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Barbara Favola
DEMOCRAT
Barbara Favola is running for Virginia State Senator, District 40.
Personal background
Barbara lives in Arlington with her husband. She has one child.
Professional background
Barbara used to be a senior policy advisor and a presidential management intern at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Political background
Barbara Favola is currently the state senator representing district 31. She was first elected in 2011 and has been in office for three terms. She used to be a county supervisor for Arlington County for 14 years, from 1997 until 2012.
Energy & the Environment
Supports policies that will reduce the carbon emissions created in the state and "hasten the economy’s conversion to sustainable, carbon-free energy."
As a state senator, passed legislation creating the Commonwealth Clean Energy Plan, which strategies to achieve net zero carbon emissions in Virginia by 2045.
As a state senator, voted for a bill that would have given lowand middle-income Virginians loans and funding to install solar panels or make their homes more energy efficient.
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Economy
Supports raising the current minimum wage to $15.00 an hour.
As a state senator, voted for a bill that limits the amount of THC in hemp products to 0.3% of the product and 2 milligrams total. Possession of marijuana is decriminalized in Virginia but there is no legal market for sales of THC products.
As a state senator, voted for a bill that lowered taxes on groceries from 2.5% to 1%, except for alcohol, tobacco, and prepared hot foods. Diapers and feminine hygiene products were included in the tax decrease.
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Healthcare
As a state senator, voted for a bill that would have put a fundamental right to reproductive freedom in Virginia’s constitution, which would have made abortion constitutionally protected in the state.
As a state senator, voted for a bill that prevents pharmacists from refusing to fill prescriptions because they were prescribed via telemedicine.
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Education
As a state senator, voted for a bill that requires schools to improve reading skills in students from kindergarten through third grade to address learning loss from the pandemic.
As a state senator, voted for a bill that lets companies be sued for publishing or distributing online content that is “harmful to minors” without checking the age of the internet users accessing the content.
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Public Safety
As a state senator, opposed legislation that would "draw local governments into the role of policing for the Federal Immigration & Customs Agency (ICE)."
As a state senator, passed legislation adding categories of gender, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation to Virginia’s hate crimes statute.
As a state senator, voted for a bill that gives people $300 off their taxes if they buy a gun safe or lock box. The credit expires in 2027.
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