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Senate Bill 131 Education Improvement Scholarship Tax Credit Passes House
Richmond, VA – Today the House of Delegates passed SB131(Stanley) , which creates education improvement tax credits for private school scholarships for needy and at-risk students. “This bill is an historic beginning in changing the way we educate those who face the greatest academic challenges,” said the bill’s sponsor Senator William Stanley of Virginia's 20th District.
He continued, "This bill will encourage local businesses and individuals to direct their hard-earned dollars to help provide for the educational needs of those who need it most in their own communities. The provisions of this bill will give low-income and others dealing with great challenges unique opportunities achieve in ways they could have never before imagined.
We have heard for quite a while from many that it takes a community to raise and educate a child, and paradoxically the burden has been placed on the state to do just that with tax payer dollars managed by a distant government agency. This bill will initiate the real change needed to encourage investment by offering solutions tailored to solve specific problems as determined by those closest to the situation,” Stanley stated.
SB 131 allows for a tax credit of 65% for donations to approved non-government educational scholarship programs provided by nonprofit organizations across the Commonwealth. Governor McDonnell in a press release said “I want to applaud the House of Delegates for today passing an important component of my ‘Opportunity to Learn’ agenda that will greatly expand educational options for Virginia’s children. This legislation will truly spur private-sector investment in education by encouraging individuals and corporations to give to nonprofit organizations that provide scholarships for low-income students or students with disabilities to attend a non-public school. School choice is an important component of my ‘Opportunity to Learn” agenda, ensuring that every child, regardless of their zip code, has access to the high-quality education they deserve.”
Stanley further stated “But this is just the beginning. It has been said that the government that governs best governs least. This legislation is based in this. Let the government get out of the way, and allow people to deal with issues close to home. Let individuals and businesses invest their money as they see fit to do the most good, and by doing so we allow communities to build their own future and provide the very best for those who are not in a position to do so for themselves."
The reviews are in! Senator Stanley Summarizes the reaction of newspaper editorial boards statewide to the partisan gamesmanship of the Senate Democrats.
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The week before Crossover, the halfway point of the legislative calendar, is traditionally one of the most productive weeks of every General Assembly session. This year was no exception. As standing committees completed their work, legislation that had made it through that part of the process was sent to the full Senate for consideration.
It isn’t a frequent occurrence, but every so often an issue that is being debated and discussed at the national level coincides with one being discussed in Richmond. The Obama Administration’s decision to mandate that faith-based institutions offer coverage in their health care packages that violate the tenets of their faith brought about a great deal of discussion about “the conscience clause”.
Conscience clauses are not new to legislation. They are intended to protect individuals from being required by the government to act in a manner that would violate their religious beliefs. Without them, many faith-based organizations that do important charitable and social work would not be able to function. In the case of the Obama Administration’s new policy edict, the change they are suggesting would affect Catholic hospitals and universities.
The Senate this week passed out legislation that provided a conscience clause for organizations that deal with adoptions. The bill would enable organizations that place children in families to do so in a manner consistent with the tenets of their faith or their beliefs. While this may seem obvious, not every state has interpreted it as such. In one state where the courts imposed same-sex marriage, the largest private child placement agency, a division of the Catholic Church, ceased operations because of states mandates on child placement that conflicted with their faith.
Senate Bill 349 protects these agencies, preserving an essential component of Virginia’s social service network. The passage of legislation exempts child placement agencies from being forced to comply with provisions that are in conflict with their beliefs or mission. The bill is headed to the House, which has already passed similar legislation.
Several of my bills are still working their way through the Senate. Senate Bill 594 would allow counties and cities to acquire land by voluntary sale, but not by condemnation within their boundaries for economic development and job creation. Senate Bill 652 pertains to cable television systems and electric cooperatives. The bill requires cable television systems and cooperatives to negotiate in good faith to resolve certain issues, including the rates, terms, and conditions of contracts permitting attachments by a cable television system to a cooperative's poles. If an issue cannot be resolved, either party may petition the State Corporation Commission to resolve the issue. In adjudicating the issue, the Commission shall ensure that the cooperative is compensated by the cable television system for certain costs. In addition, if any cable television system attachment interferes with, obstructs, or delays the service or operations of a cooperative or creates a safety hazard, the cooperative may take immediate action to remedy the situation at the cable television system's expense. Hopefully, resolving this issue will bring high speed internet and cable television access to our rural areas (that currently do not have either) in the near future. Both SB594 and SB652 have been reported out of committee and will now come before the full Senate.
Another one of my bills is the first of its kind in the nation. Not many people know that nursing homes and assisted living facilities are not required to carry insurance that would protect their clientele if they were injured while residing at the facility. I believe that it is critical that consumers should be made aware of this when they are making important decisions as to the homes they are considering placing their loved ones. Senate Bill 65 requires nursing homes, certified nursing facilities, and assisted living facilities to inform patients and residents about whether they carry liability insurance (and if so, the extent of such coverage) available to pay claims of the patient or resident if they are injured at the facilities due to the negligence of others. This is an important addition to the Patients’ Bill of Rights.
My Senate Bill 66, a variation of “Caylee’s Law” provides that any parent, guardian, or other person responsible for the care of a child under the age of 12 years who fails to report the child is missing within a reasonable time of discovery is guilty of a Class 6 felony. This bill was reported out of the Education and Health committee and will now come before the full Senate. This is a critical and necessary law in order to protect our children from harm, as the first 24 hours that a child is missing is a crucial time for law enforcement to recover the child safe and sound.
Senate Bill 674 would amend the Code of Virginia pertaining to death of a person by wrongful act to include an unborn child. This bill, which passed out of the Senate Education and Health Committee, will now be considered by the full Senate. This bill will give a legal cause of action for a mother who loses her unborn child due to the negligence of others. This is an important step in acknowledging the value of human life.
Groups of Virginians continue to descend upon Richmond, seeing the General Assembly in action and visiting their local legislators. The building was bustling with Virginia Association of Counties, Virginia Municipal League, 4-H groups, Homeschoolers, School Choice advocates, Virginia 21 (college students), County Administrators, Supervisors, and City Managers,
It was good to see Patrick County folks, including Karen Gorham, Joyce McDowell, Nancy Rowland, Anne Smith, Myra Trent, and Autumn Burch.
Henry County visitors included Crystal Peek, Brian Hairston, John Hernandez, Hunter Stewart, Sarah Stanley, Kate Belcher, and Abby Worth-Jones.
Halifax visitors included Brian Luckett, Chloe Mayhew, Tricia Robertson and Melvin Johnson.
Reagan Dillon and his parents, Michael and Betty from Cascade in Pittsylvania County stopped by, in addition to Larry Gott, Brian & Teresa Turpin, Marshall Ecker and Jerry Hagerman, Supervisors of Pittsylvania County and Dan Sleeper, County Administrator.
From the Martinsville/Collinsville/Stuart area visitors included Betsy Ashbrook, Jan Haas, and Stu Belongia.
Franklin County visitors included Melvin Adams, Roy Enslow, and James Ervin, Town Manager of Rocky Mount.
Danville area visitors included Roger Howard, as well as Dr. Tiffany Franks, President of Averett University and Buddy Rawley, VP for Institutional Advancement of Averett University.
Visitors from Galax, Carroll County/Grayson County area, included Suzanne Brewster, Karen Castelle, Randi Lyn Randall, Emily Reel, Keith Barker, Willie Greene, and Tom Littrell.
Feel free to contact my office during the session at 804-698-7520. We are located in Room 313 of the General Assembly Building, across from the Capitol. My Legislative Assistants, Brian O’Connor and Brenda Bowman, will be more than happy to assist you. You can always check on the progress of my legislation and watch our daily sessions live at http://legis.virginia.gov/
Because “Crossover” is coming, we will have to wrap up work on all the bills filed by Senators next Tuesday. I look forward to bringing you up-to-date on all that is happening at the General Assembly next week, and, at that time, we will discuss the economic initiatives that we are considering that will directly benefit our area in the future.
Until then, have a wonderful and prosperous week.
Greetings from the State Capitol. This week at the General Assembly has been a busy time for all of our local legislators. Here in the Senate, we are diligently working to try to finish considering all bills submitted by Senators in our eleven standing committees, as well as voting on those bills that make it out of committee and on to the Senate floor. This is a fast-paced process, and it requires us to study carefully these numerous pieces of legislation in a very short period of time. This year, I was honored to be elected as the Senate Republican Caucus Majority Whip, which is a very important leadership position in the Senate.
My responsibilities as Whip are to count votes in committee and on the floor, to make sure my fellow Senators are aware of the priorities of the caucus, and to ensure that important legislation passes out of the Senate Chamber and on to the House of Delegates for consideration. With a 20-20 split between Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, every vote on each bill is important. This new position gives me the ability to talk with all the Senators in the caucus and to explain to them problems and concerns of Southside and Southwest, and to be a strong voice for our region in order to ensure our needs are addressed.
This week, two more of my bills passed through the Senate and now will move to the House of Delegates for their consideration. My SB 64, the “Castle Doctrine,” was rolled into Senator Richard Stuart’s SB4. This bill will create civil protection for persons in their homes. If that person is justified in using any degree of physical force, including deadly physical force against another person when the other person has unlawfully enters the dwelling, and having committed an overt act toward the occupant or another person in the dwelling, and the occupant reasonably believes he or another person in the dwelling is in imminent danger of bodily injury, then they are immune from civil liability for injuries to or death of the other person who has unlawfully entered the dwelling that results from the use of such force.
Also, other bills I have sponsored have made it out of committee. SB67 removes fingerprinting as a local option for a concealed handgun permit, which will streamline the process, and save our local sheriff’s departments both time and money. SB70 is a bill that will help re-energize our home construction industry. This bill would establish a two-year period during which licensed contractors could purchase materials and supplies used in residential or commercial construction without having to pay Sales Tax; it now has been referred for a study to be completed by 2013.
America’s most prominent weather forecasting rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, may have seen his shadow this week on Groundhog Day, but we have yet to see anything close to winter conditions in Richmond this session. With temperatures that actually made it into the seventies and beautiful sunny days, we had a steady stream of visitors this week from the 20th District.
Visitors get to see first-hand the legislative process and how our time is spent between session and committee meetings.
Martinsville visitors included Lawrence Mitchell, Bill Manning and Pam Heath, as well as Sheriff Steve Draper and several deputies from the Martinsville Sheriff’s Office.
Stopping by from Henry County were Bailey Patton and Paul Geib, Jr from Spencer, as well as Lane Perry, Sheriff of Henry County and several of his deputies.
Visitors from Danville included Sheriff Mike Mondul, Rhonda Walker and Mark Powers from USW 831 Steelworkers, and Sue Davis, Superintendent of Danville Public Schools, along with Millie Dunston, George Wilson, and Becky Bolton. I also had the privilege of speaking to a group from Danville Community College, including Shannon Hair, Cathy Pulliam, Ashley Compton, Jim Lindley, Elana Rojas, Mike Dickerson, Christal Moreno, and Bethany Lyon.
Thanks to Julie Nix from Rocky Mount and Ferrum College for stopping by, as well as Bobby Mangrum, from Stuart.
It was good to see Brian Mosier and John Lee with Mecklenburg Electric from Gretna.
Reginald Gardner, Joey Haynes and Sandy Hendrick from the Carroll County School Board also stopped by.
And it was great to see Franklin County’s newly elected Sheriff, Bill Overton, along with some of his deputies.
Finally, I’d like to introduce you to Ruth Ann Mueller, who is serving as an intern in my office during the 2012 session. She is currently a senior at The College of William & Mary double majoring in government & Hispanic studies with hopes to attend law school in the next 1-2 years. She was placed in my office through the Director of the W&M Richmond Internship Program, Senator Tommy Norment. Through this program, she has had the opportunity to meet Governor McDonnell, many members of the Senate leadership, as well as research bills and work in my office twice a week. We are enjoying having Ruth Ann with us.
Feel free to contact my office during the session at 804-698-7520. We are located in Room 313 of the General Assembly Building, across from the Capitol. My Legislative Assistants, Brian O’Connor and Brenda Bowman, will be more than happy to assist you.
That’s all for this week. We’ll be wrapping up our work on the overwhelming majority of bills filed by Senators during the upcoming week, so there’ll be much on which to report in next week’s column.
Until then, have a great week.
The General Assembly session continues to move at a fast pace. We are entering into our third full week of considering legislation which was presented by the members of the both the Senate and the House. This year’s session will consider 1,977 bills and at least 450 resolutions. The average Senator filed 17 bills, while the average Delegate filed 13. I presented 24 pieces of legislation for consideration.
The fact that nearly 2,000 bills have been filed is not an indication that there are 2,000 things wrong with Virginia. While every bill does propose a change of some kind to the Code of Virginia, many of the changes are relatively minor and technical in nature, often requested by state agencies or localities. The vast majority of bills will never be mentioned in your local newspaper or on the nightly television newscast.
Three of my bills, SB133, SB417 and SB418 have made it out of committee and have passed in the Senate. They will now go to the House for their consideration. SB133 authorizes State Police arson investigators to obtain administrative warrants to investigate fires. Current law only authorizes fire marshals to obtain such warrants. SB417 Eliminates certain steps in the State Grievance Procedure by mandating that grievances following terminations due to formal discipline or unsatisfactory job performance proceed directly to a hearing. The bill also (i) allows only the implementation of the official hearing decision of the hearing officer by either party, and not any recommendations of the hearing officer, (ii) reduces from 60 to 30 days the administrative review by the Director of the Department of Human Resource Management of the hearing decision, and (iii) removes the ability for the employee filing the grievance to have judicial review of the decision of the Director of the Department of Employment Dispute Resolution on whether the grievance qualifies for a hearing. This bill streamlines the grievance process and makes government more efficient and cost effective. SB418 allows for localities such as ours that have Mega Industrial Parks to deal directly with the utility companies to bring power to these sites more quickly and efficiently by reducing state government regulations that slow down the process. Before my bill was introduced, this process had taken a lot longer to get approvals due to the involvement of the State Corporation Commission. This bill advances economic development projects in our region and provides businesses that relocate or start-up in our industrial parks a faster approval process that will get the business up and running quickly and put people back to work in Southside and Southwest Virginia.
I have introduced several bills which will help stimulate the economy. SB130 establishes the Building Revitalization Grant Fund administered by the Housing Development Authority to award grants of up to $100,000 to businesses that make a capital investment of $1 million in revitalizing or retrofitting buildings to serve as a new place of business. SB128 has passed through committee and will come before the full Senate this week. This bill creates the Governor’s Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development Fund. The bill establishes an economic development grant program targeted specifically at agricultural and forestry operations. Grants will be awarded to support farmers and localities' efforts to attract value-added or processing facilities using Virginia-grown products. Under the program, localities will apply for grants after having established a relationship with a new or expanding business. This grant program will also be available to our local agriculture and forestry businesses, and will allow them to grow and expand their operations, thereby increasing their productivity and will put more of our citizens back to work in these industries.
It’s always good to have visitors from the district and hear about the issues of importance to you. Visitors see first-hand the legislative process and how our time is spent between session and committee meetings. I hope I did get to see most of you who came to visit, but if I missed you, I hope you enjoyed your time at the General Assembly and that you were able to share your concerns with my staff.
Some of our visitors from Danville included Hollis Stauber , Kay Trakas, Margaret William, Linwood Wright, Lori Bidgood, Berkley Bidgood, Mary Bidgood, Shirley Davis, Sherri Wright, and Gary Grant with the Danville Concert Association.
Carroll County visitors included Brenda Collins, Anita Dalton, Trina Crouse with the Carroll County Education Association; Billie Taylor, Bennie and Margie Quesenberry and Helen Beamer with the Carroll County Farm Bureau
Martinsville visitors included Kathy Rogers, Barbara Parker with Piedmont Arts and
Andy Parker with Theater Works; Larneal Reynold, Betty Chew, Doris Gravley, Dwayne Walker, Cecil Dallas, Bill and Barb Winn, Dorothy M. Carter and Joshua Bocock from Ridgeway.
Pittsylvania County visitors included Anderson and Elizabeth Jones from Chatham, Deborah Lovelace, Rodger Midkiff, Marshall Ecker, William and Clara Clark, James and Ruby Wilson, Walter Reynolds from Gretna, Hunter Austin Austin from Hurt, and Jane Horne from Penhook.
Also stopping by were Vicki Gardner, Roy Enslow, and Cheryl Ward, with the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce.
In addition Debbie Hall and David Hubbard with the Patrick County Farm Bureau, Tom and Janice Burton with the Farm Bureau from Scottsville and Chad Francis Farm Bureau from Nathalie came by.
Leanne Worley of the Franklin County Education Association also visited.
Feel free to contact my office during the session at 804-698-7520. We are located in Room 313 of the General Assembly Building, across from the Capitol. My Legislative Assistants are Brian O’Connor and Brenda Bowman will be more than happy to assist you.
Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy and productive 2012. This New Year brings with it a very promising General Assembly session. After the 2011 elections, where the entire General Assembly was voted upon by Virginians, there is a renewed hope for legislative accomplishments that will strengthen our Commonwealth. We have the momentum and now we must move our pro-job limited government agenda forward to the benefit of every Virginian.
The trust granted to any elected official is sacred and comes with a covenant. It requires that the person chosen to “represent” a constituency be the “voice” of those who elected him, or her. In keeping with this I have already submitted several pieces of legislation to fulfill commitments I made during my campaign.
The Virginia General Assembly began its 2012 Session on Wednesday, with all 100 Delegates and 40 Senators taking their oaths of office. Media attention focused largely on the Senate, where the day’s business took considerably longer to complete. The election of 20 Republican and 20 Democratic Senators guaranteed that every aspect of opening day activities in the Senate would be closely monitored. The media was waiting for a pitched partisan battle. What they saw, instead, was a Senate with members who, while at times disagreeing with each other, did so in a thoroughly respectful manner. At the end of the first day of session, we organized the senate with a working Republican Majority. Now we must do the work necessary to benefit the citizens of Virginia during this 60-day session.
Like most legislative bodies, the Senate uses a committee system to review legislation. After a bill is submitted, it is first sent to a committee for review. Each of the committees considers specific areas of legislation. The members of the committees screen bills, sometimes suggesting amendments and determining whether or not they should be considered by the entire Senate.
I have been appointed to serve on four Senate Committees: “Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources,” “Commerce and Labor,” “Courts of Justice” and “Local Government.” Legislation that falls within these categories are vital to our region. For example, because the Commerce and Labor committee considers legislation associated with business and the economy, my service there will help me work for pro-job growth legislation at an early stage. And, because agriculture is already vital to our area’s economy, my position there grants me a better process by which I can help protect and foster that industry. I also look forward to working with local governing bodies to help them provide greater service to their communities and, of course, as an attorney I know how service on the Courts of Justice committee can help provide efficient and respectful service to those that come into contact with our judicial system.
The first day of every General Assembly session ends with the Governor’s State of Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the House and Senate. This year, Governor McDonnell’s address marked the impressive progress Virginia has made over the last two years and detailed his legislative priorities. Virginia now has the distinction of having the lowest unemployment rate in our region, and the Governor is committed to continuing that progress. His agenda includes multiple measures to further strengthen Virginia’s business environment to create jobs.
Continuing his efforts to make state government more efficient and effective, Governor McDonnell outlined his proposals to streamline state government by reducing and consolidating some state agencies, departments, boards and commissions. To keep government spending under control, the Governor announced a new effort to study and address unfunded federal mandates. And to ensure that Virginia does not experience a pension crisis like the ones plaguing several states, he is proposing the greatest employer funding of the Virginia Retirement System in Virginia history.
Making improvements and instituting reforms to Virginia’s education system is a major component of Governor McDonnell’s agenda. He is proposing that Virginia’s state-supported colleges and universities receive a significant increase in funding. He is also proposing major reforms and a significant increase in funding for Virginia’s public schools.
Next week, I will discuss legislation I have already proposed and how it will have a positive impact on our region’s economic environment.
My office in Richmond also saw its first week of operations. Three legislative assistants (Brian O’Connor, Brenda Bowman and Erik Kritter) are staffing our office here, located in Room 313 of the General Assembly Building. You can contact us by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or mailing a letter to me at Senate of Virginia, PO Box 396, Richmond VA 23218-0396. You can also call us at 804.698.7820.
This newspaper has generously agreed to print these columns during the General Assembly session. This is a public service on their part, one for which I am very grateful.
Look here next week for more news from Richmond and do not hesitate to contact my office to provide input on legislation pending before the General Assembly, or for any other request for assistance we can provide. It is my humble honor to represent and serve you as your Senator from the 20th Senatorial District in Virginia.
Governor McDonnell issued the following press release yesterday. This is great news for Franklin County.
Commonwealth of Virginia
Office of Governor Bob McDonnell
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 19, 2011
Office of the Governor
Contact: Jeff Caldwell
Phone: (804) 786-2211
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development
Contact: Velma Ballard
Phone: (804) 371-7019
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Governor McDonnell announces $220,000 in economic development Community Development Block Grant funds for Franklin County
~Project will provide infrastructure needed for industrial facility, creating jobs~
RICHMOND – Today Governor Bob McDonnell announced the award of $220,841 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to Franklin County to support the construction of the Solution Matrix, Inc. manufacturing facility. The project will provide for infrastructure improvements including water and sewer line extensions to support the construction of the facility.
“These funds will provide for necessary infrastructure improvements to support this industry’s location in the County,” said Governor McDonnell. “As a result, at least 29 new jobs will be created in Franklin County from the location of Solution Matrix, Inc.”
The CDBG is a federally-funded grant administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) since 1982. Virginia receives approximately $21 million annually for this “small cities” CDBG program. The nearly 300 counties, cities and towns in Virginia that do not receive CDBG funds directly from the federal government are eligible for CDBG funding from DHCD.
This award is funded through the CDBG Community Economic Development Fund. Projects awarded under this fund require subject businesses to meet a number of criteria, including those focused on the minimum number of jobs created, amount of private investment, wages and benefits, and more. At least 51 percent of all jobs created must be targeted to low-to-moderate income persons.
“Community Development Block Grant awards allow us to help communities provide infrastructure and other improvements that attract new businesses, or to encourage existing businesses to grow and expand,” said DHCD Director Bill Shelton. “Through important economic development initiatives like this, we are able to help create safe, safe, affordable, and prosperous communities in which Virginians can live, work and do business.”
These funds were awarded through an open-submission basis. For more information about Virginia’s CDBG programs, visit: www.dhcd.virginia.gov.
The 2011 Session of the General Assembly has finally come to a close.One of the last major items of business was the final negotiations regarding this year’s state budget. After many long days (and nights) of negotiating, the House of Delegates and State Senate voted unanimously to approve the budget. As I had reported earlier, the Senate had passed its version of the budget, with the House passing its own version. From those two budget proposals, a compromised budget was reached between both bodies, but only after lengthy negotiations that extended the General Assembly session into the weekend. I'm pleased to report that the budget compromise made some needed additions to public education, health and human resources, public safety, economic development, and judicial vacancies. As each of us must live within our means, we approved a state budget that does just that. This was accomplished by taking advantage of existing revenues and applying revenue growth from 2011 to enhance certain programs.
There were four key points in this budget that we worked hard to ensure that Virginians were put first: no new taxes or unnecessary user fees, put Virginia's fiscal house in order, create the environment for the creation of jobs by strengthening Virginia's businesses, and address our significant transportation needs.
I have heard from many of my fellow citizens regarding transportation issues and their desire to learn more about Governor McDonnell’s Transportation Agenda. This plan, which the General Assembly approved with significant bi-partisan support, will allow more than 900 shovel-ready projects to begin construction within the next three years. These monies are the first significant investment towards transportation in over a decade, without raising our taxes. Recent studies have shown that this transportation package will create more than 100,000 new jobs in Virginia over the next six years, and will pump over thirteen billion dollars in the state economy. Some have voiced concerns about the part of the plan that utilizes $3 billion in state bonds to fund transportation projects, worrying that this is a significant incurring of new debt. The belief that this is somehow “new” debt is not correct. Rather, this is the acceleration and use of bonds that were issued back in 2007; there is no new debt in the transportation bill, and includes a dedicated funding stream to pay the required debt service. Plus, this is a good time to utilize these bonds and to engage in road and infrastructure building, because interest rates are at historic lows and bids for construction projects have never been more affordable, with bids coming in for projects at between 20 to 30% below estimates for these projects. The plan will save Virginia significant money in years ahead by securing good prices today. Some have also been concerned that the majority of the projects will be in the northern and eastern parts of the state. While there are higher dollar projects in those areas, the majority of the projects in the plan benefit southern and southwest Virginia, including many in our area.
Economic Development:
Ten million dollars was provided for various tax-credit incentive programs. Additionally, my bill, Senate Bill 1379 (Stanley) is a bill that will be a great economic benefit to our area. It was heard by and passed unanimously out of the Senate Finance Committee, and was passed in both chambers unanimously. Currently, Virginia has what is called the “Governor’s Economic Opportunity Fund,” which provides financial incentives in the form of financial grants or interest-free loans to businesses that re-locate their operations to Virginia. It is a great tool for localities to attract jobs and corporations to their area. However, the criteria by which these incentives would be made available tended to exclude our area from this benefit, because population, and not fiscal stress or need for employment of an area, was the deciding factor. The criteria for qualifying businesses set the bar too high for small businesses to benefit from the Economic Development Fund. Currently, a business must promise to bring 100 jobs and $10 million dollars in capital investment to Virginia in order to be eligible; my bill establishes a state-wide level of 50 new jobs and $5 million dollars in capital investment; and it reduces this level to 25 new jobs and 2.5 million dollars for localities, such as our area, that have a high employment rate or a high poverty rate, and further reduces the level to 15 jobs and 1.5 million dollars in new capital investment for localities that have both a high employment rate and a high poverty rate. We have to do all we can to attract new businesses, large and small so that we can bring new jobs and add sustainable economic growth to our area. The Governor has stated that he will sign this bill into law.
Virginia Retirement System:
An accelerated payment of $42 million dollars is included towards paying off our VRS loan from 2010 early. In addition, a compromise was struck to have state employees contribute 5% towards their retirement, while off-setting their take-home pay by giving them a 5% raise. These two measures are essential steps towards keeping our retirement system financially secure.
Education:
The budget includes an additional $100 million for public colleges and universities, increasing financial aid and stabilizing tuition. It also adds an additional $75 million for K-12 public education.
Health Care:
Thirty million dollars was placed in a trust fund to address the Department of Justice's concerns about our mental-health system. An additional $47 million was spent to restore waiver slots, respite-care hours, and other community-based services.
In addition, $64.5 million was added to restore reimbursements for Medicaid providers. This restoration of funding was important for our area because the healthcare industry is the second largest employer of our citizens in the 19th District. A continued loss of this funding in this year’s budget would have resulted in the loss of many substantial and good paying jobs.
Public Safety:
The budget added back $6.0 million of a $12.0 million cut to sheriffs across Virginia and $12.4 million for local police departments. There was also a $3 million increase so state troopers can receive overtime pay rather than take compensatory leave.
Judicial Vacancies:
The compromise included funding to fill 21 vacant judge's seats.
Illegal Immigration:
SB 1288 (McWaters), incorporated into SB 1049 (Barker), requires state contractors with over 50 employees, or $50,000 and above in contracts, to use the Federal E-Verify program to verify the work authorization of newly-hired employees. This change is a great protector of jobs and your tax dollars, as well as the small businesses who have been following the rules and employing United States citizens.
Patient Safety:
SB 924 (McDougle) was amended in the House of Delegates, adding a patient-safety measure to the bill. It requires the Board of Health to propagate regulations for clinics that perform abortions. These regulations will be similar to those required for facilities that perform outpatient procedures and surgeries. Democrats turned the debate towards abortion access rather than patient safety. This change is simply there to protect the women of our Commonwealth. I argued for these protections during the debate on the Senate floor. With the help of two Democrats and the Lieutenant Governor, the amendment passed the Senate 20-20 with the president of the senate voting yes, breaking the tie.
Property Rights:
Also passed was HJ 693 (Joannou), which clarifies that if a Virginian owns property, that property should not be taken away, unless there is an explicit public need, such as roads and utilities. This bill is an amendment to the state constitution, and is an important protection of our private property rights over government intrusion. We will have to vote on this bill again next year, so it can be put to the voters for final approval in the year 2013.
Utility Rates
Senate Bill 1382 (Stanley) is a bill that will benefit electricity rate payers like you and me by giving the Attorney General and the State Corporation Commission more time to consider, scrutinize and/or challenge any rate increase requests made by the electric utility companies. Right now, the Attorney General’s office and the State Corporation Commission only have 6 months to review rate increase requests made by the utility companies; my bill gives them an extra 2 months in which to do so; and
Unfunded Mandates on Local Governments
Senate Bill 1472 (Stanley) is a bill that will make the state government provide a detailed cost-benefit analysis to our local governments regarding unfunded mandates that must include a justification of why the mandate should or should not be eliminated. This will lessen the burden and reduce the number of mandates placed upon our local governments that usually result in our property taxes increasing.
Finally, although the regular session of the General Assembly has adjourned, we have now commenced with the Special Session, where we will reconvene in April to determine the issue of redistricting, where we will re-draw the lines for the districts in both the House of Delegates and the Senate, as well as our eleven congressional districts. Early indications demonstrate that the 19th Senate District will stay mainly intact, and I will fight to preserve our district as a strong voice for southern Virginia’s needs.
While we are out of session, I will still be working on any concerns that you may have. Additionally, I will be meeting with leaders and business owners across the district to develop a specific legislative package for the 2012 legislative session that will benefit the citizens of our area, and will promote economic growth and job prosperity in Campbell, Franklin and Pittsylvania counties, and the city of Danville. You can always reach me here at my district office: 13508 Booker T. Washington Highway, Moneta, Va. 24121, or by phone (540) 721-1197; or you can write to me by e-mail at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
The first day of the General Assembly session this week was special for me and the citizens of the 19th District. I was proud to introduce Rev. Melvin Adams, of Franklin County, to the members of the Senate on Monday, February 21, 2011, when he delivered the Invocation at the opening of the Senate session. Rev. Adams, President of Renewanation, is the Leadership Pastor of Eastlake Community Church in Moneta.
The final week of the 2011 General Assembly session was focused on completing work on the remaining bills under consideration. In addition to the ongoing negotiations over potential amendments to the 2010-2012 Biennial Budget, two pieces of legislation that have been matters of contention for many years received the most attention.
Protecting the property rights of Virginians by restricting the eminent domain powers of government has been a major issue this session. Governor McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bolling, Attorney General Cuccinelli, and the Republican Caucuses of the Senate and the House supported approving a constitutional amendment that would provide new protections for the property rights of Virginians.
The 2011 General Assembly session has entered the home stretch. With just a few days remaining before the scheduled adjournment on February 26, legislative workdays are getting longer as lawmakers work to finish the process of hearing the hundreds of bills still under consideration this session.
This year, the final legislative week begins with a holiday. As I have noted before however, holidays during a General Assembly session are marked by speeches and not days off. February 21 is Washington’s Birthday. While this federal holiday has been marketed by retailers as “President’s Day” for as long as anyone can remember, the official name for the day still honors only one of the 43 men who have served in that high office. Even though our nation’s first President was born in Virginia, was a resident of Virginia throughout his entire life, served in the Virginia House of Burgesses (the predecessor of the House of Delegates), and represented Virginia in the First and Second Continental Congresses, the Virginia General Assembly will have a normal workday on the federal holiday honoring him. Considering that the man known as the “Father of his Country” spent most of his adult life in public service, it may be entirely appropriate that we acknowledge his countless contributions and world-changing accomplishments by working on the holiday commemorating the 279th anniversary of his birth.
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The ceremonial half-way point of the General Assembly session, “Crossover,” came and went this week, as did the unveiling of competing spending plans from the Senate and House. It was an eventful week, as my Republicans colleagues and I joined to attempt a parliamentary maneuver that had not been used in the Senate in more than 20 years, and Lt. Governor Bolling cast two rare tie-breaking votes.
As I noted in an earlier column, there has been some tension between Republican and Democratic Senators over adherence to the Senate Rules. Although the Rules of the Senate are clear that bills are supposed to receive a hearing before a full committee, Senate Democrats have scuttled several major Republican initiatives without even hearing them in a full committee.
The problem first surfaced in the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee, where the Democrat Chairman refused to hear legislation on protecting Virginia’s status as a Right-to-Work state, preserving the right of workers to a secret ballot in union elections by prohibiting the implementation of Card Check, and strengthening private property rights by limiting the eminent domain powers of government.
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