Virginia House of Delegates Republican Caucus
Posts tagged Speaker Howell
Hugo Elected Caucus Chair
Apr 21st
Richmond, VA (April 21, 2010)--Today, the Virginia House Republican Caucus voted unanimously to elect (R-Fairfax) to serve as the Republican Caucus Chairman. The position, previously held by former Delegate Sam Nixon, was left vacant when Nixon resigned to become Chief Information Officer of the .
“As recognized leader within the Caucus, Tim understands the duties required of this position and has the right temperament and experiences to be very successful in his important new capacity,” stated . “During these tough economic times and need to reform state government to make it smarter and simpler, it is imperative that we have an energetic, dedicated and knowledgeable member like Tim joining our leadership team. Like so many, I am looking forward to working with him and our Majority Caucus will be better off because of his leadership.”
The position of Caucus Chairman is one of four leadership roles within the House Republican Caucus. Others serving in leadership positions include Speaker William Howell, , and .
“I humbly accept the responsibility that has been entrusted to me today,” Delegate Hugo said in accepting the position. “Since being elected, I have watched the Republican Caucus expand on its majority under our current leadership. I am thrilled to broaden my responsibilities within the caucus and relish the opportunity to serve the citizens of Virginia.”
Delegate Hugo was first elected to the House of Delegates in a special election in December 2002, filling a vacancy left by former Delegate Jay O’Brien. Delegate Hugo garnered over 67% of the vote in his first election. Now serving in his eighth year as a member, Delegate Hugo is a member of the Commerce and Labor, Finance, Transportation, and Privileges and Elections Committees. He represents parts of Fairfax, Centreville, Clifton, and Fairfax Station.
House GOP Efforts on Offshore Oil & Gas Pay Off
Mar 31st
The Federal Government removed another barrier to development of Virginia's offshore energy resources today, vindicating efforts led by the House Republican Caucus to enhance Virginia law on exploration and development and to dedicate revenue realized from future development to transportation.
See Speaker Howell's .
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.
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.