NEWSLETTER

MARCH 24, 2021

Neighbors, 

Like many of you, I am deeply saddened by the tragedies our country has experienced over the last week. The mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado remind us that there is still much work to do in order to end gun violence and systemic racism in our country. This weekend, I joined the DC Rally for Collective Safety to join many in our region standing in solidarity to stop racism against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

Today is Equal Pay Day. On average, women earn 82 cents for every dollar that a man earns, and the disparities are greater for women of color. In Virginia, we have started to make progress on this issue by passing House Bill 624 last year to require the Virginia Department of Law to make recommendations on how employers can ensure equal pay regardless of sex and race. We must continue to make progress to ensure that equal work receives equal pay.

Below are updates from Governor Northam regarding Virginia’s COVID-19 response as well as other community updates. As always, let me know if you have questions or need assistance by calling my office at (804) 698-1042 or emailing me at DelKTran@house.virginia.gov. 

Best, Kathy

Delegate, 42nd District 

Save the Date: Virtual Town Hall

Thursday, April 8 at 7pm

  • My next virtual town hall will be on Thursday, April 8 at 7pm. You can register for the event here and submit questions ahead of time here. 

  • I will be joined by Senators George Barker and Scott Surovell to give updates on the legislative session.

  • Thank you to everyone who joined my town hall last week with Delegates Mark Sickles, Vivian Watts, and Paul Krizek as well as Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Coordinator!

COVID-19 Updates

Vaccine Availability

  • Last week, the Virginia Department of Health received over 429,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines, and we are giving an average of over 50,000 doses to Virginians each day. The number of doses that we receive from the federal government continues to increase; for example, Virginia received 249,000 first doses in early March. 

  • Governor Northam announced the federal government will be increasing the supply of the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine by five times starting next week.

  • Additionally, retail pharmacies continue to provide vaccination opportunities. The doses distributed by the pharmacies are ones they receive through a separate partnership with the federal government and are in addition to ones received by the Department of Health.

  • The Governor expects that, in May, vaccines will be available to any adult that wants one.  

  • At my virtual town hall last week with Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Coordinator, I asked him to consider increasing the amount of vaccines being provided to the Fairfax Health District. Some parts of Virginia are moving to Phase 1c while we in Fairfax County continue to have a waitlist for Phase 1b. 

  • Dr. Avula and Governor Northam are looking into this and shared that they will be taking this into consideration as they allocate vaccine doses to local health districts. 

Statewide Restrictions

  • As vaccinations pick up and positive COVID-19 cases appear to plateau, Governor Northam is easing certain restrictions that were put in place to limit the spread of COVID-19. 

  • The following amendments to Executive Order 72 and Order of Public Health Emergency Nine will be effective April 1: 

    • Social Gatherings

      • Social gathering limits will increase to 50 people indoors and 100 people outdoors. 

    • Public Events and Sports

    • The following changes will be made to public events and sports. Please note, while capacity limits are changing, attendees will still be required to abide by proper safety guidelines, like wearing a mask, and businesses will be required to enforce the rules set forth by the following state guidelines here.  

      • Indoor entertainment venues can operate at 30 percent capacity or up to 500 people indoors, whichever is less. Outdoor entertainment venues can operate at 30 percent capacity. 

      • Spectators for indoor recreational sporting events will increase to 100 people or 30 percent per field, whichever is less. Spectators for outdoor recreational sporting events will increase to 500 people per field or 30 percent capacity, whichever is less. 

      • Indoor graduation and commencement ceremonies will be capped at 500 people or 30 percent of the venue capacity, whichever is less. Outdoor graduation and commencement ceremonies will be capped at 5,000 people or 30 percent of the venue capacity, whichever is less. 

Additional Updates

Individual Income Tax Filing Deadline Change

  • Governor Northam announced Virginia will be moving the state individual income tax filing deadline for Tax Year 2020 to May 17, 2021.

  • This will align with the federal government moving the individual income tax filing deadline to May 17, 2021.

  • I requested that Governor Northam and Secretary for Finance Layne make this change to provide flexibility for taxpayers, and I am glad we are able to make this change

I-95 Congestion Relief

  • VDOT announced that work will begin this spring to build an auxiliary lane along southbound I-95 from Route 123 to the exit ramp for the Prince William Parkway. This is one of the most congested highways in Virginia, and the auxiliary ramp is expected to bring much needed relief. The work is expected to be complete by Fall 2022 and the work will be done behind concrete barriers to limit the impact on traffic. 

2021 Repaving Schedule

  • VDOT’s 2021 repaving plan has been finalized, with many streets in the 42nd District scheduled to be repaved this year. 

  • My colleagues and I increased VDOT’s budget for repaving last year by $40 million with the goal of addressing many longstanding road conditions issues in the state. You can find the full repaving plan/interactive map, showing what work is scheduled and the status of each project, here. 

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Community Meetings

  • I have been meeting virtually with constituents and organizations to provide legislative updates and hear about priorities for our community. Along with several virtual individual constituent meetings, I’ve had the opportunity to speak with the Barrington Homeowners Association, South County Federation, and Adapt Clubhouse. 

  • Feel free to reach out to my office if you would like me to join your community association to provide a legislative update.