On the Issues

Jobs & Economy

As Virginians continue to prepare for a changing economy, we need to anticipate the kinds of skills, training, and degree options necessary for evolving and emerging jobs. Understanding that the Care Economy is fundamental to other economic growth areas is a vital and necessary step. We must expand access to quality childcare, ensure that families are supported with home healthcare and elder care, and that domestic workers are compensated at the levels that they deserve for their essential services. Our workers must be given the opportunity to bargain collectively for fair pay, the benefits they deserve, and safe workplaces. A living wage is a fundamental right for workers and their families.

See corresponding legislation

2022 General Assembly

Expands paid or credit-bearing student internship and other work-based learning opportunities in collaboration with Virginia employers through the Innovative Internship Fund and Program.

2021 General Assembly

Directs the Virginia Economic Development Partnership Authority to establish an Office of Education and Labor Market Alignment (the Office) to coordinate data analysis on workforce and higher education alignment and translate data to partners. The Office will provide a unified, consistent source of information or analysis to better assist policy development and implementation related to talent development.

Education

Education has been, and will continue to be, a top legislative priority for me. I have championed legislation and budget amendments to provide increased support for our educators and for our most vulnerable students, including English Language Learners and students with disabilities. By supporting our educators and students, by addressing target areas of inequality, protecting vulnerable populations in our schools, and dedicating ourselves to keeping our schools free from gun violence, I am working to ensure accessible and equitable education for all of the Commonwealth’s students. We also must continue to develop pathways for degree-seeking students at our community colleges and public universities while simultaneously increasing workforce career training opportunities.

See corresponding legislation

2022 General Assembly

Provides opportunities for children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to receive early intervention language development resources.

2020 General Assembly

School boards; websites; COVID-19 virus mitigation plan; emergency. Requires each school board to post in a publicly accessible and conspicuous location on its website the plan outlining its strategies for mitigating the spread and public health risk of the COVID-19 virus, consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Virginia Department of Health mitigation recommendations. Co Chief Patron with Senator Jennifer McClellan.

2020 General Assembly

Public institutions of higher education; eligibility for in-state tuition. Provides in-state tuition eligibility for students meeting criteria regardless of their citizenship or immigration status Co Chief Patron with Senator Jennifer Boysko.

2020 General Assembly

Increases the number of teachers serving English Language Learners in every school district.

2020 General Assembly

Requires each school board to maintain a water management program for the prevention of Legionella at each public school building in a given local division.

Environment

The effects of human-caused climate change are happening now, and Virginia must lead on critical environmental policies, address the concerns of the climate catastrophes that face us, and ensure that we protect precious natural resources for future generations. Key concerns that we have to tackle include reducing carbon emissions, shoring up coastal resiliency programs, protecting communities from the threats of flooding, and addressing the concerns of environmental justice.

See corresponding legislation

2022 General Assembly

Establishes the Virginia Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Historic Preservation Fund to award grants to recognized organizations, tribes, and localities to acquire and preserve land of cultural significance to Black, indigenous, or communities of color.

2021 General Assembly

Calls for a study to evaluate the regulations that govern solid waste management in Virginia. The task force will study available options to divert the following from Virginia’s landfills: food residuals, organic waste, and baseline recyclables generated or originating from outside of the Commonwealth.

2021 General Assembly

The Equity in Wastewater Treatment Act, establishes equitable access to wastewater treatment as Commonwealth policy.

2020 General Assembly

Defines environmental justice by outlining the Virginia Environmental Justice Act and creates the framework by which state agencies will monitor the impact of policies and projects on communities of color, indigenous communities, low-income, and fenceline communities.

2020 General Assembly

Menhaden fishery; allowable harvest; violation. Directs the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) to adopt regulations to implement the Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Menhaden. Incorporated into SB 791.

Housing

Housing is a fundamental human right and access to safe housing is particularly important as we navigate challenging economic times. The policies to support housing in Virginia include expanding access to affordable housing, developing long-term plans for the houseless and housing insecure, supporting better financial products for homeowners, and expanding tenant rights and protections.

See corresponding legislation

2022 General Assembly

Requires the Department for Housing and Community Development to expand the existing Housing and Supportive Services Interagency Leadership Team (the ILT) initiative to include older Virginians as a target subpopulation, in order to increase the supply of permanent supportive housing for older Virginians.

2020 Special Session

This legislation was proposed by Senator Hashmi at the beginning of the Special Session and would prohibit landlords from evicting tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, elements of this bill were passed in the final budget bill.

Families

Thriving communities are built on strong and resilient families. Ensuring that families have affordable housing, access to nutritious food, safe neighborhoods, effective transportation, and responsive health care services helps us to build stable communities. Good policy decisions include effective family leave policies, childcare resources, elder care services, well-paying jobs, and other family supports.

See corresponding legislation

2021 General Assembly

Establishes the Virginia Agriculture Food Assistance (VAFA) Program. The program assists Virginia’s farmers and food producers in donating, selling, or providing agricultural products to charitable food assistance organizations.

2020 General Assembly

Protects victims of domestic violence by letting them know when abusers have appealed a protective order.

Health Care

Health care is a human right. Every Virginian must have access to safe and affordable coverage, including reproductive health care, safe and legal abortion, and low-cost prescription drugs. We need to address physician and nursing shortages all across Virginia. Further, expanding access to mental health services is critically important for all families.

See corresponding legislation

2023 General Assembly

Enables licensed physical therapists to provide direct patient care, enhancing access to effective low-cost care and improving health outcomes for patients in Virginia.

2023 General Assembly

Authorizes Virginia to become a signatory to the Counseling Compact. The Compact permits eligible licensed professional counselors to practice in Compact member states, provided that they are licensed in at least one member state.

2022 General Assembly

Creates the Renal Disease Council to develop education programs, support services, and pursue research opportunities.

2022 General Assembly

Directs the Virginia Department of Education to develop guidelines on policies to inform and educate coaches, student-athletes, other school officials, and parents of the risks, signs, and prevention of heat-related illness in children.

2021 General Assembly

Extends direct access to physical therapy services from 30 to 60 days.

2021 General Assembly

Enables Virginia to enter into the Occupational Therapy Interjurisdictional Licensure Compact with other states. The Compact would allow for licensed OTs and OTAs to practice in other states within the Compact.

2020 General Assembly

Provides consumer protections in healthcare insurance by restricting short-term limited duration insurance plans.

Good Governance

Good governance refers to the effective management of governance structures, transparency and accountability, and increased efficiency. Elections are the foundation of our democracy and ensuring access to the ballot box is critical. We must protect and continue to build on the Democratic successes of expanding early voting and no-excuse absentee voting because the right to vote is the cornerstone of our democracy. Additionally, we must protect our election technologies, ballots, and processes so that the integrity of the electoral system is maintained.

See corresponding legislation

2020 Special Session

This legislation is permissive, enabling localities to grant stronger review and disciplinary authority to their review boards, including subpoena power and the ability to issue findings on incidents, such as the use of force by a law-enforcement officer, death or serious injury to any person held in custody, serious abuse of authority or misconduct, allegedly discriminatory stops, and other incidents.

2020 General Assembly

Returns the custody of the Virginia War Memorial Carillon to the state’s Division of Engineering and Buildings.

2020 General Assembly

Establishes the Virginia Revolutionary 250 Commission that will plan, develop, and perform programs and activities to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and the independence of the United States.

2020 General Assembly

Department of Social Services; Office of New Americans created. Establishes the Office of New Americans within the Department of Social Services and the Office of New Americans Advisory Board to assist with immigrant integration within the Commonwealth on an economic, social, and cultural level.

2020 General Assembly

Cannabidiol oil and THC-A oil; sample testing. Directs the Board of Pharmacy to require sample testing at an independent laboratory located in Virginia.

2020 General Assembly

Provides protections from frivolous lawsuits that seek to stifle freedom of speech and freedom of press.

2020 General Assembly

Establishes a residency requirement for City of Richmond council members to reside, throughout their term on the council, in the election district from which they are elected.

2020 General Assembly

Civil actions; determination of indigency. Sets out the factors to be considered by the court in its determination of a person's indigency for the purpose of determining inability to pay fees or costs in a civil action.