One Bill's Life - A True Origin Story

Most of what I know about legislating I learned from watching School House Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill” song, where I met an anthropomorphic “Bill” who was hoping to become a law someday. He sang the process to the young boy who found him sitting alone on the steps of the Capitol on Capitol Hill.  

One of the reasons I’ve always loved state level politics and the Virginia General Assembly so much is that, unlike Congress, things still follow a pretty regular and predictable order in Richmond.

In 2025, 13 of my bills grew up to become laws, and they followed the School House Rock process almost exactly, with a few twists and turns thrown in. 

 

One Bill's Life - A True Origin Story

Last September, I met with a constituent who was being sued by the person who had sexually harassed her after she filed a complaint under Title IX and testified during the ensuing investigation. The law professor who was the subject of the complaint was ultimately dismissed from the university for reasons unrelated to this complaint.

He has since filed a defamation lawsuit against her using statements made during the investigation, seeking over $100 million in damages. She believes that the suit is retaliatory and unfounded, designed to inflict extreme economic hardship rather than to win a judgement.

 

Why Virginia is Different

In many states, there are ways to dispose of frivolous lawsuits relatively quickly, and to recover attorney’s fees and have sanctions imposed if the court agrees that the suit was brought for improper purposes.

Virginia has what’s called an Anti-SLAPP statute, (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Policy) but its application is extremely narrow and hard to invoke, making Virginia a “law tourism” destination for people looking to bring these kinds of defamation suits.  

 

Initially, we expanded the scope of the existing law to include immunity for statements made in connection with all official proceedings and added a mandatory award of attorney’s fees and sanctions to deter people from bringing these suits in the first place.

 

Session Semantics

The bill’s first stop after being drafted was in the Civil Law Subcommittee, which I happen to chair. My constituent drove down from Falls Church that morning and had about 10 minutes to testify and explain her particular situation.  

While my fellow legislators were sympathetic, they were concerned with the mandatory award of sanctions, so we made that optional again, advancing the bill with only one NO vote. At full committee, an attorney who frequently worked for those bringing defamation suits surprised us with testimony that he thought the bill, even as trimmed by the subcommittee, went too far. We passed it over his objections on a narrow vote, but when the bill came to the House Floor, where we couldn’t afford to lose any votes, we took out the mandatory attorney’s fees as well.  

So far, things were going just like the cartoon - we went to committee where it was argued and amended, then to the Floor, where it was amended some more, and voted on and passed. The next stop was the State Senate, to start all over again.

In the Senate, I didn’t have the advantage of chairing the committee where the bill would be heard, so I spent a lot of one-on-one time talking with my Senate colleagues. My constituent returned to Richmond to have individual meetings with Senators and their staff, once again sharing her traumatic story with the hope that she could tip the scales.

Some wordsmithing later, the Senate Courts Committee and ultimately the Senate passed the amended version, 39-1. The House accepted the changes and the bill headed to the Governor.  

 

The Bill Passes With a Twist

One Virginia specific twist. While the President can only sign or veto a bill, the Governor can recommend amendments, which he did. His amendment narrowed the scope even further so that it only applies to Title IX processes.  

While it’s not all we were hoping for, our bill makes it clear that someone who is suffering sexual harassment in an academic setting can file a Title IX complaint and feel safe to testify about their experience without living in fear of a 9 figure lawsuit being filed for the purpose of bringing about financial ruin and years of emotional distress. This bill will become law on July 1, 2025.

2024 Sine Die - Right On Time

Today, we've officially gavelled out of the 2024 General Assembly Session! And you won't believe what we've accomplished.

Education

If all we had time for this session had been to pass bills to set us on a path to make sure Virginia teachers are compensated at least at the national average (HB 187), to protect our at-risk students (HB 825), improve student mental health (HB 919 & HB 603), ease the teacher shortage, and to secure our kids future through a world class education, it would have been a great session.

But wait, there’s more.

We also passed bills to protect the rights and freedom of a Virginians, including the right to obtain contraception (HB 609 & HB 819), to keep their health and medical data private (HB 78 & HB 1539), their right to a marriage license regardless of sex, gender or race of the parties (HB 174), the right to vote in free and fair elections (HB 623).

 

Abortion Access

Even if we’d only had time to block efforts to ban all abortions in Virginia with no exceptions (HB 404), that would have been a great session. But we did all that AND we built an economy that works for Hardworking Virginia families.

 

Economic Justice

We raised the minimum wage (HB 1), removed Jim Crow era exceptions to the minimum wage (HB 157). We established a prescription drug affordability board (HB 570) so Virginians don’t have to choose between paying for essentials like rent and groceries so they can buy their medicines.

 

Gun Violence Prevention

We also had time to pass important bills to protect victims of domestic violence from deadly gun violence (HB 46 & HB 362), to ban weapons of war from Virginia’s streets and neighborhoods (HB 2 & HB 175), to ban dangerous devices that can convert an ordinary firearm into a virtual automatic weapon (HB 22), and to ban the ghost guns (HB 173).

 

A Compromise Budget

In the last few days of session, we only had a handful of outstanding conference reports yet to be signed, and, for the first time in at least 3 years, a completed budget conference report sitting on our desks. Right. On. Time.

A budget that makes important investments in our infrastructure, in our teachers, in our public employees. It directs the Governor to reenter the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), to invest $149.5 million transportation improvements and WMATA, includes  $100 million for the Community Flood Preparedness Fund, $400 million to meet Chesapeake Bay improvement goals, and $25 million for Coastal Risk Storm Management Projects.

We’ve delivered on our promises to Virginians and we got it all done right in time.

 

Now, it’s up to the Governor. He’s on the clock – will he sign these bills and make sure Virginians get the education, the freedoms, the economic opportunities and the environment they want and deserve? Only time will tell.

What A Virginia GOP Majority Looks Like

This is my last column before the November 7^th general election, where all 140 members of the General Assembly are on the ballot across Virginia. In 2019, I used this column to try to help readers imagine how much better Virginia could be if we managed to take control of both the House and Senate with a Democratic Governor already two years into his term. 

A year later, I used this column to reflect on how much of what I’d predicted had come to pass.

We’d passed seven common sense gun violence prevention bills, expanded voter access to the polls, instituted meaningful criminal justice reform, repealed the death penalty, expanded anti-discrimination laws, passed the Equal Rights Amendment, and continued the minimum wage increase.

Although we lost our House majority by less than 300 total votes in 2021, with the Democrats holding the State Senate, the GOP failed in their efforts to roll back or repeal most of these laws over the last two years, but not for a lack of trying.

We know what can happen if we have the majority.

In 2023, this column is about what happens if the Virginia GOP takes control of the Senate and the House in addition to the top three state-wide offices.

Let's Travel to the 2024 Session

I can tell you it won’t be pretty. Everything that the Republicans have failed to do legislatively, they will do. There will be nothing to stop them.

The Governor has already said repeatedly that he will “gleefully” sign any abortion restriction bill that reaches his desk. I know Halloween is right around the corner, but don’t be tricked by the Governor’s efforts to mask his true intentions. Given the opportunity, the Virginia GOP would pass legislation banning abortion.

This is in spite of the fact that a recently released poll from Christopher Newport University found that more than 70% of Virginians think our abortion laws should stay the same or become less restrictive than they are now.

Speaking of masquerading as something you aren’t, we’ve watching the Governor funding a PR campaign to encourage Republican voters to set aside their concerns about early voting. At the same time, the Virginia House GOP passed bills that would have all but eliminated early voting, reduced the number of early voting days, banned ballot drop boxes, and require even more aggressive purging of voter rolls. They will certainly never pass a Constitutional Amendment on the Right to Vote and restoration of rights will become even less of a priority.

And all the budget surpluses accumulated under Democratic leadership? Look for sweeping corporate tax cuts. Every economic advantage that the Governor wanted for big corporations in the recent state budget, Republicans will push for at the expense of individual taxpayers.

Criminal justice reform and gun violence prevention programs will take a hard hit. They’ll put a stop to any true reform like earned sentence credits. Getting a concealed carry permit will get even easier as will purchasing any kind of firearm. Plus, you’ll see the end of “gun free” zones as firearms will be permitted anywhere.

While it’s possible they won’t come outright with a banned book list, they will institute tighter control over what our public schools and public libraries have access to, and what our kids can read.

And that’s not the only aspect of our kids’ education that will come under attack. We saw their response to COVID-19 protocols. There is already a teacher shortage and Republicans seeming distrust of teachers will only make this worse.

You should expect to see weakening of protections for the LGBTQ+ community from discrimination at schools or in employment under the guise of so-called “religious freedom” exceptions.

The Governor’s withdrawing from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) will have only been the first step in their plan to reduce environmental protections and to continue to deny the extent or even the existence of climate change.

Public employees will likely lose their right to form unions and collectively bargain for better pay and working conditions.

Frankly, I’d rather not find out if these predictions come true. And I’d rather not be writing a March column that points to all the bad bills the Republicans passed during the 2024 Session that the Governor will gleefully sign into law.

This election is so important, and we owe it to ourselves, to those we love, and to our community to ensure that Virginia remains an inclusive place to live, work, and raise a family.

What a difference a year makes

Last August, I made some pretty big predictions about what a majority Democratic General Assembly would look like, specifically what kinds of legislation we’d pass. Here is an annotated version of what I wrote last year. Here we go!

Come with me, to July 1, 2020, in a world where control of the General Assembly has flipped…

One of our first orders of business when we returned to Richmond for the 2020 Session was to pass common sense reforms related to gun purchases and ownership. Beginning July 1, every firearms transaction in the Commonwealth is subject to a background check available on a website operated by the Virginia State Police. Falls Church City and Fairfax County owned buildings are not only tobacco free, but local governments have voted to make them gun free zones as well. We passed 7 common sense gun violence prevention bills this year, requiring universal background checks for all gun sales (HB 2), reinstating one handgun purchase per month limit (HB 812), requiring proof of competency to obtain a concealed carry permit, requiring individuals to report stolen firearms (HB 9), creating extreme risk protective orders (HB 674), allowing local governments the authority to ban guns in public spaces (HB 421), limiting children’s access to firearms (HB 1083), and prohibiting gun possession for those subject to a protective order (HB 1004).

Voting in the upcoming 2020 election is expected to break records for voter participation, not just because it’s a presidential election year, but because Virginia residents are now automatically registered to vote when they go to re-register their cars, apply for government benefits, or have any other interaction with state government. For those who aren’t automatically registered on Election Day, they will be able to register on the spot, and voting will begin early for anyone who wishes to cast a ballot, no reason need be provided. We’ve made Election Day a state holiday in Virginia (HB 108). And we’ve passed legislation to allow for no-excuse absentee voting (HB 1), same day voter registration (HB 187), and automatic voter registration (HB 235). Localities will even be able to use ranked choice voting for local elections if they choose (HB 1103).

Virginia is now part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and is committed to reducing our emissions while funding renewable energy programs and promoting green jobs. Expect to see rooftop solar panels dotting the landscape as the General Assembly removed regulatory barriers and added financial incentives for residential and community solar installation. We repealed the provision preventing us from joining RGGI and passed a series of bills (like HB 912) aimed at increasing our use of solar and wind energy. The Virginia Clean Energy Act (HB 1526) made it through as well. A comprehensive environment and energy bill, it will not only eliminate harmful carbon emissions by 2050 through strategic investments in solar and wind energy, but also require utility companies to significantly increase investment in energy efficiency programs and low-income communities.

Many Virginians will begin to see a more money in their paychecks each week as we begin the first step in a gradual increase in the minimum wage, which is on its way to $15 an hour. Those struggling with crippling student loan debt have new options to consolidate and refinance their loans, and those who suspect they’ve been overpaying can complain to the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions which now has oversight authority. A major compromise bill to raise the minimum wage (HB 395) made it through both houses, providing for a gradual increase to $15 over the next few years. And my bill (HB 10) to require student loan servicers to register with the SCC and establish a Student Borrower’s Bill of Rights finally passed as well.

Simple possession of Marijuana is no longer a criminal offense, but it is illegal to discriminate in housing and employment based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Not only did we decriminalize marijuana (HB 972), but we also passed a series of anti-discrimination bills. HB 6 prohibits discriminatory housing practices based on income. HB 827 prohibits discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions and HB 1514 prohibits racial discrimination related to hair texture, type, and styles. Lastly, SB 868 is an omnibus anti-discrimination bill, which explicitly creates causes of action for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations and employment in the Virginia Human Rights Act.

Virginia passed the Equal Rights Amendment, becoming the last state needed to add it to the US Constitution. HJ 1 was the first big piece of legislation that we passed this session.

We firmly established that the government has no business interfering in women’s healthcare and reproductive rights. HB 980 repeals the medically unnecessary ultrasound requirement and 24-hour mandated delay, effectively removing political interference between a woman and her medical provider and restores women's reproductive freedoms.

Well, look at that. In August 2019, that’s the column I hoped I’d get to write. I also did an Inside Scoop interview in December 2019, where I outlined these priorities. And here we are in March 2020. So, how’d we do?

Show me your budget

Last month I devoted my column to bills that the Virginia General Assembly could pass to improve life for our residents and make Virginia a better, more affordable place to work, live and safely raise a family. Passing new laws are an important part of what we do. The most important bill we consider, and the one to which the most time and resources are devoted is the State Budget.

The Commonwealth of Virginia operates on a biennial budget proposed by the Governor and adopted by the General Assembly every other year during our “long” 60-day session.  Since our Governors are term-limited to a single 4-year stint, they are generally sworn in a day after their predecessor introduces a new State Budget.

This January, though, the Governor will have his one and only opportunity to introduce his own budget, developed with the input of his staff members, agency heads and the Cabinet Members he appointed at the beginning of his term.  He’ll also be able to shepherd it through the legislative process while he continues to have the leverage of his Veto pen in hand.

This is the opportunity the Governor has to craft a budget that is a statement of his values and priorities, hopefully with the support of a like-minded General Assembly.

This is an opportunity for the Governor to invest in Higher Education, Transportation Infrastructure, Affordable Housing and other important priorities.

One area of the budget that doesn’t get as much attention is one where a relatively modest increase in funding could do immeasurable good for one of my priority issues, Criminal Justice Reform.

Earlier this month, I met with local Public Defenders and officials from the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission.  During the meeting, they told me the most impactful criminal justice reform the General Assembly could take in the upcoming session is to adequately fund indigent defense in Virginia.

The Virginia Indigent Defense Commission (VIDC) is the state agency tasked with protecting the most vulnerable members of our community, those accused of a criminal offense and who are unable to afford counsel.

The VIDC operates 25 Public Defender (PD) offices across the Commonwealth in furtherance of their mission to protect and defend “the rights and dignity of their clients through zealous, compassionate, high-quality legal advocacy.” Each office has a Chief Public Defender, a Deputy Public Defender, and Assistant Public Defenders. The number of Assistant Public Defenders depends on the size of the jurisdiction.

Despite much higher attorney workloads as a result of an increase in the number and needs of seriously mentally ill clients, greater travel due to the increased use of remote regional detention centers, and voluminous (often electronic or forensic) evidence, including body worn cameras (BWC), the General Assembly has not authorized any new attorney positions for these public defender offices in over a decade.

The Brennan Center for Justice recently released a report documenting the impact of underfunding indigent defense on the criminal justice system including mass incarceration that noted “the fiscal cost of indigent defense reform is not nearly as high when one accounts for the savings it can bring. Issues exacerbated by defender resource disparity - pretrial incarceration, overly long sentences, wrongful convictions - are extremely expensive.”

Of course, these issues affect prosecutors’ offices as well.  The difference is, we’ve been increasing attorney staffing in the Commonwealth Attorney’s office substantially over the last ten years. As a result, it’s not uncommon for a local Public Defender Office to have half the number attorneys as the local prosecutor. Just since 2016, there have been ten new prosecutor positions added in Fairfax County to address the issues described above. Again, no new attorney positions in Public Defender offices.

This disparity is another driver of increases in workload for Public Defenders, as many of those new prosecutor positions come with the expectation that there will be increased prosecution of a particular type of case or area.

Increasing funding for indigent defense will improve outcomes for the wrongfully accused, those suffering from mental illness, and for offenders working to re-enter society and return to their communities as productive and contributing citizens. This enhances public safety for everyone, while reducing so many of the ill effects of mass incarceration.

To that end, I look forward to receiving the Governor’s budget this winter and working with him to enhance the quality of life for all Virginians.

What if Democrats controlled the GA?

Earlier this month I wrote a news story for the FCNP about some of the new laws that went into effect on July 1, 2019 across the Commonwealth of Virginia, on topics ranging from public safety to transportation, health care and the environment, to education and taxation.

Writing that story go me thinking- great, now restaurants can advertise Happy Hour specials including discounted drink prices, and sure some new funding is available for amateur bee-keepers, which is nice. But imagine what next year’s July 1 new law story could be if progressive Democrats control both chambers in the General Assembly for the first time since…maybe ever.

I mean, we just need to pick up two more seats in each chamber. So, let’s indulge in a little bit of time travel. Come with me, to July 1, 2020, in a world where control of the General Assembly has flipped…

One of our first orders of business when we returned to Richmond for the 2020 Session was to pass common sense reforms related to gun purchases and ownership. Beginning July 1, every firearms transaction in the Commonwealth is subject to a background check available on a website operated by the Virginia State Police. Falls Church City and Fairfax County owned buildings are not only tobacco free, but local governments have voted to make them gun free zones as well. It’s no longer legal to buy bump stocks and assault weapons in Virginia.

Voting in the upcoming 2020 election is expected to break records for voter participation, not just because it’s a presidential election year, but because Virginia residents are now automatically registered to vote when they go to re-register their cars, apply for government benefits, or have any other interaction with state government. For those who aren’t automatically registered on Election Day, they will be able to register on the spot, and voting will begin early for anyone who wishes to cast a ballot, no reason need be provided.

Virginia is now part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and is committed to reducing our emissions while funding renewable energy programs and promoting green jobs. Expect to see rooftop solar panels dotting the landscape as the General Assembly removed regulatory barriers and added financial incentives for residential and community solar installation.

Many Virginians will begin to see a more money in their paychecks each week as we begin the first step in a gradual increase in the minimum wage, which is on its way to $15 an hour. Those struggling with crippling student loan debt have new options to consolidate and refinance their loans, and those who suspect they’ve been overpaying can complain to the Virginia Bureau of Financial Institutions which now has oversight authority and will be enforcing a Student Borrower Bill of Rights in Virginia.

Simple possession of Marijuana is no longer a criminal offense, but it is illegal to discriminate in housing and employment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Virginia passed the Equal Rights Amendment, becoming the last state needed to add it to the US Constitution.

We firmly established that the government has no business interfering in women’s healthcare and reproductive rights.

Political candidates can no longer use campaign funds for personal use – the highlight of several meaningful campaign finance reforms we passed earlier this year to limit the influence of money in politics that will impact the next state election cycle. Many localities will launch pilot programs to provide public financing to campaigns that pledge to forego corporate contributions and accept caps on the amount any individual can donate.

And tolling hours on I-66 are restored to the original HOV hours and a whole slate of new transportation improvements are in the works as we’ve made the decision to prioritize funding these projects with gas tax revenues.

That’s the column I’d like to write in 2020.

Although I don’t have an opponent on the ballot in the 53rd district this year, I’ll be spending as much time as possible between now and November working to make sure we elect candidates around the state who share that vision.

What new headlines would you like to see in 2020?

A rise in hate crimes

Over the last two weeks we’ve seen the best and worst of our Falls Church and Fairfax community. The worst in the ugly, vile painting of 19 swastikas on the Jewish Community Center on Little River Turnpike. And the best in the overwhelmingly positive and supportive response to that incident from the community at large.

Sunday night I had the pleasure of attending a CommUNITY event at the JCC and was moved by the outpouring of support from leaders of other faith communities, statewide elected officials, county leaders from both parties, and community members.

The week prior, upon seeing images of swastikas spray painted on the walls and windows of the Center, I did what so many of us reflexively do when we are moved to speak out, I typed out a Facebook post on my smartphone. In addition to sharing a picture of the graffiti with words of condemnation, I also observed that the President had recently been accused of repeating anti-Semitic tropes about global Jewish financiers, and that the number of anti-Semitic incidents of violence and vandalism had increased substantially since his election.

I also said then, and I repeat it now, that we don’t know who painted these 19 swastikas or why. Nevertheless, sharing those observations in my post apparently hit a nerve with a number of people including many of my own constituents who support the President. They resented any implication that they were somehow responsible for the acts of a still-unknown bad actor, whose motives can currently only be guessed at.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which has catalogued anti-Semitic incidents since 1979, reports that anti-Semitic activity increased 34% in 2016 and by 86% in the first quarter of 2017. Before 2016, the number of incidences had been in decline.

Here in Virginia, there were 6 incidents of anti-Semitism in 2016. By the end of 2017, there had been 34.

Let me be clear. I don’t believe that support for the President makes you anti-Semitic. Nor do I believe the President himself is an anti-Semite. He does, however, have a troubling history of managing to appear to encourage those with extreme views.

Does he do it by design, or is this just part of his aversion to appearing to be “politically correct?” Does it matter?

Let me say it again. I don’t know who vandalized the JCC last Saturday and I don’t know why.

Here is what I do know.

When people watch a man mock a reporter with disabilities on stage; when they listen to him describe whole nationalities as primarily rapists and murderers – with some good people; when whole countries are described as s**tholes; when he calls women dogs, and horse-faced; when you support a leader who differentiates himself from other politicians with an unprecedented, unembarrassed willingness to demonize “the other” and stoke fear and sow division for his own political gain, you don’t get to pretend that the rise in acts of hate - against Jews, Muslims, LGBT friendly congregations, and others - has nothing to do with the poisonous environment those words and acts create.

When you build your coalition by pitting people against one another, by framing your world view as “us” being victimized by “them” - be it in trade, in job creation, or in allocation of government resources - when you frame every argument as a struggle where some are winners and the rest are losers, it’s easy to lose control of who gets to wear which label.

So, what do we do?

Elected officials at every level of government, Democrats and Republicans must continue to swiftly and forcefully condemn these criminal acts of vandalism. We also must not remain silent, or reward those who engage in campaigns to categorize and then divide us – to cast some members of our community as outsiders who don’t belong here. Be they anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, homophobic, or xenophobic, we can drown out these hateful words and deeds with messages of love and welcoming.

It was great to hear the unanimous voices of support at the JCC this past weekend, clapping and singing together. I think everyone enjoyed listening to Christians, Jews and Muslims, parents and children, Democrats and Republicans, all singing Bob Marley songs together, then tracing our hands and cutting construction paper as part of a collective art project. Symbols of love to obliterate those symbols of hate that had been painted days before.

It really was great and inspiration evening, and yet, as so many of the speaker’s said - we really have to stop meeting like this.

Bound to get together

We were victims of the night
The chemical, physical, kryptonite
Helpless to the bass and the fading light
Oh we were bound to get together Bound to get together
 
~Walk the Moon, "Shut Up and Dance"

After last week's e-newsletter about what we can do about gun violence prevention, I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about other bipartisan efforts I've worked on. With Election Day only a month away, it's important that we look ahead.

So, starting this week and going until the election on November 7th, I'll be devoting my almost weekly e-newsletter to reminding you about some of the things I've been up to for the last four years and what I've planned for the next two - should I be re-elected.

Bound to Work Together

My original campaign slogan was "Working Harder, Working Together." I'd like to think that I've delivered on both of those campaign promises during my first two terms as Delegate.

Each Session, there are about 3,000 bills and resolutions that are introduced to be considered during our 45 or 60 day sessions. Starting with the 2014 Session, I have co-patroned 622 pieces of legislation, 422 of which were passed by both the House and the Senate.

In 2014, I introduced HB 49, which prohibited the sharing or selling of pictures of another person without their consent. During the legislative process, my bill was incorporated into HB 326, introduced by a more senior Republican who happened to be the chair of subcommittee that would have to advance the bill. We continued to work together on it as it moved through the committee process. Eventually, the bill made it to the full House for a vote where it passed 99 to 1, then passed the Senate, and was signed into law by the Governor.

In 2015, I had three Republicans co-patron my fair housing legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

In 2016, I worked with three prominent Republicans as chief co-patrons on bills we shared. I worked with a now GOP Congressman on our fair housing bill - a version which passed the Senate in bi-partisan fashion in both 2016 and 2017. With a few pick-ups this November, I'm confident it will pass the House as well in 2018.

I worked with a former GOP Lt. Governor candidate as chief co-patron of our bill to allow students to refinance their federal student loans. That bill was carried over for study by SCHEV and continues to enjoy broad bi-partisan support as we continue to work out the mechanics and details of how to administer and fund the program.

I even chief co-patroned with the House Majority Whip on a bill that made Virginia the first state in the country to pass legislation to regulate Daily Fantasy Sports websites. Working for Us

In this age where much of politics has gotten so tribal, it's not always easy to work across party lines. I've deliberately left the names of my colleagues out of this to try to minimize any grief they may get from their own political base during an election year.

Sometimes working for us means standing strong and playing defense against legislation that is harmful to our shared vision for Virginia. And sometimes it means working with folks who you don't often have much in common with to get things through a legislature where you are outnumbered 2 to 1.

I'm working hard to make sure that your voices are heard in Richmond.

Hate has no place here

The Simon family is on our annual beach vacation this week.

Before I left for vacation, I had my Falls Church News-Press column all ready to go: a back to school column on education issues, student debt and Fairfax County’s school board special election on August 29 (absentee voting is underway, and don’t forget to vote Tuesday after next!).

Every year since I started my own business, we’ve rented a house in Rehoboth or Lewes Delaware, because it’s the beach closest to home. Midweek or middle of the night I can usually make the trip in about two hours forty minutes. As a small business owner, I needed to be able to buzz back to Falls Church on short notice to deal with an emergency, or to handle a case for a really important client.

The business has grown since then, to the point that I can take a week off without interruption. I have very capable partners and associates who can handle just about anything, and the phone in my pocket is more powerful than the laptop I used to tote around back then. Legislative work is rarely an emergency this time of year, so I don’t worry about it too much.

Then Saturday came. On the drive east I couldn’t tear myself away from my Twitter feed. It was full of news and images from Charlottesville. (I had Rachel drive.)

The first clue that this would be no ordinary demonstration came Friday night, when a group of tiki torch-bearing marchers paraded through the university town chanting white supremacist slogans.

On Saturday, a coalition of neo-Nazi white supremacists and neo-confederates gathered in Charlottesville under the guise of a “Unite the Right” rally, ostensibly organized to protest the potential removal of a confederate monument. Counter demonstrations were also planned.

By now you’ve probably all read the news accounts of the violent clashes that seemed to continue to escalate all morning, until a white supremacist from Ohio drove his car through a crowd of counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer and injuring 19 others. Virginia State Police Lieutenant H. Jay Cullen and Trooper-Pilot Berke M.M. Bates also died when their helicopter crashed while they were attempting to monitor the rallies from the air.

I was glad to see Virginia Republican leaders, unlike the President, have condemned the overt displays of racism and white supremacy on display in Charlottesville last weekend. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. These demonstrators obviously got the idea somewhere that such displays are now acceptable. They feel comfortable enough to chant “Jews will not replace us” unmasked in front of video cameras.

It is time that the same leaders who denounced the waving of Nazi swastika flags recognize the racism inherent in many of the policies and proposals we’ve seen during the first months of the Trump administration. Policies we’ve seen advocated for in Virginia for years before that.

The president’s Muslim travel ban. Proposals to monitor and track immigrants who settle in Virginia. Virginia’s voter suppression laws (passed under the guise of voter fraud prevention) that disproportionately disenfranchise communities of color. Redistricting bills that courts have found were drawn to deliberately limit African Americans’ voice in Congress and the state legislature.

In the past few days, I have received over 1,000 emails from every corner of Virginia, unequivocally condemning these hateful acts and calling for legislation to track hate crimes and a state task force designed to promote policies welcoming everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital status or citizenship. I know my Republican colleagues are getting the same emails. I hope they are listening.

Since my very first session, I’ve introduced or sponsored legislation to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, to promote fair housing, uphold marriage equality, and prohibit discrimination based on religious beliefs. To make voting easier for everyone. To reform Virginia’s criminal justice system to end practices that resulted in the labeling of one in four African American men in Virginia felons depriving them of their civil rights.

These are the issues I am passionate about because it is the right thing to do and because I believe these are the issues that you, my constituents, want me to be passionate about. As your Delegate I’ll continue to work for what’s right, to work for you, to work for all of us.

2017 Session - Week 6

You say yes, I say no
You say stop and I say go go go, oh no
You say goodbye and I say hello
Hello hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello
Hello hello
I don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello 

~The Beatles, "Hello, Goodbye"


Hello. This is the last week of the 2017 session of the Virginia General Assembly - so this will be the last of my weekly updates. I'll send out a session wrap up next week, though, so stay tuned for that.

Legislative Priorities

Who do you think is in greater need of consumer protection - 17, 18 and 19 year-olds taking out loans for what will almost certainly be the most significant investment of their lives to that point, or middle aged dads who forget their family vacation is scheduled for the same week as the Iron Maiden reunion concert?

If you said the dads - you'd fit right in here in Richmond.

My effort, working with Governor McAuliffe and Senator Janet Howell, to create a student borrower bill of rights and license student loan servicers (SB 1053) died on a party line vote in committee last week, despite passing the Senate with broad bipartisan support.

Meanwhile, Delegate Dave Albo's bill (HB 1825) to guarantee a right to resell tickets, which I happened to support, passed the Senate, even while Delegate Albo admitted that the restrictions on resale were actually disclosed in the fine print when he purchased his tickets. Again, I supported this bill and think many of us will benefit when it becomes law, but I don't understand why Republicans in the House of Delegates found these transactions more worthy of consumer protection than student loan transactions.

Similarly, during the same week that a bill to make it legal to discriminate against same sex couples (HB 2025) passed the House and the Senate, the bill Senator Jennifer Wexton and I introduced to add fair housing protections for same sex couples (SB 822) was defeated in the House General Laws Committee. The committee vote was on party lines after passing the Senate with bipartisan support. This has happened for the second year in a row.

So, instead of establishing consumer protections for student loan borrowers, which there is a clear need for as demonstrated by the current federal lawsuit against Navient, we made it easier to purchase scalped tickets.

Instead of expanding our fair housing statute to include non-discrimination against the LGBTQ community, we legalized discrimination.

While I am confident that the Governor will veto HB 2025, these bills highlight just how out of touch the House Republican Majority is with the problems facing ordinary Virginians.