The General Assembly started last Wednesday (January 12) and it seemed to be a more somber start to this age old ritual.  No doubt the shootings in Arizona set the foundation for the tone, but as I’ve previously mentioned the Commonwealth is likely to end up this fiscal year $130 million short.
On Wednesday night, the Governor gave his “State of the Commonwealth” address informing the General Assembly about actions and fiscal growth over the past year and warning us where he believes future problems lie.

I agree with the consensus opinion that the Governor struck the right tone in his speech and balanced the desire for boosterism with the subdued voice needed to reflect our point in history.
Things have picked up quickly and as I write this the halls are so crowded with citizen lobbyists that merely getting to my office is difficult.  Already today I’ve spoken with citizens concerned about soil and water conservation districts, motorcycle regulations, the true cost of hemophilia to the Commonwealth, and citizens concerned about the cost of government.  The latter being comprised of representatives from the local Tea Party.
It is frustrating that again I believe that much of my time during the 2011 General Assembly Session is going to be spent “playing defense”, and a disproportionate amount of this defense is dedicated to protecting jobs for my constituents.  Specifically, there are a fair number of bills to shut down the commercial fishing of menhaden in my district.  These bills are particularly frustrating to me because I sat through several meetings over the break where scientists presented to us their facts.  These facts show that menhaden are not overfished and that overfishing is not occurring.  The facts also conclude that menhaden are not filter feeders for the Chesapeake Bay.  While we do want to keep a close eye on the health of the fishery – and studies are continuing to do so – these menhaden related bills are unnecessary.
Playing defense makes it harder to move some of my bills forward even when these bills are seeking equity for our area.  An example of this is HB1941 which seeks to return money paid by Lancaster County residents to Lancaster County.  More specifically, Lancaster County did not impose on its citizens a telecommunications tax several years ago and, thus, did not qualify for distribution when the state decided to grab the revenue stream taxing all citizens.  Go figure…
But perhaps the somber mood will benefit the General Assembly if it prevails.  This country was built on optimism.  However, this optimism must be tempered by the realism of the tough times we are still in.  Otherwise, the $130 million shortfall could easily grow to equal – if not exceed - last year’s $4 billion shortfall.