VA Lawmakers Host Town Hall Meetings In Vienna, Falls Church Saturday

VIENNA, VA — State Sen. Saddam Salim (D-37th), Del. Holly Seibold ( D-12th) and Del. Marcus Simon (D-13th) are hosting two town hall meetings Saturday to update their constituents in Vienna, Tysons, Dunn Loring, Merrifield and Falls Church about the current session of the Virginia General Assembly.

At 9 a.m., Salim and Seibold will be available to answer questions from the community in Town Council Chambers at the Vienna Town Hall, which is located at 127 Center St. S. in Vienna.

Salim will then join Simon for a 1 p.m. community meeting at Falls Church City Hall located at 300 Park Ave. in Falls Church.

"The Senate passed my first bill, SB332, which addresses a small but crucial issue," Salim said, in a recent email to his constituents. "This legislation changes the maximum charge for a class one misdemeanor from 365 to 364 days. This adjustment will protect legal residents who commit certain class one misdemeanors from facing deportation due to federal guidelines."

Other bills introduced by Salim and approved by the senate included:

• SB 21 Students w/disabilities; SCHEV to study process used to determine eligibility for accommodations.
• SB 57 Concealed handgun; carrying onto the premises of any restaurant, penalty.
• SB 306 Invasive plant species; retail sales, civil penalty.
• SB 315 Voter registration; registration of Department of Motor Vehicles customers, automatic update.
• SB 327 Firearms; age requirement to purchase, penalty.
• SB 332 Misdemeanor; maximum term of confinement.
• SB 338 Gun violence; JLARC to study effects on communities.
• SB 439 Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Commission; established, report.
• SB 649 Line of Duty Act; increases payment of benefits.

"Additionally, my bill SB 316 has passed the Senate," Salim said. "This legislation enables the Town of Vienna to exert more control over preserving their tree canopy."

The Senate Committee on Local Government voted 11-4 to continue SB 305 to the 2025 legislative session. Salim introduced the bill to allow local on the use of gas-powered leaf blowers was continued to the 2025 session.

"Thrilled both my prison bills passed out of the House today on a bipartisan vote," Seibold said Thursday on her X (formerly Twitter) account. "HB 161 protects inmates who report overdoses from punishment, while HB 159 restricts the use of attack dogs in prison. These bills are great steps towards."

On Tuesday, Seibold posted a photo showing the Senate Finance and Appropriations voted to carry over the "Tysons casino bill" to the 2025 legislative session.

"As a resident of the Town of Vienna and representative of the 12th (which includes Tysons), I’m thrilled the Senate voted against the proposed casino, SB675," she said. "I am confident that this legislation will meet the same fate next year."

Other bills introduced by Seibold and approved by the Virginia House of Delegates included:

• HB 47 Invasive plant species; requirements for retail sales.
• HB 100 Child labor offenses; increases civil penalties
• HB 160 Veterans; workplace poster for benefits and services.
• HB 282 Highway work zones; creates a traffic infraction for any moving violation in a work zone.
• HB 534 Trees; Town of Vienna allowed to require subdivision/development provide for preservation, etc.
• HB 988 Correctional facilities, behavioral health services in facilities, report.

The rest of Salim and Seibold's bill are either working through their separate houses, have been carried over to 2025, or incorporated into other bills.

A list of the legislation that Del. Marcus Simon (D-13th) introduced in 2024 can be found on the Virginia General Assembly website.