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Delegate Plum’s Virginia E-News – April 14, 2005
Announcements This past weekend I participated in the Annual Potomac River Watershed Cleanup in Reston. Nearly 100 volunteers picked up 2.9 tons of trash in our streams and on their banks in three hours! All that trash would have ended up in the Potomac River, our drinking water source, if it had not been picked up. To get on the list for future cleanups, contact Diana Saccone, Watershed Manager, Reston Association, at 703.435.6560 or Diana@reston.org. Volunteers are needed to grow underwater grasses! You can change the water quality in your local river by growing underwater grasses right in your own home. The Chesapeake Bay Foundaiton is holding workshops in Arlington on Thursday, April 28, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Attend the workshop where you will be given the instructions, equipment and materials for growing underwater grasses. All you need is a space in your home to hold a f ft. x 3 ft. tub for 8 weeks. After growing the grasses for 8 weeks, you will be able to plant your grasses right into the Potomac River. The cost for the workshop is $25 per “growing unit.” Contact Nina Luxmoore at nluxmoore@cbf.org for details. I attended the Reston Association Annual Meeting this week. Reston Association professional staff and volunteers do an excellent job of maintaining the quality of life and beauty of our community. They deserve our thanks and praise. The first draft of the six-year improvement program that allocates funding to transportation projects in Virginia is available for public review. The program will be modified because it is a working draft before the final program is adopted by July 1, 2005. Go to www.VDOT.Virginia to review the working draft of the Six-Year Improvement Program for Fiscal Years 2006-2011. The six-year program allocates funding for rail, public transit, bicycle, pedestrian, and primary and interstate highway improvement projects. Each year, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) updates the program to reflect the latest budget situation. The CTB will hold a public hearing on the working draft of the six-year program starting at 5:00 p.m. on April 19 at VDOT offices. For a list of locations and public comment opportunities, go to www.virginiadot.orgn/infoservice/news/newsrelease.asp?ID=CO-0507. The public may also provide comments online. “Travel Training for Fairfax County’s Senior Citizens” – Travel Training on the use of public transportation is available to senior adults of Fairfax County over the age of 65 on a one-on-one basis or as a group. Call the Fairfax County Department of Transportation Senior Programs for more information or to request free training: 703.324.1172 or 703.324.1102 TTY. Calendar Tuesday, April 19, 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 20 10:30 p.m. – Delegate Ken Plum’s Virginia Report on Reston Comcast Channel 28 – “Virginia C.U.R.E.” with Jean Auldridge and Keith DiBlasio. Saturday, April 30, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Reston Association’s Huge Yard Sale at the RA parking lot, 1930 Isaac Newton Square. Rain date is May 1. May 1-4 – Governor’s Conference on Greenways, Blueways and Trails – Omni Hotel, downtown Richmond. This year’s topic is “Building Active Communities.” For more information, please call 757.229.0507 or email info@bikewalkvirginia.org. Monday, May 9, 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. – Town Meeting Report on the 2005 General Assembly Session hosted by Delegate Ken Plum and Senator Janet Howell at Reston Regional Library. Pre-registration not required; all are welcome. Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22 – American Cancer Society Relay for Life at South Lakes High School. If you would like to join a team, call Delegate Ken Plum at 703.758.9733. No physical activity required in the Relay – just a willingness to help raise money for an important cause. Commentary Quiet Reconvened Session Up until 1980 governors of Virginia could wait for the General Assembly to go home to veto bills they did not like or bills that were technically flawed. There was no opportunity for the legislature to consider the governor’s action because the part-time lawmakers would have gone back to their districts and to their private lives. An amendment to the state constitution providing for a reconvened session on the sixth Wednesday after the adjournment sine die of a regular session reduced the power of the governor from having absolute veto power. Last week the General Assembly met for fewer than five hours for the reconvened, or “veto,” session as it is popularly known. The Governor proposed amendments to 45 of the more than 900 bills that were sent to him. Most amendments were technical in nature and did not change the purpose or effect of the legislation. His recommendations were accepted for 43 of the bills. The two bills for which his amendments were not accepted go back to him for his further consideration. He is likely to veto both of them. No bill was passed over his objection. Governor Warner vetoed only one bill. That bill would have required his administration to lobby the federal Congress to permit offshore oil drilling along the Atlantic Coast. I voted against the bill when it was before the House. Although the Republican majority had passed the bill through both houses, there was not enough support to get the two-thirds majority that would have been required to pass it over the Governor’s veto. The Governor proposed 30 amendments to the budget bill. All but two passed. Most amendments came about because of additional revenue that has been realized since the budget passed. This budget represents the strongest support for education, human services, and the arts that has been seen in many years. The excitement that was supposed to take place at the session with the fringe element of the Republican Party led by Senator Ken Cuccinelli attempting to strip Senator Russ Potts of his committee assignments was a fizzle. Potts is running as an Independent Republican for Governor. In the Senate with a Republican majority Cuccinelli proved an embarrassment to himself and his party by not even being able to get the issue taken up. Cuccinelli has not been able to get any significant legislation passed because of the extreme viewpoint he represents. Aside from the attempted sideshow in the Senate there was bipartisanship all around. The reconvened session was a quiet one, and Virginia is better because of it. **************************** Unsubscribe to this newsletter by emailing kenplum@aol.com and indicating “unsubscribe” in the subject line. |