Dear ,

This is the last week of the General Assembly. Most of our bills are done for the year, but not all, and so – like the importuning widow, who kept bugging the judge (Luke 18) – we will keep pushing till the very end, likely to be Saturday, but the work could get extended because of budget negotiations.

The Senate conferees were announced on the solitary confinement bill on Tuesday: Senator Morrissey (patron), Senator Locke, and Senator Favola. House conferees will be confirmed soon. VICPP is doing its best to find ways to get a good conference committee bill that can still pass both houses.

The other “big” issues left are all in the budget. We are encouraging the budget to include:  

• Support Housing Money 
  • Fund a state-wide Housing Needs Assessment, as recommended by JLARC in a 2021 report. (114 #2h & 114 #2s) 
    
  • Support a pilot program increasing affordability for families in mobile home parks. (114 #1s) 
  • Use surplus revenue to build more affordable housing through the Virginia Housing Trust Fund. (485 #1s)  
•  Increase education access
  • Support early childhood education by increasing funding to mixed-delivery childcare programs. (305 #1s)
  • Improve the staffing ratio for English Language Learners in Virginia public schools (137 #13s) 
    
• Improve conditions for people incarcerated in Virginia’s prisons
  • Fund staff to reduce the use of solitary confinement in Virginia prisons. (404 #1s) 
  •  Allow people who are incarcerated to have free phone calls. (404 #2s)
  • Increase oversight in the Department of Corrections by creating an Ombudsman office. (392 #1s) 
• Target tax cuts to families with low incomes 
  Virginia is considering an array of tax cuts. VICPP opposes tax cuts that would benefit companies or individuals that are financially prospering. By limiting those big-ticket tax cuts, there are more resources to support societal needs and target tax cuts to lower-income Virginians. VICPP believes that any tax cuts should benefit those who have been left behind in our economy, not those who have gotten ahead.
  
  Consequently, VICPP supports making the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) fully refundable. This is one of the most targeted tax reform options available.

Even though the final budget is negotiated by a small group of legislators, all legislators have opportunities to weigh in through conversations with their colleagues. Please CLICK HERE to send an email to your Delegate and Senator urging them to make human needs a priority in the budget, or click the button below my signature. See the VICPP budget factsheet HERE. 

Importuning till the end, 

Kim Bobo
Executive Director

There is a health equity crisis in Virginia. It is up to us, as people who value both faith and medical care, to add hope to the conversation. Join us on March 8 at 6:30 p.m. to discuss where our health equity priorities stand after the legislative session, and what issues we're likely to focus on next year. There will be a presentation about vaccine equity, both for COVID-19 and for other adult vaccinations. We'll also have a chance to brainstorm how we can stand up for equity in our own communities. Click the button below to register.

VICPP is hiring for a new health equity manager. Please encourage strong applicants to apply by March 17, 2023 by clicking the button below.

Upcoming events are posted to the web regularly. Please click the button below to check out the VICPP Events webpage.  

VICPP Faith Organizer Sheila Herlihy Hennessee quoted in:

Bills to expand tenant rights die in Virginia House of Delegates

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Feb 17, 2023

By David Ress

Miyares seeks change to solitary confinement; critics vow to draw “line in the sand”

Richmond Times-Dispatch, Feb 17, 2023

By Luca Powell