Virginia House of Delegates Republican Caucus
Transportation
Where the airports authority went off track
Jul 8th
Check out Speaker Howell's . Be sure to spread the word about his call for accountability and sound fiscal stewardship on the "silver line."
House Republicans Highlight Success of Legislative Agenda at End of 2011 Session
Feb 27th
RICHMOND, VA – Highlighting the legislative achievements of the 60-member strong House Republican Majority Caucus in delivering real reforms and forward-looking investments to address the concerns of the Commonwealth, Virginia House of Delegates Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) today highlighted the positive results of the policy initiatives advanced by House Republicans this year. After cutting fees, reducing authorized debt, investing in core government services and depositing an additional $64 million into the Rainy Day Fund, the House of Delegates today adjourned sine die, bringing an end to the 2011 Regular Session of the Virginia General Assembly.
“The Republican-led House made real progress during the 2011 Regular Session and on many fronts, especially in passing a fiscally sound and structurally balanced state budget that funds core government services,” said Speaker Howell. “At our insistence, the final budget agreement includes no new fees or higher taxes. It has no earmarks for non-state agencies. There is no funding or debt for a new ‘Taj Mahal’ to replace the General Assembly Building. There is $67 million less in authorized debt. And, the accelerated sales tax is eliminated for 80% of retailers. Yet, there also are prudent investments in economic development, transportation, education, health care and other important services. Overall, we’ve had a very productive legislative session.”
Below is the outcome for a selected list of 100+ measures – grouped by topic – supported by the House Republican Majority. In all, about 1,600 pieces of legislation were approved by the General Assembly this year.
McDonnell releases $500M in Transportation Bonds Authorized by Speaker’s 07 Bill
Apr 30th
Speaker Howell led the way in passing bond authority in 2007 to enhance Virginia's transportation infrastructure. Today, Governor McDonnell authorized the sale of $500 million in bonds this May as the first part of a six-year, $2.2 billion program to support projects throughout the Commonwealth.
Check out details in the Governor's
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.”
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