On January 23, 2024, state police investigated a single vehicle crash on Low Ground Road, south of Little Low Ground Road, Greensville County.

The crash investigation revealed that the driver of a 2005 Chevrolet Impala, 80 year-old Merle Marie Thorpe, was traveling southbound on Low Ground Road, when she crossed over into the northbound lanes of travel, and ran off the roadway. Once the vehicle ran off the road, it struck a tree stump and overturned, entrapping Thorpe.

Thorpe, the sole occupant of the vehicle, suffered serious life threatening injuries and was taken to Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center in Emporia. Thorpe was later flown to Chippenham Hospital where she later succumbed to her injuries.

RICHMOND, VA - Today, Speaker Don Scott announced the creation of a new committee addressing the lack of access to healthcare in rural Virginia. This temporary committee would convene May 1st and complete their work by November 15th, with at least five recommendations for the 2025 Legislative Session. Delegate Rodney Willett will chair the committee and Delegate Bobby Orrock will serve as Vice-Chair.

"For the first time in generations, life expectancy in the United States has decreased," said Speaker Don Scott. "This is acute in our rural communities where suicide, overdose deaths, and diabetes are on the rise. As we endeavor to live by our oath to serve the people of Virginia, it is critical that we address this matter with the urgency it deserves. I know Delegate Rodney Willett will get the job done."

"This is an issue that affects every corner of the Commonwealth, and I'm confident that together with the rest of the committee, we will find tangible ways to make healthcare more accessible," said Delegate Mark Sickles, Chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee.

Delegate Rodney Willett, the appointed Chair of the select committee, said, "I'm grateful for the opportunity to chair this much needed committee and for the Speakers' confidence in me. We know that the challenges rural folks face are unique. They often must travel great distances to access adequate healthcare. Telehealth, which serves as an alternative to many and grew in accessibility for most during the COVID-19 pandemic, is still inaccessible in some areas due to a lack of high-speed broadband. It is my hope that the select committee can make recommendations to address these issues in the next Legislative Session."

"As someone raised in rural Virginia and having seen first hand the healthcare needs of these communities while serving in a volunteer rescue capacity, it is my great hope that I can be beneficial in addressing those needs as Vice-Chair," said Delegate Bobby Orrock. Orrock was appointed Vice-Chair of the select committee. 

The members of the committee will include Delegates Rodney Willett (Chair), Mark Sickles, Candi Mundon King, Nadarius Clark, Joshua Cole, Kannan Srinivasan, Amy Laufer, Robert Orrock (Vice-Chair), Israel O'Quinn, Ellen Campbell, Daniel Marshall, and Otto Wachsmann.

The committee requires approval from the clerk's office for funding. Members of the press interested in learning more about the committee or Sickles' appointment should contact Amanda Pittman at amanda@speakerdonscott.com or Morgan Hopkins at morgan@vahousedems.org.  

RICHMOND, VA - The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) is reminding anyone spending time on or near Virginia's rivers to exercise extreme caution. Recent heavy rains, cooler temperatures, and more precipitation in the forecast make for hazardous boating conditions.  Some rivers across the state are currently very high and in flood stage.

"Winter isn't thought of as the height of boating season, but whitewater kayakers, waterfowl hunters, and others may be out on the water at this time of year" said Stacey Brown, DWR's Boating Division Director. "Recent rains coupled with the wet December Virginia had means flows are high across the state. We recommend people steer clear of flooded areas. Murky water, floating debris, and submerged hazards all pose a risk to boaters."

Regardless of the time of year you go boating, always let someone know where you are going and when you expect to return.  Additionally, have a plan to reboard your boat in case the unexpected happens and you end up in the water.   Always wear your life jacket, and during the colder months of the year, consider bringing a dry bag with you and a change of clothes in case you get wet. Weather conditions and a marine forecast can be found on the National Weather Service website.  The United States Geological Survey has water temperatures for some inland lakes and rivers.

Please visit the DWR website for more information on Boating Safety and Education in Virginia.

New Business Applications Reach Record 16 Million Under Biden-Harris Administration

WASHINGTON – Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice in President Biden's Cabinet for America's 33.5 million small businesses, celebrated new Census data showing 5.5 million new business applications were filed in 2023 alone—including 121,417 in Virginia—marking the third consecutive year of historic small business growth. Thanks to President Biden's Investing in America Agenda, the United States has experienced the first, second, and third strongest years of new business application rates on record.

"More Americans than ever are pursuing their dreams of business ownership as the rate of new business applications filed and establishments under President Biden continues to surge," said Administrator Guzman. "In the last year alone, Americans across the country and in a wide range of industries filed a record five and a half million new business applications, bringing the total number under this Administration to a record-breaking 16 million. America's great diversity continues to propel entrepreneurship with Black, Latino, and women founders starting up at higher rates than ever. As we enter 2024, the SBA will continue its work to increase access to the resources needed to start and grow resilient new businesses, harnessing the unique optimism and ingenuity of American entrepreneurs."

"Over the past three years of President Biden's Investing in America agenda, we've seen Virginia entrepreneurs file more than 121,417 applications to start a business—the fastest pace for new business creation ever recorded," said Regional Administrator John Fleming. "Under Administrator Guzman's leadership, the SBA has improved and streamlined programs and services to make it easier than ever for small businesses to start and grow right here in Virginia and capitalize on opportunities under to President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act."

Since President Biden took office, there have been 16 million new business applications – the highest recorded amount in a three-year period. From 2021-2023, the U.S. has seen more new business applications than the prior four years combined. The monthly average of new business applications during the three-year span — 443,000 — is 46% higher than the average of the prior four years. The surge has featured outsized growth in entrepreneurship among women, Latinos, and Black Americans.

The Biden-Harris Administration's Investing in America agenda has fueled this small business boom with historic federal investments – including the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Inflation Reduction Act. The SBA has helped ignite and sustain this boom by closing capital access gaps, increasing outreach to underserved entrepreneurs, and bolstering competition both domestically and abroad.

BACKGROUND: Three Years of the Biden Small Business Boom

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Americans continue to file businesses at a record pace.

• Record business starts: 16 million new business applications have been recorded since the start of the Biden Administration, an 84% increase relative to the average pace of annual growth from when the survey began in 2004 until the start of the Biden Administration. It took just 2 years and 10 months for new business filings during the Biden Administration to surpass the level reached during the prior Administration.
• Record establishment growth: Department of Labor data reflect that Americans aren't just applying to start businesses—they're turning those applications into real business establishments:
  • The number of private establishments has increased by 1.3 million since the start of the Biden Administration. The annual pace of establishment growth during the Biden Administration (5.4 %) is faster than at any point in the last quarter-century.
  • 2.8 million private-sector establishments were born since the start of the Biden Administration. More establishments have been born per year during the Biden Administration (1.4 million per year) than at any point since the series began in 1993.
• Ongoing small business job growth: More small businesses mean more small business jobs. From 2021 through the first quarter of 2023, the U.S. economy added a net 7.2 million small business jobs, with each quarter showing net-positive small business job growth of more than 370,000.  

Women and minority entrepreneurs have made an outsized contribution to new business creation.

• Black business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in 30 years, and the share of Black households owning a business has more than doubled, from 5% to 11% between 2019 and 2022.
• Latino business ownership is growing at the fastest pace in at least a decade, rising from 7% to 10% between 2019 and 2022.
• The number of women-owned businesses has grown dramatically. From 2019 to 2023, the growth rate of women-owned businesses was 94% greater than the growth of
• men-owned businesses.  

Business growth is seen broadly across industries, from tech startups to Main Street.

• Large industries lead application growth: From 2021-2023, the top 10 sectors ranked by total business applications spanned diverse industries, led by retail, professional services, and construction.
• Innovative startups growing rapidly: The country's most innovative pockets of enterprise all experienced establishment growth. Entities engaging in R&D across Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences, and the Social Sciences and Humanities experienced about 40% growth in number of establishments over the course of the Biden Administration through Q2 2023.

$52B in SBA Capital supported the small business boom in 2023 .

SBA lending to small businesses reflects both the increase in new business creation and the growing participation of women and minority entrepreneurs in the small business boom.

• Minority-Owned Small Businesses: Since 2020, the share of the SBA's loan portfolio going to minority-owned businesses has increased from 23% to over 32%.
  • The number and dollar value of SBA-backed loans to Black-owned businesses has more than doubled
  • The SBA backed $3 billion in loans to Latino-owned businesses in FY23 – a record-breaking high
  • Lending to AAPI-owned small businesses is on the rise, with loan count and total loan dollars both increasing by over a third since 2020
  • Loans to Native-owned small businesses are up 70% and total loan dollars have nearly doubled since 2020.
• Women-Owned Small Businesses: Lending to women-owned small businesses is once again on the rise, with loan counts increasing by 70% since 2020 and total loan dollars exceeding $5 billion in 2023.
• Veteran-Owned Small Businesses: Loans to veteran-owned small businesses are up by a third since 2020, with total loan dollars exceeding $1 billion in 2023.

Historic Biden-Harris investments set the conditions for the small business boom.

• The American Rescue Plan committed $1.9 Trillion to the U.S. economic recovery from the pandemic, providing financial security to the American middle class and enabling Americans to take on the risk of starting a business.
• Recent laws core to the Biden Investing in America agenda, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), the CHIPS and Science Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act further facilitate the conditions for small business success. There are both specific provisions written into the laws to support small businesses (e.g., CHIPS funding recipients are evaluated by the degree to which they create opportunities for small businesses) as well as key spillover effects that will benefit small business (e.g., investments in expanding broadband access nationwide).
• In 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration awarded a record-breaking $163 billion in federal procurement opportunities to small businesses. These awards include a record $69.9 billion, or 11.4% of federal contracting spending, to Small Disadvantaged Businesses (SDBs) – exceeding the Administration's FY22 goal – and over $28 billion to service-disabled Veteran-owned (SDVOB) small businesses, or 4.6% of federal contracting spending.

For more information about the SBA's loan programs, financial assistance, and other services, visit sba.gov.

Re-introducing legislation he championed in 2022, Del. Nadarius Clark (HD-84) will carry legislation raising teacher pay in Virginia to America's national average.

RICHMOND, VA — Today, Delegate Nadarius Clark re-introduced legislation to raise the baseline salary for all public school teachers in Virginia and ensure that it could not fall below America's national average. This bill mirrors legislation Del. Clark brought forward in his first year as delegate in 2022. This new bill, HB 187, would further require that instructional and non-instructional support staff, such as teacher aids and resource officers, would also benefit from the new raise. 

Speaking to what he sees as a new opportunity to fully fund public schools, putting teachers and their students first, Delegate Nadarius Clark said, "Our Commonwealth is losing well trained, experienced, and qualified educators to neighboring states that have made clear in their budgets that public education is a top priority. HB 187 will ensure that we are investing in the next generation of Virginians by paying our teachers what they deserve."

"Virginia teachers cannot adequately educate our children if they are worried about having to make ends meet or putting food on their table. Delegate Clark's bill will not only ensure that we can be competitive in attracting and retaining world-class local teachers in our public school system, but also ensure that we are supporting our teachers and rewarding their work developing the next generation," said Delegate Sam Rasoul. Del. Rasoul is the Chair-designee of the House Education Committee. 

The bill follows precedent set by Education Chair-designee Sam Rasoul, who also introduced a bill to raise teacher pay in Virginia to the national average in 2023 before it was killed on a party line vote by the then-Republican majority. To learn more about the legislative priorities of Del. Clark, subscribe to the Clark for Delegate official newsletter at www.clarkfordelegate.com and visit Del. Clark's chief patron portal on LIS.