Former Virginia State Sen. Janet Howell, who represented portions of McLean in the 32nd Senate District for 32 years and became the first woman to chair the Virginia Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, died Monday, August 3, according to FFXnow. She was 82.

Howell's district stretched across much of Northern Virginia, covering Reston, Tysons, Wolf Trap, northern Chantilly and parts of McLean and Arlington County. She won eight consecutive elections between 1991 and 2019, shaping every state budget for a generation as the Senate's top appropriator.

"I was lucky enough at different times over the past 4 decades to be represented by her, to serve as her colleague, and then once she retired to serve as her senator," State Sen. Jennifer Boysko (D-38) wrote on social media Sunday, August 2. Boysko now represents parts of Reston and McLean in the seat Howell once held. "She's gone way too soon."

Gov. Abigail Spanberger called Howell "a fierce advocate for strengthening Virginia's schools" who spent her career serving her community in Fairfax County and the Commonwealth. Senate Majority Leader Scott Surovell (D-34) said Howell served Northern Virginia "with fierce determination, sharp intellect, and unwavering integrity" and left "an indelible mark on our Commonwealth's budget, mental health system, and public schools."

A career built on schools, families, and reform

Howell's legislative record touched kitchen-table issues across Fairfax County. She overhauled Virginia's family violence laws, led efforts to protect children from sexual predators, and spearheaded mental health law reform after the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting, according to DC News Now. Public education remained her signature cause throughout.

When Democrats won the Senate majority in 2019, Howell became the first woman to chair the Finance and Appropriations Committee, controlling the state's purse strings. She had already been the first woman to serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee, ARLnow reported.

House Speaker Don Scott said Howell "stepped into the arena at a time when few women were welcome there" and championed education, family violence reform, and mental health throughout her tenure.

From PTA president to power broker

Before entering the Senate, Howell started in civic life as a PTA president, then served three years as president of the Reston Community Association in the mid-1980s. She worked as a legislative assistant in the House of Delegates before winning her first Senate race in 1991.

Born May 7, 1944, in Washington, D.C., Howell earned a bachelor's degree in government from Oberlin College and a master's in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania.

In 2019, she won her final election with 73% of the vote despite suffering a shattered ankle and undergoing quadruple-bypass surgery that year after doctors discovered a "silent heart attack" during her recovery.

She did not seek re-election in 2023 after redistricting would have pitted her against Boysko. Howell retired January 10, 2024, as the longest-serving woman in the Virginia Senate alongside Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas (D-18), who also began serving in 1992.

In summer 2018, Howell and her husband Hunt embarked on a 1,200-mile fact-finding trip across southside and southwest Virginia. "I think all of us would benefit from visiting different regions from our home districts, because I think we'll get a broader view of the needs of the commonwealth," she told the Sun Gazette in 2018.

What comes next

Howell is survived by her husband Hunt and two sons, Eric and Brian. Funeral arrangements and a full obituary were pending as of Monday, August 3. No memorial service date had been announced as of Tuesday, August 4.

Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman had not issued a public statement as of Tuesday. The McLean Ledger has reached out to his office for comment.