December 4th Newsletter

I am honored and humbled to announce that the Virginia Chamber of Commerce has selected me as the 2020 Freshman Delegate of the Year. I am a small business entrepreneur, having helped to start and grow three technology-related companies here in Virginia. Those companies were able to flourish because of the business-friendly environment we enjoy in the Commonwealth. When I decided to run for the House of Delegates, I stated on the very first day of my candidacy that I was running to protect and expand that business-friendly environment and to give other entrepreneurs the same opportunities that I have enjoyed.

I also am honored to announce that Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn has appointed me as the new Chair of the Behavioral Health Subcommittee of the Health, Welfare, and Institutions Committee. Increasing access to mental health care has been one of my top priorities as a legislator, and I am thrilled to be in a position to advocate and shape legislation to improve behavioral health care throughout our commonwealth. 

I will continue to keep you informed with relevant, accurate information via Twitter, Facebook, and my website. Please email my office at delrwillett@house.virginia.gov or call us at 804-698-1173 if you have any questions or need assistance.

Sincerely,

Rodney

New Information 

2021 Legislative Session

Our 2021 legislative session will begin on January 13th and will be held virtually to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  While I am disappointed that I will not be able to meet with my colleagues and constituents in person, I am thankful that our virtual session will be safe and allow more Virginians to participate in this year’s legislative process, as all committee meetings will be live-streamed to the general public and citizens will be able to provide written feedback on legislation once it has been referred to a committee.

Odd year legislative sessions are considered “short sessions” and generally last between 30 and 46 days. Due to the virtual nature of this session and the time constraints, House members have been limited to introducing 7 bills, and Senate members have been limited to 12 bills. I encourage you to follow along with our legislative session online bit.ly/vahousecalendar. All meetings will be streamed online here and you can see recordings from past meetings and floor sessions by clicking on the archives tab.

COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution in Virginia

This Monday, the House Committee on Health, Welfare, and Institutions held a virtual hearing on Virginia’s plan to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available. Both Pfizer and Moderna have filed for emergency use authorization from the FDA for their vaccines, which are both RNA based and require two doses to be administered. I encourage you to watch the meeting online here and select November 30th, 2020 for the calendar date.

During the initial phase of vaccine distribution, demand for the vaccine will vastly outweigh supply, so the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has issued recommendations for priority groups. ACIP is a panel of independent medical and public health experts that have been meeting for months to establish priorities and protocols for the distribution of a vaccine when it is made available to the public. The committee met on Tuesday and voted 13-1 to prioritize health care personnel and residents of long term care facilities in the initial phase of vaccine distribution. 

Once a vaccine has been approved by the FDA, the federal government will distribute doses to states based on population, not on the severity of outbreaks within each state. Virginia’s initial doses could come as early as mid-December, depending on authorization from the FDA. The CDC is also partnering with Walgreens and CVS to offer on-site COVID-19 vaccination services for residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

If our initial allocation of the COVID-19 vaccine is not sufficient to cover the entirety of a priority group, the Virginia Disaster Medical Advisory Committee (VDMAC) will issue determinations on priority sub-groups. You can see the most up to date information on Virginia’s vaccine distribution plan on the Virginia Department of Health website.

It is important to acknowledge that the distribution of a vaccine will require significant coordination between federal, state, and local governments, and health care suppliers and pharmacies. There are many logistical challenges that need to be worked through including storage and shipment of vaccines, as we are most likely to receive the Pfizer vaccine first, which requires ultra-cold refrigeration. I want to thank all of our public health officials at all levels of government for their hard work in the planning and implementation of our vaccine distribution.  

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar has said that he expects anyone who would like to receive a COVID-19 vaccine will be able to get one starting in the 2nd quarter of 2021.  This timeline may change if manufacturing does not go as planned. Some constituents have reached out to my office to express concern that taking the vaccine will be mandatory. Virginia has no plans to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine, and we are more likely to be in a position of not being able to administer the vaccine to everyone who wants it, rather than requiring individuals who do not want the vaccine to receive it.

Redistricting Committee

Applications for citizen members of the redistricting committee are open now through December 28th. You can see all information and apply online here.  Under the new constitutional amendment approved by voters this November, the redistricting committee will consist of eight lawmakers selected by General Assembly leadership and eight citizen members. Applications from citizen members will be reviewed by the eight lawmakers on the commission and then sent to a panel of retired judges for final selection. Based on language passed by the General Assembly, the panel of judges must consider “racial, ethnic, geographic, and gender diversity of the Commonwealth” when selecting citizen members.

Citizen applicants must have been a Virginia resident and registered voter for the past three years, and they must have voted in at least two of the past three elections. Individuals who have held or run for political office, been employed by a campaign or elected official, or have been a registered lobbyist within the past five years will not be eligible to participate, nor will any of their close relatives. All deliberations by the panel of retired judges will be open to the public; meetings will be posted online here when scheduled.

The full commission is expected to be fully operational by February 1st, however, expected delays in the U.S. census data may contribute to some complications in the redistricting process. The Census Bureau has indicated that data will be made available to states no later than April 1st, 2021, however, Virginia must have new maps in place by April 2nd, 2021 to maintain its usual schedule of primaries and elections. This could lead to postponed primaries, however, we will not know more until data has been released by the federal government.

Small Business Support — Rebuild VA-Program

Roughly a quarter of Virginia small businesses have closed during the pandemic. In an effort to help small businesses and nonprofits weather the challenges of COVID-19, Governor Northam created the Rebuild Virginia Program. The program was first announced in August with $70 million in CARES Act funds for businesses with 25 or fewer employees to apply for grants of up to 10,000 dollars.

In October, the Governor allocated an additional $30 million to the program and expanded eligibility to include business with less than $10 million in gross revenue or fewer than 250 employees, and expanded the maximum grant amount to $100,000.  Eligible businesses and nonprofits must demonstrate that their normal operations were limited by the Governor’s Executive Orders Fifty-Three or Fifty-Five, or that they were directly impacted by the closure of such businesses. Visit the Rebuild VA website online here to apply and see more information on business eligibility.

Henrico County GreenCity Development Project

This Tuesday, Henrico County Manager John Vithoulkas announced plans for the development of “GreenCity” — a mixed-use “eco-district” development that would promote economic development and environmental sustainability as well as include a 17,000-seat arena for major concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment. The development will be built at the former Best Products headquarters, which is northeast of East Parham Road’s interchange with Interstate 95 and where the 204-acre community would extend north to Interstate 295.

The Board of Supervisors will need to transfer the Best Products site to the county’s Economic Development Authority (EDA). The EDA can then enter into an agreement with land developers pending the approval of rezoning for the project. The developers would then finalize the purchase of the land at $6.2 million – the amount Henrico paid when it bought the property in 2011.  GreenCity will seek to create a community development authority (CDA) to finance the construction of the arena through the sale of bonds. You can see more information on the GreenCity Development project online here.