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Relief for All Virginians: Sign On Letter to Members of Congress

More than 140 current and former public officials from every region of Virginia have signed this letter to our Congressional delegation.

Dear Members of the Virginia Congressional Delegation,

The COVID-19 pandemic has left communities across the Commonwealth in urgent need of federal assistance. As public officials, we have seen firsthand the effects of this crisis on our families, economies, health systems, and local governments. We are facing two challenges simultaneously: the need for increased expenditures to meet local needs and the reality of reduced revenues as businesses remain closed.

COVID-19 has had an especially devastating effect on Virginia’s communities of color. This crisis requires immediate action to limit further harm and set up our communities for a strong, equitable recovery. We write today in support of the following priorities in the next COVID relief package:

– Increased direct, unrestricted funding to local and state governments. Reduced state and local revenues will create massive shortfalls that will force cascading cuts to critical services and could impede recovery for years. The package must clearly allocate at least $500 billion for counties, towns, cities, and states to ensure that local and state governments have the resources to manage the longer-term consequences of today’s crisis.

– Increased Medicaid FMAP funding to states. The federal government’s contributions to Virginia’s Medicaid program could be a lifesaver. At minimum, a 12 percent increase in the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) is essential to address emerging needs, as is preservation of Medicaid’s Maintenance of Effort provisions, which prohibit states from dropping coverage or changing eligibility.

– Increased health care coverage. Testing, treatments, and medicines for coronavirus should be provided at no cost to all patients regardless of insurance or immigration status.

– Protections for essential workers. Future relief packages must provide health care, protective equipment, paid family leave and sick time, and more stringent safety protections for all workers, including state and local government employees. Any stimulus payments and protections must apply to all workers, including immigrants with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers.

– Increased funding and flexibility for SNAP. Congress should include at least a 15 percent boost to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) maximum benefit and increase minimum monthly SNAP benefits to $30 to better equip Americans to feed their families during the crisis and in the economic aftermath. In addition, the Administration should lift harmful proposed rules that weaken SNAP eligibility, benefits, and state flexibility.

With sufficient resources, we can successfully meet the current crisis. State and local public officials are ready to work side by side with federal lawmakers to ensure the best possible future for all our people.

Sincerely,

Louise Lucas
President Pro Tempore
18th Senate District

Ghazala F. Hashmi
State Senator
10th Senate District

Dawn Adams
Delegate
68th House District

Jennifer Carroll Foy
Delegate
2nd House District

Cliff Hayes
Delegate
77th House District

Mark Keam
Delegate
35th House District

Clinton Jenkins
Delegate
76th House District

Mike Mullin
Delegate
93rd House District

Ibraheem S. Samirah
Delegate
86th House District

Vivian Watts
Delegate
39th House District

Neal Osborne
Mayor
Bristol

William B. Kyger,  Jr.
Chair, Board of Supervisors
Rockingham County

Noelle Gabrielle
Chair, School Board
Norfolk

Jennifer McKeever
Chair, School Board
Charlottesville

Nancy Bailey
Vice Mayor
Big Stone Gap

Sal Romero, Jr.
Vice Mayor
Harrisonburg

Tim Williams
Vice Mayor
Damascus

Sandra Garner Coleman
Vice Chair, School Board
Halifax County

H. Fuller Cridlin
Commonwealth’s Attorney
Lee County

Jennifer B. Boysko
State Senator
33rd Senate District

Montgomery Mason
State Senator
1st Senate District

Alex Askew
Delegate
85th House District

Joshua Cole
Delegate
28th House District

Patrick A Hope
Delegate
47th House District

Sally Hudson
Delegate
57th House District

Jay Jones
Delegate
89th House District

Ken Plum
Delegate
36th House District

Don Scott
Delegate
80th House District

Carolyn Dull
Mayor
Staunton

Deanne Read
Mayor
Harrisonburg

Jeffrey C. McKay
Chair, Board of Supervisors
Fairfax County

Gunin Kiran
Chair, School Board
Montgomery County

Julian Craig
Mayor
Abingdon

Sena Magill
Vice Mayor
Charlottesville

Michael Sutphin
Vice Mayor
Blacksburg

Carlos Clanton
Vice Chair, School Board
Norfolk

Dot Heffron
Vice Chair, School Board
Chesterfield County

Stephanie Morales
Commonwealth’s Attorney
Portsmouth

R. Creigh Deeds
State Senator
25th Senate District

Joseph Morrissey
State Senator
16th Senate District

Betsy Carr
Delegate
69th House District

Nancy Guy
Delegate
83rd House District

Kaye Kory
Delegate
38th House District

Chris Hurst
Delegate
12th House District

Martha Mugler
Delegate
91st House District

Sam Rasoul
Delegate
11th House District

Shelly Simonds
Delegate
94th District

Alonzo Jones
Mayor
Danville

Robert Babyok
Chair, Board of Supervisors
Louisa County

Lowell Fulk
Chair, School Board
Rockingham County

Andrew Kohen
Chair, School Board
Harrisonburg

Gary Johnson
Mayor
Big Stone Gap

Chad Martin
Vice Mayor
Martinsville

Tina Vick
Vice Mayor
Newport News

Terry D. Fleenor
Vice Chair, School Board
Washington County

Diana Williams
Vice Chair, School Board
Waynesboro

Fred Parker
Treasurer
Washington County

Jessica Abbott
City Council
Virginia Beach

Richard Baugh
City Council
Harrisonburg

Mozell H. Booker
Board of Supervisors
Fluvanna County

Larry Campbell
City Council
Danville

Lori Deel
Board of Supervisors
Smyth County

Marcellus Harris
City Council
Newport News

Dave Jenkins
City Council
Newport News

Susan Mattingly
Town Council
Blacksburg

Andria McClellan
City Council
Norfolk

Ernie Reed
Board of Supervisors
Nelson County

Susan Seymore
Town Council
Damascus

Eric English
Chief of Police
Harrisonburg

Susan Anderson
Town Council
Blacksburg

Michael Berlucchi
City Council
Virginia Beach

Jennifer Bowles
City Council
Martinsville

Rick Chandler
Board of Supervisors
Rockingham County

Willie Gentry
Board of Supervisors
Louisa County

Heather Hill
City Council
Charlottesville

Christopher B. Jones
City Council
Harrisonburg

Barry Mayo
City Council (elect)
Danville

John McGlennon
Board of Supervisors
James City County

Mike Rush
Board of Supervisors
Washington County

Wayne Stevens
Board of Supervisors
Washington County

Stephen Lee Lawson
Town Manager
Big Stone Gap

Fitzgerald A. Barnes
Board of Supervisors
Louisa County

Mary Biggs
Board of Supervisors
Montgomery County

John L. Bush
Town Council
Blacksburg

Erik Curren
City Council
Staunton

Jason Graham
City Council
Fredericksburg

John Hirschmann
City Council
Harrisonburg

Perry Martin
Board of Supervisors
Giles County

Phillip B. McCall
Board of Supervisors
Washington County

Michael Payne
City Council
Charlottesville

Sherman Saunders
City Council
Danville

Rosemary Wilson
City Council
Virginia Beach

Keith Perrigan
Superintendent of Schools
Bristol

Beverly Anderson
School Board
Virginia Beach

Tanya Karapurkar Bhasin
School Board
Norfolk

Mark Cherbaka
School Board
Montgomery County

Vera Ely
School Board
Lee County

Megan Hamilton
School Board
Washington County

Lisa Johnson
School Board
Accomack County

Charlette McQuilkin
School Board
Rockingham County

Cardell Patillo
School Board
Portsmouth

James Sanders Henderson III
School Board
Washington County

LaKeesha Atkinson
School Board
Portsmouth

William Brannon
School Board
Washington County

Crystal Cobbs
School Board
Danville

Penny Franklin
School Board
Montgomery County

Dorothy “Dottie” Holtz
School Board
Virginia Beach

Charlena Jones
School Board
Northampton County

Jessica Owens
School Board
Virginia Beach

Leah Puryear
School Board
Charlottesville

Juandiego Wade
School Board
Charlottesville

De’Andre Barnes
School Board
Portsmouth

James Bryant
School Board
Charlottesville

Daniel Edwards
School Board
Virginia Beach

Tyquan Graves
School Board
Danville

Karen Jenkins
School Board
Suffolk

Rodney Jordan
School Board
Norfolk

Claude Parent
School Board
Portsmouth

Trenace Riggs
School Board
Virginia Beach

Costella Williams
School Board
Portsmouth

Kim Adkins
Mayor (former)
Martinsville

Catherine Brillhart
Mayor (former)
Bristol

Kimble Reynolds, Jr.
Mayor (former)
Martinsville

Tom Mendez
Chair, School Board (former)
Harrisonburg

Marty Jewell
City Council (former)
Richmond

Phyllis T. Albritton
School Board (former)
Montgomery County

Lauren Penrod
School Board (former)
Harrisonburg

Don W. Ashley
Mayor (former)
Bristol

Kai Degner
Mayor (former)
Harrisonburg

Jim Steele
Mayor (former)
Bristol

Elzena Anderson
City Council (former)
Wanyesboro

Ray Smith, Sr.
City Council (former)
Portsmouth

Diane Foucar-Szocki
School Board (former)
Harrisonburg

Karen Kennedy Schultz
School Board (former)
Winchester

Bill Beck
Mayor (former)
Fredericksburg

Edward Harlow
Mayor (former)
Bristol

J. Walter Tejada
Chair, Board of Supervisors (former)
Arlington County

Pablo Cuevas
Board of Supervisors (former)
Rockingham County

Kristin Layng Szakos
City Council (former)
Charlottesville

Dany Fleming
School Board (former)
Harrisonburg

R. Don Short
Commonwealth’s Attorney (former)
Louisa County

Relief for All Virginians: Sign On Letter to Members of Congress Reviewed by on . More than 140 current and former public officials from every region of Virginia have signed this letter to our Congressional delegation. Dear Members of the Vir More than 140 current and former public officials from every region of Virginia have signed this letter to our Congressional delegation. Dear Members of the Vir Rating: 0
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