A weekly review of what local legislators are doing on the Hill and in Richmond that affect our region.
United States Senate
Tim Kaine
Sen. Tim Kaine this past week was engaged both with new legislation and announcing funds for suicide prevention.
- Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee, reintroduced legislation to support survivors of sexual assault on college campuses. The Survivor Outreach and Support on Campus Act, or S.O.S. Campus Act, would require that every college and university that receives federal funding have an independent advocate dedicated to campus sexual assault prevention and response.
- U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Chair of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower, introduced bipartisan legislation that provides the administration with the authority to sanction foreign adversary entities that provide support to China’s maritime militia. The Targeting Illicit Disruption and Encroachment in Seas (TIDES) Act aims to expand our toolkit to respond to China’s use of its maritime militia to exert excessive territorial claims, harass U.S. ships and those of our partners in the South China Sea, and carry out illicit fishing activities.
- Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $4,549,848 in federal funding for suicide prevention efforts targeted towards Virginia’s veterans. The funding, courtesy of the Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program, will support community-based prevention efforts to meet the needs of veterans and their families through outreach, prevention services, and connection to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and community resources.
Sen. Mark Warner
In addition to announcing funding for suicide prevention with Sen. Kaine, Sen. Warner this week:
- Released the following statement on the Senate’s failure to advance the Right to IVF Act, Warner-sponsored legislation that would establish the right to receive, provide or cover in-vitro fertilization (IVF) services and expand IVF insurance coverage nationwide: “For many Americans who dream of starting a family, access to IVF can make all the difference. Unfortunately, in the years since Roe v. Wade was overturned, we’ve continued to see states and legislatures across the county chip away at a woman’s right to access reproductive care, including IVF. I am baffled and disappointed to see so many of my Republican colleagues vote to block this pro-family legislation, which would have protected the right to IVF, provided support to veterans who want to grow their families, and increase IVF affordability under insurance.”
- Issued a statement on efforts by Iran to influence the election: “I applaud the administration for providing regular public notifications of foreign efforts to influence our elections, including this hack-and-leak attempt by Iran. Since early July, we’ve received nearly a half-dozen updates on adversaries’ intentions and plans to influence the upcoming election.”
U.S. Congress
Abigail Spanberger
On Thursday, Rep. Abigail Spanberger announced that a bipartisan effort headed by herself and Rep. Garret Graves (R-Louisiana 6th District) had gained the required 218 signatures necessary to force a House vote on a bill to eliminate the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset that reduce Social Security benefits for select groups of people. Her office provided the following explanation of who in Virginia is hurt by WEP or GEO:
THE NUMBERS
Right now, more than 54,000 individuals in Virginia are hurt by the WEP or GPO.
According to a February 2024 CRS report, more than 46,000 individuals in Virginia are hurt by the WEP.
And according to a March 2024 CRS report, more than 7,800 individuals in Virginia are hurt by the GPO.
THE STORIES
Thousands of retirees in Virginia and across the country have told Rep. Spanberger about how the WEP and GPO have hurt their financial security.
Last month, more than 2,750 public servants shared their personal stories with Rep. Spanberger in a survey. Click here to read some of the stories from Virginia’s Seventh District.
In other news from Spanberger’s office:
The Congresswoman backed bipartisan efforts to extend VA home loan benefits to disabled veterans, connect guardsmen & reservists with VA housing benefits, help disabled veterans make their homes more accessible.
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit our website at the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past month, our reporting was:
$8 a month supports great journalism
- First to report on a Spotsylvania School teacher arrested for bringing drugs onto campus.
- First to report on new facility fees leveled by MWHC on patient bills.
- First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
- Provided extensive coverage of the cellphone bans that are sweeping local school districts.
- And so much more, like Clay Jones, Drew Gallagher, Hank Silverberg, and more.
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
Support FXBG Advance for $8 a month
