February 19th Newsletter
With just over a week remaining in our session, we are in the sprint to the finish to complete our legislative agenda. There are summaries below of the most significant bills that we are considering, as well as an update on the status of those that I am carrying. I am particularly pleased that the House of Delegates was able to help to craft a school reopening bill that reflects the best interests of children, their families, and teachers and staff. Many thanks to my Henrico delegate colleague Schuyler VanValkenburg for leading those efforts for the House in working with the bill’s sponsor Senator Siobhan Dunnavant.
Public input is essential to the law-making processes and I highly value all the feedback on legislation I receive from constituents. As always, I also encourage you to contact me now and throughout the session: please email my office at delrwillett@house.virginia.gov or call us at 804-698-1073. I will continue to keep you informed with relevant, accurate information via Twitter, Facebook, and my website.
Sincerely,
Rodney
New Information
Petition Signature Drive-Thru with Rep. Spanberger
Tomorrow, Saturday, February 20th, Delegate VanValkenburg (HD-72) and I are hosting a COVID-safe drive-thru petition signature event with special guest Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. To qualify for the 2021 election ballot, each House of Delegates candidate must obtain 125 signatures from registered voters in the district to submit to the Department of Elections. Signing a candidacy petition is quick and easy and is not an endorsement or pledge to vote, it simply allows my name to be printed on the ballot.
Typically, my team and I would grab clipboards and head door to door in the district to collect signatures and chat with constituents, however, this drive-thru event offers a safe way to receive petition signatures as we continue to practice social distancing. All information on the event is below. It only takes a few minutes to stop by and sign. Please click the link to register so we know that you will be joining us!
Petition Drive-Thru for Del. VanValkenburg & Del. Willett w/ Rep. Spanberger
Saturday, February 20, 2021 12:00 PM —3:00 PM
Quioccasin Baptist Church
9011 Quioccasin Rd, Henrico, VA 23229
2021 Legislative Session
We are nearing the end of the 2021 legislative session, which is scheduled to adjourn sine die on Monday, March 1st. While this year is a “short session” conducted virtually, we have remained committed to passing bold legislation to mitigate the challenges of our public health and economic crises, while ensuring that we are able to recover from these challenges and build a stronger and more resilient Commonwealth.
I am thrilled to report that Governor Northam has signed a bill introduced by Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant (SB1445) and Del. Lamont Bagby (HB2333) to improve our COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The emergency legislation became law upon Northam’s signature. The bill expands the number of health care providers eligible to administer the COVID-19 vaccine and issued a requirement that vaccinators collect race and ethnicity data. This legislation will ensure that we have the health care infrastructure ready to administer the vaccine when our allocation of doses from the federal government increases.
Much of our work on legislation in committees has been completed, so we are working to pass bills on the floor and develop conference committees between members of the House and Senate to work out any discrepancies between bills that have different provisions from each chamber. Here are a few pieces of legislation that have been of most interest to my constituents and are still in the legislative process or will head to a conference committee.
Budget — The budget is expected to go to a conference committee every year. You can click on the following links to see the full versions of both the House and Senate budget proposals. The Commonwealth Institute has also created a helpful document that breaks down the differences between the House, Senate, Governor’s budget proposals which you can access here. I am thrilled that the House budget has included $231.4 million for a 5% teacher pay raise for teachers and school staff in the 2021-2022 school year and $280 million in state and federal dollars over the biennium for mass vaccination efforts, testing, and PPE. These investments are crucial to ensuring that our schools are able to reopen safely with funding to build a more resilient educator workforce.
Marijuana Legalization — Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to authorize the regulation and adult use of recreational marijuana. However, there are some key differences between the House Bill (HB2312 - Herring) and the Senate Bill (SB1406 - Ebbin, Lucas) that need to be worked out in a conference committee. Both bills would push the start of retail sales to January 1, 2024, to give the state time to establish an independent agency to oversee marijuana businesses, but the bills differ on locality opt-out provisions and the timeline of full legalization of simple possession.
Guidance on Reopening Schools — I have received significant outreach from constituents regarding Senator Dunnavant’s SB1303 related to the reopening of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. When the bill was originally sent to the House it included language that would require public schools to offer both virtual instruction and in-person learning to all students, simultaneously, well beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, whether or not we are in a state of emergency. This provision presented significant funding and logistical challenges to our schools that would not directly support the return to in-person instruction. Delegate Schuyler VanValkenburg led the efforts of the House of Education Committee to work with Senator Dunnavant to implement a bipartisan substitute that will require in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year but makes clear that this can include a hybrid model, and that classroom instruction should be consistent with pertinent CDC guidelines.
This approach prioritizes the safety of our teachers, staff, and administrators, mandating that our teachers and staff are offered vaccinations before the start of the 2021-2022 school year, and allows accommodations for those who are high-risk and/or unable to receive a vaccination.
This bill substitute is about being responsible both in how we reopen and how we keep our students, staff, families, and communities safe. What works for Alexandria might not be the best plan for Henrico, Hanover, or Richmond, so this substitute gives localities flexibility on how to safely reopen schools and how to respond if there is another high-impact COVID-19 outbreak.
The substitute clarifies that the law will expire on August 1, 2022. Schools will still be required to provide a virtual option for families who choose to keep their kids at home during the 2021-2022 academic year.
For more perspective on this issue, here is an op-ed that House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and Delegate VanValkenburg wrote summarizing the school reopening legislation.
I am happy to report that 5 of my 7 bills have been reported from Senate Committees, with the final two bills, HB2148 and HB2062 scheduled to be heard in Senate Committees on Monday. Below is a bill matrix with the latest updates on my legislation, you can see more information on all my bills online here.
COVID-19 Vaccine Statewide Pre-Registration System
Thank you to all who attended our Central Virginia COVID-19 Town Hall last Saturday with Dr. Danny Avula, head of Virginia’s vaccine distribution efforts. If you missed the opportunity to attend you can watch a recording of the event online here.
On Tuesday, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) launched a statewide pre-registration system for the COVID-19 vaccine. The system will ensure our local health districts and vaccination partners have consistent data to get this vaccine to Virginians as quickly as possible. See more information and register online here: https://vaccinate.virginia.gov/preregister.html
The website allows you to pre-register but you will not be able to directly schedule an appointment. After you register, VDH will contact you through a phone call, text, or email when you are eligible for an appointment. If you have already registered with the state or a local health department please do not fill out the form again! Your earlier registration information has been transferred into the new system. Duplicates can slow down the system and delay distribution. I strongly encourage you to check if you are already registered in the system here: https://vax.preregister.virginia.gov/#/search.
Unfortunately, the system is not yet able to sync with CVS pharmacy registrations and other vaccinators to coordinate shots to streamline and simplify the process for Virginia residents. The Administration is working to quickly develop a solution to this technical challenge and urging federal officials and CVS leaders to link their doses to the state’s pre-registration system instead of running their own.
There were some initial hiccups on the morning that the site went online due to a high volume of user traffic, but this issue has been resolved and the form is accessible and working properly. I was disappointed, however, in the lack of language accessibility in the initial launch of the registration system. The system had used Google Translate, which led to slightly inaccurate or misleading translations. The Administration has reported that they have taken steps to improve the translation, and I am pleased that a new call center has been implemented to help register individuals for the COVID-19 vaccine. More than 750 workers will be employed, with English and Spanish speakers available to help. You can also get a call back in 100 languages if needed. You can access the center by calling 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-829-4682). Staffers will be available from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm 7 days a week to assist those in need.
New Funding for Virginia Rent Relief
On Wednesday, Governor Northam announced $524 million in new federal funding to help keep Virginia families in their homes amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Virginia Rent Relief Program (RRP) is funded through the Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program included in the recent federal stimulus package and will assist households and landlords with rent payments to avoid evictions. Unlike the Rent and Mortgage Relief Program launched this June, the new ERA funding does not include mortgage relief, so the RMRP that has been operating since June will become the RRP and will no longer accept applications for assistance with mortgage payments.
Tenants interested in applying should check their eligibility by completing the self-assessment at dhcd.virginia.gov/eligibility or by dialing 2-1-1 from their phones. Tenants may be eligible for rent arrears payments back to April 1, 2020, and up to three months of payments into the future. The total payments may not exceed 15 months of rental assistance per household.
Current state and federal eviction protections through the courts do not prevent rent payments from accumulating. The Commonwealth remains focused on helping eligible households access resources to maintain housing stability during the COVID-19 pandemic and in the future. Additional information on RRP is available at dhcd.virginia.gov/RRP. For additional housing resources, visit StayHomeVirginia.com.
Henrico County Early Learning Preschool Program
Applications for Henrico County’s 2021-22 Early Learning Preschool program are now open. Early Learning Preschool is funded through the Virginia Preschool Initiative and federal Head Start grants awarded to the school division. You can see more information on the program and application materials online here.
For four-year-olds, preschool is often the first opportunity for observation of school-readiness activities and skills. High-quality preschool programs provide a foundation for learning and prepare students for success in kindergarten and beyond. School-readiness activities in high-quality preschools focus on physical, motor and social and emotional development. The purpose of the program is to reduce disparities among children entering kindergarten and to reduce or eliminate those risk factors that may lead to early academic failure.
Children are not admitted on a first-come, first-served basis and are not guaranteed acceptance into the program. Henrico County Public Schools encourages families of children with special needs to apply. If children require special accommodations, families should notify school staff members when scheduling the appointment. There is no cost for the program for families and transportation will be provided for preschool students in accordance with the school division’s transportation guidelines.
Winter Storm Warning
Central Virginia is expecting multiple waves of freezing rain and icy conditions throughout the end of the week. Please avoid driving or minimize any possible travel to avoid unsafe road conditions. If you must travel please drive slowly and allow more time to reach your destination. The Henrico County Department of Public Works has committed drivers in more than 50 trucks to work 24-7 to clear the roads of ice and snow.
Help keep Henrico County informed about the conditions in your area by reporting storm damage online here. This form is not to be used for emergencies: if you need immediate help please call 911. Follow VDOT Richmond and the Department of Emergency Management for all emergency and transportation updates. If you are experiencing a power outage please report the outage to Dominion Energy online here. You can also check the status of any outages and see a map of outages in our area through the Dominion website.
The Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM) is urging residents to take special precautions while using portable generators and heaters. Inaccurate use of these products can result in serious safety issues. Over the past several days, there have been numerous house fires and carbon monoxide-related illnesses reported throughout the state due to portable generators and heaters. If you have a generator or portable heater please review these safety precautions.
