By Larry Hypes
Contributing Writer
RICHMOND – It isn’t quite freshman orientation.
Del. Lily Franklin, D – Montgomery/Roanoke, who in November won election to represent District 41 in the 164th General Assembly, gained prior state-level experience as an assistant for Del. Sam Rasoul, D-Roanoke, who currently represents a portion of Roanoke. Franklin. She is a Northside High and Longwood University (political science) graduate, is a small business owner and a substitute teacher in the Montgomery County Public School system.
Franklin has been assigned to the Committees on Technology and Innovation, Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources, and General Laws. The following is a question and answer session with Franklin.
NM: Describe the committee activities and duties in which you are involved:
LF: In General Laws, I am on the housing subcommittee, and we have reviewed rent reform, making sure our landlords are responsive to our tenants. On the agriculture subcommittee I sit on, we review forests and land, among other issues and we studied the effects of a certain pesticide and on the Communications subcommittee, I am working on issues related to broadband and also AI (Artificial Intelligence) and we in discussion about AI use and how we can protect our children. We are also looking at funding for Broadband and working to make sure all localities in Virginia will have access. The good news on that (broadband) is that it looks like we in Virginia will be one of the first states to be completely connected in every home.
NM: There has been much discussion about the number of bills related to taxes in the current session of the General Assembly. What information can you provide?
LF: In Virginia, we are feeling a little better than some states about our finances and where our money is coming from. Many, and perhaps most, of the tax-related bills that some legislators on the opposite side are talking about will not pass.
NM: Is there a tax-related bill that you have worked on personally?
LF: Yes, the car tax is one I campaigned on and that bill that I introduced has passed the House. It is one of the “most hated” taxes and several delegates have worked with me and made it known that we are trying to abolish that. (Franklin, in a bipartisan effort, has worked with, among others, Del. Terry Kilgore, R-45th District, the House Minority Leader). This tax does fund our local infrastructure, as well as our police and our teachers and we will look at the data over the next year and see how we can repeal this. We intend to take a thoughtful approach. We believe there is a more equitable way of funding our local governments. This is basically the roadmap for how we are going to repeal the car tax.
NM: You have stated you are interested in farming issues and Montgomery County is nearly three-quarters rural area. What have you been involved with regarding farming concerns?
LF: That is something I began focusing on when I worked with Del. Sam Rasoul. I worked to get microgrants to help farmers get their goods to market including to farmers markets. Microgrants are not large money grants and there is more that needs to be done. These grants are generally $25,000 or so.
NM: Here in the Blacksburg—Christiansburg area, with the tremendous enrollment figures (31,536 undergraduate students and 6,751 graduate-level students) housing is a major issue for the entire community. What are your thoughts in that regard?
LF: That is a big issue. There are ongoing discussions, for instance, regarding zoning and working toward giving localities help with housing. The problems in Blacksburg are not quite the same as in Roanoke County. Neither of those is the same as Fairfax in Northern Virginia. Legislation is ongoing to help localities help with housing including “rent gouging” which can be a local problem and something the Montgomery Country Board of Supervisors is interested in. I am following that and will have more updates following Crossover.
NOTE: Crossover Day in the General Assembly is roughly the mid-session deadline (February 17 in 2026) by which all legislation must pass its house of origin – either House or Senate – to remain active. After Crossover, each chamber only considers bills passed by the other.
NM: What are your thoughts about efforts to keep as many as possible of our young people (high school and college graduates) in the Southwest Virginia area?
LF: That is a huge priority for me. Not only keeping people in our localities but bringing in more from other areas. I and other legislators are working to promote programs for skills and trades, increasing apprenticeships across Virginia and making sure. I am also focusing on trying to encourage quality employers to this area, continuing to emphasize “business ready” sites, because in our area we have tremendous opportunity to develop advance manufacturing. I think, though, it is not just about economic development but also includes health care, making sure people can buy houses and continuing to ensure we have good schools. All of these tie together. For example, you are not likely to keep a young family in an area if they have to drive an hour and a half to a facility to have a baby. I want our area to be able to compete and keep our citizens locally.
NM: Do you feel providing opportunities for enjoyment and entertainment is another important consideration for keeping people in an area?
LF: Yes, working with the Department of Tourism and also some of our younger officials both at the state and local levels is something we are discussing and working toward to help keep our young people in the area.
NM: What specific bills are you a part of in this session?
LF: HJ-34 is the car tax bill, HB-943 is one I carried for the Virginia Tech police department and it ensures that campus police receive equal treatment at toll facilities, etc., HB-1467 addresses lowering the cost of electric bills. It is a pilot program with a variety of and HB-1385 which concerns the college Board of Visitors. This is governor’s bill and works on the scope of what the Board of Visitors concerns. Locally, this would impact Virginia Tech, VMI and Virginia, among others.
Franklin represents District 41 (part Montgomery and Roanoke) in the General Assembly and is in her first term. She is on the following committees: Communications Technology and Innovation, Agriculture Chesapeake and Natural Resources and General Laws.
Franklin contact information is DelLFranklin2house.virginia.gov with the office phone number of 804-698-1041.
