Please take my 2010 Legislative Survey.
Update From Richmond - Volume 4
March 8, 2010
This year's General Assembly session is winding down here in Richmond. Most legislation has been voted on and the main focus of both the House and the Senate at this point is the budget. Conferees from both sides have been working together feverishly to come to a compromise and to deliver a unified version to their respective chambers.
The House plan would give the state a balanced budget without raising taxes. Having already been rejected by a vote of 97 to 0, the House plan eliminated former Governor Kaine's proposal to increase the income tax by 17%. Further protecting Virginians from higher taxes, the House plan preserves car tax relief and eliminates the $145 million in new and higher fees proposed by the former Governor.
To ensure a balanced budget, there are reductions in spending. Direct state aid to public education will be reduced by $310 million annually. To help reduce the effects of lower spending, local school divisions are being given greater flexibility in how they use the funds provided to them by the state. Because of a change to the Virginia Retirement System that will allow localities to save $270 million, the net impact of the additional spending reductions to K-12 education is $40 million annually.
Creating jobs has been high on the agenda throughout this year's session, and the House budget plan reflects that. Some $54 million in investments over the biennium is dedicated to job creation measures, including tax credits.
The House budget plan also reduces the spending cuts to public safety proposed by former Governor Kaine. Under the House plan, cuts to Commonwealth's Attorneys and Sheriffs were limited to 5%, restoring much needed funding to maintain public safety.
Four of my bills have passed both the House and the Senate so far. Below are descriptions of these bills:
HB687 - Uniform Statewide Building Code; penalty for violation. Increases penalties for those landlords and property owners that own and/or maintain dilapidated properties.
HB688 - Using transportation district trains without a valid ticket. Changes the penalty for those who either fail to pay or fail to validate a train ticket to a civil penalty of $100. This legislation will help put a stop to fraudulent and counterfeit ticket use.
HB690 - Public transit services; criminal background checks. Requires a fingerprint check of persons offered employment by a public transit service so that an FBI criminal background check can be conducted.
HB692 - Parking violations. Specifically allows Prince William County to rid our streets of junk vehicles that clutter our neighborhoods. The County is currently excluded from the list of localities that are able to do so.
To view the current status, full summary, and exact text of each bill please visit the Virginia General Assembly's legislative website: http://legis.state.va.us/.
On a different note, there is a unique opportunity being offered in Prince William County on Wednesday. The Bull Run Republican Women's Club is sponsoring an educational meeting that will be open to the public, with the guest speaker being Lord Christopher Mockton. The title of Lord Mockton's presentation is "The Truth About Global Warming" and it will prove to be informative and exciting as he debunks some of the myths many of us have heard about global warming. The program will begin at 8pm on Wednesday, March 10, and admission is free. It will take place at the Four Points Sheraton at 10800 Vandor Lane in Manassas. Seating is limited so please reserve your space by calling Robyn at 703-652-4276 or by emailing her at robyncandland@gmail.com. I hope that you will be able to attend.
As the 2010 General Assembly session winds down, I am preparing to move back to my district office. My legislative aide, Kathryn Rawley, will be staffing our office in Manassas again this year. We will be located at 9216 Center Street. You can contact us by sending an e-mail to deljmiller@house.virginia.gov or by calling us at 703-244-6172.
As always please do not hesitate to contact me with questions, concerns, or comments. I can be reached in Richmond at (804) 698-1050 or via email at Jackson@delegatemiller.com.
