Archive for February, 2012

Click here for a PDF of this release. 

RICHMOND, VA – House Republican Caucus Chairman Timothy Hugo (R-Fairfax) issued the following statement today after Senate Democrats killed the bipartisan House budget in an ongoing effort to leverage the 2012-14 biennial budget for improved committee assignments:

“Today’s defeat of the House budget by Senate Democrats is an outrage.  My colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee – both Democrats and Republicans – have worked earnestly and diligently to craft a budget that will fund key economic development, education and public safety initiatives.  Over the last several weeks, Senate Democrats refused to engage their colleagues in developing a Senate budget.  Last week on the floor of the Senate, they offered no amendments and no substantive policy arguments against the Senate budget before killing it for political reasons.  Today, the House budget was killed without any debate whatsoever.”

“Killing the Senate budget last week was bad enough.  Now, the Senate Democrat Caucus has thrown out a House budget that made substantial investments in public education, restored Virginia’s health care safety net and included 970 new ID waiver slots and 100 DD waiver slots over the biennium.”

“The Senate Democrat Caucus ought not use the budget – the most important legislation before us this year – to accomplish what they could not at the polls in November.  In so doing, Senate Democrats have put their personal interests ahead of the interests of the citizens they are elected to represent.  My colleagues and I do not appreciate our painstakingly-crafted budget being thrown in the legislative garbage can without any consideration whatsoever. 

“With the failure of the Senate budget six days ago, I encouraged the Senate Democrat Caucus to stop playing partisan games and earnestly work toward a budget agreement.  After killing the House budget today, I once again urge Senate Democrats to end the siege on the budget.”

Click here for a PDF of this release.

RICHMOND, VA – The House Republican Caucus Policy Work Group will hold its weekly media availability on Monday, February 27 at 11:00 a.m. in the House Briefing Room.  Members of the House Republican Majority Caucus will address various health care initiatives followed by a question and answer session.   

All members of the media are invited and encouraged to attend. More >

Click here for a PDF of this release.

RICHMOND, VA – House Republican Caucus Chairman Timothy Hugo (R-Fairfax) issued the following statement this evening after Senate Democrats forced an impasse on the 2012-14 biennial budget:

“Today in the House of Delegates, we passed the House budget on a vote of 79-21.  In the House, we’ve engaged Democrats to help craft a budget that addresses all of the issues important to Virginians.  A strong bi-partisan vote count doesn’t mean that the House Republicans and Democrats agree on every detail of the House budget, yet we discussed the substantive issues of our members and voted through a fiscally, substantively and structurally sound budget,” said Hugo.

“Much to my dismay, the Senate failed to pass out a budget this afternoon.  Instead, Senate Democrats brazenly abandoned their constitutional obligation to pass a budget.  They did so to leverage the budget in exchange for better committee assignments than the rules of the Senate currently afford them.  They did so notwithstanding the reality that they have taken hostage the tax dollars and services of every single resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

“Senate Democrats have put their political posturing ahead of the citizens they are elected to represent.  Over the last two months, the General Assembly has passed hundreds of bills that address jobs, education, health care and public safety.  Governor McDonnell, the House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia have each crafted a budget, submitted in good faith, intended to serve Virginians through the end of the biennium.  Despite our hard work, this session has been hijacked by liberal partisan rhetoric on a tiny fraction of bills.  Now, Senate Democrats intend to obstruct the work of the General Assembly,” he continued.

“I encourage the Senate Democrat Caucus – in the strongest possible terms – to stop playing partisan games and earnestly work toward a budget agreement.”