Senator Ghazala Hashmi May 31, 2024 Newsletter

Dear friends,

In this week’s newsletter, I provide a final update on two of my bills from this past 2024 Session: the Right to Contraception and the Contraceptive Equity Act. I also share brief details about recent Commission meetings, spotlight the “Shadowing the Senator” program and its participants, and highlight recent community engagements. Thank you for reading and staying informed.

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Youngkin Vetoes My Contraception Bills

Late in the evening of May 17, on the final day for his required actions on legislation returned to the Governor’s desk following the General Assembly’s Special Session, Governor Youngkin vetoed both the Right to Contraception Act (SB 237) and Contraceptive Equity Act (SB 238). I introduced these two bills with colleagues in the House (Delegate Cia Price and Delegate Candi King, respectively) and with a large contingent of advocates and constituents who understand that access to a broad spectrum of reproductive healthcare and healthcare in general are under grave attack by extremist groups and far-right Republicans across the country. It is a real shame that Youngkin has aligned himself with these groups, rather than working to protect Virginians and their healthcare needs.

As I have shared previously and as surprising as it may seem, access to contraception medication and devices may be in jeopardy. Many Americans do not remember the history of contraception in this country because we now take it for granted since contraception has been readily and legally available for close to 60 years. However, it was not until 1965, with the landmark Supreme Court decision Griswold v Connecticut that Americans could legally access contraception under the right to privacy. Even then, the Griswold decision was specific to married couples only. Unmarried adults did not have legal access to contraceptives in every state until the 1972 Eisenstadt v. Baird decision.

Now, with the fall of Roe v Wade, contraception is the next battleground, and certain groups are pushing hard to dismantle legal access to it. This is why it is so important to put in protections in Virginia, just as we did in 2020 to protect safe and legal access to abortion care. Should Griswold and Eisenstadt be reversed, Virginia state laws will continue to provide this essential protection for us in the Commonwealth.

Our bills and Youngkin’s vetoes sparked local, state, and national media attention. Here are a few:

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Commission Meetings

At last Wednesday’s meeting of the Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC), I was honored to be elected by my colleagues to serve as Vice Chair of the Commission. I look forward to working closely with my friend and colleague Delegate Rodney Willett (D-Henrico) and congratulate him on his election as Chair of this very important Commission. I have served as a member of the Commission since 2020, and its work helps us to dive in depth on the issues and concerns of health care in Virginia.

Also meeting last Wednesday was the Brown vs Board of Education Scholarship Committee on which I serve. The Committee reviewed applications for the scholarship funding and voted on tentative approvals, pending final review, of scholarship funds for 44 qualifying applicants. This budget allocation seeks to redress the historic injustices of Massive Resistance, the period during which certain localities in Virginia shut down public schools entirely rather than integrate them, locking out young Black Virginians from their constitutional right to education.

Yesterday, I joined the members of the Virginia Disability Commission in our first meeting of the new term. We reviewed relevant recent legislation related to disability concerns and defined the work plan for this year.

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Shadowing the Senator

In recent weeks, my office hosted two “Shadowing the Senator” program participants: Kristina and Dylan. A recent graduate of Reynolds Community College, Kristina sought out the shadowing opportunity to learn more about state government during our Special Session to vote on the state budget. During her day with my office, Kristina attended a meeting of the Rules Committee, held a Q&A with my staff, received a tour of the General Assembly Building and the Capitol, and attended the Senate floor session. Kristina shared her thoughts about her experiences:

“I wanted to thank you and your staff for the opportunity to shadow you on Monday. I have learned so much in just one day! Thank you for being so welcoming and communicative. It was a wonderful experience to follow you along for the day. Thank you to June and Gerardo for guiding me throughout the day and answering any questions that I had.”

This Thursday, my office hosted another Shadowing the Senator participant: Dylan. A student at Longwood University studying government, Dylan’s interest in the Shadowing Program came after meeting with my staff during the 2024 General Assembly Session. He had the opportunity to attend a briefing with the Virginia Housing Commission, hold a Q&A with my staff, view my press conference with Delegate Kathy Tran and Protect Our Care to celebrate victories in healthcare accessibility for AAPI Americans, meet one-on-one with me, and attend a meeting of the Virginia Disability Commission. Dylan shared his thoughts about his day with my office:

"Shadowing Senator Hashmi was an insightful and wonderful experience. I felt very welcomed by her and her staff team. My favorite part of the program was being able to attend a meeting by the Virginia Disability Commission and being able to watch the press conference. I was able to see the legislators in action and gain knowledge on what Senators really do day-to-day."

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Select Community Engagements

Last Friday, I joined community members from the Meadowbrook Estate Community Association to provide a legislative update on my work this past session. Their questions and concerns revolved around funding our public schools, combating food insecurity, and ensuring essential services are delivered consistently.

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Last Friday, I attended a sneak peak of the very special production of the Loving v Virginia Opera in Concert. Richmond Symphony’s and Virginia Opera’s Loving v. Virginia focuses on the Supreme Court decision that ended the racist policies that made interracial marriage illegal in Virginia. This production is an operatic retelling of the love, marriage, and courage of Richard and Mildred Loving. The opera will open in select locations in Virginia in April 2025.

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This past Saturday, I attended the Upper Mattaponi Tribe’s 35th annual Pow Wow held on sacred tribal land in King William County. I was delighted to meet with Chief Frank Adams, the Chiefs of other Virginia tribes, and numerous members of our indigenous communities to learn more about the efforts to protect languages, traditions, and cultures. I look forward to working with Delegate Paul Krizek, pictured above, on his legislation in support of Virginia’s indigenous peoples.

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On Sunday, I joined other elected officials and Chesterfield County residents at the Chesterfield County Memorial Day Ceremony. Ben King (pictured), with the Virginia War Memorial, spoke eloquently of the courage and sacrifice of thousands of Virginians. His words reminded us of the vigilance and struggle it takes to protect our democracy and rights. (Photo Credit Cris Watson)

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On Tuesday morning, I toured the Virginia National Guard Headquarters, located in my district, to better understand the role, responsibilities, chain of command and operations of the Virginia National Guard. The tour began with a look at the archival history and the artifacts in the many conflicts and wartime operations in which Virginia’s men and women have played significant roles in the Guard. I later received a comprehensive briefing from Major General James Ring, Adjutant General of the Virginia National Guard, and his team on the Virginia National Guard’s preparations, breadth of engagement, organizational structure, and its impact on our communities.

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On Tuesday evening, I joined my colleagues from the General Assembly Richmond City Delegation for a community town hall. I was pleased to see so much community engagement as we shared our legislative and budgetary accomplishments from the 2024 session. Equally important, I highlighted how much this General Assembly succeeded in blocking legislation that would harm our public education system, women's health, environmental protections, and more.

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In commemoration of the conclusion of both Older Americans Month and Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, I joined Delegate Kathy Tran, Protect Our Care Virginia, and health care advocates from across the state in a press conference highlighting healthcare investments at the state and federal levels for both communities. During the 2024 session, I fought for pay increases for in-home health workers, additional funding to improve language access services, and funding for critical support for older Virginians. We also discussed the invaluable impact of the Biden Administration’s historic Inflation Reduction Act on reducing healthcare costs, capping out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs for Medicare recipients, and empowering Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.

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Thursday evening, I attended the REPRO Rising Virginia's Annual Gala to celebrate Virginia’s successful protections for safe and legal access to abortion and reproductive health care. As the only state in the South to continue to safeguard this care after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the work of REPRO Rising and other reproductive health care organizations is critical, as is our work in the General Assembly. Electing a strong majority of reproductive healthcare champions in the 2025 elections is an absolute must if Virginians are to continue to have the protections and rights that so many other states have lost because of extremists’ control of state legislatures.

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Celebrating Pride Month

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Pride Month, a time to uplift and celebrate members of the LGBTQ+ community, and recommit ourselves to promoting equity, acceptance, and respect for all people. Organizations such as Equality Virginia, Side by Side, and Diversity Richmond are all doing critical work, providing LGBTQ+ people and their families with educational resources, advocacy tools, mentorship opportunities, and more across the Commonwealth.

Connecting With My Office

My office can be reached at the following:

Email: SenatorHashmi@senate.virginia.gov

Phone: 804.698.7515

If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up to receive my office’s weekly newsletter here.

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