Virginia House of Delegates Republican Caucus
Posts tagged Speaker Howell
Nixon to lead VITA as Commonwealth’s new Chief Information Officer
Mar 24th
Gov. Bob McDonnell named Del. Sam Nixon (R-Chesterfield) to be the Commonwealth’s new Chief Information Officer, leading the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA), 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.” (see Governor’s full press release)
Speaker Howell 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.” (see Speaker’s full press release)
Nixon takes over VITA as implementation of important reform legislation that passed during the 2010 Session of the General Assembly takes effect. Del. Kathy Byron (R-Campbell) carried House Bill 1034, 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 Virginia War Memorial, Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford) joined caucus members Del. John O’Bannon (R-Henrico), chairman of the War Memorial’s board of trustees, and Del. Bill Janis (R-Henrico) at a new conference releasing volume II of Virginians at War, a DVD, produced by the War Memorial. (Check out the Speaker’s remarks)
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
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced his appointment of Delegate Matt Lohr as the next Commissioner of of the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) (see Gov. McDonnell’s press release).
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.
Lohr was first elected to the House in 2005 and is currently serving his 3rd term representing the 26th district, made up of the City of Harrisonburg and part of Rockingham County.
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 Virginia Future Farmers of America (FFA) and then served as vice-president of the National FFA Organization. He graduated from Virginia Tech 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.
Republican Successes as 2010 Session Ends
Mar 14th
As the House adjourned sine die, Speaker Howell issued a press release on the many legislative successes of the House in the 2010 session.
The State Budget 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.
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. “Since the House of Delegate’s defeated Governor Kaine’s $1 billion per year statewide income tax plan 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.”
House Passes Civil War Site Preservation Fund Bill
Feb 9th
Today, the House passed House Bill 717, establishing the Civil War Site Preservation Fund. Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) proudly joined Del. Chris Peace (R-Hanover) in sponsoring this legislation, which provides for the continuation of a fund begun with the Speaker’s leadership in the state budget in 2007. The Civil War Preservation Trust honored the Speaker with its 2007 State Leadership Award for creating the fund (the Trust honored Howell with the same award in 2005 for his efforts in promoting land preservation tax credits, which put free market tools to work for open spaces land conservation).
Speaker Howell also chairs the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the Civil War Commission, leading Virginia’s effort to better understand this key event in American history from its many facets.
Additional information about the Civil War Site Preservation Fund is available from the Department of Historic Resources. Additional information about the Land Preservation Tax Credit is available from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.