Virginia House of Delegates Republican Caucus
Press Releases
Nixon to lead VITA as Commonwealth’s new Chief Information Officer
Mar 24th
named (R-Chesterfield) to be the Commonwealth's new Chief Information Officer, leading the , effective April 5.
In making the appointment, McDonnell said, "Sam and I served together for twelve years in the House of Delegates. During that time I came to greatly admire and respect Sam's intellect, character and understanding of the important issues facing the Commonwealth. Sam is a thought leader on information technology issues, both as a legislator and as a Senior Consultant at Richmond–based IT consulting firm CapTech Ventures. Sam's experience in this fast–changing industry will be of tremendous benefit at VITA. I know he will do a great job for the citizens of Virginia." ()
shared the Governor's enthusiasm. “Sam Nixon is the ideal public servant – a recognized and respected leader with vision and integrity, a consensus builder with an uncanny ability to bring people together and harness their many talents, and a problem solver who’s proven time and again that he can fashion practical solutions that deliver real results on technology issues, business concerns and so many other pressing issues that people really care about,” said Speaker Howell. “These attributes make his selection as the Commonwealth’s next Chief Information Officer at the Virginia Information Technology Agency such wonderful and welcome news for all Virginians.” ()
Nixon takes over VITA as implementation of important reform legislation that passed during the 2010 Session of the General Assembly takes effect. (R-Campbell) carried , which enhanced accountability by making the CIO accountable to the Governor, through the Secretary of Technology, and making other important improvements in the Commonwealth's IT Governance. Byron chairs the Science and Technology Committee.
Speaker, O’Bannon, Janis Release New Film at War Memorial
Mar 22nd
Today at the , (R-Stafford) joined caucus members (R-Henrico), chairman of the War Memorial's board of trustees, and (R-Henrico) at a new conference releasing volume II of Virginians at War, a DVD, produced by the War Memorial. (Check out the )
Virginians at War advances the War Memorial's mission of preserving the memory of Virginia’s fallen heroes and honoring their sacrifice, as well as teaching history and instilling patriotism in Virginia's children. Each volume in the series presents a number of 15-20 minute programs narrated by Virginia veterans interwoven with archival film and photographs, animated maps, graphics and music, presenting an insider's view of important historical events.
Lohr Named Ag Commissioner
Mar 16th
announced his appointment of as the next Commissioner of of the ().
Speaker Howell commented on Lohr's announcement:
Matt Lohr is a talented, hard-working and respected leader on agricultural and farming issues, which makes him an exceptionally fine choice for this important position.
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Lohr was first elected to the House in 2005 and is currently serving his 3rd term representing the 26th district, made up of the and part of .
Lohr has been a life-long leader in Agriculture. He lives with his wife, Andrea, and their children, Caroline Belle and Carson Jacob, on a working farm that's been in Lohr's family for over 100 years. In High School, Matt was president of and then served as vice-president of the . He graduated from in 1995. In addition to working the family farm, Matt has taught agricultural science, served as president of the Broadway–Timberville Ruritan Club, served as president of the Rockingham County Farm Bureau twice, chaired the Rockingham County Planning Commission, and most recently chaired the Rockingham County School Board. Matt and his family are also active members and leaders at Harrisonburg Baptist Church.
In the House of Delegates, Matt serves on the Agriculture, Chesapeake, and Natural Resources Committee, and chaired its Agriculture Subcommittee.
Putney Reports Budget Conference Agreement to the House
Mar 14th
Today, Chairman Lacey E. Putney summarized the provisions of the State Budget conference report adopted by the House and Senate today. This includes his prepared remarks.
Republican Successes as 2010 Session Ends
Mar 14th
As the House adjourned sine die, Speaker Howell issued a on the many legislative successes of the House in the 2010 session.
The contained many of the key accomplishments of the session, including rejection of former Governor Kaine's 17 percent income tax hike, and a reduction in state spending for the first time in recent memory. In fact, the 2010-2012 Biennial Budget returns general fund spending to 2006 levels.
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