Week 7: Education Suffers if Large Tax Cut Prevailse

Sunday, February 27, 2022

Dear Friend,

Each chamber has passed a budget that will now go into conference. The Senate budget was much more measured in the tax cuts we agreed to absorb than the House. The budgets reflect differing views on the role of government and the responsibilities we bear regarding the funding of public education, consumer protection programs, public safety, transit initiatives, environmental efforts, and human services. A recent poll by the Wason Center for Civic Leadership at Christopher Newport University notes that a majority of Virginia voters prefer spending the state budget surplus on underfunded government services such as education, public safety, and social services (58%) rather than providing tax cuts or tax rebates (38%).

Interim Report on Equity in Education - This past Friday, an interim report was issued by Governor Youngkin’s Education team in response to his Executive Order One, in which he ordered a review of any programs that could be viewed as supporting the teaching of critical race theory. Since critical race theory is a graduate level class dealing with institutional racism and is not taught in Virginia’s K-12 public education system, the report evolved into a presentation of criticisms of educational programs that described the American experience from the perspectives of different races and cultures. Along with these criticisms were recommendations that minimized the importance of educational programs that helped to level the playing field for children who lacked educational enrichments at home.

It is incredibly important that teachers feel they can teach our students about slavery, jim crow laws, and the civil rights movement. It is equally important to teach about the various immigration waves our country has experienced and how assimilation into one mosaic society bound by the ideals of self governance and the freedom of opportunity is a good thing. I find it most disturbing that the report recommends defunding programs that support our commonly held belief that equal opportunity should be the underpinning goal of our educational system. My colleague, Senator Ghazala Hashmi, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Education, said it best when she recently noted: “Governor Youngkin wants to impose a narrow and privileged view on Virginia’s children. That may play well to the extreme, right-wing base, but most Virginians overwhelmingly understand that addressing the need for equitable opportunities in education creates strong, safe, and thriving communities.” 

Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee: 

Rehabilitative Programs in our Prisons & Jails - Fortunately, the Democrats on Rehab and Social Services have been a brick wall on protecting the progress we have made on implementing rehabilitative programs in our jails and prisons. But our resolve is continually tested by clever bills crafted by Republicans that don’t sound too radical but are designed to chip away at the progress we have made. There is clearly a philosophical difference about how offenders should be treated and the value of rehabilitative programs. I want to give a shout out to advocacy groups, including Justice Forward, the recently elected progressive prosecutors, the Legal Aid Society, and the ACLU for their helpful comments when controversial criminal justice reform bills are heard in my committee.

Prevention & Safety-Net Bills Report out of Rehab and Social Services - I am delighted to say that I shepherded through several important bills that will improve the lives of our most vulnerable Virginians.

• Offenders can Apply for SNAP benefits before their Release Date: Because of a bill carried by Delegate Helmer, offenders can apply for SNAP before they are released from jail. SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a benefit program that enables low-income families to buy nutritious food with coupons and Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards. This bill will enable released individuals to feed themselves and their families as they re-enter society. This legislation has been a priority for the faith-based group Social Action Linking Together.

• A Bill that Expands the definition of Critically Missing Adult: I introduced a bill that removes the requirement that a missing person must be suspected of being abducted before a request to search for that adult can be evaluated by law enforcement. The missing person must still be at risk of harming himself or others, but the abduction requirement was such a high bar that alerts have not been issued for a number of vulnerable individuals and tragedies have resulted. About 40% of the critical missing adult alert cases are elderly individuals with dementia. Many other cases are individuals suffering from mental illness. The National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Virginia disAbility Law Center advocated for passage of this bill.

• Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Can Access Services: Speaker Filler-Corn presented a bill that allows social service agencies to provide services to unaccompanied minor children if they are at least 14 years of age or older. This legislation addresses an important need because so many of our homeless youth are subjected to human trafficking when they attempt to navigate homeless shelters and access food. Social service agencies must report these youth to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and to the local child protective services agency. The goal is to try to locate the child’s relatives or fictive kin so the child can be cared for in a stable home and continue with his/her education.

Some of My Key Health Care Bills Are Progressing:

• Waiver of the COPN process for Hospital and Nursing Home Beds - My bill would empower the Commissioner of Health to waive the usual COPN regulations during the declaration of a public health emergency. It is always better to have this authority in legislation because attorneys can be very cautious about granting administrators waiver authority even in times of crisis. Moreover, such legislation may prevent frivolous law suits. The patron of this bill on the House side is Delegate John Avoli.

• Medical Debt Repayment Plan - This consumer protection bill is working its way through each body. But I have to watch the proposal very carefully because some powerful interest groups do not want to see the legislation pass. My bill requires public and private hospitals to evaluate each patient for his/her ability to pay any outstanding debt and to screen each patient for eligibility in publicly funded programs or charity care programs. The legislation also places a limit on the interest rate that may be charged on outstanding debt. I am hopeful that the bill will ultimately pass. It has enjoyed strong bi-partisan support along the way.

• Expansion of Community-based Housing for those with Substance Abuse Disorders - The organizations that provide housing for those with substance abuse disorders offer various levels of supervision and support. My bill would require every recovery house in Virginia to inform prospective residents about the level of care being offered and would require that certain minimum housing standards be met. As you might expect, this bill is transformational because very few rules or regulations govern these recovery homes and it is time to change that.

Global events - Regarding Russia's unprovoked and unjust invasion of Ukraine, I support Governor Youngkin's call to review and terminate Virginia's procurement of any and all goods and services involving Russian companies. I also support the divestment of any Russian holdings the Virginia Retirement System or endowments of Virginia universities currently hold.

In summary - It is an honor to represent you in Richmond and to fight for our Democratic values. Do not hesitate to contact my office if you have thoughts or concerns about issues being discussed during this legislative session.

Looking forward to connecting in person when I return from Richmond.

Sincerely,