All I Do is Win

The 2025 General Assembly Session is officially over and I'm glad to be back in the 13th District! With over 3,000 bills and resolutions reviewed, it was a productive, short session.

 

I’m proud to share that I was the most successful legislator this session in getting bills passed! Among lawmakers who introduced more than one bill, I had the highest batting average - meaning more of my legislation made it through the process than anyone else’s.

 

It’s not just about numbers - it’s about delivering real results for Virginians. I’ve worked hard to craft meaningful, effective legislation and build the support needed to get things done. I’ll keep fighting for the issues that matter to our community. Check out the stats for yourself: VPAP Legislator Batting Averages. Thank you for your support—I couldn’t do this without you!

 

The Last Week of Session

The 5th grade class from Oak Street Elementary School in Falls Church visited the Capitol to learn more about the legislative process and to visit with Senator Salim and myself. It was my pleasure to introduce them on the House Floor.

 

Early in the week, I participated in a press conference on campaign finance reform, specifically about legislation to prohibit the personal use of campaign funds. Although I have carried this bill for many years, my colleague, Delegate Josh Cole introduced it this year. And for the first time, the bill has passed both chambers, which means it is on its way to the Governor. The Washington Post also covered this monumental achievement.

 

On Wednesday, Delegate Webert and I presented a commending resolution for Col. Gary Settle who recently retired as the the Virginia State Police Superintendent. After nearly 50 years of service to the Commonwealth, his retirement is well-earned.

 

Emergency Committee on Impacts of the Federal Workforce and Funding Reductions

The Speaker appointed me to this special committee to study the potential impacts of the Trump Administration's cuts to the federal workforce and programs. The purpose is to ensure that the General Assembly can work to mitigate these impacts to Virginians and to the state budget.

 

Last Saturday, we had our first committee meeting. We heard presentations from the Washington Council of State Governments, the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service, the Virginia Employment Commission, the Virginia Municipal League, and House Appropriations staff. I look forward to working with my colleagues on this critical issue as the uncertainty affects so many Virginians. You can watch the full stream of the meeting online.

 

For Fairfax County residents that are directly affected by this, the County has created a website of resources that may be helpful.

 

What's Next?

The 822 bills that the passed the House and the Senate will go to the Governor for his review, including 13 of my bills (more details below!). On April 2nd, we will return to Richmond to vote on the Governor's vetoes and recommendations.

 

We also passed a compromise budget that reflects many of our priorities. And I'm pleased to report that my budget request to provide $500,000 for the Lake Barcroft Dam to address critical infrastructure issues and maintenance is included.

 

Now, it's the Governor's turn. Over the next few weeks, we'll see what legislation he decides to sign, amend, or veto.

The End of the 2025 Session

This is the very last week of the 2025 General Assembly Session! With a short, 46-day session, it is always a challenge to make sure that we have enough time to review all the legislation that is introduced. I know it’s hard to focus on anything other than the chaos and constant stream of bad news coming from across the river in Washington, D.C, but I’m hoping that you’ll take a moment to look at what we’ve been able to accomplish so far down in Richmond.

Here in the State Capitol, the legislative branch still values the separation of powers and takes seriously its responsibility to provide a constitutional check on executive overreach. With the Governor also able to veto any bills we send to his desk and likely have them sustained, we’ve been forced to focus on items that don’t require his signature or items that are non-partisan. We’ve also been able to stop ill-advised ideas from advancing.  Here’s the round-up.  

Constitutional Amendments

One thing we can do without the Governor’s signature is propose amendments to Virginia’s constitution, enshrining personal freedom at the state level. Three constitutional amendments have passed the House and the Senate – the right to vote, the right to reproductive freedom, and the right to marriage equality. 

So, what’s next? Well, if we can keep the House majority after the election this November, then we’ll be able to pass these exact same amendments again during the 2026 Session. At that point, the last hurdle will be the 2026 ballot when voters will decide if these three constitutional amendments will become a part of Virginia’s Constitution. This means we’ve got a lot of work to do between now and then to ensure that happens! 

Northern Virginia Casino Bill Dies in Subcommittee

The bill to authorize a casino in Northern Virginia has officially died for this year. The only disappointment for me? It happened in a subcommittee I wasn’t on, so I didn’t get the chance to vote NO myself.

Regardless of where you stand on whether Northern Virginia should have a casino or whether we need the good union jobs a casino and entertainment district might provide, this bill was deeply flawed. Fairfax County never asked for the authority to put a casino referendum on the ballot. The bill’s restrictive language made it clear it was crafted to benefit a single landowner. Most importantly, I heard from thousands of constituents and neighbors opposed to it. I’m glad this bill won’t be moving forward this year. It would take a much different bill and much different circumstances to get me to a yes on a casino bill. It’s hard to imagine what those circumstances might be, but this iteration didn’t come close. 

Campaign Finance Reform

Some items take more than a session, or two, or even three to become law. For all 12 of my sessions, I was Chief Patron or Chief Co-Patron of bills to clean up what I thought was an obvious loophole in Virginia’s campaign finance laws – prohibiting the use of campaign funds for personal use. We are one of the last few states not to have laws to specifically regulate this.

This year, I worked with Delegate Josh Cole, who introduced the bill. It has passed the House and will have passed the Senate by the time you read this column. Next step is the Governor’s desk!

My Legislation

I’ve been fortunate that 13 of the 15 bills I introduced this year have passed both chambers, most with broad bi-partisan support making them unlikely to be vetoed. My resolution to study the effect of recent changes to Virginia law making it easier to challenge books in public school libraries will pass as well. 

Whether we like it or not, the level of government that may have the greatest ability to protect our personal freedom and our democratic way of life may be the state level for the next few years. I want you to know you have a strong and effective advocate in the General Assembly.

Community Meetings

As this is the last week of session, I’ll soon be heading back to Northern Virginia, my regular day job, and get to see my family. I’m looking forward to being back in the district and attending community events. If you have an HOA, community association, youth group, or local organization that would like me to give an in-person session update, please reach out to my office.

Representing the 13th District

For the first time in almost 30 years, the Commanders have a real shot at being in the Super Bowl. As a die-hard fan, I’ve been watching each game on the edge of my seat, daring to hope that this could be our year. And after the team’s tumultuous few years, I think we’ve earned a win.  

It reminds me a lot of the transformation of the Virginia House of Delegates. When I started in the House of Delegates, Democrats were a super-minority, with just 33 of 100 seats. Kind of like going 4-13 during and NFL Season. Then, in 2017 we got to 49, and, but for a random drawing, could have tied the House. The next cycle we took over in 2019. Through the height of the pandemic, we did our best to navigate those uncertain times while also fulfilling our campaign promises to our constituents. After losing the majority in 2021, we once again came out on top in the 2023 election with a 51-49 majority.  

 

We are accustomed to working hard, to keeping our commitments, and working to ensure that Virginia remains the best place to live, to work, and raise a family.  

 

We've got over 2,000 bills pending in the House and Senate, so we have our work cut out for us these few weeks before Crossover! 

 

Possibly the biggest news of the week was that the House passed our top three Constitutional Amendments - the right to reproductive freedom (HJ 1), the right to vote (HJ 2), and the right to marriage equality (HJ 9). For these Amendments to get on the ballot so that you can vote on them, we'll have to pass them all again during the 2026 Session. But we are that much closer to enacting these critical freedoms and protections. 

 

Adding to this, President Biden declared that the ERA is now the law of the land as one of his last official acts. This is largely thanks to Virginia becoming the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment in 2020. 

The State Budget 

As Chair of the Freedom of Information Advisory Council, I submitted two budget amendments that will address the Council's increased workload while ensuring its ability to fulfill its duties. One provides increased funding to the Council’s base appropriation to reflect operational cost increases. The second provides funding for two positions to increase staffing to address growing workload requirements, particularly regarding the statewide training for state and local officials and requests for formal and informal opinions. 
 

Now that I represent Lake Barcroft and its watershed district, I submitted an amendment to address a critical infrastructure project. This amendment provides $500,000 of state funding for maintenance required at the Lake Barcroft Damn. This is a result of the Department of Conservation & Recreation's Division of Dam Safety’s updated certification regulations and is just a small part of the overall $8 million funding needed for this project.  

 

My Legislative Agenda 

 

During this 46-day short session (which has a bill introduction limit),  I submitted 15 bills and one joint study resolution. Here are a few highlights. 

 

I introduced a bill authorizing localities to establish by ordinance a system of public campaign financing for local elected offices (HB 1761). This is part of my long-standing commitment to campaign finance reform. 

 

My HB 2039 requires the Department of Criminal Justice Services, in consultation with the FOIA Council, to establish a model policy on the use of encrypted telecommunications by law-enforcement agencies. Most likely, this bill will be referred to the FOIA Council for further review.  

 

At the request of the Falls Church City Council, I submitted HB 2137 to add the City of Falls Church to the list of localities with authority to create an affordable dwelling unit program. 

 

While it is already illegal to put swastikas in public areas with the intent to intimidate, HB 2783 simply adds private property to that list. 

 

For several years now, I’ve had a little banned book library outside my Richmond office. My joint resolution, HJ 440, directs the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the removal of books from Virginia’s public school libraries. 

 

Just as the Commanders have worked hard to improve their standing in the NFL, we are working hard to represent our constituents and uphold our progressive values. While some of our goals may take some time to achieve, we will do what we can to make sure we ultimately come out on top.