Happy 4th of July! I always enjoy the parades and the fireworks as we celebrate the birth of our great Nation.
Whatever your plans are for this holiday weekend, I wish you a safe and joyful weekend.
Let’s take time to appreciate and celebrate our wonderful country.
Sincerely,
Delegate Kathleen Murphy
VA-34
Laws Effective on July 1
In Due Course is a publication highlighting selected legislation passed by the 2022 Regular Session of the General Assembly that is likely to affect the daily lives of the citizens of Virginia.
The following legislation has been signed by the Governor, and went into effect on Friday, July 1.
- My HB 445, Broadband Service, directs the Department of Housing and Community Development to convene a stakeholder workgroup to evaluate what is needed to extend broadband access across the Commonwealth.
- HB 537(Batten) Telemedicine; out-of-state providers, behavioral health services provided by practitioners. - Behavioral health providers in different states will now be able to provide telehealth services to residents of Virginia.
- HB 525 - Adam’s Law, My bill named in honor of VCU student Adam Oakes who lost his life to fraternity hazing. This law requires Virginia colleges and universities to institute hazing education for all students and adds immunity for those who come forward and report hazing incidents, in the Virginia Code.
- My HB 431 Qualified health plans; state-mandated health benefits. This bill, now law, continues coverage for necessary medical formulas for those diagnosed with rare inherited metabolic disorders.
- HB 710 (Keam) -Local government; hiring people with disabilities. Requires local governments to give preference to people with disabilities when making hiring decisions.
- HB 957(Tran) Real property; classification, property owned by certain surviving spouses for tax purposes A bill I Chief Co-Patroned, by gives localities the option to provide property tax relief to surviving spouses of service members who died in the line of duty.
- HB 1334 Child abuse, valid complaint, This law expands protections for victims of child abuse and neglect by holding the intimate partner of the child’s parent legally accountable in instances of abuse and neglect.
The full list of new actions is available here.
4th of July Celebrations around Town
July 4: Great Falls Hometown Celebration & Fireworks
Join the Celebrate Great Falls Foundation for the 4th of July Hometown Celebration and Parade! Morning festivities kick off with the Little Patriots Parade, followed by the Main Parade around the Village Centre. After the parade, head to the Village Green with your kids for food and fun!
Monday, July 4 Schedule
Great Falls Village Centre, Great Falls
8:00am - 9:00am: Trail Blazer 5K
8:00am - 2:00pm: Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department INOVA Blood Drive
8:30am - 9:30am: Little Patriot Parade
10:00am - 10:30am: Main Parade
10:30am - 12:30pm: Festivities, Food, and Fun!
For the full schedule, sign-up links and details visit the Celebrate Great Falls website.
Fireworks Festivities
Monday, July 4
Turner Farm Park
925 Springvale Road, Great Falls
Gates open at 6:00p.m.
Fireworks after dark - about 9:00p.m.
Enjoy live music, games and food trucks.
For more information visit the Celebrate Great Falls website.
Route 7 Upcoming Lane Closures for July 5-8, 2022
Crews will be performing excavation and fill operations, clearing, storm pipe work, paving and other construction-related activities on July 5-8 along eastbound and westbound Route 7 and on other neighborhood streets.
As a reminder, drivers will experience lane shifts on Route 7, traffic pattern changes on neighborhood streets, and detours along the corridor. Please see the related traffic alerts. Temporary road closures are available here.
Reminder: Dolley Madison Corridor Study Survey
Thank you for participating in the May 11 public meeting for the Dolley Madison Corridor Study and submitting your comments. Your feedback is critical as FCDOT staff considers options to reduce congestion through the Corridor with minimal right-of-way impacts. To help focus feedback related to the Dolley Madison Corridor Study, FCDOT has released a brief survey that includes scenarios from the 2019 and 2022 community meetings. Surveys and comments will be due by Friday, July 8, 2022.
Click here to complete the survey
For more information on the Dolley Madison Corridor Study, including background, meeting recordings and presentations visit the project website