August 27th Newsletter
Although the “back to school” ads for school supplies and the like seemed to start appearing even before the former school year was over, we actually are approaching the beginning of school. The Henrico County Public Schools have done an excellent job of preparing for the new school year, making the learning environment as safe and accommodating as possible for our students. That has been no easy task during the ongoing pandemic and as we deal with the significant impacts of the Delta variant.
Speaking of schools, I am very gratified to report that Virginia set a record for enrolling children in early education programs for the 2021-2022 school year. As I describe below, I joined Governor Northam and the First Lady recently in announcing this great news for the Commonwealth. I am particularly pleased to share that Virginia has significantly increased the number of at-risk three and four-year-olds attending pre-school. It is critical that we continue to enable these young students to begin their education at these early ages. I intend to continue to champion early childhood education funding as we move into the budget planning process and the 2022 legislative session.
If you have any questions or need assistance with a state agency, please contact my office at delrwillett@house.virginia.gov or phone at 804-698-1073, and a member of my staff will be happy to assist you. I also will continue to keep you informed with relevant, accurate information via Twitter, Facebook, and my website. Please stay well and stay in touch.
Sincerely,
Rodney
New Information
Historic Enrollment in Early Childhood Education Programs 2021-2022 School Year
I was honored to join Governor Northam and the First Lady last week at the Children’s Museum of Richmond to announce the historic number of Virginia children enrolled in early childhood education programs for the 2021-2022 school year. The Virginia Preschool Initiative and Mixed Delivery Preschool Grant Program, the Commonwealth’s two largest state-funded preschool programs, anticipate serving more than 25,000 three and four-year-olds this fall.
This historic enrollment is made possible through increased funding for our early childhood education programs. The General Assembly authorized $151.6 million to Virginia Preschool Initiative and Mixed Delivery in fiscal year 2022, a $60.9 million increase from the previous school year and more than twice the investment made in fiscal year 2018. Additionally, federally funded early childhood programs are also now open to more families in Virginia than ever before. During the 2021 legislative session, I was proud to work with Speaker Filler-Corn to pass HB2206, which provides temporary eligibility for Virginia’s Child Care Subsidy Program for families earning up to 85 percent of the state median income with young children. The program is already serving more than 20,000 children, and the Governor recently extended the temporary eligibility period until the end of this year. If you need assistance covering the cost of childcare, please apply for this program online at childcareva.com.
Expanding access to early childhood education is an issue that I ran on in 2019 and is always a top priority for my office. I am thrilled that the investment we have made will benefit thousands of Virginia children and families for years to come. Poverty and a lack of access to quality early learning experiences can negatively impact a child’s early brain development and affect their long-term success. These programs are crucial to closing the achievement gap and making our public schools more equitable for all Virginia students.
Governor’s Annual Revenue Remarks - Historic $2.6 Billion Surplus, Record Reserve Funding
As a member of the House Finance Committee, I joined my colleagues for a joint meeting of the Senate Finance and Appropriations, House Appropriations, and House Finance Committees where Governor Northam provided his annual remarks on the Commonwealth’s revenues. The Governor highlighted the Commonwealth’s historic $2.6 billion surplus in fiscal year 2021 and reported that all major general fund revenues exceeded their forecast. You can read the full remarks from the Governor online here.
The revenue surplus is a sign of a quickly rebounding economy, and would not be possible without fiscally responsible stewardship of relief funding and a robust public health and vaccination campaign. While there is much to celebrate in this report, many Virginians, particularly small business owners and individuals who have become unemployed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to struggle. Our investments in rent and mortgage relief, small business support, utility assistance, and child care assistance have been crucial to helping Virginia weather economic disruptions from the pandemic, but we still have work to do towards realizing a full and equitable economic recovery.
I am hopeful that our recent investments from the American Rescue Plan, including $250 million to Rebuild VA, $862 million to replenish the Unemployment Trust Fund to prevent tax increases for small businesses, $700 million for broadband, and funding for our public education system will help support our ongoing recovery. You can see more information on our economic recovery and revenue surplus in Secretary Flores’ presentation to the Joint Money Committees online here.
COVID-19 in Henrico County, Pfizer FDA Approval, and Vaccine Opportunities
The spread of the Delta variant has led to a significant increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Henrico County. Last Saturday, August 21st, the county reported 143 new COVID-19 infections — the highest daily case number in over 180 days. There have been 4 deaths, 7 hospitalizations, and an average of 34 new cases per day over the past week. Due to the rising number of cases the Richmond and Henrico Health Department (RHHD) has recommended that all individuals wear a mask in indoor and outdoor public spaces regardless of vaccine status.
The best way to protect yourself and our community from the spread of COVID-19 is to get vaccinated. According to the Virginia Department of Health, unvaccinated Virginians were 17.6 times more likely to die from the coronavirus than fully vaccinated residents between Jan. 17 and Aug. 14. Fortunately this week the FDA granted full licensure to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for individuals ages 16 years and older. This action comes after rigorous review and study by scientists and other researchers at the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The vaccine will continue to be available under emergency use authorization (EUA) for individuals 12 to 15 years of age and for the administration of a third dose in immunocompromised individuals.
Earlier this month, Virginia Vaccine Coordinator Dr. Danny Avula, announced that children ages 5 to 11 could be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine as early as September. This is tremendous news for the health of our children, as the American Academy of Pediatrics released a new report this week reporting that over 180,000 new cases of COVID-19 were reported for the week ending August 19th. This is a drastic increase from previous weeks, as total case numbers for children in the week ending on July 22nd were just 38,000.
If you have not been vaccinated, please sign up online at vaccinate.virginia.gov. You can also call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA 7 days a week from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm to speak with a representative who can provide you with more information on the vaccine and immunization locations. You can also visit one of several walk-up vaccination events hosted by the Richmond and Henrico Health Department. See the graphic below for dates and locations.
Virginia Unemployment Rate Dropping - Outpacing National Recovery
Governor Northam announced that Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent in July, which is 3.7 percentage points below the rate from one year ago. Virginia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continues to be below the national rate of 5.4 percent. The decline in our unemployment rate and increased payroll employment are signs of a rebounding economy and strong job market. The administration is confident that Virginia workers will continue to re-enter the workforce and that these positive trends will continue in the coming months.
In July, the private sector recorded an over-the-year gain of 134,100 jobs, while employment in the public sector gained 9,700 jobs. Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 2,300 jobs over the month. Compared to a year ago, on a seasonally adjusted basis, ten of the eleven major industry divisions experienced employment gains. The largest over-the-year job increase occurred in leisure and hospitality with 46,000 new jobs, a 15.5 percent increase. The next largest over-the-year job increase occurred in professional and business services with 30,000 new jobs, a 4.0 percent increase. Trade, transportation, and utilities experienced the third-largest over-the-year job increase of 27,300 jobs, a 4.3 percent increase. See a more in-depth breakdown of the Commonwealth’s employment trends online here.
Federal Unemployment Benefits to End September 4
COVID-19 related federal unemployment programs, such as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), will end on Saturday, September 4, 2021. These programs were created by the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan to supplement state unemployment insurance as unemployment soared from 3.5% to 14.8% in April of 2020, and millions of Americans were suddenly out of work. Since the beginning of these programs, the VEC has issued over $14 billion in benefits, providing an unprecedented amount of economic support to Virginians during the pandemic.
The VEC will process and pay benefits to eligible claimants for all weeks of unemployment ending on or before the date of termination in accordance with guidance from the United States Department of Labor. If a claimant is entitled to benefits and the claim is found to be valid after that date through a subsequent determination or appeal, the claimant will be paid those funds, even after the federal programs have ended.
The following federal unemployment programs will end on September 4th:
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), which provides an additional $300 weekly payment for any claimant who is eligible for at least $1 of an underlying unemployment compensation program.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides benefits for claimants who are unemployed as a direct result of COVID-19 and not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or PEUC, including those who are self-employed or are gig workers.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides an extension of benefits after a claimant has exhausted regular unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC), which provides an additional $100 weekly payment to certain claimants who have at least $5,000 in self-employment income in the most recent taxable year, prior to their application for regular unemployment compensation.
You can see more information on the end of these programs online here. If you have a question or concern related to your unemployment claim, please do not hesitate to contact my office at DelRWillett@house.virginia.gov, and we will be happy to assist you.
ConnectRVA 2045 draft plan proposes $2B in funding for Henrico transportation projects
The Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization(RRTPO) has released a draft plan of ConnectRVA 2045, a long-term vision to guide the Richmond region’s transportation investments. The plan outlines proposed investments in transportation projects over the next 25 years, and covers nine member localities: the Town of Ashland, Charles City County, Chesterfield County, Goochland County, Hanover County, Henrico County, New Kent County, Powhatan County and the City of Richmond.
You can see the full plan and more information on ConnectRVA 2045 online here. Potential Henrico county projects account for approximately one-third of the plan’s total proposed funding. Notable projects include the Fall Line Trail, improvements to the N. Gayton Road and I-64 interchange and Parham Road and I-64 interchange, additions to local bus transit routes, and pedestrian connections.
The Richmond Regional Transportation Planning Organization is soliciting feedback from community members on the draft plan from August 16th through September 15th. This is a wonderful opportunity to have your voice heard on transportation issues that impact our entire community. You can provide feedback and see opportunities for in-person and virtual meetings online here.
Early Voting to Begin on September 17th — 3 weeks away!
On Tuesday, November 2, 2021, General Elections will be held for the purpose of electing a candidate for the offices of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, and House of Delegates. In Virginia, you can vote early in person or by mail with no excuse required. See below for more information on how to vote this year and important dates for the upcoming election:
In-Person Early Voting: Friday, September 17th - Saturday, October 30th
Monday - Friday 8:00 am – 4:30 am, Saturday, October 23rd and October 30th, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
If you live in Henrico County, you can vote early at the Western Government Center (4305 E. Parham Rd) and the Eastern Government Center (3820 Nine Mile Rd). If you are not in Henrico County, find your General Registrar’s office online here.
Vote by Mail: Request a ballot online here. The deadline to request a vote by mail ballot is Friday, October 22 by 5:00 pm.
You can return your ballot by mail, hand-deliver it to your general registrar’s office, or use a ballot drop box (see Henrico drop box locations online here)
Mail-in ballots must be hand-delivered to your registrar or returned in a drop box by Election Day, November 2nd, when polls close at 7:00 pm. If you mail your ballot it must be postmarked by Election Day and be received by the registrar by November 5th at 12:00 pm.
Register to Vote/Update Registration: The deadline to register to vote or update your registration for the November 2021 election is October 11th at 5:00 pm at your registrar’s office or by 11:59 pm online. Visit vote.elections.virginia.gov/voterinformation to register or update your registration.
Election Day: As always, you can vote in person on Election Day, November 2nd, from 6:00 am - 7:00 pm at your polling location. Find your polling location online here. Virginia requires voters to show proof of identification when voting, this includes a driver’s license, voter registration card, military ID, and passport, among others. See a full list of acceptable identification online here.
Yard Signs and Volunteer Opportunities!
Our campaign yard signs have arrived and are ready to be picked up from our office! Stop by our campaign office at 6714 Patterson Ave, Suite 103, Richmond, VA 23226 from 9:00 am-6:00 pm Monday-Friday, 9:00 am-5:00 pm on Saturday, and 12:00 pm-6:00 pm on Sundays to pick up a sign!
The best way to support my campaign is to sign up to volunteer and knock doors with me. My campaign is about connecting our community and building a stronger, more prosperous future for all Virginians. I have been out knocking doors and making calls to voters — but I need your help to make sure we reach every voter in the 73rd district.
To sign up to knock on doors visit bit.ly/knock4willett, and sign up to phone bank at bit.ly/call4willett. Personalized conversations with voters have been proven to be the most effective way to mobilize our electorate.
