Flavored Vape Products Could be Pulled From Virginia Shelves - Royal Examiner

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Flavored vape products lacking Food and Drug Administration approval could be pulled from Virginia shelves, as a pair of identical bills head to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s desk for his signature.

Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, and Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, say their bills would help to eliminate the 50% of illegal, unregulated vapor and e-cigarette products currently being sold in the commonwealth. Both lawmakers said the bill’s intent is to also curb underage vaping, as no flavored e-cigarettes or vapes are currently FDA-approved which they say is to deter youth consumers.

“It’s a very serious situation and what this bill is intended to do is protect children,” Willett told the Virginia Mercury in an interview last week. “It’s to protect adults who are lawful consumers and then also the wholesalers and retailers themselves.”

Willett said the bills would create a registry of non-flavored products that can be sold in the commonwealth which are FDA-approved and currently undergoing the agency’s application process, of which there are “literally thousands.”

Deeds told the Mercury last week that the registry’s purpose is to identify “products that have been inspected and authorized and somebody’s looked at them.”

Both legislators said several businesses have sent them letters in support of the bill because they want to make sure they’re selling legal products. Willett said the businesses also “want to protect legal consumers from ingesting undisclosed, harmful chemicals that are found in the unlawful vaping products.”

Representatives from tobacco company Altria emphasized the bill would provide clarity for retailers as to which devices they can and cannot sell. The company, which also owns cigarette brand Phillip Morris, is the only one in the state with FDA-approved vapor products.

Altria spokesman Steve Callahan told the House of Delegates’ ABC and Gaming Subcommittee in February the legislation “is a common sense solution.”

Three interesting bills: selling children, ‘swatting’ penalties and regulating vape products

However, opponents of the bill said it serves to only benefit big tobacco companies at the expense of small businesses and Virginians trying to quit smoking through vapor products.

Tony Abboud with the Vapor Technology Association said there are currently 13 million vapers across the U.S., yet only six different types of FDA-approved e-cigarettes are currently on the market. He said tobacco companies like Altria would reap the benefits from the legislation and compared the bill to a scenario in which all beer except for Bud Lite and Miller Lite are removed from stores.

“Bud and Miller would love it, right, because they are definitely going to pick up some more customers,” Abboud said in an interview.

A 2023 Yale University study found in the seven states that ban flavored e-cigarettes, smokers were more likely to turn toward traditional cigarettes.

Abboud has also heard concerns from businesses that they’re frightened their customers may turn back to smoking cigarettes or other harmful methods if the bill passes and they can’t buy their favorite vaping product.

“If you think about it, you remove all of these products from the market that so many people are using, they’re either going to go back to cigarettes,” he said, “or if they’re committed to this product — which many, many are — they’re going to go find it on the black market.”

A letter sent last month from Sen. Glen Sturtevant, R-Chesterfield, to Gov. Glenn Youngkin highlighted several other concerns about the bill, including major economic losses for Virginia, “draconian” penalties for noncompliance and an extremely selective and time-intensive FDA approval process.

Sturtevant, the only legislator to vote against the bill, told the governor the economic repercussions of enacting the bills “cannot be overstated.” An analysis of the bills by economic research firm John Dunham and Associates included in Sturtevant’s letter projects nearly 1,820 Virginians would lose their jobs and the state would suffer a loss of $252.8 million in economic activity if the commonwealth bans flavored vapor products.

He referenced Chesterfield-based vape company Avail Vapor, which was forced to close in 2021 because of “significant FDA red tape and regulations that were put in place,” Sturtevant said, causing a lot of people to lose their jobs.

He added the civil penalty for noncompliance with FDA standards — $1,000 per day for each non-permitted product — is “draconian.” Sturtevant said it can easily add up to $50,000 in fines, even though he said other crimes in Virginia don’t come close to carrying similar penalties — even first-degree murder. Businesses could also incur additional losses, he said, if they aren’t able to sell all of their non-FDA approved products before the law goes into effect July 1.

“Our focus should be on measures that genuinely protect our youth, support adults in their efforts to quit smoking, and preserve the livelihoods of those employed by the vaping industry,” Sturtevant said.

Additionally, he pointed out the FDA’s Premarket Tobacco Product Application process, which Deeds and Willett’s bills utilize as a foundation for regulating vapor products, has been deemed unlawful by the 5th and 11th federal circuit courts.

In both cases, the court ruled the FDA had been “arbitrary and capricious” when considering which companies and products it approves, forcing the agency to reconsider its decisions.

Dylan Bishop with the Virginia Smoke Free Association told the House ABC and Gaming Subcommittee in February that since the FDA’s application process was established in 2019, the approval rate for vaping products is 0.00001%.

While Willet acknowledged that the FDA process can be selective and take a long time, it’s important to get approval because many vape products are made in China, which he said is a “completely unregulated and untaxed market in most cases.”

However, Tom Beaudet, CEO of Virginia-based regulatory and scientific advisory company Accorto Regulatory Solutions, said the Chinese government issued a statement this month to their vape manufacturers selling products in the U.S. saying they needed to follow proper regulations and go through the FDA approval process.

“There’s nothing that has the potential to have the positive impact on the U.S. public health as these products,” Beaudet said. “Unfortunately, there’s so much politics behind it and there’s so much negative influence from the tobacco companies.”

Nevertheless, Deeds and Willett remain committed that their bills are taking a much needed step towards protecting children from illegal, harmful products.

“In some cases, we need to put the interests of our children over those adults who are looking for more choice,” Willett said. “There are choices for adults, it’s just they’re limited in order to protect children.”

The deadline for Youngkin to veto or sign the legislation into law is April 8.

Deputy Communications Director Macaulay Porter told the Mercury, “the Governor is reviewing the legislation that has been delivered to his desk.”

by Meghan McIntyre, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: [email protected]. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and Twitter.

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Morgan Slaven runs a sheep farm in Augusta County, where her family has been across different operations for seven generations, now with her nieces pitching in.

This year, Slaven was grateful because of her “off farm job” to generate income after drought conditions, presenting back to back years of challenges ahead of this year’s harvest season.

“What if I lost my job?” said Slaven, who works with Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative. “The only reason I have this place right now is because I have an off-the-farm income.”

Record drought hit Virginia this past summer, impacting profits in the largest economic sector in the state, even though programs are available at the federal level to offset losses.

According to the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, agriculture contributes about $82.3 billion annually to the economy with more than 381,800 jobs.

But temperatures reaching 99 degrees twice at the end of June in the Lynchburg area, with no rain and strong winds, pinched farmers’ pockets putting an emphasis on assistance programs.

“We have a lot of claims,” said Danielle Bappert, regional crop agent for Virginia Farm Bureau Crop Insurance program. “Yeah, it’s definitely tough this year.”

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality manages dry spells through the Drought Monitoring Task Force, a collection of other state agencies, which issued advisories that got put in place, expanded, lifted and put in place again.

On June 24, the task force placed a warning, which indicated that “a significant drought is imminent,” impacting 12 counties, mainly in Northern Virginia and the Northern Shenandoah Valley.

Less than a month later, the warning expanded to 60 counties.

A map of drought advisories in Virginia. (Courtesy of Department of Environmental Quality)

Conditions persisted until tropical Storm Debby hit the area in early August with about 7-10 inches over a few days. The task force then lifted 76 of the drought warnings, and watches, which is a less severe advisory.

But then in September, more severe warnings were issued for the northern Shenandoah Valley. Following Hurricane Helene, which hit the region at the end of September, the task force moved the warnings to less severe watches.

Similar to what is being seen on a planetary level, these trends were hamstrung by dry conditions at the start, said Weeden Cloe, manager of the office of water supply at the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

“We were hoping that there would be a very wet winter, with significant recharge for the groundwater, but it wasn’t really enough to bring groundwater levels to a point where they were able to be normal for this year,” said Cloe. “They were almost operating right off the bat in a deficit. This year, they dropped down very fast. In the Shenandoah Valley, they really haven’t popped back up until now.

The drought this year hurt sheep farmers, and the corn and bean commodities Virginia is known for.

Slaven, on her 68 acres, has about 55 ewes, or female sheep, for breeding that she fully rotates around her pastures every four to six weeks so they don’t nibble too far down on the grass where parasites are, and so the grass can recover.

Morgan Slaven’s farm in Augusta County. (Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury)

Last year, Slaven managed her father’s cattle and split the profits, which are supposed to be about 60 cents per pound the gain. The rate is supposed to be 2 pounds every day, but hers only gained about 15 pounds over 90 days.

This year, she went into a partnership with another farmer to take 40% of a hay crop to ensure feeding. But she skipped the first, early season harvesting with hopes to take the second and third cuts. The drought caused those to never come, and she had to spend between $150 and $200 a week on feed at the store to make up for food.

“It feels like why am I doing this, because the mortgage payment is still the same,” Slaven said.

The effects of the dry spells can be felt with commodities, according to the United States Department of Agriculture National Ag Statistics, which said in October that corn yields were estimated to be 36.1 million bushels, down 38% from the 2023 level. Soybeans are forecast to be up 22% from last year.

Whereas beans “idle” throughout the season, Robert Harper, a grain marketing specialist at the Virginia Farm Bureau, said that corn is “like a running back in the NFL, it’s explosive, it’s strong, and quick and fast.”

A corn field in Augusta County. (Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury)

In June, the lack of moisture and the warm night time temperatures not getting below 85 degrees meant the corn never pollinated or “silked” to produce its ear. When the rain came in July, the crop had already missed its chance to grow an ear, Harper said. Downpours came that did some damage.

“It’s a half a crop at best, and it’s highly damaged,” said Harper. “It’s a year of extremes. It seems like we’re just getting these cyclical weather patterns, and we get stuck in them.”

Assistance is there for the taking, but some may be reluctant to use it, and it may only allow farmers to break even.

In order to get help, the USDA issued a primary natural disaster designation for 15 counties, which allows for emergency loans.

Slaven tapped into disaster assistance, because she was paying the expenses out of pocket for feed instead of relying on naturally growing grass.

“People have a lot of pride, they don’t want to take donations, but it’s there, because your tax dollars are paying for it,” Slaven said.

Bales of hay in Augusta County. (Charlie Paullin/Virginia Mercury)

There is also farmers insurance, which is similar to a health policy by having farmers pay into it then get compensated by the government, Bappert said.

A “vast majority,” of clients will be filing a claim this year, Bappert said, adding that insurance and meeting environmental standards is a prerequisite to become eligible for Emergency Relief Program payments.

Del. Michael Webert, R-Fauquier, a farmer who faced similar feed shortages for his livestock, which forced him to buy 100 bales at $50 a piece in July, said the insurance can help producers break even.

“If you do that correctly, you don’t lose money,” Webert said. “You don’t make money, but you don’t lose money.”

by Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: [email protected]. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and X.

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Parents of nearly 10,000 children in Virginia are seeking early childhood care and education services primarily in the south and central regions, according to data collected by the Department of Education as of Oct. 1.

Industry experts say the challenge is balancing capacity and demand as the state focuses on preparing children and supporting families.

Virginia faces unmet parental demand for all three state-funded childcare programs.

The state-funded programs are the Child Care Subsidy Program, which provides subsidies to eligible families; the Mixed Delivery program, which offers funding to private, community-based preschools to serve children at risk of entering school without the necessary skills, and the Virginia Preschool Initiative program, which is provided for free, for four-year-old children.

“Unmet parent demand for child care is essentially a loss or a leak in our workforce pipeline,” said Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, at the Oct. 9 Commission on Early Childhood and Education meeting.

Del. David Bulova, D- Fairfax, added that while the commission is off to a great start, there is still a long way to go.

“We’ve built up a system that I think is gathering a great reputation, and so it’s not surprising that people are taking notice and they want to participate in that,” Bulova said. “This is really a very important part of our economy, it’s an important part of our workforce development and it’s also just a really great way to help families become self-sufficient and successful in the long term.”

According to data collected by VDOE, 9,657 children, including infants, toddlers, and school-age children, are on the Child Care Subsidy Program waitlist based on information collected from 93 of the 120 localities.

Jenna Conway, deputy superintendent at VDOE, said at the commission meeting that the remaining localities either have enough attrition or are seeing a different level of demand. The agency did not provide data on the enrollment changes for the Mixed Delivery or Virginia Preschool Initiative programs.

The Chesapeake Bay region has the most significant demand for services at 24%, followed by the Central and North Central regions at 22%.

(Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Education)

A total of 4,100 infants and toddlers comprise most of the children on the waitlist.

Conway said that excluding any policy changes, $112.7 million in additional funds would be needed to fully cover the 9,657 children on the waitlist. Excluding school-age children would cost $94.1 million.

She added that about two-thirds of families seek options in the private sector because they have infants and toddlers or need a full-day or full-year option. A third of families are seeking options through public school.

According to the agency, Virginia families contribute an average of 2% of gross income.

The current average copayment is $77 per month. Changing the current copayment policy for any of the three state-funded programs requires a change to Virginia’s biennial budget, completed in May.

With the progress made to identify the need and demand for child care services, the commission celebrated the state’s release of 3,121 profiles of publicly funded early childhood sites across the commonwealth detailing each program’s health, safety and learning information.

The data was published on Oct. 8.

The profiles stem from the Unified Virginia Quality Birth to Five system, or VQB5, focused on improving children’s school readiness and expanding access to parents and support providers. The system is also a tool to help gauge the effectiveness of Virginia’s early childhood education programs.

Bulova said earlier that more than half of child care programs, approximately 75%, that received public funding previously did not participate in the state’s voluntary quality measures. His 2020 legislation, which he co-patroned, led to all publicly funded providers being required to participate.

Coyner said she was anxious to begin reviewing the data as the commission seeks to support families with access, costs, and quality of services.

“For our families to work, attend job training, get more education and pursue greater self-sufficiency, which is our goal while putting their children on track for success in school, we need to ensure that eligible families have access,” Coyner told the panel at the meeting. “And again, that comes back to our task with finance, right? Access and quality equates to our ability to finance the system.”

The commission will conclude its review and recommend updates to the current copayment schedule, parental work requirements, and attendance expectations applicable to the Child Care Subsidy Program and Mixed Delivery Grant Program by Dec. 1, according to language in the biennium budget. The commission was tasked with considering “leveraging state general funds to minimize the fiscal cliff as family income increases beyond the program eligibility” and using “reasonable copayments to minimize the need for additional general funds.”

The VQB5 Online Portal includes information on health, safety, and learning in early childhood programs in every city and county in Virginia. (Courtesy of the Virginia Department of Education)

by Nathaniel Cline, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: [email protected]. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and X.

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Virginia voters will choose a U.S. Senate representative to serve a six-year term. Current incumbent Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine faces Republican challenger Hung Cao for the available seat. The contest is between a former civil rights lawyer who has served Virginia in four different political roles, including former governor, and a retired U.S. Navy captain who served for 25 years and recently entered the political sphere.

Virginia has two U.S. senators who serve six-year terms, with one seat up for grabs on Nov. 5.

There are three Senate “classes” that determine elections and terms, with one-third of senators taking the oath of office at the start of each two-year Congress.

Class I senators were elected to office in the November 2018 general election, unless they took their seat through appointment or special election, according to the U.S. Senate. They were sworn in for the 116th Congress on Jan. 3, 2019 and their term ends on Jan. 3, 2025.

There are a total of 33 Senate seats up for election, along with one special election. Democrats currently hold the Senate majority, but political analysts say it will be hard to keep control of the chamber. Republicans are on track to win at least 51 Senate seats, which would give them the majority, according to The Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine faces Republican challenger Hung Cao for the available Virginia seat.

Kaine is a former civil rights lawyer who has represented Virginia in the Senate since 2013. His other political experience includes governor from 2006-2010; lieutenant governor from 2002-2006; and city of Richmond mayor from 1998-2001. He chaired the Democratic National Committee from 2009-2011.

Kaine was also the Democratic nominee for vice president in 2016. He responded partially to the Capital News Service voter guide survey.

Cao is a retired U.S. Navy captain who served for 25 years. He is an adviser with Polaris National Security. Cao is making his second bid for office, after unsuccessfully running for the 10th congressional district seat in 2022. He responded partially to the voter guide survey.

The candidates were contacted in early September and given a month to complete the guide. Once that deadline passed, they were asked to respond to four questions by an Oct. 6 print deadline and they did. Reporters followed up to let them know they could complete the remaining questions for digital display, but neither responded.

The below questions were completed using research from legislative and financial records, campaign websites, press releases, interviews, debate transcripts, balanced news reports and social media. The answers are intended to provide a voter with a quick overview of the candidate’s stance on multiple issues.

KAINE: “First, I cast one of the deciding votes to pass the American Rescue Plan, which helped usher the strongest jobs recovery on record and the world’s best economic recovery. This legislation expanded the Child Tax Credit, a tax cut for working families that benefited 1.7 million Virginia children and cut child poverty to its lowest rate ever. It also expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit for 417,000 Virginia workers, providing them with up to $1,500 of relief. I am working to bring back both of those tax cuts and make them permanent. I will keep working hard to lower costs, especially for hardworking families. We’ve increased federal support to bring down child care costs and I have a far-reaching bipartisan bill to supercharge existing tax credits for parents and employers that can be used to expand child care.

“Second, as a former fair housing attorney, I know that we must expand access to homeownership, which is a key part of the American dream. I have introduced the Housing Supply and Affordability Act to address the nationwide housing shortage by creating a competitive grant program to increase housing supply and affordability, and the Fair Housing Improvement Act to protect low-income families and veterans from housing discrimination based on their source of income. Moreover, my LIFT Homebuyers Act would help first-time, first-generation homebuyers build wealth much more quickly by offering new homeowners a 20-year mortgage for roughly the same monthly payment as a traditional 30-year loan, and my bipartisan Housing Supply and Affordability Act would help address the nationwide housing shortage by creating a competitive grant program to increase housing supply and affordability.

“Finally, we must codify Roe and ensure that women have the right to make their own reproductive choices. Virginia is the last state in the South without an extreme abortion ban, and I will never stop fighting against efforts to implement a national abortion ban so women can make their own health care decisions without interference from out-of-touch politicians. After the Supreme Court’s disastrous Dobbs decision, I introduced the bipartisan Reproductive Freedom for All Act, which would enact the core holdings of Supreme Court cases, including Roe v. Wade, which established and affirmed the rights to abortion and contraception. My bill is the only bipartisan proposal currently before Congress that would codify Roe v. Wade as a national protection of reproductive freedom.”

CAO: “Secure the border, secure the border, and secure the border. Everything flows from there. It is a national security concern because we have millions of people who should not be here, including terrorists, gang members, and run-of-the-mill criminals.

“We’re paying a billion dollars a day to feed and house illegal aliens in this country. We’re taking care of them better than we’re taking care of Americans. There are thousands of Americans that are homeless right now due to Hurricane Helene, and we need to put them into hotels and get room service instead of giving it to illegal aliens.

“Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Tim Kaine spent billions of taxpayer money for disaster relief to feed and house illegal immigrants, and now American families in need have been left out to dry. America needs change and change will not come from a 30-year career politician like Tim Kaine who is asking to stay in office until 2030 to fix everything he was responsible for ruining. As your Senator, I will always fight for Virginia.”

KAINE: Defends Temporary Protective Status and “DACA.” Is against mass deportation and voted for a bipartisan bill to secure the border and fight the fentanyl crisis. Legal immigration is crucial for the workforce. Address “root causes of migration.”

CAO: Believes a strong border is important to the country’s safety. Supports mass deportation. Encourages legal immigration and denounces “illegal aliens.” Says Biden administration placed a “welcome sign on the Mexican border.”

KAINE: U.S. national security is top priority and should be a bipartisan effort. Co-sponsored RESTRICT Act to review and prohibit certain U.S. transactions with foreign adversaries. Secured federal funding for higher education cybersecurity initiatives.

CAO: Wants to secure American data from threats such as the Chinese Communist Party; aims to restrict access to applications coming from “U.S. adversaries.”

KAINE: “While data centers fall under the jurisdiction of state and local officials in Virginia, I remain focused on bringing good-paying jobs to the Commonwealth. During my time in the Senate, I’ve introduced several bills to expand job training and upskilling programs and help fill the high-demand jobs of the future in tech sectors — including in data centers. At the same time, building an economy that works for everyone also requires taking steps to protect communities from noise pollution, water loss, and negative environmental consequences.”

CAO: Opposed converting 2,200 farmland acres in Prince William into data centers. Suggested to repurpose zones already allocated for industrial use, first. No response to a news outlet’s question about balancing economic benefits of data centers with environmental and community impact.

KAINE: Voted for Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to benefit the state’s shipbuilding industry and economy. Introduced bill to enhance job training in certain infrastructure companies.

CAO: U.S. energy independence could help drive down cost of living. Wants to protect American jobs and products against foreign “unfair trade practices.” Proposed using Defense Production Act funds to create 2,500 rural jobs manufacturing latex gloves.

KAINE: “We’re leaving too many educators in the dust right now.” Secured $15 million for Richmond Public Schools to improve infrastructure and $5 million for Virginia schools.

CAO: Give power back to parents. If parents think a child’s education is not up to their standards, including for ideological reasons, they should be able to choose a different school.

KAINE: Supports strengthening campaign finance laws. Co-sponsored bill last year requiring candidates to note foreign finance support. Would stop “illicit super PAC money.”

CAO: Criticized “dark money” donors, and said special interest groups try to influence the government through PACs.

KAINE: Introduced bill to facilitate stormwater management systems on military bases to help offset flooding and bill to make flood-prone areas more resilient. Supports investing in renewable offshore wind and solar energy. Co-sponsored bills to allow for more public input with gas pipeline permits.

CAO: Needs “a lot more data about climate change” to be convinced and said it’s arrogant to believe people can damage God’s creation. Says Virginia must invest in American-made energy including natural gas, nuclear power, wind and solar.

KAINE: Co-sponsor of bill to prohibit discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. Sponsored Protecting LGBTQ Youth Act. Sponsored resolution apologizing for discrimination of LGBTQ+ government employees.

CAO: A “hyper-focus” on race and gender is “destroying years of work that ensured equal opportunity for all Americans regardless of race, sex and religion.” Against expanding Title IX protections, because he doesn’t want his daughters “to compete against a man.”

KAINE: “The federal government can and must make strong investments in areas like health care, child care, housing, and manufacturing — while also managing deficits responsibly. For example, I proudly cast one of the deciding votes to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, which was not only the largest clean energy investment ever, but is also projected to reduce the federal deficit by $238 billion over a decade. Moreover, I am leading the charge for a “Medicare X” plan, which would establish a Medicare exchange public option in every county in America, providing an additional, affordable option in all communities. Additionally, this plan would save the federal government $20.3 billion due to lower premium tax credits as a result of lower provider payment rates and prescription drug price negotiation.”

CAO: “For one thing, we need to stop spending hundreds of billions of dollars on people who shouldn’t even be here. We can address so many problems in our country by simply refusing to spend American tax dollars on illegal aliens and sending them back where they came from. As an immigrant to this country, let me be the first to say: don’t ask for the American dream if you are not willing to obey the American laws. I did. I love this country so much that I wrote a blank check up to and including my life with my twenty-five years of service in the United States Navy.”

KAINE: Voted for Inflation Reduction Act, which lowers prescription drug costs for Medicare recipients, caps monthly insulin costs and provides access to some vaccines for free. Introduced Medicare-X Choice Act, to expand health care access and allow choice between private or public insurance.

CAO: Wants medical industry to “innovate and compete in order to drive down costs.” There aren’t enough choices when government runs health care: “Medicare for all is Medicare for none.”

KAINE: Supports low-income housing tax credit, and the Harris plan to help with down payments for first-time homebuyers. Secured $98 million for affordable housing in Virginia. Supported legislation to fix mortgage rates for first-time homebuyers, increase housing supply and affordability and prohibit income-based discrimination.

CAO: Lack of border security makes housing costs higher. Biden administration spends “a billion dollars a day on illegal immigrants” and needs to prioritize Americans so they aren’t “competing for housing.” Preservation of “existing way of life” is important when discussing housing.

KAINE: Supported the federal infrastructure bill to invest in roads, bridges, rail, water and broadband. Helped secure $277 million to repair Arlington Memorial Bridge. Earmarked billions toward affordable housing infrastructure in the proposed federal budget.

CAO: “First and foremost, I am concerned about developers threatening our way of life as Virginians. We have incredible natural beauty, but our communities are also surrounded by history and hallowed ground. We need local leaders who will draw a line in the sand where appropriate to ensure that growth does not outpace our infrastructure, while at the same time protecting taxpayers. We cannot place the burden on Virginia taxpayers alone to finance infrastructure development solely for the benefit of out-of-state developers who have decided to convert Virginia farmland into townhomes or data centers. I am also concerned about electric vehicle mandates that will force heavier vehicles onto our roads, without a charging infrastructure or a way to deal with the increased wear and tear on our roads and highways, not to mention the impacts on our already struggling electrical grid in Northern Virginia especially.”

KAINE: Supports funding Israel and also protection of civilian life in Gaza. Co-sponsored legislation with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, for Hamas to stop using human shields. Received over $640,000 since 2012 from pro-Israel donors. Supports blocking select weapons transfers to Israel.

CAO: Calls Oct. 7 attacks “Israel’s 9/11” and denounces Hamas. It is important to support Israel but is against giving “blanket amounts of money” that could be better used in America.

KAINE: Believes labor unions are important and co-sponsored a bill to expand protections for employees’ rights to collectively bargain. Against Trump’s promise to remove federal workforce, says it jeopardizes jobs and livelihoods of civil servants and would undermine Virginia’s economy.

CAO: Against a federal bill that gave $1 trillion to infrastructure, because he said it prioritized unions. At the debate, avoided a direct response on how to broker a deal with the International Longshoremen’s Association over their strike. Supports Trump’s proposal to move over 100,000 federal positions out of D.C., saying Virginia “may very well be a net beneficiary.”

KAINE: Co-sponsored legislation to decriminalize marijuana at the federal level. Veterans should have access to medical marijuana prescriptions. Co-sponsored SAFE Banking Act, which would help state-legal cannabis companies gain access to financial services.

CAO: Marijuana legislation should be up to states but wants it to remain illegal at the federal level to keep military personnel and aviation workers from being “on drugs” while flying planes.

KAINE: “Mail delays and disruptions impacting Virginians for over a year have been unacceptable. I have worked with members of our congressional delegation to press USPS on mail delays and disruptions impacting Virginians in the Richmond region. We receive regular updates from U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who is working hard to address delays. We will continue to hold DeJoy and the USPS to account.

“While we have been glad to see some gains in the on-time delivery rate in Virginia, there’s much more work to do. We will continue to press for increased transparency, greater engagement with the public, and a higher standard of service for communities across Virginia.”

CAO: “Virginians, especially those in rural parts of the Commonwealth, rely on the U.S. Postal Service to pay their bills, get prescriptions, and send mail to friends and family. For more than thirty years, Congress has been siphoning off millions of dollars of revenue made by the USPS to pay for their pet projects, the same way they have been doing with Social Security. This causes manpower shortage which leads to delays in delivering the mail. USPS has had to make up for this deficit by contracting out for Amazon and forcing their letter carriers to work on Sundays, I understand that this is a concern for many in our region and I will do everything in my power as Virginia’s next U.S. Senator to stop this process of “franking the mail” and ensure there is transparency and Virginians receive their mail on time.”

KAINE: Introduced Reproductive Freedom For All Act to codify abortion. Voted in support of Right to Contraception Act and Right to IVF Act and is against a national abortion ban. Should not “demonize women and doctors.”

CAO: “Life begins at conception.” Was “thrilled” when Roe v. Wade was overturned. Supports access to IVF, but government should not pay for it. Says he would vote against a Senate bill to limit contraception access.

KAINE: Reduce student loan debt and make college and job training more affordable. Public Student Loan Forgiveness established under former President George W. Bush is a “powerful strategy to lift costs off people’s shoulders and provide an incentive to go into public service.”

CAO: Claims Biden was trying to “buy votes” and could have spent money on border security and homeless veterans. He said it’s unfair “some kids get a free ride.” Would bring interest rates to zero.

CAO: Signed a pledge not to raise taxes for the American people. Supports Trump’s tariff plan on imported goods that economists say will pass increased costs to consumers.

There are 435 U.S. House of Representatives seats in Congress up for election. Republicans currently have control of the House.

Virginia Voters will have one of 11 U.S. House races on the ballot, depending on where they live. In Virginia, there are two strong-Republican districts, three Republican-leaning districts, four strong-Democratic districts and two competitive Democratic districts, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

Only three of the House races have no incumbent on the ballot: Districts 5, 7 and 10.

View this map to determine which district you live in, or enter your zip code here, and then select the corresponding candidate overview listed here.

What could happen: Republicans currently hold a majority in the House. But the race to control the House is very competitive, according to the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia. You can read its analysis here.

There are other local races, depending on where a voter will cast their ballot. There are over 1,100 local races throughout the state, including mayoral, city council, school board and sheriff positions. This database is easily searchable by locality or position. Just type a query into the search bar.

Early voting began Sept. 20 and ends on Nov. 2. Each locality has its own early voting location, and some have more than one. For all early voting and ballot dropbox information, contact the general registrar’s office for the jurisdiction where you are registered. Closer to the election, most localities add weekend voting and open more locations. Check with your registrar and vote in the locality where you are registered.

People can request to receive a ballot by mail, but keep in mind the deadline. The U.S. Postal Service extended the time frame for first class and standard delivery. It can now take up to five days for a ballot sent first class to arrive, or nine days for standard delivery. The last day to apply for an absentee ballot by mail is Oct. 25. Applications must be received by the general registrar by 5 p.m. and can be submitted online, through mail or fax, or in person.

Voters can check with their local registrar’s office to determine where an official drop box is located for returning ballots.

Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and received by the registrar’s office by noon on Friday, Nov. 8. Ballots can also be dropped off on Election Day.

Early voters will go to the place designated by the locality’s registrar. Use the Virginia Department of Elections website to check for your polling place to vote on Election Day, Nov. 5.

Voters need to have one form of identification. Any DMV-issued ID card, including expired IDs, are accepted. U.S. military, tribal and student IDs, along with passports, are also accepted.

Voters can also use documents such as a current utility bill if it has their name and address. The full list of acceptable identification can be found on the Department of Elections website.

A person without acceptable identification can still vote, but will be given a provisional ballot and is required to submit valid identification by noon on Nov. 8 to have the vote counted.

Use the Virginia Public Access Project, or VPAP, for election returns and to track early vote data, including by congressional district. The Virginia Department of Elections also tracks trends, turnout and voting returns.

VPAP provides information on Virginia candidates, donors and even a zip code lookup to see who is donating near you. OpenSecrets tracks money and its impact on elections and public policy.

Help avoid the spread of misinformation with the sites below.

By Nick Caffacus, Summer Deciucis, Katie Farthing, Alyssa Hutton, Aria Lovelace and Cruz WaldenVCU Capital News Service

Capital News Service reporters Amaris Bowers, Samantha Granados, Brodie Greene, Marlene Dolla, Ava Poelns, Liam Velazquez, Stacy Watkins and Anna West also contributed to the research and design of material. Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.

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Though state law allows people who didn’t indicate citizenship status when filling out forms at the Department of Motor Vehicles to be removed from voter rolls, two lawsuits have alleged that Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration is violating federal law by continuing removals within 90 days of Election Day.

For anyone who became a citizen since their last DMV visit, or who suspects they made an error filing out their paperwork that would have booted them from voter lists, there are still ways to cast a ballot in next month’s elections.

Registrars and election workers won’t turn eligible voters away from polls if they wish to utilize same-day registration or a provisional ballot, according to Henrico County Registrar Mark Coakley.

“So if they were canceled or not registered, provisional ballots are a fail-safe method.”

Provisional ballots, most often used in same-day voter registration, are also used when people run into paperwork or registration issues that might need to be resolved.

With a provisional ballot, voters will still need to follow up with their local registrar office to provide additional documents that can help verify their identity or other facts, like if they are residents of Virginia and the city or county they voted in, and whether they are U.S. citizens or have had their voting rights restored after a previous felony conviction.

“We can research to make sure they are citizens or became citizens or had their rights restored,” Coakley explained.

Coakley said that when using a provisional ballot, voters are also given instructions to help with the follow-up procedures.

“They’ll get a letter attached to their provisional ballot, giving them all the information of ‘This is the reason why (you may have this ballot)’ and ‘Here’s the ways to get hold of us to present evidence if you choose to do so,’” he said.

Chesterfield County Registrar Missy Vera stressed that same-day registration can happen at any early voting location as well as on Election Day, which is Nov. 5.

Coakley also suggested that anyone who might be concerned they could have been mistakenly caught up in the recent voter roll purges check Virginia Department of Elections’ online citizen portal to see their voter status.

Andrea Gaines, a communications manager at the Department of Elections, also said that people “can always reach out to their local registrar if they have questions about their registration status.”

Vera, from Chesterfield County, concurred.

“Anyone may call our office to inquire about their registration or inquire as to their options,” Vera said. “We are happy to help.”

Early voting — by mail, ballot drop boxes, and at select locations — runs through Nov. 2. Election Day is on Nov. 5.

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: [email protected]. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and X.

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It’s that time of year again: In most states, including Virginia, the Affordable Care Act’s annual open enrollment season for health plans begins Nov. 1 and lasts through Jan. 15.

Current enrollees who do not update their information or select an alternative will be automatically reenrolled in their current plan or, if that plan is no longer available, into a plan with similar coverage.

Last year marked a record enrollment of about 21 million people. This time around, consumers will find a few things have changed.

While some health plans offer small-dollar gift cards or other incentives to encourage participation in wellness efforts, they would not offer cash cards worth thousands of dollars a month to help with groceries, gas, or rent. Even so, social media and online sites are rife with such promises.

Such ads are among the avenues allegedly used by unscrupulous brokers who enroll or switch plans without the express permission of consumers, according to a lawsuit filed in Florida.

Also, be cautious about the websites you use to search for coverage.

Type “Obamacare” or “cheap health insurance” into a search engine and often what pops up first are sponsored private sector websites unaffiliated with the official state or federal government marketplaces for ACA coverage.

While they may try to look official, they are not. Many such sites offer various options, including non-ACA coverage with limited benefits, a “secret shopper” study found in 2023. Such non-ACA coverage would not qualify for federal subsidies to help consumers pay premiums.

The fine print on some websites says that consumers who provide personal information automatically consent to be contacted by sales agents via phone calls, emails, text messages, or automated systems with prerecorded messages.

When exploring plans, always start with the official federal marketplace’s website, healthcare.gov.

Even if you don’t live in one of the 29 states served by the federal marketplace, its website provides the link to your official enrollment site when you select your state, or the District of Columbia, from a drop-down list. The federal and state marketplaces also have call centers and other ways to get enrollment assistance. The “find local help” link on healthcare.gov, for example, gives consumers a choice of finding assisters or sales agents near them.

Another concern: Regulators are seeing an increase in complaints from consumers about offers of health coverage requiring consumers to join a limited liability corporation, or otherwise attest they are working for a specific company. Indeed, at least two states — Maryland and Maine — have issued warnings, saying that instead of comprehensive ACA coverage, these are often non-ACA products, amounting to a hodgepodge of discount cards, for example, or limited-indemnity plans. This type of plan pays a flat-dollar amount — say, $50 for a doctor visit or $1,000 for a hospital stay — and is meant to buttress more comprehensive coverage, not replace it.

“Unlike major medical plans, some of these self-funded plans only cover preventive services such as a yearly check-up or annual health screening,” the warning from the Maine Bureau of Insurance says.

Some insurers will lower premium rates for 2025, but many others are increasing them.

Although final numbers are still being crunched, experts estimate a median increase of 7% for premiums, according to an analysis by KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. Most people who buy ACA coverage are eligible for a subsidy to help with the premiums, which is likely to offset much of the increase, although the higher cost means the government will be paying out more for those subsidies.

Rising health costs — including for hospital care and the new class of weight loss drugs — are contributing to the increase.

Some other changes this open season:

People often referred to as “Dreamers” because they qualified for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — a federal program offering some protection to those brought to the country as children without proper immigration documentation — can now enroll in ACA coverage and are eligible for subsidies.Short-term plans, which are technically not ACA coverage and not subject to its benefit rules and preexisting benefit protections, can be issued for, at most, only four months of coverage, based on a Biden administration action that took effect with plans starting Sept. 1. It walks back a Trump administration rule that loosened requirements to allow insurers to offer coverage that ranged up to 364 days, and allowed insurers the option of renewing the policies for up to two additional years. Existing plans and those issued before Sept. 1 don’t fall under the new rules. But consumers who relied on the longer periods need to check their plans’ details and consider enrolling in an ACA plan instead to avoid a situation in which their short-term plan expires early or midyear, potentially leaving them unable to get coverage elsewhere for the remainder of the year.

Federal regulators this year wrestled with a growing number of complaints — 200,000 in the first six months alone — from consumers who were being enrolled into or switched from ACA plans without their express permission by agents seeking to gain commissions.

To thwart such efforts, they put new rules in place.

What does that mean for most consumers? If you are working with a new agent — one who wasn’t already listed on your ACA plan — you will likely need to get on a three-way call with the federal marketplace to confirm that you are, indeed, authorizing that agent to make changes to your policy for the coming year. Plan on this taking additional time. No one knows how busy the call lines will get during open enrollment.

You don’t need to use a broker to enroll. But sorting through the dozens of options on the marketplace is challenging, so most people do seek assistance. Consumers need to weigh not only the monthly premium cost, but also variations in deductibles and copayments for such things as doctor visits, hospitalization, and drugs.

Experts say another consideration when choosing a plan is to check whether its network includes the doctors and hospitals you typically see, as well as whether its formulary covers your prescription medications, and how much it charges for them.

To help with making comparisons, rules kicked in two years ago requiring insurers to include some “standardized plans” as options, which must all have the same deductibles, and costs for such things as doctor visits, emergency room care, and other consumer cost sharing.

Even so, many people have dozens of options available, which can be daunting.

But one piece of advice remains constant: Whether you are enrolling for the first time or have an existing plan, it’s always worth it to shop around. Even if you don’t change plans, you can make sure the one you have is still your best option.

In most states, consumers must enroll by Dec. 15 to get coverage that begins Jan. 1. Heads up in Idaho, where open enrollment starts earlier — Oct. 15 — but also ends sooner, closing on Dec. 15. In California, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia, residents can enroll through Jan. 31.

by Julie Appleby, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: [email protected]. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and X.

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Virginia ranks number 12 in the nation of most challenging states to access mental healthcare in a new Forbes Advisor analysis, and a Gallup survey from earlier in the year found that about 38% of Americans think mental health isn’t treated as well as physical health issues.

However, much of the data Forbes used in its analysis was from 2020 or 2021, and in recent years Virginia’s legislature has passed several laws bolstering access to care.

Virginia is in the second year of a three-year plan called Right Help, Right Now — which entails budget proposals and goals from Gov. Glenn Youngkin and legislative actions by state lawmakers.

For instance, when the national mental health emergency hotline transitioned to the easier-to-remember 988 system, Virginia legislation funded expanded call centers and listed deployment of mobile crisis units and community care teams as part of their responsibilities. Use of 988 has been on the rise in Virginia.

This week, Youngkin announced several million in grants to community service boards around the state that will be used to help with crisis response.

“Governor Youngkin is committed to building on ongoing efforts to develop innovative solutions that address the challenges within our behavioral health care system and ensure that Virginians in crisis receive the appropriate care and support they need,” said Youngkin spokesman Christian Martinez.

Some building on those efforts occurred this past legislative session when the governor signed bipartisan bills to require insurance coverage for mental health services provided through mobile crisis units, crisis receiving centers and crisis stabilization units.

Among the hallmarks of the 2024 session was Irvo’s Law, which allows families members or guardians to be present to provide support and decision-making when someone in a mental health crisis is being considered for temporary detention orders. The legislation stemmed from the 2023 death of Irvo Otineo, who was killed while restrained by sheriff’s deputies and workers in a state-run psychiatric hospital. His mother, Carolina Ouko, had been denied the ability to see him.

“Our families are part of our mental health and we need them beside us in those tough times,” Ouko said earlier this year as Youngkin signed the law named for her son.

Previous law to stem from mental health related tragedies is the Marcus Alert, named for Marcus-David Peters, who was killed by police in 2018. The alert, which has so far only been implemented by a handful of localities in Virginia, creates coordination between 911 and regional call centers to triage best response from law enforcement and trained clinicians when handling mental health situations.

A recent Behavioral Health Commission presentation noted that arrests of people in mental health crises have a “devastating impact” on people in crisis and “stress local and state resources.” Despite Virginia having a prevalence of crisis intervention-trained law enforcement officers, the report stated that crisis response should include or be led by clinicians.

Instances where someone assaults an officer who responds to their crisis are more common the longer people are held waiting in hospital emergency rooms under temporary detention orders, BHC policy analyst Claire Pickard Mairead told lawmakers at the meeting.

Mairead’s presentation noted how law enforcement leaders and research literature found that CIT has improved officers’ confidence in handling mental health crises, but there is little evidence of such officers being able to reduce arrests of people in crisis or injuries that might arise to the affected individuals or the officer if interactions turn forceful. The study did find that officers in Virginia expressed interest in CIT “refreshers.”

Legislation from 2020 directed the Department of Criminal Justice Services to develop a CIT training program that includes recertification and advanced training. Those new standards await approval from Youngkin’s office. From there, they can be open to public comment and go through final regulatory stages, the report read.

There is a desire for co-responder models, the report stated, as “effective ways to include clinicians when safety risks exist.” However, lack of funding and mental health workforce shortages have limited implementation.

And while lawmakers continue to explore how to improve mental health crisis response and law enforcement’s role in those, Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, said “our focus needs to be on keeping people out of crisis.”

After losing his son, Gus, to a mental health crisis a decade ago, Deeds has been a leader in reforming mental health access in the state and chairs the Behavioral Health Commission, which conducts studies and explores legislative proposals each year.

On future goals, Deeds said that continued support for community service boards — a public health resource — can help, but that the state should explore how private sectors can become more robust too.

“We also have to be looking at the private sector providers to find out what kind of barriers we have to building the workforce, and what kind of barriers are out there that prevent effective mental health care in every part of the commonwealth,” Deeds added

To help address some of the workforce shortages, Sen. Tara Durant, R-Stafford, carried a bill that will help create pathways for people with community college degrees to enter mental health professions as technicians and technician assistants. Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, introduced legislation that can make it easier for people with master’s degrees in psychology to practice independently.

Harrison Hayes, the director of the Virginia Health Workforce Development Authority, also pointed to a program funded by the state government and the Virginia Health Care Foundation that’s aimed at helping accelerate the licensure of social workers and counselors.

Despite Virginia’s various efforts to better fund mental health resources in recent years, Deeds said there’s still more work to do.

“The reality is, we’ve chronically underfunded mental health over such a long period of time,” he said. “It’s going to take a lot of years to get this right.”

by Charlotte Rene Woods, Virginia Mercury

Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: [email protected]. Follow Virginia Mercury on Facebook and X.

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