commission on which I also serve, has been working diligently to reduce emergency department usage. Experts tell us that a rather high percentage of patients use the emergency departments for primary care services. Consequently, I submitted legislation to create a grant program that would support ED activities that link patients needing on-going primary care services to a medical home. The authorizing legislation passed, unanimously, out of the Education and Health Committee. Now, I must present a budget request to fund this program in front of the Appropriations and Finance Committee on Monday, January 23rd.

Protecting Survivors of Domestic Violence—At the request of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, I am carrying a bill that will require those who are restrained by a protective order or those convicted of assault and battery of a household member to verify in a court document that their firearm is no longer in their possession. Moreover, if their firearm has been transferred, the recipient of the firearm must be at least 21 years of age and meet all other required background checks. This bill will add an important layer of oversight to the processes that are used to protect those who are fleeing violence and abuse. I must defend this bill before the Senate Judiciary Committee next week. Moms Demand Action and many other “good guy” groups are watching this legislation and advocating for its passage.

Campaign Finance Reform—For the second year in a row, I am carrying legislation that would require third parties who pay for T.V. advertisements or other communications (through traditional venues or on social media platforms) during an election cycle (either for a candidate or to influence a referendum question) to disclose their top donors. This requirement would be extraordinarily helpful to voters and candidates alike. So often, the public does not know who these powerful voices are and why they are trying to influence an election, so more transparency can only help the democratic process. The well organized and very knowledgeable “Money Out” group has been enormously helpful in assisting me through the drafting process and defending the bill before the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee. The bill did pass out of the Committee, and I will be advocating for its passage on the floor of the Senate next week.

In summary, it has been a busy but productive week. My staff have worked extraordinarily hard fielding questions from constituents and advising folks on the legislative process. We always appreciate your thoughts and encouragement.

It is an honor and privilege to represent you in Richmond and I look forward to reporting on some legislative successes in the upcoming week.

Sincerely,