What's Happening in Washington, D.C.
VHHA-Supported “VOCA Fix Act” Passes U.S. House with Bipartisan Support
Legislation that would help sustain Virginia’s Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Programs (HVIPs) recently passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support and will soon be considered by the U.S. Senate. Titled the “VOCA Fix Act” and co-sponsored by Virginia Representatives Jennifer Wexton (D-10) and Gerry Connolly (D-11), the bill would rebuild the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victim Fund that supports costs associated with caring for survivors and their families, including medical expenses and wraparound services.
Several Virginia hospitals in high-need areas receive these VOCA grants through the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) to maintain HVIPs that not only treat victims’ trauma, but help provide short-term safety and long-term solutions to prevent recurring violence. The fund is paid for by penalties associated with criminal prosecution, not by taxpayers.
VHHA strongly supports the VOCA Fix Act. More information is included in an opinion-editorial authored by bipartisan attorneys general.
What's Happening in Richmond
Advocates are honing their funding requests to the General Assembly ahead of a special session anticipated to be held in late July or early August to allocate the state’s share of federal funding from the American Rescue Plan (ARP). Because the parameters of the ARP funds are broader than the past federal COVID-19 relief funds, it is expected that the General Assembly will consider significant and diverse budget requests. The VHHA Advocacy Team will also be finalizing budget priorities ahead of the special session – please make sure you are signed up for the VHHA grassroots action alerts to receive real-time updates!
June 8 is Election day for Virginia Democrats (and Some Republicans)
Though absentee ballots have been cast for over a month now, the official Election Day for the Virginia Democratic primaries is Tuesday, June 8.
Polls will be open 6am – 7pm on June 8 for those voting in person. In-person absentee voting will be available through Saturday, June 5, and all mail-in absentee ballots must be received by the local registrars by 7pm on June 8.
Voting in the Democratic primary but still undecided? Check out the conversations with the candidates who participated in VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast.
The ballots will also include Democratic and Republican primaries for any House of Delegates districts, as well as some local offices, in which multiple candidates of the same party are vying to become their party’s nominee.
To see who’s on your ballot, and for other information on voting, check out the Virginia Department of Elections or your local registrar .
Meet the Statewide Republican Ticket
On May 8, approximately 30,000 delegates cast ranked choice ballots in an unassembled convention to nominate Virginia’s statewide Republican candidates. After many rounds of counting, the official nominees are: Glenn Youngkin for Governor, Winsome Sears for Lieutenant Governor, and Jason Miyares for Attorney General.
Glenn Youngkin is a first-time political candidate who retired as CEO of the private equity firm The Carlyle Group last year. He declined to participate in VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast series featuring interviews with the 2021 statewide candidates, but more information about him can be found on his website.
Winsome Sears is a military veteran and former member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing parts of Hampton Roads. Check out her interview on VHHA’s Patients Come First podcast, as well as her website.
Jason Miyares is a current member of the House of Delegates representing Virginia Beach and is also a former prosecutor for the City of Virginia Beach. Learn more about him on the Patients Come First podcast and his website
