Greetings from Richmond,
As the 2022 Session winds down, Our work to ensure access to the polls and making Virginia more inclusive, does not. House Republicans for the second time, killed two historic potential Constitutional amendments: one that would remove the discriminatory ban on same-sex marriage that is still in our Constitution, and another that would enshrine the automatic restoration of voting rights for people who have served their time and paid their debt to society in the Constitution.
I joined my Colleagues from the House and Senate as we held a Joint Democratic Caucus press conference on Thursday about this failure by House Republican Leadership. Every Virginian should be able to use their voice and vote on these critical amendments in November.
On February 28th, we recognized Rare Disease Day. This is a global project to raise awareness for the 300 million people living with rare diseases around the world and for their families and caregivers. The long-term cause of the Rare Disease Day campaign is to achieve equitable access to diagnosis, treatment, health and social care and social opportunity for people affected by a rare disease.
I am proud of the progress we have made for the Rare Disease Community in the Commonwealth. We established the Rare Disease Council to advocate for rare diseases as a human rights priority at the state level. We also passed legislation that ensured coverage for medically necessary formulas for those diagnosed with rare inherited metabolic disorders. I look forward to continuing to work with my friends in the Rare Disease Community to see what else we can accomplish.
To learn more about Rare Disease Day and the Rare Community, and visit the National Organization for Rare Diseases (NORD) webpage.
Last week, both of my Hazing bills HB993 Unlawful Hazing and HB525 Adam’s Law passed the Senate Chamber. I sponsored these bills on behalf of Adam Oakes, whose life was tragically cut short on February 27th 2021. Adam was a Victim of Hazing and his death was preventable.
On Monday, I rose on the House Floor and requested the House to adjourn in Adam’s honor and memory. You can watch my Floor Speech, here.
Adam’s father Eric and Cousin Courtney have turned their unspeakable pain into action and are fierce advocates for both of these bills. My staff and I have been honored to work with them and greatly admire their courage throughout this entire process.
On Thursday, I attended the Military and Veterans Caucus Legislative Reception hosted at the Virginia War Memorial. It was a terrific event that allowed for veterans, servicemembers, and legislators to connect and share ideas. I spent time with Commissioner for Veterans Service Daniel Gade and Lt. Governor Winsome Sears and am looking forward to continuing to work with them in the future.
Women Veterans Forum
I want to invite our Women Veterans to the 2022 Women Veteran Forum. I will be joined by Delegate Jackie Glass (D-89) and other special guests. Delegate Glass and I look forward to meeting with Women Veterans and providing them a safe space to voice their concerns. The Forum will be at The Virginia War Memorial on March 21st in Richmond. See the information for the Women Veteran Forum here. Click the image below to RSVP!
I hope you are able to join us! Please reach out to me if you have any concerns by email: [email protected] or call my District Phone number: (571) 766-6414.
Sincerely,
Delegate Kathleen Murphy
District-34
2022 Murphy Bill Updates:
HB431 - Qualified health plans; state-mandated health benefits - This bill continues coverage for necessary medical formulas for those diagnosed with rare inherited metabolic disorders. The bill passed the Senate Chamber with an amendment and now will come back to the House Chamber for a vote on the changes.
HB993 Unlawful Hazing, a bill that strengthens hazing penalties and holds those involved in hazing incidents accountable, passed the Senate. This bill’s original intent was to change the penalty to a Class 5 felony when the hazing incident results in death or serious bodily injury to any person. Language was removed by the Senate and now the bill keeps the previous charge for Hazing as a Class I Misdemeanor. The bill will go into conference with the Senate Version to work out the differences and hopefully add back my original language that increases the Penalty for Hazing deaths.
HB525 - Adam's Law - A bill that updates and strengthens hazing policies at higher education institutions passed through the House on a near-unanimous bipartisan vote. HB525 passed the Senate Chamber. However, the senate version and the house version of this bill do not agree, so we will be heading into conference to reconcile the differences.
HB445 - Broadband Study, This bill convenes a workgroup to evaluate how we expand broadband in new residential and commercial development in the Commonwealth. This bill has passed the Senate unanimously and will be sent to the Governor’s desk.
HB1334 - Child abuse; valid complaint - This bill expands protection for victims of child abuse and neglect. It expands the definition of a valid complaint of child abuse to include the intimate partner of a parent of guardian. HB1334 passed the House and Senate unanimously! The bill now heads to the Governor’s desk for him to sign.
Upcoming Events
DMV Connect at McLean Governmental Center
DMV Connect is a service outreach program and serves Virginians who may not be able to travel to a DMV office. DMV Connect teams can process REAL ID as well as some other DMV transactions. For a list of available services, visit the DMV Connect website.
Monday, March 7 through Wednesday, March 9, 2022
9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
McLean Governmental Center
Community Room
1437 Balls Hill Road, McLean
By Appointment Only
An updated list of locations and dates for DMV's Mobile Offices is available here. For more information visit the Virginia DMV website