Last week I had the distinct honor of being sworn in for my 5th
term representing greater Falls Church, including the Little City
itself, in the Virginia House of Delegates. The 60-day “long” session
that has just begun and will be my 9th session as a Delegate, but my first under a Republican Governor.
This week is one of transitions here in Richmond. The new General Assembly is sworn in on the 2nd
Wednesday of January at noon. With 52 Republican seats to 48 held by
Democrats, control of the Chamber shifted back to the GOP and a new
Speaker of the House, Todd Gilbert of Shenandoah County, was elected.
The State of the Commonwealth
On
Wednesday evening the General Assembly convened in a Joint Session to
receive outgoing Governor Ralph Northam’s final State of the
Commonwealth address. On Saturday, Governor Glenn Youngkin was sworn in
at an inaugural ceremony and on Monday we had a 2nd Joint Assembly, then the new Governor gave his State of the Commonwealth address.
Governor
Northam highlighted the achievements of his term, including his
administration's work to expand Medicaid, reform our criminal justice
system, expand broadband, teach the true history of Virginia, increase
access to the ballot box, and keep Virginians safe during the COVID-19
pandemic. We will certainly miss his calming presence over the next four
years.
Despite
delivering an Inaugural address at which the new Governor promised to
be a Governor for ALL Virginians and teach our full and accurate
history, both good and bad, Governor Youngkin released his first batch
of executive actions, focusing on Critical Race Theory (CRT), and
overturning student safety measures designed to keep kids safely in the
classroom with schools open.
Initially,
he indicated he’d withdraw Virginia from the Regional Greenhouse Gas
Initiative (RGGI) with EO #8. Recent reporting seems to indicate that he
may be acknowledging he has no authority to do so by fiat, since the
requirement to belong to RGGI is enshrined in law.
On
Monday, he delivered his State of the Commonwealth address at four in
the afternoon, eschewing the opportunity to address resident of the
Commonwealth in the traditional prime time evening hours when more
people would be home in front of their televisions to tune in.
For
an uncomfortable first 12 minutes of his speech, he mostly parroted
conservative media talking points to an eerily silent chamber. This
starkly contrasts with the frequent standing ovations that interrupted
Governor Northam repeatedly and helped punctuate his retelling of his
most important achievements. I hope that as the new Governor learns more
about how Virginia’s Government functions, his future addresses will
provide a more thoughtful articulation of our shared policy goals.
Even
as a member of the minority, I look forward to being a consequential
member of the body and capable advocate for the people of Falls Church.
While I was stripped of my chairmanship of the House Privileges and
Elections Committee and the Housing Subcommittee of General Laws, I
remain on the Courts of Justice Committee and the influential Civil
Subcommittee (Sub #2). I am back on Public Safety as the 3rd ranking
Democrat and Communications Technology and Innovation (formerly known as
Science and Technology) where I am the #2 ranking Democrat. House
Finance is a completely new committee for me and I'm looking forward to
working with my colleagues on one of the "money" committees in the
General Assembly.
My Legislative Package
For
my 2022 legislative package, I’m carrying a bill on behalf of the City
of Falls Church to allow all its residents, including non-citizens, the
opportunity to fully engage in civic life as members of boards,
authorities, and commissions.
I
will once again carry legislation to clean up one of the most galling
shortcomings in Virginia’s campaign finance laws - a loophole that
allows candidates for office to pocket campaign contributions and
convert them to personal use with no consequences. With the backing of
last year's Joint Committee to Study Comprehensive Campaign Finance
Reforms, I like its chances this session.
I’ll also once again introduce legislation to ban unserialized
unregulated “ghost guns” here in Virginia. Since my bill was narrowly
defeated during the 2021 Session, we’ve seen these guns used to commit
serious crimes, including a homicide in the Springfield area committed
by minor who couldn’t have purchased a weapon subject to a background
check. Ghost Guns evade that requirement.
If you’d like to hear more about what I’m doing this session and get the latest updates, please sign up for my e-newsletter (www.MarcusSimon.com) or follow me on social media.