Update, July 25 at 4:25 p.m.
County attorney Steve MacIsaac clarified that the county is intervening on behalf of the Census Bureau in a different case than the one originally described in this article. We regret the error.
Arlington County is weighing filing a lawsuit targeting pharmaceutical companies over the opioid crisis, and intervening in a separate case as well to protect the Census Bureau’s practice of counting undocumented immigrants in population surveys.
The County Board voted unanimously last Wednesday (July 18) to move ahead with the legal action, after consulting with county lawyers behind closed doors.
The county is retaining the services of some outside lawyers to explore the possibility of joining dozens of other localities in suing drug manufacturers over fallout from the opioid crisis. Arlington recorded a 245 percent spike in patients seeking treatment for addiction to drugs like heroin and fentanyl from 2015 to 2017, and any lawsuit would seek to secure damages against pharmaceutical companies involved in flooding the market with prescription drugs that can often lead to addiction.
However, the Board would need to approve the specifics of any opioid lawsuit before the county moves forward with legal action.
The county also plans to lend its support to the Commerce Department in an ongoing federal case, after the state of Alabama mounted a legal challenge to the “resident rule.” The state is looking to ban the Census Bureau from counting undocumented residents in any count of an area’s population, as census data is used to determine boundaries of congressional districts and hand out federal money.
Arlington is joining with a variety of other localities to oppose that move, considering that the county has a large undocumented population. Census data show that Arlington had roughly 29,400 non-citizens living in the county through 2016. That was equivalent to roughly 13 percent of the county’s total population, one of the highest margins in the country.
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For Immediate Release
Progress for All Announces Inaugural Black Men Vote Virtual Town Hall
Date: April 19, 2024
Contact: Marc M. M. Peters
The Award is available to recent high school graduates and non-traditional students (see the application for more details). Each recipient may be awarded up to $20,000. Applicants are required to submit an online application form as well as a short video application.
The applicant must be an Arlington resident pursuing a career or technical education accredited program, within a high-growth career, that will be completed within two years.
The careers and programs include, but are not limited to:
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Audio, Video, and Sound Engineering Technicians
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Broadcast Technicians
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Commercial Drivers
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Culinary Arts
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Early Childcare Education
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Healthcare
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Information Technology and Computer Science
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Manufacturing and Skilled Trades (including welding, auto and aviation mechanics and technicians)
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Public Safety
ACFCU’s Free Homebuying 101 Webinar: Steps to Getting Pre-Approved
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Financial preparation is key when thinking about purchasing your first home and the first step to getting pre-approved. Join ACFCU for
Sweeney Todd
A victim of a gross injustice that robbed him of his wife and child, Sweeney Todd sets about exacting a terrible revenge on society.
