January 8th Newsletter
First, I must share my relief that our Congressional representatives are safe following the tumultuous events in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Despite the violence of the insurrection, our Democratic process continued and prevailed as Congress completed its constitutional duties in reviewing and certifying the Electoral College vote. Almost lost in that news was the fact that other parts of democratic system carried forward this week as Georgia conducted its runoff senatorial elections and Virginia held special elections to fill House of Delegates seats (please join me in welcoming new delegates Candi King and Angelia Williams Graves).
And despite the ongoing ravages of the COVID pandemic, the nation’s oldest continuous law making body, the Virginia General Assembly, will convene on Wednesday, January 13th. As I describe below, the House will be meeting virtually as we did during the special session this past year. While that virtual format is no one’s preference, it will enable even greater citizen participation through online meetings and opportunities to submit testimony electronically.
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
COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
In a press conference Wednesday, Governor Ralph Northam announced new measures to accelerate the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations across Virginia. As of Thursday, January 7th, 116,247 Virginians have received an immunization, including 5,316 in Henrico County. The new distribution measures announced by the Governor are:
Vaccination goal. Governor Northam set an initial goal of vaccinating 25,000 Virginians each day when supply allows. We are currently vaccinating about 14,000 Virginians every day.
‘Use it or lose it’ model. Medical facilities will be required to put the vaccine they receive into arms as soon as possible, or risk having future vaccine allotments reduced.
Dr. Danny T.K. Avula to lead vaccination efforts in Virginia. Governor Northam appointed Dr. Avula, who serves as director of the Richmond City and Henrico County Health Departments, to coordinate work between state officials, local health departments, hospitals, and private providers.
Expanded priority groups. K-12 teachers and childcare workers will be among the next priority groups to receive vaccinations after Group A, and outlined the populations that will be included in Groups B and C.
Elevating the Virginia National Guard. As the Commonwealth receives more doses, the Virginia National Guard will provide logistical support and help local health departments administer vaccines.
You can read the full text of the Governor’s announcement here.
2021 Legislative Session
Our 2021 legislative session will begin next Wednesday, January 13th at 12:00pm. Our session will be held virtually to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. While I will truly miss meeting with my colleagues and constituents in person, I am thankful that our virtual format will allow more people to monitor and participate in the legislative process. All committee, subcommittee, and floor sessions will be live streamed to the public.
You can track legislation online at lis.virginia.gov, and see our meeting schedule online here. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to me, and I encourage you to send me an email at DelRWillett@house.virginia.gov, or call our office at (804)698-1073 to share your thoughts on any legislation.
Legislative Townhall
I am thrilled to join my colleagues Senator Jennifer McClellan, and Delegates Betsy Carr and Schuyler VanValkenburg for a joint legislative townhall this Sunday, January 10th from 2:00-3:30pm. We will discuss our priorities for the 2021 session and answer any questions from attendees. This is a great opportunity to speak directly with your elected officials about the issues that matter most to you, I hope you can join us!
RSVP online here: https://www.mobilize.us/jennifer-mcclellan/event/368689/
VEC Unemployment Benefits Update
The COVID-19 relief legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President in December included provisions to extend unemployment benefits known as the “Continued Assistance to Unemployed Workers Act of 2020.” The U.S. Department of Labor is expected to issue guidance to states in the near future. In the absence of formal guidance, the VEC has assembled the following highlights of the bill. It is important to note that some of this information could change upon receiving formal guidance from the USDOL, and many of the logistical details of implementation are still being considered by the USDOL.
All of the CARES Act unemployment compensation programs are extended for 11 weeks through March 13, 2021. These include:
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) — Expands unemployment insurance eligibility to self-employed workers, freelancers, independent contractors, and part-time workers impacted by the coronavirus.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) — Extends benefits for an extra 13 weeks after regular unemployment compensation benefits are exhausted.
Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) — Adds a flat amount in benefits to people who are receiving unemployment insurance, PUA or PEUC, including those who get a partial unemployment benefit check
The Federal government will contribute $300 per week in FPUC benefits, which is lower than the $600 benefit per week under the CARES Act that ended on July 25th, 2020.
The relief legislation established the creation of the new Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program that states may choose to implement.
MEUC provides an additional $100 per week in supplemental benefits for individuals receiving certain types of unemployment insurance who have both wage income, such as from a W-2 job, and self-employment or independent contractor earnings. Eligible individuals must have earned at least $5,000 of self-employment income in the most recent taxable year ending prior to the individual’s application for regular unemployment compensation. Individuals receiving PUA benefits will be ineligible for MEUC supplemental benefits.
States have the choice to opt-in to the MEUC program, which expires March 13, 2021. Virginia has not yet announced whether or not we will participate in this program.
It is important to acknowledge that the creation of new unemployment benefit programs requires significant coordination between federal and state governments. It will likely take additional time for individuals to start to see the effects of this legislation in their weekly benefits. If you are facing challenges with your unemployment claim, please do not hesitate to contact my office at delrwillett@house.virginia.gov and we will be happy to assist you with your claim.
Unemployment Insurance Relief for Businesses
Governor Northam recently announced temporary changes to the Commonwealth’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) program that will support Virginia businesses whose livelihoods have been affected by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Executive Order Seventy-Four requires the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC) to mitigate a potential rise in the UI experience rating tax for businesses by holding them harmless for lay-offs that occurred during the pandemic. The temporary change will protect Virginia businesses from having to pay an additional $200 million to replenish the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund.
UI Employer Tax Rates for 2021 are assigned by the previous calendar year from July 1, 2019, to June 30, 2020. Executive Order Seventy-Four requires the VEC to not penalize businesses for lay-offs that occurred during the pandemic from April through June 2020. This will prevent Virginia’s struggling businesses from having to devote critical resources to higher state payroll taxes.
Relief for Past-Due Utility Bills
Henrico County has received $1.8 million of CARES Act funding to provide relief to residents who have fallen behind on utility bills during the COVID-10 pandemic but please note that the deadline to apply is approaching quickly. Residents suffering financial hardship due to COVID-19 may qualify for relief on utility bills that went unpaid between March 1st and December 30th 2020. Qualifying residents will receive a one-time direct payment of financial assistance. See more information online here.
Deadlines to apply for utility relief by locality:
Henrico: Friday, January 22nd, 2021. Apply Here.
Richmond: Sunday, January 17th, 2021. Apply Here.
Chesterfield: Friday, January 15th, 2021. Apply Here.
Hanover: Wednesday, January 13th, 2021. Apply Here.
Henrico Elementary Schools Postpone Return to In-Person Teaching until January 25th
Due to the unfortunate rise in COVID-19 cases in Henrico County, the optional return to in-person teaching for Henrico K-5 students has been postponed by two weeks until January 25th. The optional resumption of in-person teaching for middle and high school students has not been affected. For those who choose in-person instruction, grades 6 and 9 will return on February 1st. Grades 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 will return February 4th. For more information, see online here.
Cameron K. Gallagher Foundation Makes Mental Health Programs Available to HCPS Students
This December, the CKG Foundation successfully partnered with Godwin High School to trial a new e-learning Life Transitions Toolkit to help students explore how isolation and increased screen time during quarantine impacts mental wellness. The program was well-received by students and will become available to other HCPS students in the next few weeks.
CKG also hosts a free virtual club for high school students to hang out and discuss mental health. Hosted by CKG and planned in partnership with area high school SpeakUp Club leaders, they have created a safe space to openly, honestly, talk about mental health. Through conversation, mindfulness, and engaging activities, teens support teens.
Join the meeting tonight, January 8th from 7:30-8:30 over Zoom
Join Link:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8954056072
If you have any questions, email jodi@ckgfoundation.org.
Virginia Redistricting Commission Members Selected
Virginians approved the creation of a new bipartisan redistricting commission at the ballot box this November, a move that over 71% of Henrico voters supported. The members of that commission were selected this week and will have their first meeting to draw new congressional and state legislative districts on February 1st. You can read about the new commission members here.
