Virginia This Week (December 31, 2021)

PRO-TIP: always make sure you’ve properly set up a scheduled email delivery, when planning to be out of office for a few days. Particularly over a holiday.

All that to say: apologies to anyone who did not receive the Weekly Brief newsletter before Christmas. (It was a good one, too.) But the news never stops, and so there’s plenty to focus on from this week – starting with our relief that LIS is (mostly) back up and running, and prefiled bills are once again populating for review after the ransomware attack earlier this month!

Since our last posting, Governor-elect Youngkin announced the first few cabinet appointments of the new Administration. Several key positions – such as the HHR and Administration leads – are still pending, but expected soon. In similar fashion, the Speaker-designee also released the names of additional House Committee Chairs, which included a mixture of anticipated and surprising picks.

And of course, the last couple of days have yielded an endless supply of policitcal speculation and drama, after the Virginia Supreme Court approved the final redistricting maps. Some fairly significant changes are forthcoming, both in congressional and state House/Senate districts. (Bonus pro-tip: it’s worth checking out how your representation is likely to be impacted.)

We leave you with this less “pro,” and more simply “human” tip: With an ongoing pandemic, a new Administration, a budget Session, and a multitude of other things on the horizon, our encouragement – to ourselves, and to our friends and colleagues – heading into 2022 is to acknowledge the challenges, embrace the opportunities, and be kind to others and respectful of yourself throughout it all.

Cheers to a happy, healthy New Year.

Davis Consultants