Senator Aird Announces Priorities Funded Within Final Budget
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 13, 2024
Contact: Jameson Babb
Chief of Staff
757-719-0287
Senator Aird Announces Priorities Funded Within Final Budget
RICHMOND, VA- Today, the Virginia General Assembly convened in Richmond for a Special Session to pass the FY25-FY26 budget. This budget contains historic funding for education, prioritizes mental health and crucial investments in our Commonwealth’s infrastructure.
Following passage of the budget Senator Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg), speaking to her amendments included within the completed budget said, “I am grateful to have secured over $22 million dollars in priorities that will provide critical supports for the citizens of the 13th senatorial district. My funded priorities included key investments in education, violence prevention, poverty reduction efforts, healthcare, good governance and community resilience to continue to move our Commonwealth forward. I am confident that this budget will have direct and significant positive impacts on the residents in my district and I was proud to vote in support of the final budget this afternoon.”
Senator Aird Budget Amendments Included in the Final Budget
Community Schools Grant Fund and Staff to Implement SB 608 to support community schools through the creation of the Office of Community Schools and grants to school divisions to support the development and implementation of community schools initiatives - $5.28m
Community Builders Youth Violence Prevention Program for SB484 to establish the Community Builders Pilot Program for the purpose of reducing youth involvement in behaviors that lead to gun violence and increasing community engagement among public school students in Roanoke City Public Schools and Petersburg City Public Schools. - $800k
REAL Life Violence Prevention - Provides funding to the REAL Life Program a community gun violence intervention program currently active in the City of Hopewell that has reduced gun related crimes by over 70% to expand its footprint into the City of Petersburg - $1m
Funding Community Health Workers - Secures funding to retain over 100 community health workers that would have lost their jobs based upon the Governor’s introduced budget and directs VDH to deploy those workers to localities with the highest rates of maternal mortality - $6.4m
Replacing CommonHelp Platform - Funding to develop an integrated benefits eligibility system at the Department of Social Services to replace CommonHelp in an effort to streamline the benefit application process for 2.2m Virginians applying for Medicaid, SNAP, TANF and other services provided by the Department - $7.7m
Commission on Local Government Staff to Implement SB 645 which would create a framework by which the Commonwealth can step in to ensure a fiscally distressed locality is able to receive the support it needs to regain its footing financially with targeted management assistance from the State government. - $300k
Maternal Mortality Review Team Data Collection and Analysis Support to implement SB490 provides funding for contractual support to the Review Team for purposes of expanding their data collection and analysis practices to better improve maternal health outcomes - $230k
Staffing Increases at the Joint Commission on Technology and Science to, in part, implement SB487 - funding to improve the capacity for the Joint Commission on Technology and Science to undertake the considerable work referred to it during the 2024 session, such as my legislation regarding Artificial Intelligence regulation - $400k
Virginia State Police - Body-worn Cameras Report - Language directing the State Police to provide a report on the current usage and estimated costs of expanding the use of body-worn cameras by sworn personnel.
Sheriff Salary Study - Language directing the Compensation Board to provide a report on prior salary increases effectiveness at reducing departures and vacancies and what future salaries may be necessary to improve retention and reduce compression.
Maintain Eligibility for Hate Crime Grants - Language which opens grant funding to localities that are partnered with Nonprofits and Institutions combating hate crimes within the community.
Restrictions on Hiring Prosecutors with Project Ceasefire Funding - Language that prevents gun violence intervention and prevention funding from being diverted from deterrence to criminalization efforts.
Attendance Recovery Contracting - Language which directs the Superintendent of Public Instruction to enter into contract with a provider that specializes in attendance recovery services for at-risk students for school divisions to purchase services through this contract.
Flexibility for ARPA Dollars for South Central Wastewater Authority –This amendment provides the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) the flexibility to apply previously authorized ARPA funds to nutrient reduction and other treatment facility improvements that DEQ would otherwise find acceptable or critical uses.
While serving in the House of Delegates, Lashrecse Aird demonstrated a capacity for pragmatic progressivism – championing education issues, criminal justice reform, reproductive healthcare access, and economic development. With a willingness to reach across the aisle and work bipartisan to get things done, now Senator Aird has a proven track record of legislative successes at the State Capitol.
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