Delegate Ken Plum’s Virginia E-News – July 5, 2006
COMMENTARY
More Dysfunction in Richmond
Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum
While a mere few weeks ago I promised to end the wailing about the current legislative session, I am back again more upset than ever before about the actions in Richmond. At a meeting of the General Assembly last week to wind up the longest legislative session in its history, the legislature needed only to review and vote on a number of amendments proposed by Governor Timothy M. Kaine to tidy up the $74 billion record-breaking biennial budget. Instead the Republican majority in the House of Delegates in the most arrogant abuse of power that I have ever seen in my nearly three decades in the House used the occasion to figuratively stick a finger in the eye of the Governor and to deny Democrats an opportunity to even present or to debate any amendments to the final budget package. It was tragic to watch events unfold in what over the years has been a fairly collegial body.
After prolonged recesses at the beginning of the session, the Republican majority voted in their caucus with a two-thirds vote required to bind themselves to vote as their caucus decided, regardless of the interest of the voters and constituents in their districts. That system allows the most conservative ideologues to dictate the position of the party and to enforce party discipline. No one including the most moderate of Northern Virginia Republicans has been willing to buck the system. Presumably the penalty for not going along with the caucus would be the loss of committee assignments or the failure of future bills or budget amendments of interest to the member. The Democratic caucus has no such rules and allows members to vote the interests of their district.
The result of the excesses of partisanship and the blatant abuse of power is an inconsistent and incoherent product. For example, the General Assembly approved a record $285 million to clean up the Chesapeake Bay but refused to approve or even allow debate on a four million dollar amendment for the City of Lynchburg to improve its antiquated sewer system that continues with heavy rains as we have had lately to dump raw sewage into the James River to flow into the Chesapeake Bay. Lynchburg’s offense in the eyes of the majority was to elect a very intelligent and effective Democratic woman to the House of Delegates in the last special election.
The biennial budget contains a billion dollars in capital building projects mostly for colleges and universities, but the Republican majority refused to allow debate on or to approve an amendment for $1.4 million in funding to begin the architectural and engineering phase of renovating the library at Norfolk State University that accreditation authorities say is necessary for the historically black university to maintain its accreditation. The Republican majority refused to approve or to allow debate on an amendment that would have provided $200,000 for an institute for minority leadership when the state provides two and a half times that amount to an institute that provides the same kind of training to predominately white persons. All members of the Black Caucus in the House are Democrats.
The House majority Republicans including presumably moderates like Callahan, Rust, and Albo refused to approve or even allow debate on a $6 million budget amendment to allow fund balances to be used in a 50-50 match with localities to replace the loss of federal funds for child care services for the working poor. If the local governments cannot come up with the money, large numbers of children especially in Fairfax County will be without daycare.
In my State of the Commonwealth – 2006 address (www.kenplum.com) I called the legislature dysfunctional. On the last day of a session that has gone on for months, Delegate Ward Armstrong took the floor to observe that we had just had a dysfunctional ending for a dysfunctional session. The voters of Virginia need to take back control of the General Assembly from the tyrannical mob that is running it now.
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Delegate Ken Plum’s Weekly “Virginia Report”
on Reston Comcast Channel 28
Tonight - Wednesday, July 5 at 10:30 p.m. - Sandra O’Connell and Dr. Harry Butowsky – “A Discussion About the Book, An American Family in World War II” by Reston author Ralph Minker
Tuesday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, July 12 at 10:30 p.m. – Roberta Longworth, Fairfax County Public Library Foundation - “Making a Difference through Literacy Outreach and Reading Readiness”
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
Delegate Plum’s State of the Commonwealth - 2006 report is available on his website, www.kenplum.com.
Join Habitat for Humanity in its rebuilding work in Biloxi, Mississippi. Ken and Jane Plum will be working there July 10-15. For more information, email jguerra@habitatnova.org or call Jennifer Guerra at 703.521.9890, extension 105.
Reston Interfaith and Kids R First need your help in collecting 4,000 new backpacks for children in need in the Reston/Herndon area. Please drop off new backpacks through August 12 at the Reston Interfaith offices at 11150 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 210 as follows: from July 24 to August 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; August 7 to August 11 from 9 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; and August 12 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. To learn more about donating backpacks, contact Meredith Young at 571.323.9566 or Meredith.young@restoninterfaith.org.
The Commonwealth Coalition has opened and staffed its office in Northern Virginia. Volunteer to help organize voters, businesses and community, faith and civic organizations united in their agreement to vote NO on November 7 on the so-called marriage amendment. Email Laura at lrobertson@voteNOva.org if you want to get involved in the effort in Northern Virginia.
Fairfax County residents are no longer required to purchase a $25 decal and display it on their windshields. Decals are no longer sold online or at the Fairfax County Government Center. Vehicles properly registered with the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration are not subject to ticketing for failure to display a county decal on the windshield. Residents can remove the old green decal from last year. New residents and those registering a vehicle for the first time must file a personal property declaration form with the Fairfax County Department of Tax Administration within 60 days after purchase or entry into the county. Vehicles may be registered online at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta. Failure to properly register vehicles on time will result in late filing penalties. For more information, call the Department of Tax Administration at 703.222.8234, TTY 703.222.7594.
The 17th annual KIDS COUNT Data Book reports that national trends in child well-being are no longer improving in the steady way they did in the late 1990s. Virginia improved in three out of 10 measures that reflect child well-being, experienced setbacks in six indicators and saw no change in one measure (child poverty rate) since 2000. Virginia’s infant mortality rate rose 12 percent; Virginia ranked 35th in the nation for this category. Eight percent of teens ages 16-19 were neither enrolled in school nor working in 2004, a 14 percent increase from 2000. Visit www.vakids.org to view Virginia locality data.
Attend “Second Sunday Programs” at the Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center, 10209 Main Street, Fairfax. All programs begin at 2:00 p.m. and are followed by informal discussion and refreshments in the Visitor Center. The program on July 9 will be “New Discoveries: Conservation/Restoration Tours of the Blenheim House” at the Blenheim Estate, 3610 Old Lee Highway, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. The August 13 program will be about Civil War Soldier ID Tags, presented by Joseph Stahl, Civil War historian and collector.
Support Reston Interfaith, play golf, and bid on great auction items! The 12th Annual Rucker Golf Tournament, Silent and Live Auctions, and Raffle Drawing will take place on Monday, July 10, at Hidden Creek Country Club in Reston. The Rucker Tournament is a community-wide event with a rich heritage of attracting the support of hundreds of corporate and community leaders. Proceeds from the tournament’s auctions and raffle benefit the programs of Reston Interfaith, which provide support to men, women, and children in need of shelter, affordable housing, childcare, and other essential community services. Contact Meredith Young, Community Events Manager, at Meredith.Young@restoninterfaith.org for questions about participation in the Rucker Tournament.
The Fairfax County Department of Transportation has scheduled a public meeting to provide the opportunity for comment on proposed bus route changes in Reston for Tuesday, July 11, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the Reston Regional Library, 11925 Bowman Towne Center, in Community Room 2. For a copy o fthe proposal for Route 574, go to the Fairfax Connector Web page at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector or call 703.324.1120, TTY 703.324.1102.
Join Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Patrick Gottschalk, and the Governor’s Senior Advisor for Workforce, Daniel LeBlanc, for a meeting to develop the Governor’s Economic Development and workforce Development Strategic Plans. The meeting is Tuesday, July 18, 9:00 a.m. sharp until 12:30 p.m., Northern Virginia Community College (Annandale Campus), 8333 Little River Turnpike, in the Community Culture Center.
Attend the Ninth Annual Virginia Political History Project. This year’s conference, “Virginia Women & Politics,” will be held on Friday, July 21, at the Jefferson Hotel, 101 West Franklin Street, Richmond. The conference is sponsored by University of Virginia Center for Politics and the Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service. For more information, including a list of participants, visit www.centerforpolitics.org.
Equality Virginia’s Annual Statewide Meeting and Activists’ Conference will be held on Saturday, July 22, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Virginia Commonwealth University, Student Commons Building, in Richmond. Hear a report on Equality Virginia’s progress in 2006 and plans for 2007. Find out more about The Commonwealth Coalition Campaign. To register go to www.equalityvirginia.org/conference2006.
Visit www.schoonervirginia.org for a look at Virginia’s tall ship. The Schooner Virginia has a summer-long docking schedule along Virginia’s coast, complete with special events and tours of the ship. Learn about this amazing vessel and its mission to advance the economic interest of the Commonwealth and educate its young citizens. The website provides information about The Virginia Society, how to join, how to participate in members-only sails aboard the Schooner, and many other membership benefits for adults and children.
Attend the 4th Annual Multicultural Business Conference, “Access to Business Success – Training, Resources & Networking for Business Growth,” on Thursday, August 3, 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at The Westin, 801 North Glebe Road, Arlington. Register for this event and more at www.arlingtonvirginiausa.com/atbs or call 703.538.7418.
Guidelines and rules for Virginia’s first sales tax holiday have been published by the Virginia Department of Taxation to provide information for both consumers and retailers. During the sales tax holiday, August 4 through 6 this year, retailers will not charge the 5 percent retail sales tax on purchases of school supplies costing $20 or less per item, or clothing, including footwear, priced at $100 or less per article. Included as part of the guidelines are an all-inclusive list of school supplies eligible for the sales tax exemption and a representative list of clothing eligible for the exemption. All retailers who sell the exempt items must participate in the “holiday.” The guidelines and FAQs are posted on the Department’s website at www.tax.virginia.gov/salestaxholiday.
Ride in the 24th Annual Reston Century Bicycle Tour on Sunday, August 27, rain or shine, starting and finishing at the Reston Town Center Pavilion. Riders can select from three routes of approximately 34, 65, and 102 miles. Registration is available online at www.restonbikeclub.org.
Save the Date – Saturday, September 16, 8:30 to noon – for the Rain Garden Workshop for homeowners, Meadowlark Gardens Regional Park, Vienna. Attendees will receive useful information and observe the construction of a small (home-sized) rain garden.
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Authorized and paid for by Kenneth R. Plum.
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