Virginia House of Delegates Republican Caucus
VA House GOP
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Posts by VA House GOP
GOP Lawmakers call for inquiry of HRBT Jam
Jul 16th
Virginia GOP lawmakers call for inquiry of HRBT jam
RICHMOND
Several Republican legislators are calling for an independent study of the July 2 flooding of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, which crippled traffic throughout the region.
Del. Phillip Hamilton of Newport News said Tuesday that he isn't confident an investigation by state transportation officials is enough to fully examine the incident.
So, along with fellow Newport News Republican Del. Glenn Oder, Hamilton is calling for an inquiry by a legislative panel that focuses on transportation issues.
"This is something that should be done," said Hamilton, who has been a vocal critic of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
That request has the backing of several GOP legislators, including House of Delegates Speaker William Howell, and perhaps most importantly, Del. Joe May, a Northern Virginia Republican who chairs the Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability.
May said he plans to ask Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer to appear before the commission at its Aug. 18 meeting.
"This is one of those topics that is of sufficient importance that it shouldn't go unexamined," May said, adding that he worries that "if we had a major hurricane, we could find people afloat."
Depending on what legislators are told at that session, May said he might ask the state's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission staff to launch its own inquiry into conditions at the 52-year-old structure.
Homer declined to comment Tuesday.
Last week, state transportation officials said a water main break caused millions of gallons of water to leak underneath the tunnel roadway for several hours before it finally spilled onto the road and was detected.
During a public meeting Friday in Chesapeake, VDOT representatives said initial repairs had been made. They also pledged to finish a detailed public investigation in the coming weeks.
Despite that commitment, some legislators think HRBT is such a critical thoroughfare it needs outside inspection.
"Given the impact it had on the community, a second set of eyes looking at this is a good idea," said state Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach. "Let's go through the tunnel, figure out what's wrong with it, figure out what it costs to repair it and then figure out how we're going to do that."
Homer has said that the problem is not a shortage of money for tunnel maintenance.
But any conversation about state transportation needs ultimately circles back to the inability of state lawmakers to agree on how to raise money to fix old roads, bridges and tunnels and build news ones. That impasse has festered in the General Assembly for much of this decade. It remains a sore subject between Democrats and Republicans.
"I'm not at all interested in placing blame. That's not where my head is. My head is to do something to make it better," said state Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk.
Miller, the Hampton Roads member of the transportation accountability panel, declined to take a position on whether another inquiry is warranted but warned against taking action that distracts VDOT from its core mission.
Delegate Marshall Ask Congress to Help Keep Rest Areas Open
Jul 16th
Delegate Bob Marshall (R-13th) has sent a letter to Congressman Frank Wolf asking him to request legislation to enable Virginia rest areas to have private restaurants, gas stations and other convenience operations to enable rest areas to remain open.
Letter from Delegate Marshall to Representative Wolf
July 14, 2009
The Honorable Frank Wolf
U.S. House of Representatives
241 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Congressman Wolf:
I would like to request that you consider introducing an amendment to the Transportation Appropriations Bill to suspend the federal law for one year which prohibits Virginia and other states from contracting with private restaurants or gas stations to operate at state owned rest stops on Interstates.
You may be aware that many of Virginia's rest stops and welcome centers will close July 21, 2009, because of "budgetary restraints". I believe that the $8.6 million in needed funding to keep these rest stops open could have been found, but since that did not happen I am trying to find other ways keep Virginia rest stops open (or allow them to reopen as soon as possible).
Rest stops are an important part of Virginia's transportation infrastructure and their closing will likely affect Virginia’s tourism industry in a negative way. It will also mean the loss of jobs for many people who work at these rest stops. In these difficult economic times we cannot afford for this to happen.
The closing of the rest stops is also a problem from a safety perspective as they are one of a very few places that people can pull over to rest when drowsy. In fact Virginia rest stops are formally known as “Safety Rest Stops”.
There are a number of states (including Maryland and Pennsylvania) which were grandfathered when the Federal law prohibiting this sort of public/private partnership passed and still have rest stops with restaurants and gas stations attached. I believe these partnerships have worked well.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this request. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at (703) 853-4213 or delbmarshall@house.virginia.gov.
Sincerely,
Delegate Bob Marshall
House Republicans Question Closed Door Meetings on IT Contract
Jun 30th
From the
Closed doors open up questions about Va.'s IT dealRICHMOND
Two of the state's top technology officials are being called to testify before a government panel on open record laws about why aspects of Virginia's plan to privatize its computer systems were discussed behind closed doors.
The state's 10-year, $2 billion contract with Northrop Grumman Corp. has come under increased scrutiny of late.
Key deadlines have been missed, and state agencies have complained about billing problems and poor services. A recent survey shows that state employees grade the computer assistance provided as average, at best.
In April, a [1], putting at risk a database that contained millions of patient records. Two months later, the database is not fully restored, and health care providers must call the state to check the records.
Information security is one of Northrop Grumman's duties under the contract.
Earlier this month, Lemuel Stewart Jr., the state's chief information officer, was removed from his job after he suggested withholding payment of a $14 million invoice from Northrop Grumman.
Stewart's replacement is new state Technology Secretary Len Pomata, who was grilled Monday by legislators about the closed-door meetings in April and June and delayed progress on a statewide computer system upgrade.
Pomata and James McGuirk II, chairman of the Information Technology Investment Board that held the private meetings, have been asked to appear at an upcoming meeting of the Freedom of Information Advisory Council.
The request is a bit of a departure for the council, which usually responds to requests for opinions rather than conducting its own investigations.
"I thought there was going to be smoke. I didn't know there was going to be a forest fire," House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, a Salem Republican who chairs the council, said after listening to Pomata testify Monday.
During a House of Delegates committee hearing, Del. Sam Nixon, R-Chesterfield, raised questions about the legality of holding portions of the recent IT investment board meetings away from the public's view.
Nixon carried the 2003 bill creating the IT investment board and the chief information officer position.
He also chided Pomata for jointly serving as the interim chief information officer, technology secretary and a board member, noting that the original intent was to keep those positions separate.
Others raised concerns about the cost to taxpayers.
"We have the responsibility to see if this is the best value for the commonwealth," said Del. Bob Marshall, R-Prince William.
Inked in 2005, the deal was billed as one that would provide significant savings to the state by capping technology spending at $236 million annually.
While spending has been within the cap, to date some of the savings originally promised have not been realized.
Among the deadlines Northrop Grumman has missed: Transformation of the state's infrastructure was supposed to be completed by Wednesday but is running six months behind schedule.
Pomata acknowledged that "service levels in general are below expectations."
Yet the most outspoken critics stopped short of calling for the contract to be voided.
In an e-mail, Northrop Grumman spokeswoman Christy Whitman said there have been challenges in the "complex and unprecedented undertaking" of "modernizing outdated and inefficient technology " but predicted ultimate success.
Also investigating the technology pact is a state Senate subcommittee chaired by Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk. That panel met Monday at the same time as the House of Delegates committee.
Julian Walker, (804) 697-1564, julian.walker@pilotonline.com
Will Morefield for the 3rd District
Jun 26th
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As a product of the public school system, Will knows the value of a good education. Will supports better pay for our teachers and higher standards for both educators and students. Will knows that the key to American energy independence depends on domestic power sources. Southwest Virginia's coal industry is crucial to our nation's energy independence. "Coal is the lifeblood of Southwest Virginia, providing us with jobs and cheap energy. With a struggling economy, many politicians have turned their backs on the people. We need a Delegate with new ideas who is committed to protecting the coal industry.
Find Will on the Internet: Website: |
Anne B. Crockett-Stark for the 6th District
Jun 26th
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Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2005. She currently serves on the Health, Welfare & Institutions, Science and Technology and Counties, Cities & Towns committees. Her work in the House of Delegates has focused on economic development, education and health care issues. Delegate Crockett-Stark represents the Counties of Bland, Giles, Pulaski, Tazewell and Wythe in the General Assembly.
Find Anne B. on the Internet: Website: |
David A. Nutter for the 7th District
Jun 26th
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Dave Nutter is seeking reelection to his fifth term in the House of Delegate where he serves on the Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions; Science and Technology; Militia, Police and Public Safety; and the Joint Commission on Health Care.
Dave has focused his attention on several core areas: enhancing access to rural health care; expanding options for career and technical education; expanding support for science and technology; and providing access to broadband technology to rural communities. This past year Dave also started the bipartisan Tourism Caucus comprised of House and Senate members interested in promoting tourism in the Commonwealth. Find David A. on the Internet: Website: |