Two exciting announcements were made last week – one from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and another from Governor Glenn Youngkin – that provide great examples on how the Commonwealth has modernized its agency operations and has made progress in the battle against opioid overdoses, respectively.
First, I am excited to announce that the DMV has officially launched Virginia Mobile ID – a secure, digital version of your valid Virginia driver’s license or identification card that is downloaded as an app on your smartphone. With the Virginia Mobile ID, you will have your ID at your fingertips. It is safe, convenient, completely voluntary, and free! Even better, Virginia is the first state in North America to launch a mobile ID that is accepted at all DMV Customer Service Centers, by law enforcement, for voting, and at select Virginia ABC stores. If you are traveling for Thanksgiving, your Virginia Mobile ID can make the journey smoother. You can use it at TSA security checkpoints at more than 250 U.S. airports, including six right here in Virginia.
Today, we check emails, pay bills, board planes, buy tickets, and can even unlock our cars and homes all from the palm of our hands. Mobile ID is the next step in secure digital identity, and I am proud that Virginia is once again setting the standard for smart, forward-thinking technology that makes life easier for our residents. You can download the Virginia Mobile ID app from the Apple app store or Google Play, and more information on where Virginia Mobile ID is currently accepted can be found on the Virginia DMV website.
In other exciting news, Governor Youngkin recently announced that fentanyl-involved overdose deaths have been reduced by an astonishing 59% since January of 2022. In 2022, five Virginians each day were dying due to fentanyl-involved overdoes, and through targeted enforcement and a collective effort, that number has been cut in half. Through Republican leadership, the Attorney General’s office has secured over $1 billion from drug manufacturers to help communities reduce, prevent, and treat addiction at the local level, and the results have saved lives. Since the beginning of an initiative called Operation FREE, which consists of an aggressive law enforcement partnership between federal, state, and local agencies to crack down on the drug trade, nearly 860 pounds of fentanyl has been seized in Virginia. This is enough of the deadly drug to produce 116 million pills and potentially overdose tens of millions of people.
Republicans in Virginia General Assembly have taken a hard line against opioids in past legislative sessions, passing legislation – with my support – that ban pill presses, require that school administrators report confirmed or suspected school-connected student overdoses, create new felony charges for drug dealers connected to fatal overdoses, and defining fentanyl as a “weapon of terrorism.” This full-court press from the combined efforts of General Assembly Republicans and the administration of Governor Youngkin are delivering tangible results, and it is my hope that the incoming administration of Governor-elect Spanberger, as well as the Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will continue supporting these proven strategies to eliminate fentanyl from our communities.
As the Delegate representing the 42nd House District in the Virginia General Assembly, your concerns are my greatest priority. If ever I may be of assistance to you and your family, please do not hesitate to reach out to me at DelJBallard@House.Virginia.Gov. You can also follow me on Twitter @JasonBallardVA or like my Facebook page, Jason Ballard for Delegate, to keep up to date with what I am doing in Richmond and in our community on your behalf.
