February 2-15, 2023
Newest Delegate Passes First Bill
Virginia’s newest Delegate, Holly Seibold (D-Vienna), passed her first bill, expanding access to interpreters in courts for deaf individuals. The bill passed unanimously.
Delegate Simon Hilariously Fails During “Initiation” Prank
Delegate Marcus Simon (D-Falls Church) failed miserably to catch Seibold off-guard in a hilarious encounter on the House floor. “I enjoyed participating in the time-honored tradition of initiating a new member with some light-hearted questions during the presentation of her first bill!” said Simon, who decided one question was enough after Seibold’s response. “Delegate Seibold was remarkably well-prepared for it.”
Indeed, his joking attempt to challenge her knowledge of a Supreme Court ruling resulted in a perfect clap-back by Seibold, who called out his background as a lawyer and cosponsor of the bill before, to howls of laughter, reminding him “that we are running out of time,” a playful reference to a frequent refrain of Simon’s as Floor Leader for the House Democratic Caucus.
At Town Hall, News of Gridlock
At a Town Hall with Senator Dave Marsden (D-Burke) and Delegate Kaye Kory (D-Falls Church), frustration and caution overpowered the occasional mention of bipartisan possibility.
Marsden warned that many bills from the Republican-run House are expected to be only narrowly defeated by the Democrat-run House. “With this awful election coming up, everyone is terrified about what may happen.” said Marsden, both a reference to the tenuous majority the Democrats hold in the Senate and the challenge many legislators, including both Kory and Marsden, face running in newly drawn districts.
School Board Campaign Kick-Off Attended By Political “who’s who.”
At the re-election campaign kick-off for Fairfax County School Board member Karl Frisch (D-Providence), a Who’s Who of elected officials showed up to show support, including several school board members, State Senators and Delegates, Fairfax County Supervisors, and U.S. Congressman Gerry Connolly. Also in attendance were Saddam Salim and Erika Yalowitz, two hopeful candidates for Falls Church’s new Senate District, making more notable the absence of “incumbent” candidate for the seat and sitting State Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax).
President Heckled at State of the Union Address
During President Biden’s State of the Union Address Wednesday night, despite reports that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) asked his Caucus to respect the institution, several members heckled the President, most notably Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-GA), who was seen cupping her hands to heckle the President in a conspicuous white fur coat.
Unconfirmed sources claim that, though appearing quite gleeful at the time, she was later furious to learn that all 101 stolen puppies had escaped from her home during the speech.
