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Virginia state Sen. Jennifer Boysko says she was stripped of three influential assignments after speaking against legislation that could have opened the door to a casino in Tysons.
The District 38 Democrat lost her roles as a budget conferee, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and member of the Rules Committee. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell, a District 34 Democrat, was the chief patron of Senate Bill 982.
“To lose those leadership positions was a harsh penalty. But I do not regret standing up for our community,” Boysko wrote in an online bulletin Friday evening, Feb. 14.
Boysko testified against the measure in a House subcommittee and said thousands of people had joined the effort to stop the casino legislation. She added that members of the same political party do not always agree and urged opponents to continue working together.
SB 982 stalled in a House Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday, Feb. 12, when it was passed by for the day. The bill would have allowed the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors to call a referendum asking voters whether Fairfax County should become eligible to host a Virginia casino.
The legislation identified a specific area of Tysons for the proposed gambling complex. Comstock Holding Companies has advocated for the development, but the county would still have needed to issue a request for proposals and select a plan before sending the question to voters.
Boysko said she had heard from friends near and far following her removal. She also said she remained proud of her work in the three positions and of leading opposition to the Tysons-area casino.
Sens. Stella Pekarsky, a District 36 Democrat; Lamont Bagby, a District 14 Democrat; and Todd Pillion, a District 6 Republican, co-sponsored the legislation.
Boysko warned that another casino-related bill could surface.
“I will continue to fight against all efforts to bring a casino to or near District 38,” she wrote, encouraging residents to keep telling legislators where they stand.
Surovell expressed disappointment after the proposal failed to advance. In a Feb. 12 statement on X, he argued that the proposed Tysons Entertainment District could have brought thousands of union jobs to Fairfax County as the Trump administration moved to eliminate federal jobs in Northern Virginia.
With thousands of federal positions already lost and further economic damage possible, Surovell said he planned to continue working with members of the Fairfax delegation and the Board of Supervisors on policies intended to provide residents with economic relief and support.