Happy October, Fall has arrived! As we move into cooler weather and the vaccination rate continues to climb, here’s an update on Virginia and the 93rd. This newsletter contains announcements on Virginia’s continued effort to beat COVID-19, voting information, Breast Cancer Awareness Month and more!
COVID-19 Vaccinations and Booster Shot Updates
Over 80% of all Virginians over the age of 18 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, but our work is not done yet. If you haven’t received either a first or second dose, you can get vaccinated at many distribution sites without making an appointment first. If you would like to find a place to get the vaccine you can find vaccination sites here or by calling 877-829-4682. Remember, all Virginians aged 12 and older are eligible to receive the covid-19 vaccine!
Booster doses are recommended for some people who got the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. At this time booster doses are not recommended for people who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
A single Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster dose is recommended for certain individuals, at least 6 months after completion of the primary series:
- People 65 years and older,
- residents in long-term care settings,
- People aged 50–64 years with underlying medical conditions.
It’s Time to Vote
Virginia’s registration for the 2021 General Election has ended but Early voting is Absentee voting is still ongoing until October 30th! Instructions for Absentee can be found here! To vote early in-person, do the following:
- Visit your local registrar’s office or a satellite voting location in your county or city to vote early.
- You do not have to have a reason or fill out an application to vote early.
- At the registrar’s office or satellite voting location, you must provide your name and address and show an acceptable form of ID or sign an ID Confirmation Statement.
- Accessible equipment and/or curbside voting is available upon request.
Before visiting your local registrar’s office, you may wish to check your registration status or call your registrar’s office. You can find your registrar’s phone number here.
In October We Wear Pink
Every year, approximately 245,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and nearly 2,200 in men. More than likely we all know someone who has been affected by this disease—whether a friend, neighbor, coworker or even a family member. Our office is doing our part wearing pink and raising awareness this month!
Newport News Health Docket Graduation
It was an honor to speak to and congratulate the 13 graduates of Newport News Behavioral Health Docket! I am so immensely proud of each of you and what you will accomplish! I was glad to be joined by @shelly_simonds @PriceForDel95 @SenMMason. We could not have celebrated without the hard work of Judge Mullen and Hoffman and their Health Docket staff! The Behavioral Health Docket is a milestone for Virginia’s criminal justice reform and makes known that Mental health is not a crime and mental health is not an immediate guilty verdict. We are only just beginning to truly address the ways in which we can change the justice system to properly support those with serious mental health issues.
Katie Gaylord
Earlier this month, I was honored to present HJR 753 to Katie Gaylord to commend her for her work as a school counselor at Waller Mill Elementary School in Williamsburg that created a fundraising campaign in 2020 that sold “Virginia is for Kindness” t-shirts to benefit the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank. Katie and her colleagues teamed up with the company Custom Ink and raised thousands of dollars for the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank with the sale of their “Virginia is for Kindness” apparel. The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank has been strained by the COVID-19 pandemic and the “Virginia is for Kindness” fundraising campaign has provided vital support at a time of urgent need.
House Page Program
The November 1 deadline for students to submit their 2022 Page Program applications is fast approaching. The Page Program curriculum is undergoing a major restructuring, and will include more educational, professional and leadership components in the 2022 year. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for these students, and our goal will be for House pages to develop and practice skills in leading others while serving those around them.
The curriculum will have 8 different modules this year focused on offering more leadership opportunities for students:
- Civility in the Workplace and Appreciation for Diversity
- Goal Setting for Lifelong Success
- Professional Etiquette – Making a Good Impression
- Public Speaking
- Relationship Building and Leading Others
- College Applications – What Matters and What Doesn’t
- Service Project – Ideals in Action
- Managing Money and Saving for the Future
Those who wish to apply to the program must submit their applications no later than November 1, 2021 at 5:00pm. The applications must include:
- A letter of endorsement from the applicant’s member in the House of Delegates
- Authorization from the applicant’s school principal, teachers and guidance counselor
- An essay by the applicant about why they want to serve as a page
The link to the application can be found here: https://housepages.virginiageneralassembly.gov/
New Legislative Assistant
I have a new LA, Randy Riffle! He joined my office in September after finishing up the 2021 Governor’s Fellowship Program in the office of the Secretary of Finance. He is a 2021 graduate of William & Mary and lives on the Peninsula with his wife Allison and cat Olive. Randy is taking over for Georgia Allin who previously was with my office for just over two years and has taken a new job in Richmond. We wish her the best and welcome Randy to Team Mullin!
That’s all for this newsletter, thanks for reading! Keep connected with our office by calling (757) 525-9526, emailing DelMMullin@house.virginia.gov, or @mikemullin4va on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!
Stay safe and take care,
Mike