With the last two weeks of session finally upon us in Richmond, the Senate and House are hard at work. More than 400 bills have passed through both chambers, and more than 700 are still under consideration. In the waning days of the session, the bills passed by the Senate and House will be transmitted to Governor Youngkin. 

The governor has provided little in the way of a preview of what legislative actions he may take, including whether he will sign, amend, or veto bills that would increase the minimum wage, and better protect communities from gun violence. Like most Virginians, I hope Governor Youngkin will allow these important bills to become law this year. 

As part of the legislative process, the Governor of Virginia can take four actions on bills that reach their desk: 

• Sign: Legislation that is signed into law by the governor will go into effect on the next July 1st, unless otherwise provided for in the bill. 

• Veto: When a governor vetoes a bill, it is transmitted back to the legislative chamber in which it was introduced. That chamber, whether the Senate or the House, may vote to approve, or reject, a veto from the governor by a simple majority vote in both chambers. At least two-thirds of the members elected to a given chamber can vote to enact a bill notwithstanding a veto from a governor (a.k.a., an override of the veto). In the Senate, this requires at least 27 Senators; in the House, at least 67 votes are required. Because of the high threshold voting requirement, and the near evenly-divided General Assembly, overrides of gubernatorial vetoes are rare in recent Virginia history. 

• Amend: If a governor wants to change legislation that has reached his desk, they can propose an amendment to that bill. If they so choose, the bill is then transmitted back to the legislative chamber in which it was introduced. That chamber, whether the Senate or the House, may vote to approve or reject the proposed amendment from the governor by a simple majority vote. If the amendment is rejected, the House and Senate can also vote to pass the underlying legislation notwithstanding the objection, or amendment, of the governor. Such an action requires approval of at least two-thirds of the members elected to each legislative chamber, akin to a veto override. 

• Take No Action: Though historically rare, the Governor of Virginia need not sign a bill in order for it to become law. As a matter of fact, any bill sent to the governor’s desk will become law if it is not acted on. 

As the work of the 2024 session continues towards its end point, please keep in mind that the final step in the process is the governor, who must take action — or take no action — on all bills within 30 days of adjournment of the General Assembly. The General Assembly will then reconvene on April 17th to vote on any vetoes and amendments proposed by Governor Youngkin. I look forward to updating you further on these and other bills as we move toward the end of the legislative session. 

It is my continued honor to serve the residents of the 39th Senate District.

Last November, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced his proposal to relocate the Washington Wizards NBA team and the Washington Capitals NHL team from DC across the river to a to be constructed two billion dollar arena to be built in the City of Alexandria’s Potomac Yard neighborhood. There is no question that the arena and entertainment district proposal, which also includes a separate 3,000 capacity concert venue, is a unique opportunity for Alexandria to diversify its tax base.

The House of Delegates version of the bill, HB 1514, sponsored by Delegate Luke Torian of Prince William was recommended on 17-3 vote by the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee for the consideration of the full House.

The Senate cognate of that bill, SB 718, sponsored by Senator Scott Surovell of Mount Vernon was not docketed for a hearing before this Tuesday’s crossover deadline for all bills to pass in their house of origin. Senator Louise Lucas, chair of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee reasoned that the bill put too much risk on the Commonwealth, possibly leaving taxpayers on the hook for the bonds issued for financing. Lucas also pointed out that the project’s proposed financing was not viable without the public bond issuance. She also said it would be atypical and precedent-setting to use the Commonwealth’s contingent moral obligation debt to fund a private economic development project.

Even though the bill has not yet been considered by the traditional pre-crossover deadline, the House version of the bill could advance and be considered by the Senate—and the Senate rules do allow for the governor to send down another bill at any time. The project was also included in the governor’s proposed budget.

In my opinion, it is critical we don’t rush to approve a project that would impact generations of Virginians without answers to important questions. Three components must be in any bill I could consider supporting. First, the protection of the communities that would be most directly impacted--including a deep investment in affordable housing to avoid driving out families who live in nearby neighborhoods. Second, Northern Virginians need a real commitment from the Commonwealth to the long-term health of the Metro system. And third, I need confidence that the project would include meaningful and binding agreements to create good-paying jobs, in construction, service and hospitality through Project Labor and Labor Peace Agreements.

The governor’s transportation report released from the Kimley Horn firm contains a number of potential improvements--most of which have merit. Unfortunately, the report, just like the governor's introduced budget released in December, includes zero commitment to long-term funding of the Metro system. Unfortunately, the only commitment the governor has mustered is one to consider budget amendments for short-term Metro funding. The report predicts that Metro could in the future support 50% of the arena traffic to Potomac Yard. Unfortunately, this could never be achieved unless Metro receives long-term, sustainable funding from the Commonwealth.

As I said, for this proposal to win my vote, it must do three things. First, enhance the community's quality of life experience, not harm it. Second, provide good-paying jobs and careers. And third, the project must fit hand-in-glove with a long-term transportation vision for our thriving but traffic-choked region. I prefer that consideration of this proposal not be rushed because it is clear to me that adequate answers have not yet been provided to fundamental questions.

For my part, as long as the Potomac Yard proposal is alive, I’ll keep pushing for answers on transportation, affordable housing, and worker protections.

It is my continued honor to represent the people of the 39th Senate District.

My legislative email address is [email protected].

As we near the midpoint of the session, I wanted to update you on one of my major priorities: finding solutions for immediate, and long-term funding for Metro. 

With 32 Virginia rail stations and 31 bus lines on our side of the Potomac, Metro plays a vital role in the Commonwealth's economy and serves as a critical component of Northern Virginia's transit network. The entire system generates $1.5 billion in annual revenue from personal income and sales taxes, which goes to support programs and services across the Commonwealth. 

Metro is funded by a complex arrangement of federal, state and local sources spread across the capital and operating budgets. The capital budget, which is used mainly to keep existing stations, tracks and buses in a state of good repair, is funded by federal sources, state and local funds from Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, including funding secured by legislation signed into law in Virginia in 2018. The operating budget, which is used to keep the buses and trains running, is funded by fare revenue and other sources (like advertising), federal pandemic relief funds, and state tax dollars from Virginia, Maryland, and the District. In Virginia, the local governments in Northern Virginia are responsible for paying Metro and they use a mixture of funds from the regional gas tax, state aid, and other local sources to meet this obligation. 

In 2018, we came together with the rest of the DMV region and secured $500 million a year in capital funding for Metro, which included $154.5 million from Virginia, $167 million from Maryland, and $178.5 million from the District of Columbia.. This capital funding has been crucial in ramping up repairs to stations, tunnels, and bridges. It has also been vital to the completion of the Yellow Line Bridge Tunnel Rehabilitation project, as well as the rebuilding of 11 Metrorail station platforms in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County.

Unfortunately, the legislative compromise reached in 2018 placed a 3% annual growth cap on how much Metro could ask Virginia’s local governments to contribute in operating assistance. Without further action by the General Assembly to lift that 3% cap, along with a significant cash infusion, Metro will be forced to make severe service cuts to close the budget deficit, which would be devastating for Northern Virginia. This would mean the closure of the 10 lowest-ridership stations across the system, and service cutbacks like the closing of stations at 10:00 pm. For Metrobus, this would eliminate 67 of 135 routes; and 41 of the remaining 68 routes would see reduced service.

Metro has dug deep and found additional, one time and recurring savings to help close the gap, but regional partners need to do their part. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC), where I serve as a Commissioner, put forward recommendations on Metro funding, accountability and reform, and is studying options for long-term dedicated funding. The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) has also brought together staff and elected officials from across the region to find short and long-term solutions.

I am disappointed that Governor Youngkin did not include any additional funding for Metro in his proposed Fiscal Year 2025 - 2026 budget. If we can’t solve this budget gap, we won’t have a working Metro system to serve the new Potomac Yard-VT station — and the governor’s proposed new arena for the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards. I want to extend my appreciation to Sen. David Marsden and Del. Mark Sickles for their proposed amendments to the state budget that would address the operating cap and provide additional state aid to Metro, which would be matched by Northern Virginia local governments. Because these solutions are short-term, I have also introduced SJ 28 to study and develop long-term sustainable funding solutions for Metro and other Northern Virginia transit systems.

​It is my continued honor to represent the people of the 39th Senate District.

My legislative email address is [email protected].

During the summer and fall, I heard from constituents who believe that there= should be stiffer penalties for those who hurt household pets. We have seen examples of this in our community.

Last summer, someone left sausages with fish hooks on Duke Street in Alexandria outside for animals to eat. Thankfully, no pets were harmed in this instance, but experts said that if an animal were to have eaten one of the sausages, it could have caused severe injury. But because no pet was hurt, the assailant could only be charged with a misdemeanor under current law. In another instance, in the Del Ray neighborhood, a man was annoyed by his neighbor’s dog barking, so he combined rat poison with meat and threw it into his neighbor’s yard.

Thankfully, the dog’s owner noticed the poisoned meat before the dog did and reported the incident. The perpetrator was arrested and charged with a class 1 misdemeanor for the offense despite the clear intent to cause harm to his neighbor's dog. That’s why I introduced Senate Bill 369 to increase the penalty for harming a companion animal.

Under current Virginia law, it is a Class 5 felony for any person to maliciously wound a farm animal, which is punishable by up to 10 years in jail or a fine of up to $2,500.

My bill would add household pets to that category, making the malicious wounding of a companion animal also punishable by a Class 5 felony. Current law provides a Class 1 misdemeanor for a first offense, which includes up to one year in jail or a fine of up to $2,500. SB 369 has received unanimous approval by two Senate committees and the full Senate before it moves to the House of Delegates for its consideration.

On other legislation related to animal welfare, Senator Barbara Favola (D-Arlington) introduced Senate Bill 11. This bill would allow a judge to ban someone convicted of felony cruelty to animals from possessing animals for life, and ban a person convicted of misdemeanor cruelty to animals from possessing animals for a period of up to five years. Senators Jennifer Boysko (D-Herndon) and Bill Stanley (R-Franklin) have also introduced Senate Bill 93, which would give any locality in the Commonwealth the authority to establish an animal cruelty registry on their website or their local police department’s website.

This year there are not one but two pages from the 39th Senate District. Sydney Robasson and Jada Ashun are stellar students at Francis C. Hammond Middle School and are very impressive young women both in and out of the classroom. Both Jada and Sydney were amazing applicants. I am thankful that there was room in the Senate Page Class of 2024 so that both Jada and Sydney could participate. During the legislative session, Senate Pages are tasked with helping visitors find meeting rooms, taking recycling from member’s offices, delivering items to the Senate Chamber, and many other administrative tasks. I am very proud of both Jada and Sydney and their work this session.

It is my continued honor to represent the people of the 39th Senate District. My legislative email address is [email protected]. You can also reach us at our new Richmond phone number 804-698-7539.