What took place in the 2022 Session of the Virginia General Assembly and how it will affect all of us
While we are still waiting to finalize the Commonwealth's budget and some key pieces of legislation, I would also like to take a moment to share some accomplishments of our restored Republican majority in the House of Delegates.
| We came to Richmond with a clear mandate from Virginians fed up with being over-regulated, overtaxed, and held back from dealing with our most urgent challenges by hyper-partisanship. During this legislative session, I worked with all who were willing to deliver what my constituents asked for. |
| Meanwhile, Democrats have insisted on the status quo and openly bragged about blocking legislation that Virginians want and need. First, we reinforced the fact that parents are the ones who should be making decisions about their child's health and education, working with Governor Youngkin to make sure parents got to decide if their child wears a mask to school. We also passed legislation that once again requires assaults on school property are reported, and a bill to provide parental notification and alternative materials to sexually explicit instructional materials. In our budget, Republicans in the House voted to provide real economic relief to families by eliminating the grocery tax and providing a $300/individual and $600/joint-filer tax rebate, as well as doubling the standard deduction. Senate Democrats are trying to hold this up, delaying much needed relief. The House version of the budget also provides significant pay increases for our teachers and law enforcement personnel that will help recruit and train the best candidates. The Republican Majority in the House of Delegates was also able to defeat numerous dangerous proposals put forth by Democrats - including legislation that would further inhibit your 2nd Amendment rights and raise your taxes. While we worked hard to roll back fraud-prone election policies, legislation that demonized our law enforcement officers, laws that drive up the cost of living, and much more, too often we were blocked by Democrats who still control the Senate and seem focused more on partisan politics than the needs of Virginians. While holding a slim Republican majority in the House, we have begun the work of getting Virginia back on the right track. After eight years under Governors McAuliffe and Northam, my first session with a Republican governor was a very nice change, as the administration sent representatives to speak in favor of good legislation. Two of my bills were signed by the Governor, while five others made it out of the House only to be killed by the Senate in Democrat-dominated committees. Another eleven other of my bills were incorporated into similar or identical legislation by other Republican Delegates; four were signed by the Governor, while seven were killed in the Senate. Senate Democrats defeated efforts to reverse the last two years of their extreme policy shifts. The bright side is that the future will always afford opportunities to reform laws to best serve those affected. We've prepared a more detailed Session Letter on my legislation and some other bills you might find interesting, including those related to school choice, on my website here. Many good bills will require more effort in the future, so rest assured, we will stay the course. While the legislative session is completed, my work as a legislator is not. I continue to work on local issues, resolve constituent concerns with state agencies, and meet with constituents around the district. I am grateful for the trust you have placed in me to be a voice for our district. As always, if I or my staff can do anything to assist you, please don't hesitate to reach out. REDISTRICTING AND FUTURE POLITICAL PLANS As you may know, new legislative and congressional districts were finalized in late December. As expected, the area I currently serve has been divided into multiple new Delegate districts. The Loudoun folks I represent currently are mostly in the new HD-30 (except Greenway and Heritage precincts in the new HD-29). All of Clarke County is in the new HD-31, while my current constituents in Frederick County are in the new HD-32. To further complicate matters, while I was elected to a two-year term serving the old HD-33 last November, a currently-pending federal lawsuit is trying to force all 100 delegate seats to run for re-election in the new districts this fall. All that to say, while some candidates are already campaigning for the Delegate and Senate seats for the Nov. 2023 election, I am prayerfully keeping my options open. CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS Likewise, redistricting has split my constituents into two Congressional Districts - Loudoun stays in the new 10th District, while Clarke and Frederick moved to the new 6th District. |
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