Read. Think. Act.

Catherine Read

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Delegate Kathleen Murphy on Your Need to Know

(August 28, 2019) Catherine Read interviews Delegate Kathleen Murphy (D-34) about her reelection campaign for the Virginia House of Delegates. Murphy was elected to the House in a special election in 2015, succeeding Barbara Comstock. The 34th District encompasses McLean, Great Falls, parts of Vienna and stretches into northern Loudoun County.

All 140 seats in the Virginia General Assembly are up for grabs this year.  This includes the Board of Supervisors, School Board, Commonwealth’s Attorney, Sheriff and the Soil and Water Conservation Board. As Murphy hits the doors to talk to voters, one of the top concerns that she continues to hear about in her district are concerns about traffic. Congested roadways has a major impact on quality of life, and voters want to know that she is engaged in looking at creative ways to solve these problems.

Delegate Murphy sits on several committees in Richmond, including Transportation, General Laws, and Cities, Counties and Towns. She is always looking out for her constituents, and works hard to ensure that their needs are best represented in Richmond.

Growing up as a military brat, Murphy understands the importance of taking care of our veterans. She is a member of the Military and Veterans Caucus, and specifically chairs the women’s working group for the Board of Veteran Services. Virginia has one of the largest veteran populations, and Murphy works day in and day out to serve the approximately 104,000 female veterans in the Commonwealth. Many times these women are overlooked, and do not know how to access services. Her working group is designed to change that paradigm.

Gun violence prevention is another issue that Murphy has championed during her time in elected office. Her brother was brutally murdered during a botched robbery attempt, so she is intimately aware of the pain and suffering of those who are affected by gun violence. Last year she chaired the Safe Virginia Initiative, to look at how laws could change to reduce the instances of gun violence.

Unfortunately, with the GOP in control of the legislative agenda, she does not believe there is much of a chance that anything will change. After over 20 years in control, there has only been a loosening of gun laws. Even though the majority of Virginians support universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, and red flag laws, there has been no movement on the issue.

After the horrific mass shooting in Virginia Beach, when the Governor called a special session to address gun violence legislation, the GOP dismissed the session after a mere 90 minutes. Murphy points out that we will never have any meaningful change until there is a change with who is in control of the statehouse.

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Dopesick – Beth Macy

Dopesick Beth Macoy (March 2019) Beth Macy again brings her keen skills in research and journalism to tell another story about Virginia. A long time journalist with The Roanoke Times, she brings to life the stories of Virginia few people have heard before – as she did with her two previous books Factory Man and Truevine.

In Dopesick she pulls back the curtain on the genesis of the opioid epidemic that continues to ravage Virginia and the rest of the nation. No longer confined to rural Appalachia where it all began, it has now spread to the white suburban and affluent communities throughout the Commonwealth.

Those who were earliest to sound the alarm about the addictive threats of Purdue Pharmaceutical’s new drug Oxycontin were ignored. Despite the fact that John Brownlee, US Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, successfully prosecuted Perdue Pharmaceutical for “criminal misbranding” in 2006, that did not sound alarm bells for public health officials or law enforcement. The first successful case against the pharmaceutical company (owned by the billionaire Sackler family) resulted in an award of $634.5 million dollars but failed to signal what was happening in the larger context.

Beth Macy details how the drug epidemic followed I-81 north through the Shenandoah Valley. Drugs were being brought into small towns along the route and down into Roanoke from Baltimore on a daily basis by a network of distributors and users.

She also covers the detrimental effect of the fight for Medicaid Expansion in Virginia and how four years of Republicans putting up road blocks starved a growing number of addicts of the resources they needed for recovery and rehabilitation. She calls out the role Democratic Senator Phil Puckett’s resignation in 2014 played in handing the Republicans in the legislature the majority they needed to block Medicaid Expansion. Puckett represented five rural counties in southwest Virginia where the opioid epidemic was raging unabated.

There is a tremendous stigma around this epidemic because it has struck hard at suburban middle class and affluent white families, as well as poor and rural white families. Drug addiction has turned the corner from simply being deemed criminal activity to being addressed as a disease. It has been a disease all along, but now that respectable people are falling prey to addiction and death from drugs, there is a greater urgency in finding ways to prevent and rehabilitate.

The most compelling parts of this book are the stories of the individuals that Beth Macy got to know in the years she spent researching this book. So many lives wasted so tragically.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. If your life hasn’t been touched in some way by the opioid epidemic raging through Virginia, it is likely just a matter of time before it is. We all need to get involved in advocating for better resources and programs to meet this crisis that exists in every community in Virginia.

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Literacy Council of Northern Virginia – Inside Scoop

(March 5, 2018) Catherine Read interviews Roopal Mehta Saran, Executive Director of the Literacy Council of Northern Virgnia (LCVN), about the numerous programs and services being offered in the Northern Virginia area. They are joined by Amy Tristan, Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator, in the last segment where they discuss the numerous ways individuals, organizations and companies can engage with LCNV.

The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia is 55 years old, and Roopal Saran has been at the helm of the organization for the last six months. There are over 36 million American adults that don’t have literacy, writing or math skills above a 3rd grade level. Some those adult learners are native English speakers and some are native speakers of many other languages. The Northern Virginia area is multiculturally very rich with over 100 languages being spoken in classrooms and homes around our region. Adults learning English as a second language may or may not have literacy skills in their native language. LCNV’s Beginning-level English classes teach the foundational skills adult English Language Learners (ELLs) need to learn to speak, understand, read and write English.

Classes are taught in multiple locations – in places such as the James Lee Community Center where LCNV has offices, in schools such as Crestwood Elementary, and spaces provided by collaborating non-profits such as Connections for Hope in Herndon, VA. The idea is to take the classes to meet the people where they are and where it’s easy to get there using public transportation. There will be new classes starting out in the Centreville area in early 2018.

LCNV Roopal Saran Literacy Councilis also collaborating with local companies in workforce development training through increased literacy that is both industry and company specific. Destination Workforce® training for B.F. Saul Hospitality Group’s Doubletree by Hilton at Tyson’s Corner focused on their housekeeping and banquet employees. The program provided instruction on language and cultural tools to provide better staff interactions with customers through the B.F. Saul “Know Your Hotel” framework. LCNV has also partnered with Goodwin House in Bailey’s Crossroads and with other local business to craft specific literacy programs that are job specific. The Destination Workforce® program is also working with the City of Alexandria to help newly arrived refugees with basic English literacy in preparations to more quickly prepare for entry level job opportunities.

Amy Tristan LCNVAmy Tristan spoke about the hundreds of literacy volunteers that make their programs possible. Many have been with LCNV for over a decade and they are always looking for new volunteers who are interested in taking the training to be classroom instructors, to offer small group tutoring and also conversation classes. There are programs to meet that time and location preferences of a variety of volunteers and they welcome companies who encourage their employees to engage in community volunteerism. LCNV also welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with other organizations and non-profits who serve clients with basic literacy needs.

The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia was named Parade Magazine’s 2017 Outstanding Charity in Virginia: “Last year, 1,551 students from more than 90 countries (including the U.S.) participated in LCNV Programs.”

Like all non-profits, LCNV relies on individual donations and corporate partnerships. More information can be found at the LCNV website: www.lcnv.org or by calling them at 703-237-0866. They can also be found on Facebook and on Twitter @LCNV

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Mustard Seed – Laila Ibrahim

(March 2018) We don’t get to pick how big our good gets to be, but each of us picks if we gonna do some good right where we are.”– Mattie Freedman

One of my favorite passages from this remarkable book.

Mustard Seed is a sequel to Ibrahim’s Yellow Crocus, and as historical fiction goes, it’s outstanding. The narrative of both books unfolds in Virginia. And the author captures so vividly the lives of slaves both before the Civil War and the injustices done to them afterward.

While attending a session at the SXSW Education conference today on Black Education in America, the very wise Dr. Howard Fuller of Marquette University made this observation: “There is a difference between being liberated and being free.” It sent a shiver up my spine for how it perfectly captured the story of Mustard Seed.

In the 1850s, Mattie escapes Fair Oaks Plantation with her daughter Jordon to join her husband Emanuel and their son Samuel who earlier escaped to the free state of Ohio. Returning to Virginia in 1868 to extricate her newly “freed” cousin Sarah from the plantation, Mattie and her family experience some of the most egregious oppressions of Reconstruction. Slavery did not end with the Emancipation Proclamation. Slavery transformed into mass incarceration. As evident in Virginia today as it is in many other parts of the United States.

There were moments in this book that made me want to scream out loud. It truly touched a raw nerve after a floor speech by Del. Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) on Friday, March 2nd, that threw the House of Delegates into chaos. In his remarks are the historic echoes of enraged white men – as if it was transferred genetically from one generation in Virginia to the next.

Today, I watched on YouTube as three African American Delegates stood on the floor of that same House chamber and addressed Delegate Freitas’s remarks. Delegates Luke Torian, Delores Quinn and Lamont Bagby pushed back. As they should. Because the story of what happened in Richmond in the past few days is not so different from the story this book tells. Racism, oppression and injustice is woven in the fabric of Virginia’s culture.

“We realize that we live in a ugly political moment. So while we were offended, we were not surprised,” Bagby said. “It should embarrass every member of this body that we have allowed such rhetoric to enter these chambers. Bringing up a very painful past to make a political point is disgusting and poisonous.”

Our history does not have to define our future. However, ignorance of our history most assuredly allows past wrongs to go unacknowledged and ignorance to be perpetuated by future generations. Historical fiction has a place in education when it is based on thorough research and grounded in factual and verifiable accounts. You feel what the characters are going through, not just absorbing a recounting of events.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who can read and everyone who considers themselves a Virginian.

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Community Healthcare in Virginia – Dr. Basim Khan of Neighborhood Health

(Feb 19, 2018) Catherine Read talks with Dr. Basim Khan, Executive Director of Neighborhood Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) located in Northern Virginia. Neighborhood Health was started in an apartment complex by nurses from the Alexandria Health Department back in 1997, becoming an FQHC in 2004. In their first year as a clinic, they saw 1,500 patients and in their 20th year they saw 18,000 patients through their 12 clinics located in Alexandria, Arlington and Fairfax County.

Neighborhood Health provides an integrated medical home to community residents regardless of their ability to pay. Their goal is high quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible to everyone in the community. Their clinics provide Family Practice/Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, Women’s Health, Behavioral Health Counseling and include health screenings, cancer screenings, on-site lab services, immunizations, mental health screenings, dental services and a pharmacy program. They provide language interpreters (sometimes via phone), offer sliding scales to patients who may have high deductibles for their health insurance plan, and provide medications to patients less expensively than through retail pharmacies. Community health centers provide primary healthcare to over 300,000 people in Virginia and to 27 million patients in the U.S. Providing high quality primary care delivers better health outcomes for patients and helps to drive down overall costs.

Dr. Kahn talks about how Neighborhood Health strives to serve as a patient advocate in a really “complicated health system.” In talking about issues of equity and social determinants of health, he points out that our healthcare and social services spending in this country is comparable to other developed nations, but we spend far more on healthcare and far less on social safety net services. Social determinants of health include factors such as education levels, income, the zip codes we live in, the type of housing and employment we have, and our access to adequate healthy food. Working to provide better equity in healthcare outcomes includes Neighborhood Health’s strong partnerships with other local agencies, non-profits and service providers. They work closely with local Community Services Boards to help patients get mental health services and case management when needed. They work with Departments of Health and Human Services that also provide employment assistance, and help with issues of aging and disability. This is the “community” in community health services that treat the whole patient through providing social services that impact health outcomes.

Neighborhood Health continues to expand their services, meeting patients where they are in the community. They currently work with Alexandria City Schools to provide dental care to low income students in 8 elementary school through a mobile bus that provides the services right on school grounds. That includes routine cleanings, x-rays, and fillings as needed. Catherine Read pointed out that this is an example of the type of partnership that is at the core of the Community School model – a model of education we don’t currently have in Virginia. Providing needed services to students through the school impacts educational and health outcomes for many students who lack access to things as basic as food, clothing, dental and healthcare, school supplies and tutoring.

Dr. Khan addresses public health issues such as the opioid crisis and how the trend of medicalizing so many issues has resulted in the over prescribing of pain medications. The epidemic of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and cancer are tied to social determinants, yet we seem to lack the political will to prioritize key things that need to be addressed, such as affordable housing, which impact health.

Inside Scoop Basim KhanIn the last segment, Medicaid Expansion in Virginia is addressed and what the impact would be on the patients Neighborhood Health serves. The most immediate impact would be the ability to refer patients to local specialists instead of having the University of Virginia as the only option. There are substantive discussions taking place during the 2018 Legislative Session in Richmond that have both parties negotiating terms that now include a “work requirement” proffered by the Trump Administration as an option states can elect to mandate. At the time of broadcast, Medicaid Expansion was still very much up in the air with the future outcome very uncertain.

For more information about Neighborhood Health visit www.NeighborhoodHealthVA.org, follow them on Twitter @NeighborhoodHth or on Facebook,  or call their main number for assistance at 703-535-5568.

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Virginia Education Funding Coalition – Your Need to Know

(Feb. 7, 2018)

Catherine Read met with Joanne Walton and Tony Bennett Shivers, co-founders of the Virginia Education Funding Coalition (VEFC),  a unified non-partisan voice advocating for fully funding public education in Virginia. The mission of the VEFC is to ensure that the commonwealth of Virginia adequately invests in its public education system, so that all students have access to a high quality education with well-paid and well-trained teachers.

Currently, Virginia is ranked 38th in the nation in per pupil state funding and ranked 29th overall for average salary for K-12 teachers. The state is also facing a deficit of 1000 teachers. As baby boomers retire, Virginia will continue to face a shortage of teachers, and as a commonwealth we will be facing a crisis situation. The best indicator of student success is having effective teachers in the classroom. VEFC advocates for stronger recruiting, support and training of our teacher workforce, and strives to bring people together across the commonwealth to advocate for stronger support for public education.

Tony Shivers Joanne WaltonWalton notes that VEFC aims to build a coalition of teachers, parents, businesses and community leaders who are understand the critical relationship between well-educated children, strong local communities and the future workforce. The goal of VEFC is to create a platform for everyone to come together to advocate before the Virginia General Assembly to improve the LCI (Local Composite Index) so that all Virginia counties and school districts receive adequate funding based on their enrollment needs. Additionally, VEFC supports passage of legislation giving Virginia counties and school districts the authority to diversify and raise revenue on a local basis.

Shivers cites a study by the Georgetown University Center for Education Workforce that indicates there will be 55 million job openings by 2020, 34 million of those will be new jobs and 31 million will be posts vacated by retiring baby boomers.   He believes it is imperative for Virginia to adequately invest in educating our children today for the workforce of the future. It is estimated that 65% of the jobs by 2020 will require post secondary training. He shared that learning in the 21st century needs to be individualized and personal, where we can teach children to think critically and problem solve so they can be prepared to step into jobs that do not even exist today.  In order to do this, we need to adequately fund our schools and invest in our children and teachers.

Shivers and Walton invite all who are passionate about improving education in Virginia to join their coalition. They currently have an online petition  asking Governor Ralph Northam and the Virginia General Assembly to increase funding for public education, which has not been increased in 10 years. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@VAEdFunding) and by using the hashtag #FundVaSchools.

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Dr. Lora Vece – Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners, HB 793

(Feb. 5, 2018)

Catherine Read interviews Dr. Lora Vece, Nurse Practitioner and member of the Virginia Council of Nurse Practitioners (VCNP) to talk about the House Bill 793 which would allow Nurse Practitioners to be on the path to having full practice authority in the state of Virginia. Today, a Nurse Practitioner (NP) is required to have a Collaborative Practice agreement with a designated physician, meaning that an NP cannot practice independently even though they are trained and nationally board certified to do so. While 22 states and the District of Columbia allow Nurse Practitioners to have full practice authority, Virginia is one of only 12 states in the nation that require physician oversight.   This burdensome requirement can adversely impact access to care, especially in rural and underserved communities, while also driving up the cost of health care.

Lora Vece Nurse PractitionerIn America today there is a shortage of primary care doctors , as many physicians choose to focus on areas of specialty. Dr. Vece indicates that Nurse Practitioners are uniquely qualified to fill the gap in primary care. Quality studies show that patient care management is as good, if not better, under Nurse Practitioners. NP’s take a holistic approach to medicine, looking at wellness, screenings, diet and exercise, family history, chronic disease management and acute medical problems to name just a few. Patients who work with Nurse Practitioners indicate higher satisfaction with their NP than with their physician, as they believe that their NP is a good listener and that they pay closer attention to their individual needs. Over 100 studies have proven that NP’s provide safe, high quality healthcare.

Under current Virginia law, an NP must secure a business contract with a physician in order to practice, and each physician can collaborate with no more than 6 Nurse Practitioners at a time. According to Dr. Vece this is a costly and burdensome requirement that can have adverse affects on access to care. For example, if a NP works with a doctor, and that doctor goes out of practice or gets ill and cannot practice medicine, then the NP can lose access to seeing their patients. This is a significant problem in underserved rural communities where NP’s outnumber doctors. Dr. Vece shared that additional challenges include NP’s who cannot find a physician who will enter into a collaborative relationship, a physician may charge a fee so excessive that the NP cannot maintain a sustainable business model, or the physician’s malpractice insurance carrier may prevent collaboration with an outside provider.  For these reasons, and many more, Dr. Vece and the VCNP are advocating to do away with this burdonsome requirement.

The proposed legislation is designed to put NP’s on the path to full practice authority in Virginia. It requires that NP’s have a practice agreement with a collaborating physician or Nurse Practitioner for a specified number of hours (1040) during the transition to practice period. After the NP has met this requirement, the practice agreement would be removed. The removal of the Practice Agreement would break down barriers, and allow for better access to care for patients. VCNP is hopeful the legislature will see this as a good faith compromise and an incremental step forward. Dr. Vece shared that VCNP would welcome support from any Virginia voter who thinks this legislation is a good idea.   If you support Nurse Practitioners and would like to expand access to more affordable care across the commonwealth, contact your legislator directly to voice your opinion.   Every Senator and Delegate keeps track of constituent requests, will take feedback into account when voting on legislation.

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Ben Tribbett: Democratic Wins in the House of Delegates – Inside Scoop

(Jan 15, 2018) Catherine Read talks with political analyst Benjamin Tribbett about the 2017 House of Delegates races here in Virginia. There were a number of contested races with close recounts in several districts, with the control of the House coming down to race in which a tie was declared and the winner’s name drawn from a bowl.There were a number of contested races with close recounts in several districts, with the control of the House coming down to race in which a tie was declared and the winner’s name drawn from a bowl. The 15 additional Democratic Delegates in the House means the Republicans control the vote in both chambers by a majority of one.

The 15 new Democratic Delegates (11 of them women) came from districts across the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Virginia House is seating the most women ever this year: 28, compared to 17 last year. Roughly half of the Democratic caucus is female.

In Southwest Virginia, newcomer Chris Hurst (HD 12) prevailed over three term incumbent Joseph Yost.  [Voters in this region turned out more voters for Gillespie in ’17 than Cuccinelli in ’13]

In Hampton Roads, Kelly Fowler (HD 21) and Cheryl Turpin (HD 85) also won against incumbents. Shelly Simonds (HD 95) ended up in a tie with incumbent David Yancey, whose name was drawn from a bowl to retain his seat.

In Richmond, Dawn Adams (HD 68), Schuyler VanValkenburg (HD 72) and Debra Rodman (HD 73) prevailed in their races.

VA House of Delegates 2018In Northern Virginia, the biggest news was that Prince William County’s House seats flipped in a wave of blue that ousted a number of incumbents:

Danica Roem (HD 13) unseated longtime incumbent Bob Marshall in one of the most watched races in the nation. Danica is the first transgender woman elected to a state legislature prevailing over a notoriously homophobic candidate in what can only be described as a beautiful example of karma.

Lee Carter (HD 50) unseated incumbent Jackson Miller.

Hala Ayala (HD 51) won against incumbent Rich Anderson.

Elizabeth Guzman (HD 31) prevailed against 8 term incumbent Scott Lingamfelter.  Guzmán and Ayala made history in Virginia as the first Hispanic women elected to the state’s House of Delegates.

Jennifer Carroll Foy (HD 2) a VMI graduate and new mom of twins won an open seat vacated by Delegate Mark Dudenhefer.

In Fairfax County, Kathy Tran (HD 42), Virginia’s first Vietnamese-American Delegate who welcomed her fourth child Elise just before the primary, won an open seat formerly held by Dave Albo. Karrie Delaney (HD 67) unseated incumbent four term incumbent Jim LeMunyon.

In Loudoun County, David Reid (HD 32) took the seat held by Tag Greason and Wendy Gooditis (HD 10) unseated incumbent Randy Minchew.

Ben Tribbett Inside ScoopBen discusses how the huge voter turnout impacted this election and why so many GOP incumbents could not survive the wave. The idea that this election could flip control of the House to the Democratic Party was not something for which the party leadership had prepared. There are also steep learning curves for the new Delegates heading into their first legislative session. The fact that the Speaker of the House, Kirk Cox, makes assignments for committees in both chambers means that every committee will CONTINUE to have a majority of Republican members. While there was a negotiation for “proportional representation” on the committees, the very early days of session have dramatized how little difference that makes when committees vote along “party lines.”

Ben also explores how power sharing might have been negotiated differently prior to knowing the outcome of the Simonds-Yancey name drawing. There was a long term power sharing arrangement in the Senate from 1997 to 2003. The window of opportunity has now closed to make that type of negotiation. He goes on talk about the creation of “Districts of Influence” and the percentages of deviations when re-drawing district lines after each U.S. Census. The GOP tends to split more voting blocks and the result in Virginia is 224 split precincts, with some of them split three ways. There is a possibility that pending court cases could find that district lines in Virginia need to be redrawn prior to 2021 which could result in special elections in the affected districts.

The 2019 elections will be a challenge for the Democrats in holding on to some of these newly won seats. Ben talks about how this is an off-off-off year election with no “top of ticket” candidate like Governor or President. Every seat in the House (100) and in the Senate (40) will be in play. In addition, County Board of Supervisor seats and School Board seats will also be on the ballot. Because of how these districts are overlaid, the ballot might have an incumbent Republican Senator, a first term Democratic Delegate and a Board of Supervisor candidate of either party. How the voters will make their voting decisions giving weight to incumbency and party remains to be seen. There is a strong possibility that some of the gains in the House may not be sustainable in 2019, while it is also possible Democrats will pick up the two Senate seats they need to take majority in the Senate.

Benjamin Tribbett is a longtime well known political analyst and political consultant and you can follow him on Twitter @NotLarrySabato

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2018 Virginia Legislative Preview – Your Need to Know

(Jan. 10, 2018)  Catherine Read talks with Delegate Marcus Simon (D -53) to get a preview of the 2018 Virginia Legislative Session, which begins on January 10 and will run through March 10. Simon is a Democrat representing Falls Church and surrounding Fairfax County. First elected in 2013, he has served on the Militia, Police and Public Safety and Science and Technology committees throughout his tenure as delegate. 2017 saw a blue wave wash over the commonwealth, as 15 new Democratic seats were picked up bringing the House to a 49-51 split. Simon is excited about the energy and enthusiasm that the freshman delegates will bring to Richmond, as the change in the makeup of the General Assembly has the opportunity to open up a world of possibilities that did not exist in previous years when the Republicans held a 2/3 majority in the House.

This freshman class of delegates will face a steep learning curve, and the caucus will be faced with the challenge of having a third of its members being brand new to the body. In order to get in front of this, Delegate Simon shared that the new delegates were first brought down to Richmond in November to get an early orientation and “boot camp” introduction to the legislative process, learning everything from parliamentary procedure to how to file a bill in the system. Each new delegate was paired with a mentor to help them navigate the system, and be available for questions on a variety of issues. His advice to the new delegates: focus on a few core issues that they would like to advance in order to help craft realistic public policy. If they are able to concentrate on deliverable issues, then they will have concrete steps to stand on when they go back home to their districts.

Delegate Marcus SimonActivists in Virginia were ready to get to work after the devastating loss in November of 2016 that gave Donald Trump and Republicans complete control of the Federal government. Grassroots organizers came together in unprecedented numbers to help turn the tide in the commonwealth. Spawning groups like Network Nova , Indivisible, and Postscards4VA , Simon hopes that the energy and enthusiasm that went into canvassing, phone banking and postcard writing during the elections can now be turned into advocacy to help advance issues that are near and dear to their hearts. He indicates that it is important for the people who helped create this blue wave to get involved in the legislative process, and hold the people who they elected accountable. With Virginia having a part time legislature, the window of opportunity to get things done is short, and targeted advocacy on specific state issues can have a great impact.

The first step in being able to hold elected officials accountable is to understand how a bill becomes a law in Virginia. Once they know which legislator will be carrying a specific bill, they can then learn which committee will be hearing the bill. All of the bills and legislator information can be tracked on the Virginia General Assembly website. Specifically, the Legislative Information System will show progress of bills as they move through the legislative process. Committees are really where most of the heavy lifting occurs. Witnesses are invited to come testify, and committees debate the merits of the bill. As an activist, it is important to know which legislators sit on which committees, and it is important to communicate opinions on specific pieces of legislation. Every communication with a legislator will get tracked and recorded, then reflected on when it is time to vote. The more constituents a legislator hears from, the more seriously they will take a bill. Activists can also make appointments to individually meet with the legislators, participate in “Lobby Days”, when specific groups descend on Richmond to demonstrate and meet with legislators, and share information on social media platforms.

Finally, when asked about Medicaid expansion Simon felt very positive. As a signature issue of outgoing Governor Terry McAuliffe, as well as a campaign promise of incoming Governor Dr. Ralph Northam, Simon believes that there will be a real opportunity to deliver healthcare to hundreds of thousands of Virginians. With hard work and compromise between the two parties, Del. Simon thinks that they will come to a “yes” in order to take advantage of the 6 million dollars a day that the commonwealth is giving up by not accepting the federal Medicaid expansion program.

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Legacy Planning with Bettina Lawton – Your Need to Know

Catherine Read has a conversation with Bettina Lawton (Esq.) of Lawton Legacy Planning about legal planning. Bettina Lawton is a licensed legal professional who specializes in legal planning for a client’s eventual death or incapacitation. She deals with people from all walks of life, from single adults to married couples with children to seniors of all financial statuses and helps them plan how to meet their objectives in the event of death or incapacitation.

While indisputably important, many people have difficulty talking about, and planning for their eventual incapacitation or death. Over 60% of Americans have no will, or other similar document. According to Bettina Lawton, it is critical that people find a qualified person they can work with in order to make a plan, as even a will alone is not enough. Wills only go into effect after the person has died, so they make no differences in cases where the client is incapacitated or otherwise unable to take care of themselves or others. It is especially important in cases where children are involved, as a failure to have a designated guardian can see children placed into the foster care system when their parents are otherwise unable to take care of them. In Virginia, parents can designate whom they wish to take their children using a Standby Guardianship, which grants their chosen caretakers 30 days of authority, which gives time for the courts to work without sending children into foster care.

Beyond just having a will in the first place, it is also important to make sure your will is up to date. Laws change over time so what you currently have may have unintended consequences if it is not updated. For example, in July of last year Virginia adopted a fiduciary access to digital assets act, which allows a person to designate a beneficiary to access their digital assets, like photos hosted online. Bettina Lawton recommends reviewing your will and other legal plans every three to five years. Generally, only minor changes will be needed, but they can add up to a big difference to the final result.

When planning, it is important to keep in mind the location of your assets. Real estate passes ownership based on the laws of the location it is in, not necessarily the laws of the jurisdiction where the owner lived. Two properties in two different locations are subject to two different laws. This is why Bettina Lawton recommends outside properties be placed in a revocable trust, which changes real estate assets into trust assets and simplifies the process. In Virginia the law now allows for transfer on death deeds, which allows owners to designate a beneficiary who will receive ownership of the deed in the event of the original owners death, allowing property to transfer without going into an estate.

In addition to a will, people should also be planning for what happens if they are unable to make medical decisions. A person retains their legal right to make decisions up until two medical professionals agree that someone is unable to make a choice themselves (either due to inability to speak or inability to understand their situation). People need to make an advanced medical directive to designate who can make medical decisions on their behalf. While the state does designate a list of people who can make the decision in the event you have not made plans, it can be very hard on the person who is called upon to make the decision, and they might make a decision contrary to your wishes. It is best to designate someone ahead of time, and to make sure that you have written down what your wishes would be in the event of various medical situations.

While it can be a topic hard to discuss, it is important to plan ahead. Doing so makes things easier on those left behind and ensures that you have the final say on how your assets are passed on. According to Bettina Lawton, the best time of year to begin your legacy planning is around the time you pay your taxes, as you frequently need the same fiscal documents in order to make your plans. You need to decide whom it is who can best fulfill your will. Sometimes a spouse or child isn’t the right choice, as financial positions, such as executors, trustees or someone with a designated financial power of attorney needs to either be good with financial details or capable of supervising those who are. You also need to make plans for what happens if your designated person dies or is incapacitated at the same time, or before, you are.

For more information, you can email Bettina Lawton at [email protected] or visit LawtonLegacyPlanning.com for an estate planning guide so you know what information you need and what decisions you should be making.