Virginia's 10th Congressional District election, 2018

Criminal Justice Reform

The criminal justice system does not always work in ways that are fair or just. As a former prosecutor, substitute judge, legal advocate for children, and as a legislator, Jennifer has seen this all too clearly. One example: Virginia leads the nation in prosecuting kids criminally for even minor incidents that take place in our schools. That’s why she passed legislation to promote alternatives to suspension, including positive behavior incentives, mediation, peer-to-peer counseling, community service, and other intervention alternatives so that we’re sending fewer of our children into the school-to-prison pipeline.

During her time as a prosecutor, Jennifer locked up criminals, providing justice for victims and their families. Jennifer believes our nation should be able to provide justice while also correcting injustices that plague our criminal justice system and lead to mass incarceration. Congress should make our system more effective, efficient, and equitable for all. Jennifer supports reforming mandatory minimums, ending use of for-profit private prisons, working with localities and states to promote community policing, supporting reentry programs and voting rights restoration, supporting drug and veterans courts, and decriminalizing simple possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Disability Rights

In the State Senate, Jennifer has been a staunch advocate for people with disabilities. She passed legislation that closed a loophole and extended parental support for severely disabled and special-needs children over age eighteen, giving relief to single parents. She also created a law that stems the school-to-prison pipeline, which disproportionately impacts children with disabilities, by implementing alternatives to suspension. She has fought for increased funding for Intellectual Disabilities (ID)/Developmental Disability (DD) Waiver slots to shrink waiting lists, the implementation of a more inclusive environment for students with disabilities, expanded state and local employment opportunities for those with disabilities, a focus on patient-centered, community-based centers and housing options, and Medicaid expansion to cover our most vulnerable Virginians.

In Congress, Jennifer will continue to be an advocate for a more inclusive America for people with disabilities. She will defend the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, expand educational and employment opportunities for people with disabilities, and protect funding for Medicaid and other affordable healthcare programs.

Education

Jennifer is a product of public education from elementary through law school, and both her children attend Loudoun County Public Schools. She believes strongly that every Virginian deserves a high-quality public education from their first day of pre-k to their college graduation. In the State Senate, she has advocated to eliminate unnecessary standardized tests and modernize the manner in which our kids learn and are taught. She passed legislation that will stem the school-to-prison pipeline by establishing alternatives to long-term and short-term suspensions which disproportionately affect minorities and students with disabilities. Jennifer also opposed reckless efforts by Republicans to take away local control of schools. Her strong support for education earned her the “Solid as a Rock” award from Virginia Education Association and the endorsements of the Loudoun and Fairfax Education Association PACs in her State Senate campaigns.

Jennifer is proud of the quality and standing of Virginia’s public colleges and universities, but she knows college tuition is too high, and often a college degree is out of reach or leaves students with crippling debt. In the State Senate, Jennifer has sponsored bills that would create a Student Loan Refinancing Program, which will give students opportunities to refinance their loans, and the Office of Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman, which will create a resource for borrowers and oversight of loan services in Virginia. She has also supported bills that give victims of on-campus sexual violence more resources and give colleges and universities tools to prevent more assaults.

In Congress she will fight against Betsy DeVos’ attempts to strip funding from public schools and hand it over to private schools. She will remain a dedicated advocate for improving educational access and resources for low-income students and children with disabilities. Jennifer will also support policies that raise teachers’ pay and benefits, promote STEM courses and careers, and incentivize career and technical training.

Environment

Jennifer believes we need to be good stewards of the environment and that we must protect our land, air, and water for our children and future generations. Climate change and sea level rise are real threats to Virginia and our nation, and Jennifer knows we must take active steps to address them. In the State Senate, she has been a strong advocate for renewable energy and our environment. Jennifer sponsored legislation that would expand consumers’ access to community solar energy, mandate quicker reporting on hazardous spills in Virginia waterways, and broaden the powers of the Department of Environmental Quality to go after polluters and stop construction of natural gas pipelines when they are adversely affecting our environment.

Jennifer has been a staunch defender of the environment during her time in the General Assembly, that is why she has received 100% ratings and numerous awards from major environmental groups, including the “Environmental Freedom” Award from Sierra Club Virginia and the “Legislative Hero” Award from the Virginia League of Conservation Voters.

In Congress, she will continue the fight to combat climate change, oppose drilling off Virginia’s coast, adhere to the goals outlined in the Paris Climate Accord, and protect our natural resources, public lands, and waters.

Gun Violence Prevention

Jennifer is a strong advocate for gun violence prevention and has consistently fought for common sense legislation to keep our communities safe while also respecting the rights of responsible gun owners. In the State Senate, she has championed and voted for bills that would establish universal background checks and close the gun show loophole, ban bumpstocks, mandate the reporting of lost and stolen firearms, and keep firearms out of the hands of domestic abusers and those convicted of stalking. She has fought against legislation that would loosen restrictions on who can obtain concealed carry permits.

In Congress, Jennifer will support legislation that expands mandatory background checks on gun purchases, closes loopholes that allow criminals to purchase firearms, establishes a ban on sales of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and allows the federal government to study gun violence as a public health issue.

Healthcare

Jennifer believes that access to affordable healthcare is a right for all Americans. In the State Senate, she has fought alongside her fellow Democrats to expand Medicaid to 300,000 hardworking Virginians and bring over $10 billion back to Virginia’s economy. She has fought for a woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions and to more easily access reproductive, family planning, and contraception services. She has also been a champion for mental health reform and combating the heroin and opioid crisis in Virginia.

Jennifer believes that Congress needs to stop playing politics with Americans’ healthcare and find a bipartisan solution to problems within our current healthcare system. In Congress, Jennifer will fight to protect coverage for those with preexisting conditions, eliminate lifetime caps, fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and keep Medicare and Medicaid strong and accessible. She supports allowing the Federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices to help keep healthcare prices under control. Jennifer also believes Congress should devote greater funding resources to expanding access to affordable healthcare, improving our mental health system, expanding innovative medical research, and helping to combat addiction.

Heroin and Opioid Crisis

The heroin and opioid epidemic has ravaged Virginia and our nation, as the number of deaths caused by drug overdoses now far exceeds deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents and by firearms each year. As a State Senator, Jennifer served on the Governor’s Task Force on Prescription Drug and Heroin Abuse, and she has been working to change how doctors prescribe opioids, as well as to improve access to treatment for addiction and overdoses. She has patroned and passed bills to improve Virginia’s prescription monitoring program, help get the lifesaving overdose reversal drug Narcan into the hands of more people, and allow Child Protective Services to help substance-exposed newborns and their mothers gain access to more resources to get and stay clean. She has also supported and advocated for Drug Courts, Virginia’s Good Samaritan law, and laws that allow police and prosecutors to pursue charges against predatory drug dealers.

In Congress, she will continue to work to secure funding for substance use prevention and treatment, to stem the overprescribing of dangerous opioids, and to ensure that all Americans have access to affordable healthcare, including treatment services.

Immigration

America is a nation of immigrants and my family is among those who came here seeking freedom, safety, and opportunity. Rather than working together to find bipartisan policies that will improve our immigration system, the President and Congressional Republicans are promoting fear-mongering tactics, like raids and roundups, against immigrants. As State Senator, I have consistently voted against and spoken out against Republican attempts to stigmatize immigrants, including their anti-Sharia legislation, the so-called “sanctuary cities” bills, and legislation that would have required Virginia to track and report on the location of refugees who resettle here.

Jennifer believes Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for immigrant families, protects DREAMers and their futures, prioritizes the deportation of violent criminals over status offenders, shuts down inhumane private detention centers, and ensures money that this administration would spend on building a wall instead be spent on securing and modernizing our borders and defending national security.

Jobs and the Economy

Jennifer believes we need to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top. Wages and benefits are not keeping pace with costs. In the State Senate, she voted in favor of several measures that would raise the minimum wage, and has introduced legislation that would ensure women doing the same job as men receive equal pay and employment benefits. She also introduced legislation that would have established Paid Medical Leave in Virginia.

Jennifer believes that making investments in our workforce is a key to growing our economy. As our state and our nation evolve from an industrial to a technology-based economy, our workers must be prepared for the jobs of the future, not those of the past. Jennifer supports increased investments in career and vocational training, and retraining for those who have been displaced from the workforce.

Too often, wages have not kept pace with costs and the increased use of low-bid or unrealistic contracts has resulted in an American workforce doing more work for less pay. In Congress, Jennifer will support increasing wages and salaries, establishing paid family and medical leave programs nationwide, revitalizing America’s middle-class, protecting and expanding workers’ rights, making affordable housing more accessible to Americans, reining in Wall Street, and supporting America’s small businesses and entrepreneurs.

LGBTQ Rights

In the General Assembly, Jennifer has worked hard to promote fairness and equal opportunity for all Virginians, including our lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. She has repeatedly championed legislation to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in housing, and cosponsored legislation that would prohibit discrimination in public employment. She has also supported bills that would remove the same-sex marriage ban in the Virginia Constitution, expand Virginia’s hate crimes statute to include the LGBTQ community, end conversion therapy, and allow localities and school boards to establish their own non-discrimination policies.

She has opposed harmful Republican legislation that would have allowed government officials to refuse to marry same-sex couples, establish a Virginia version of the “bathroom bill,” and numerous other attempts to treat the LGBTQ community as second-class citizens.

In Congress, Jennifer will continue to be a strong advocate for LGBTQ community. She will support legislation to expand anti-discrimination statutes, fight against bullying of LGBTQ youth, and other initiatives to make our country more inclusive and equal for everyone.

Protecting our Children

Keeping Virginia’s children safe has always been a top priority for Jennifer, from her time as a prosecutor and court-appointed legal advocate for children to her role as a State Senator. She passed legislation that made it easier for local law enforcement to prosecute child predators both online and in our communities. She also wrote a new law that requires daycares and assisted living facilities in Virginia to use fingerprint-based background checks on their employees when they are being hired, making daycares safer by ensuring criminals are less likely to slip through the screening process. In Congress, Jennifer will continue to promote policies that keep our children safe, which includes keeping guns out of our schools and and reducing children’s access to firearms.

Supporting our Veterans

As a member of the State Senate and the Board of Veterans Services, Jennifer has fought for Virginia’s veterans and their families. She has supported measures that increase resources for mental health services for active duty and retired military, expanded veteran entrepreneurship programs, eradicated veteran homelessness in Virginia, made it easier for service members to vote overseas and lowered tuition and fees while expanding veterans’ resources on community college campuses.

Jennifer believes we should never send our men and women into war without ensuring the care and resources they and their families need is in place when they return home. In Congress, Jennifer will continue to be an advocate for our active duty military, veterans, and their families. She will support establishing veterans courts across the country, expanding access to healthcare and mental health services, fully funding and reforming the VA, and providing college, training, and workforce development programs so our veterans and their spouses can obtain good paying jobs.

Transportation and Infrastructure

Jennifer knows traffic and transportation are major concerns across Northern Virginia. She has focused on transportation solutions as a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, and has worked to bring resources to her district to relieve congestion, fix problems with Metro, and advocate for smart growth in Loudoun and Fairfax counties. She has introduced legislation that would give localities more control over, and funding for transportation projects in their jurisdictions. Jennifer opposed tolls on I-66 and repeatedly carried legislation to reduce the tolls on the Dulles Greenway.

Jennifer knows that America needs to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure. She supports a full-scale investment in new green infrastructure that will create millions of good paying jobs. She believes this investment should include updating and expanding our roads, bridges, public transit, airports, and rail lines. She believes Congress should also invest in infrastructure that will help build a clean energy future, expand the availability of high-speed broadband, and fix and modernize our electric grid and water systems.

Voting Rights

The right to vote is one of the most basic tenets of our democracy, and Jennifer believes that we need to make it easier, not harder, for people to vote. In the State Senate, she sponsored and voted for legislation to end gerrymandering, allow easier access to the polls, expand absentee voting options, and add more options for the acceptable forms of voter identification. She has consistently opposed voter suppression tactics by Republicans and she has consistently spoken out against the Republican myth of extensive voter fraud.

In Congress, Jennifer will fight against attempts to suppress access to the ballot box. She will vote to end racial and partisan gerrymandering, expand early voting, make Election Day a federal holiday, and reform our broken campaign finance system that benefits only special interests at the expense of normal citizens. Jennifer also supports sanctioning Russia for its interference in our 2016 elections, and taking active measures to dissuade future attempts to tamper with our electoral process.

Women’s Rights

Jennifer is a strong advocate for women’s rights. She believes women’s healthcare decisions should be made between a woman and her doctor, and has continuously fought to keep government out of those decisions. In the State Senate, Jennifer has fought against the Republicans’ undue restrictions on abortion, championing legislation that would remove unconstitutional barriers to access like unnecessary waiting periods and TRAP laws targeted at women’s health clinics.

Jennifer has created several new laws that have expanded women’s rights in Virginia. She wrote and passed a law that finally gave mothers the right to breastfeed in public in Virginia. She created a landmark law that allows victims of revenge porn and surreptitious photos to sue their perpetrator for damages, and sponsored a bill to ensure women must not only receive equal pay but also equal benefits without being fired for asking about salaries.

In Congress, Jennifer will continue to be a true advocate for women. She will support legislation that expands women’s access to quality, affordable healthcare, family planning services, and contraception, establishes paid family and medical leave programs, ends violence against women, promotes women’s involvement in STEM and political fields, and ratifies the Equal Rights Amendment in the U.S. Constitution.^[33]

21ST CENTURY SOLUTIONS FOR TODAY’S CHALLENGES

A LEADER FOR THE 10th DISTRICT’S PRIORITIES:

For over 30 years, Congresswoman Barbara Comstock has been a leader in the 10th District. She is a principled, solutions oriented leader who has worked tirelessly to tackle our region’s challenges. In the public and private sector she has produced bipartisan results on creating a healthy economy, advanced 21st Century jobs, expanded and promoted our technology community, provided long term transportation solutions without raising taxes, promoted 21st Century healthcare solutions, cracked down on drugs, crime, and human trafficking, and reduced the tax burden on families and businesses.

In the Virginia General Assembly she wrote the law for competitive bidding for Phase 2 of Dulles Rail, wrote the law to expand the billion dollar Data Center industry, advanced the law to allow for offshore energy exploration and drilling in Virginia, wrote anti-human trafficking laws, and worked to get more in-state college spots for Virginia students.

Congresswoman Comstock was the leader in Pro-Jobs and Right to Work legislation in the General Assembly including guaranteeing the right to a secret ballot in the workplace as well as protecting worker’s personal information.

In Congress, she continued her bipartisan success and hit the ground running fighting for Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley including –

• Stopping dangerous national security and defense sequester cuts, restoring national security and defense funding and defending us from terrorist threats here and abroad;
• Fighting for tax relief for our families and our small businesses;
• Passing a landmark 5-year transportation bill;
• Advancing Northern Virginia’s innovative technology sector and research and development;
• Helping to pass bipartisan human trafficking legislation;
• Working with federal, state, and local law enforcement to fight the heroin epidemic that is in our community and working with task forces throughout the District to tackle the problem;
• Working with our district’s wide-ranging agriculture businesses.
• Congresswoman Comstock serves on three Committees in the House and was selected to lead as Chairwoman of the Research and Technology Subcommittee where she advocates for Northern Virginia’s innovative high technology sector.

CONGRESSWOMAN COMSTOCK WORKING FOR US IN CONGRESS

LEADING ON TAX RELIEF: $600 BILLION IN TAX RELIEF FOR FAMILIES AND BUSINESSES

Congresswoman Comstock supported the $600 billion tax relief package that was signed into law which helps middle class families and makes the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent. This important bill also makes the Research and Development Tax Credit permanent, which will help fuel the technology, defense and healthcare jobs of the 21st Century that helps our region grow.

LEADING ON NATIONAL SECURITY

We live in a very unpredictable world where ISIS and other terrorist groups continue to be on the march against the freedoms America stands for. That is why we need leaders who recognize the threat and understand what it will take to defeat the enemy. Congresswoman Comstock has consistently voted for our men and women in uniform and has supported the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and a budget that would increase defense spending by $40 billion and ease the devastating defense sequester cuts. The NDAA also prevents President Obama from transferring Guantanamo terrorist detainees to American soil, and requires President Obama to develop a clear strategy to defeat ISIS. The Congresswoman has also taken a stand in support of human rights and cosponsored a resolution passed in the House that declares what ISIS has done to Christians and other religious minorities in the areas it currently occupies as “genocide”.

LEADING ON HEALTHCARE MEASURES TO FIGHT CHRONIC DISEASES AND TO DEVELOP 21ST CENTURY CURES

The House of Representatives passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which Congresswoman Comstock has strongly advocated and worked for as well as cosponsored. This legislation puts our country on a path toward working on earlier detection, better treatment, and faster cures for chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and more. The 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law on December 13th, 2016.

LEADING ON LONG TERM TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS

Congresswoman Comstock cosponsored the bipartisan five-year transportation bill that was signed into law and provides for more funding for infrastructure without raising taxes and has provisions written by the Congresswoman focusing on relieving traffic congestion and using technology for better traffic solutions. This legislation also includes reforms demanding more accountability and transparency from Metro.

WORKING FOR OUR MANY SMALL BUSINESSES

As a former small business owner, Congresswoman Comstock understands what it means to sign the front of a paycheck. In Congress she has been a champion for small businesses earning a 100% from the National Federation of Independent Businesses and a 100% from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for her votes in the 114th Congress. Virginia’s 10th Congressional District is home to many small businesses that are the foundation of our economy and Congresswoman Comstock will continue to work to make sure our small businesses prosper.

LEADING ON THE FIGHT AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Congresswoman Comstock has cosponsored a variety of legislation on this topic including the recent bill signed into law by the President in April 2018, the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA). This important legislation allows victims to take action against heinous websites that permit and assist predators to sell children online. Other legislation the Congresswoman has cosponsored includes provisions to equip airline employees with the skills and knowledge to root out human trafficking in the sky. As a member of the Human Trafficking Caucus, Representative Comstock has joined on multiple efforts to encourage the appropriations committee to properly equip Anti-Human Trafficking Regional Task Forces and to fund anti-human trafficking programs. These efforts have resulted in securing funds for Fiscal Year 2018. As budget negotiations for Fiscal Year 2019 continues, Representative Comstock remains steadfast in securing these funds. She has met with law enforcement agents in Virginia’s 10 th District and participated in many forums to find best practices, discover deficits, and educate on the dangers of this growing crime that exploits and abuses the most vulnerable women and children in our communities.

LEADING FOR OUR VETERANS

The first piece of legislation Congresswoman Comstock cosponsored was the Hire More Heroes Act. This legislation, which was signed into law, brings down barriers for veterans to find good-paying jobs while at the same time gives small businesses relief from Obamacare. The Hire More Heroes Act is one of many pieces of veteran legislation that helps those who have served their country. America must fulfill its commitment to our veterans and Congresswoman Comstock understands that their sacrifice and service must be honored.

Congresswoman Comstock understands that even though our veterans are home the battle scars remain and voted for the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act. This important legislation for our veterans was signed into law by the President and requires the Veterans Administration to make mental health information easily accessible for our returning veterans. The legislation also helps the Veterans Administration to recruit and retain psychiatrists and requires an annual and independent review of mental healthcare and suicide prevention programs at the Veterans Administrations.

Congresswoman Comstock has also cosponsored and voted for the bipartisan Border Jobs for Veterans Act which has been signed by the President. This legislation streamlines the process of hiring veterans who acquired the necessary skill set while they were serving in the military to serve as a Customs and Border Protection officer.

Congresswoman Comstock has made it a priority to help those who have served their nation both through legislation and constituent service and looks forward to continuing to work with our nation’s veterans.

LEADING ON THE FIGHT AGAINST SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The #MeToo movement has shed light on sexual harassment in the film and entertainment industry. However, we have found that sexual harassment does not elude Congress, and in fact, there was a need for new rules and regulations regarding these issues to better support victims. For this reason, Representative Comstock introduced legislation that requires all Members and employees in the House of Representatives to undergo sexual harassment training each session of Congress. Furthermore, this bill changed and reinvigorated this training to bring a more interactive and comprehensive approach to Members and staff. It changed the reporting process to help victims take action when they could otherwise be confused or fearful of repercussions. Additionally, the Congresswoman is a cosponsor of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 Reform Act, which creates a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination in Congress. It also prohibits the use of taxpayer money to be used in these cases. As part of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on Women’s Issues, the Congresswoman looked for how she could work to mitigate this behavior in other economic sectors. She worked with colleagues to hold hearings, including a hearing on sexual harassment in the service industry, and she chaired the organization’s hearing on sexual harassment in the tech industry. She will continue to work to find ways to promote women across all sectors regarding this pivotal issue.

LEADING FOR OUR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

Congresswoman Comstock has been a federal employee – working for ten years on Capitol Hill for Congressman Frank Wolf and a congressional committee and then working at the Department of Justice after September 11th. When Barbara worked for Congressman Wolf, she was privileged to be his aide who handled federal employee issues and Federal Employee Health Benefit Plan issues.

In the 10th District our federal employees work at the Air Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, VA Hospitals, and as NASA Engineers and astronauts. Some are serving in dangerous areas and work for the FBI, CIA, State Department, and Department of Defense. Our federal employees defend our homeland, protect our borders, prosecute those who would do us harm, find 21st century cures and treatments for disease, facilitate trade, excel in scientific and education achievements and so much more.

Having worked on behalf of and with federal employees, Congresswoman Comstock understands and shares the passion of these dedicated public servants. It is the work of public service and it is vital to all of the important functions of our government and it has its sacrifices as well as rewards and the satisfaction of protecting and serving our country. Congresswoman Comstock has traveled throughout the District to speak to different chapters of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) where she talks about how the federal government can best serve its employees and what she has done to support the federal workforce such as:

• Working on a bipartisan basis to avert costly government shutdowns which create havoc within the federal workforce;
• Supporting pay increases for federal employees;
• Supporting paid family leave for federal employees as a cosponsor of the Federal Employees Paid Parental Leave Act which provides six weeks of paid parental leave to federal employees for birth, adoption, or the fostering of a child and will not increase costs within agencies;
• Protecting federal employees whose personal and tax information has been compromised because of numerous data breaches;
• Working for telecommuting solutions for our federal workforce to provide a more flexible schedule as well as save on the cost and time of commuting. In the Virginia General Assembly, she passed the first telework bills in Virginia.

FIGHTING TO SECURE OUR BORDERS

America is a welcoming nation…and we are also a nation of laws. That is why Congresswoman Comstock has fought for and supported smart policies that would keep America safe through reforming the refugee program and the visa waiver program and measures to protect our borders. The FBI has active ISIS investigations in all fifty states and we as a nation must be vigilant to a terrorist threat that is constantly changing.

TACKLING THE HEROIN AND ADDICTION CRISIS FACING OUR COMMUNITY

In 2014, more people died from heroin and other opioid prescription drug overdoses than car accidents within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Congresswoman Comstock recognizes the heroin problem in our community and has worked with federal, state, and local officials on the regional Heroin Operations Team with Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman and the Shenandoah Valley Opioid Taskforce with Winchester Police Chief Kevin Sanzenbacher. Congresswoman Comstock is also a member of The Bipartisan Task Force to Combat the Heroin Epidemic in the U.S. House of Representatives. To combat heroin we must have a community-focused approach from authorities on all levels of government as well as cooperation from the medical community on curbing the prescription of opioid-based pain relief medications, which in many cases begins the cycle of abuse. Congresswoman Comstock has held community forums addressing these issues and educating our young and vulnerable about the perils of drug use and addiction. We face serious challenges in ending this epidemic and have reached the point for congressional action.

The House passed Congresswoman Comstock’s amendment to increase funding for the important High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) Program this year that helps coordinate local, state, and federal law enforcement authority drug interdiction efforts. Congresswoman Comstock has also cosponsored a number of bills that will help marshal the resources we need from protecting the very young in a neonatal unit to helping get opioid reversing drugs into the hands of first responders. Congresswoman Comstock supported the bipartisan Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act that was signed into law earlier this year. This sweeping legislation brings the necessary resources to help fight addiction to heroin and other opioid prescription drugs, and views the heroin epidemic as the disease it is.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF YOUNG WOMEN

Congresswoman Comstock’s introduced the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. This legislation focuses on STEM education for young women and girls that will put them on a path to compete for 21st Century jobs by directing NASA to encourage women and girls to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), pursue aerospace careers, and further advance the nation’s space science and exploration efforts through a variety of initiatives including NASA GIRLS. This legislation was signed into law by the President on February 28th, 2017.

Congresswoman Comstock has also brought her Young Women Leadership Program from Richmond to Capitol Hill. Inspired by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, the program’s aim is to foster confidence among young women through talks from non-partisan female leaders in various industries including business, technology, education, and philanthropy. Founded in 2013 with 150 young women in the inaugural mentor program, the 10th District Young Women Leadership Program now hosts over 400 young women each summer.

LEADING ON EDUCATION

Congresswoman Comstock comes from a family of educators. Her mother was a teacher and school administrator, her sister was a librarian, and her husband, Chip, worked in Fairfax County schools for three decades as a teacher and Assistant Principal. Chip continues to teach today at an alternative high school for disadvantaged students.

Education is the key to building future leaders for our nation’s 21st Century economy and Congresswoman Comstock has worked both in the Virginia House of Delegates and now in Congress to create a better educational environment for our children. As a Delegate, Congresswoman Comstock worked with parents and school leaders to bring all-day kindergarten to all of Fairfax County and will continue to work with Loudoun leaders do the same. She also worked to get more in-state spots for our children at Virginia colleges and universities.

In Congress, Representative Comstock has worked with her colleagues in the 114th and 115th Congress to put our children on a path toward success:

• Congresswoman Comstock is the Co-Chair of the DoD STARBASE Caucus which brings STEM education to students in elementary school who are often underrepresented in these fields. She has worked in a bipartisan manner to increase funding for this important program hosted in Winchester and other localities across our nation.
• In the 115th Congress, Comstock introduced The Student Loan Relief Act of 2017. If enacted, this bill will help students refinance their loans through the Department of Education and the private marketplace. In the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Congresswoman worked to secure student loan interest deductions in the final version of the bill.
• Voted for the bipartisan Every Child Achieves Act that was signed into law and gives more local control to educators.
• In the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Congresswoman supported the expansion of the 529 savings plans to allow parents to better finance for their child’s education. In the same breadth, the Congresswoman has cosponsored the Enhancing Educational Opportunities for all Students Act, which affords students who are home schooled the same advantages.^[33]