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.

Back to School

The end of August is back to school time. For Rachel and I, it’s a particularly poignant back to school season as we are about to be empty nesters as we send our youngest off to Virginia Tech in the coming weeks. Seems like only yesterday I was exploiting their youthful cuteness to get constituents to open their doors as I campaigned for office.  

Parents and caregivers of kids of all ages are getting their kids ready for the new school year, buying supplies, picking out the first day outfit, figuring out the new schedules. There is always a mix of excitement and anxiety as we drop our little ones off into the care of their teachers and administrators, whether it’s for a semester or just until later in the afternoon.  

Sadly, a pressing concern for many parents when we drop our children off at school is their safety from gun violence. Schools, which ought to be sanctuaries of learning and growth, are increasingly seen as places fraught with potential danger. 

In response, many schools have implemented a range of security measures, from metal detectors to armed guards. While these steps can offer a semblance of safety, they are not a substitute for comprehensive legislative action. The conversation around gun violence prevention must evolve beyond reactive measures and focus on proactive, preventative strategies that address the root causes of this crisis. 

Gun Violence Prevention Legislation & the 2024 Session

In 2024 I had the honor to serve as Chair of the House of Delegates Public Safety Committee, and I am proud of the great work we did this past session. On the House side alone, we passed nearly 20 bills that would have made our kids at school and our communities safer. Unfortunately, Governor Youngkin vetoed all of them. 

While some of these bills introduced significant policy changes, others were more administrative, aimed at enhancing efficiency and effectiveness. The House Democratic majority would have mandated that fingerprints be included in concealed carry permit applications, required handgun competency training to include live fire at a shooting range, established a five-day waiting period between the initiation of a background check and the purchase of a firearm and ended blanket concealed carry permit reciprocity with states whose permit requirements do not meet Virginia's standards. 

We passed legislation to ban assault weapons, to ban carrying assault weapons in public spaces, and to prohibit anyone under the age of 21 from purchasing an assault weapon. 

Common sense bills designed to enhance safety requirements for firearm storage met the same fate. My bill required firearms to be stored in a locked container when minors were present. Another bill required the purchase of a firearm locking device in homes where minors live. A third bill prohibited leaving firearms unattended in a motor vehicle.  

To prevent those who shouldn’t have firearms from purchasing or possessing one, we passed bills to establish standards of reasonable conduct for firearm industry members as well as a civil penalty for violation. Intimate partners who were convicted of assault or battery were prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm. Legislation passed to tighten up laws related to transferring a firearm from one individual to another, to require the Virginia State Police to establish a Substantial Risk Order Reporting System to track these orders by locality, and to prohibit anyone from bringing a firearm into a mental health facility. I’ve introduced a bill to ban “ghost guns” for several years now – plastic firearms that do not have a serial number and are untraceable.  Because they are sold as parts, a background check isn’t required.   

The Governor vetoed every one of these bills. His veto explanation for each one was a variation of the same theme - these bills placed an undue burden on gun owners because of the associated expense, because of the time required to lock or unlock a storage device, because of the delayed time from when a purchase was made and the firearm was received, because the legislation went too far, and because it infringed on the Second Amendment. 

As we send our kids back to school, the focus should not only be on academic readiness but also on ensuring their safety. In the 2025 General Assembly Session, we will again have a chance to focus our energy on meaningful action. By advocating for sensible gun laws and investing in preventive measures, we can take significant strides toward a safer, more secure educational environment (and community) for all students.

2024 Crossover Session Update

What a difference a year (and an election) makes.  

This time last year, I used my monthly column to write about how the short 45-day 2023 Session was winding down and how the only significant legislation left to deal with was the state budget. I went on to talk about how the House version of the budget, then crafted by the Republican Majority, fell short in meeting the needs of hardworking Virginians. How it focused on multi-million-dollar corporate tax breaks, putting our critical services in jeopardy. A rather bleak outlook for sure. 

Fast forward to February 2024 and we’re having a very different conversation. 

First, we aren’t nearly done yet. We’ve still got a month left in our long 60-day session. And we’ve got a Democratic Majority in both chambers, which means that not only are the bills we’re passing looking radically different, but the House budget will also look dramatically different when it comes out on February 18th. 

Now that we’ve reached the halfway point, or Crossover, we’ve had a couple of marathon days on the House Floor, ensuring that we get through all the House bills that passed committee so they can get to the Senate for review. 

My Legislative Update 

I’m also happy to report that 16 of my bills have officially passed the House and are headed to the Senate! Here are some highlights: 

It looks like the 3rd time may be a charm for Falls Church City’s charter change request. This year I amended HB 54 on the floor to get in a format that would get bipartisan support and a 97-2 vote. The charter update will allow more Little City residents to participate on local boards and commissions.  

I also got significant bipartisan support for my bill to abolish the common law crime of suicide. The criminal status of suicide stigmatizes those who have passed and escalates the pain family's face following the tragedy of a loved one's death.  

I even got a bipartisan vote on the floor to advance HB 173 which bans these unserialized “ghost guns” and plastic firearm components in the Commonwealth. 

Another firearm safety bill, HB 175 prohibits the carrying of certain (loaded or unloaded) semi-automatic weapons on any public street, public park, or any other place that is open to the public. That passed the House on a strict party line vote, as did another common-sense gun safety bill, HB 183 which requires that firearms be stored in a biometric safe when individuals under the age of 18 are present. 

To avoid fraudulent or duplicative removal petitions for certain public offices, HB 265 states that removal petitions will not be certified when the asserted grounds have been previously filed and dismissed against the same public official. It also requires the signatures collected on a removal petition be collected within 90 days of the first signature being collected.  

A consumer protection bill, HB 418 makes it possible for class action lawsuits to be established in Virginia. Under the bill provisions, the Supreme Court of Virginia is tasked with creating regulations to govern such actions.  

The last bill I introduced, HB 1539, prohibits extraditions of those who travel to Virginia for reproductive health services. It also prohibits the sharing of personal reproductive or sexual health information without the consent of the consumer under the VA Consumer Protection Act. 

Crossover Stats 

During the 2024 session, there were 1,547 House bills introduced and, of these, 734 passed the House and 185 were continued to the 2025 Session. 

Legislation ran the gamut this year, covering topics like retail cannabis, raising the minimum wage, gun safety, abortion access, housing affordability, solar accessibility, tax policy updates, and campaign finance reform - just to name a few. 

To get a little more into the weeds, 253 of the total House bills introduced went through House Courts, 187 went through General Laws, 91 through Public Safety, and 140 through Rules. That’s a grand total of 671 bills that went through my 4 committees – or 43% of the total bills introduced! 

In the Senate, 737 Senate bills were introduced and the 430 that passed will be crossing over to the House. To keep things moving, we’ve started hearing Senate bills in my committees and I’ve already been over to the Senate to present a couple of my bills this week. We’ll continue on this path until the end of session on March 9th.