Virginia House of Delegates Republican Caucus
Issues
Jones Explains VRS Reforms; Good for Employees; Good for State
Mar 1st
Del. S. Chris Jones (R-Suffolk) addressed the House this morning to clarify confusion about Virginia Retirement System (VRS) reform in the House budget.
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House-passed VRS Reform and Budget legislation strikes former Gov. Kaine's proposal to require current state employees to contribute 1% in 2011 and 2% in 2012 to VRS, keeping the promise to state employees that the state will cover the 5% employee share of their VRS contributions. For new employees, hired after July 1, 2010, they will be responsible for their own 5% employee share of contributions.
The budget continues the longstanding practice of allowing localities to decide how much, if any, of their employees' share to cover. Former Gov. Kaine's proposal had confused the issue. The House language makes clear that the existing law would still apply. This provision was included at the request of school superintendents and local officials to give them maximum flexibility in managing their budgets.
Republicans Offer Real Solutions; Democrats Just Complain
Feb 26th
The House adopted its version of the Budget, , on a party line vote, 61-38.
Republican delegates produced a no tax, no fee increase budget by making tough choices about funding core government responsibilities.
Democrats had the opportunity to vote for former Governor Kaine's $2 billion tax increase on January 29 (), and voted "no."
Democrats had the opportunity to offer amendments to increase taxes or change the way spending reductions were taken. They offered only 1 amendment to strike a cut, which would have left the budget out of balance.
They offered no alternative to the Republican proposal, all they offered were complaints with no solutions.
Del. (R-Colonial Heights), House Majority Whip, first called out the Democrats during morning hour, losing patience with speech after speech of complaints about cuts with no alternatives presented in this speech:
Del. (R-Fairfax) and Del. (R-Fairfax) returned to this key them in their speeches in support of adopting the Republican amendments to the Kaine Budget: and .
Chairman Putney Releases House Republican Budget Proposal
Feb 21st
At today's meeting, Chairman Lacey Putney (I-Bedford), who caucuses with Republicans, released the House Republicans' proposed amendments to the budget submitted by former Governor Tim Kaine, which accomplishes the following 8 objectives:
- Restore the Car Tax and reject higher taxes in a recession;
- Eliminate Fee Increases embedded in Gov. Kaine's introduced budget;
- Modify Kaine's "dealer discount" proposal on taxes collected by businesses
- Mitigate cuts to law enforcement and public safety since these activities are among the primary responsibilities of government;
- Invest in job-creating economic development;
- Minimize the impact of cuts on the health safety net;
- Provide school divisions maximum flexibility in implementing education budget reductions; and
- Establish a substantial reserve to replenish the Rainy Day Fund and help ensure a more structurally balanced budget going forward.
Chairman Putney summarized the proposal, saying: "our committee budget recommendations will clearly and strategically focus state resources on keeping our promises to fund the core services of government in a structurally more balanced manner so as the economy recovers we can begin to make new investments and enjoy growing levels of opportunities and prosperity."
Chairman Putney's full remarks are available here: 20100221 - News Release - Chairman Putney Remarks on Budget Amendments Released by House Appropriations Committee
Republicans Highlight Success at Session Midpoint
Feb 17th
Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) and House Majority Caucus Chairman Samuel A. “Sam” Nixon, Jr. (R-Chesterfield) today highlighted the many legislative successes so far by members of the Republican Majority Caucus through the halfway point of the 2010 Session of the Virginia General Assembly. The announcement comes at the 2010 session’s midway mark, commonly referred to as “crossover.” By that date, which this year fell on February 16, each house must have acted on the bills filed by its respective members.
“As Virginians struggle in today’s economy, state government must address their needs without burdening them with additional job-killing taxes and burdensome requirements,” said Speaker Howell. “ by a unanimous and bipartisan vote of 97-0 at the beginning of this Session, House Republicans have aggressively pursued fiscally responsible legislation to create jobs and opportunities for Virginians, reform government to deliver services more efficiently and transparently and address other challenges. I’m delighted that our strong Majority Caucus has produced real results with the support of Democrats and Independents which has enabled us to achieve House passage of scores of positive reforms.”
“Offering practical solutions to Virginia’s challenges is a hallmark of House Republican leadership in the General Assembly,” said Chairman Nixon. “With our citizens and Commonwealth confronting the most difficult economic environment in decades, it is essential to build and expand upon our many accomplishments. The overwhelming bipartisan support for many items on our agenda underscores the ability of Republicans to govern effectively and respond appropriately to the concerns of Virginians.”
Kirk Cox Discusses Crossover on WRVA
Feb 17th
, filling in for , featured (R-Colonial Heights), House Majority Whip, on 's Richmond Morning News.
Del. Cox highlighted the House's common sense conservative agenda and previewed the no-tax-increase budget to be released on Sunday.
Listen to the audio at: February 17, 2010 Jimmy Barrett Interview with Kirk Cox.
House Republicans Advance Veterans Programs
Feb 10th
At a policy briefing today, Republicans outlined their progress in advancing the priorities of the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations during this session of the General Assembly.
Del. (R-Warren), chair of the Caucus' policy committee, hosted the briefing.
Del. (R-Colonial Heights), majority whip, discussed , which would include anyone injured in military service in the Wounded Warrior program, without regard to whether the injury was sustained in a combat area, as well as , which prepares Virginia to lead the way in technology improvements in veterans claims processing.
Del. (R-Henrico) discussed , proposing a constitutional amendment to allow localities to exempt 100%-disable veterans from property taxes.
Del. (R-Grayson) discussed , which would provide burial vaults at cost to eligible veterans and their family members interred at state-operated veterans' cemeteries.
Del. (R-Virginia Beach) discussed , which would exempt from taxes payments from the Virginia Military Family Relief Fund.
Photos from the briefing are on our .