By Page H. Gifford, correspondent
Members of the Fluvanna Democratic Committee welcomed Del. Eileen Filler-Corn (D-Fairfax) as the guest speaker at an April 14 Spring into Action social event at the Fluvanna Community Center in Fork Union.
Filler-Corn, the first woman in 400 years of Virginia history to serve as minority leader in the House of Delegates, gave an overview of the 2019 General Assembly legislative session.
Barbara Alcorn and House Minority Leader Del. Eileen Filler-Corn. Photo courtesy of Dave Miller.
“There were a lot of successes this session on many levels, as we passed significant legislation to remove the cap on autism insurance coverage, creating no-excuse absentee voting in 2020, increasing access to school counselors and providing that one motor vehicle of a veteran who has a 100 percent service-related, permanent, and total disability is exempt from state and local taxes,” said Filler-Corn. Medicaid expansion was also passed for lower income Virginians.
She then turned her attention to those items that she said still need to be passed. “While we were unsuccessful in passing the Equal Rights Amendment this session, I am confident that Virginia will ratify this amendment next year,” she said. She also expressed optimism regarding legislation protecting LGBTQ rights, raising the minimum wage, promoting “common sense” gun safety and getting internet access to rural communities.
Elizabeth Alcorn then spoke about her run against Del. Rob Bell (R-Albemarle) to represent the 58th District in the House of Delegates, and focused on the issue of health insurance. Alcorn, a dentist, sold her practice in 2018 and discovered that she and her husband could not afford health insurance in central Virginia in spite of her over 30 years as a health practitioner. She said she is determined to work with the Virginia Health Insurance Commission to make health insurance more affordable and accessible.
Alcorn also spoke about her commitment to strengthening public schools by making certain pay for Virginia teachers is no longer ranked in the lowest third in the country.
