Priorities

Since taking office in 2016, Mike has passed over 30 bills and served on 5 committees. He excels at turning his experiences and understanding of the communities of the Peninsula into real results for his constituents.  Here are the next priorities for our district.

COVID-19 Recovery

Virginians have witnessed and lived through a global pandemic. Now that we are seeing more and more of our friends, neighbors, and family members getting vaccinated, transitioning back to a pre-COVID Virginia is looking more and more likely, but a full recovery is still a ways away. I know that the road to full recovery is long which is why I voted for a wrote laws to help take the load off of working Virginians, including:

● Voting to allocate funding to local programming to help address educational losses stemming from the pandemic

● Investing $25 million dollars in the Rebuild Virginia Grant Program to help small businesses affected by COVID

● Passed legislation to ensure that first responders and frontline healthcare workers who contracted COVID-19 on the job can receive workers compensation benefits

There is still a lot more to do to make sure Virginia recovers fully from the aftermath of the pandemic. I won’t stop fighting to make sure everyone affected by the pandemic is taken care of so we can enjoy Virginia in it’s full beauty.

Healthcare Access

Expanding Medicaid was just the beginning here in Virginia. In the past two legislative sessions, I have continued to fight and advocate for fair and equitable healthcare and access for all Virginians across the Commonwealth. I’m proud of all the work we in the legislature have done on behalf of our constituents. I am proud to have helped pass legislation to tackle the issue of surprise medical bills, also known as balance billing, to make sure no Virginian is unfairly hit with a surprise bill from medical procedures that they underwent from an out-of-network provider. And since I have been a delegate, I have always stood up for the reproductive rights of every woman in the commonwealth, and I will continue to advocate for reproductive freedom. While these are good starts, when I go back to Richmond I will continue to fight for equitable healthcare access across Virginia.

Education

As the father of three young boys and the son of a public-school teacher, I know the value of providing a world-class education to every child in Virginia. In 2019, I helped pass the first pay raise for Virginia teachers in over a decade. I’ll keep working for our teachers and students by: 

  • Expanding early childhood education so that every Virginian child has access to quality pre-K schooling.
  • Fully funding our public schools and blocking the diversion of education funds to private corporations. 

Public Safety

I got into politics for the same reason I became a prosecutor – to keep people safe. And since I became a member of the House of Delegates, I have been doing just that for the people of the 93rd District. In the 2020 legislative session, I was proud to have carried a bill that passed which ensures that individuals subject to a protective order do not have access to a firearm, making sure we keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. In 2021, I wrote legislation to protect our seniors by improving Adult Protective Services’ ability to respond to cases of physical, emotional, and financial abuse of an incapacitated adult by their caretaker. I have devoted my life to keeping our community safe, and as your Delegate I will continue to fight for all of you.

Criminal Justice Reform

As a criminal prosecutor, I have lead the charge on combating gang violence and cracking down on sex trafficking in the Peninsula to defend the community’s most vulnerable. In Richmond, I have already been able to put my criminal justice background to work on critical criminal justice issues, like: 

  • Spearheading a bill that ensures violent felons will no longer be eligible for first offender status under the state’s domestic violence laws.
  • Addressing the school-to-prison pipeline by passing a bill that allows guidance counselors and school administrators to use state resources to step in.

We have more work to do in Richmond to make sure we keep our communities safe, but also reform our criminal justice system to be more equitable and fair. As your Delegate, I will continue to fight to defend the most vulnerable members of our community and continue to fight to reform our criminal justice system.

Jobs and the Economy

Growing our economy is essential to helping our state thrive. Whether it’s training workers for new, highly-skilled jobs, fighting to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment, or supporting local businesses, Mike has already put in the effort for Virginians. He’s ready to keep up the work, with initiatives to:

● Established the State Overtime Wage Act to make sure no Virginian is deprived of their hard earned wages

● Established and funded the G3 (Get Skilled, Get a Job, Give Back) training program to provide financial assistance to Virginians seeking higher education and training in high-demand fields from a Virginia community college.

● Invested tens of millions for improvements to I-64 between Hampton Roads and Richmond

Our commonwealth should be a place where anyone can work a good paying job and support a family. By investing in our workforce, we are investing in Virginia’s economy and as your delegate, I will always work to create economic opportunities across the commonwealth.

The Environment

The impacts of climate change, especially flooding and water quality, will substantially harm residents and businesses in the Peninsula. As a father of three, I want to ensure we aren’t leaving polluted water supplies and land for our children. Not only that, protecting our environment protects our region’s natural beauty and encourages job creation. I am committed to bringing Virginia into the 21st century by:

  • Strongly encouraging cleanup of the Chesapeake Bay.
  • Promoting clean energy with investments in wind and solar power. 
  • Advocating for a job-creating clean vehicle infrastructure for the future.
  • Taking control of energy resources away from utilities like Dominion.

Affordable Housing

Mike endorses policies that ensure that all Virginians have access to safe and stable homes, good jobs, and high-quality support services. Things like: 

  • Increasing funding for the Virginia Housing Trust Fund, a flexible loan and grant resource, promoting home energy efficiency programs that reduce monthly utility costs, and endorses access to permanent homes for individuals with mental health and disability needs.