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The General Assembly is in full swing now and we are busy greeting constituents and working legislation through committees. Quite a few of my bill were heard in committee this past week. Most of them are finding their way through successfully. Some are charter amendments for counties or cities that I represent while others are specific laws that I think will improve the life of our citizens.
One of my bills of particular interest is Senate bill (SJ304) to give disabled veterans real estate tax relief. That bill made it through the subcommittee, has been sent on to the full committee, and I have had two democrat senators join in that bill. That bill should move forward through the process.
One of my other bills, SB908, was a bill that would preclude public utilities from condemning land that has been preserved through a conservation easement. The Courts Committee voted to send that to a working group which has been formed by the Secretary of Natural Resources, specifically to deal with this controversial issue.
Probably most importantly, the members of my Commonwealth Caucus were able to break a year long stalemate in Norfolk and Virginia Beach with regard to the election of judges. As many of you may recall, several of the judges in Norfolk and Virginia Beach were not able to be elected last year. In fact, those particular elections held up judicial elections for our 15th district here and some others as well. This was simply a matter of partisan bickering at its worst. I am very proud to say that two of my co-members in the Commonwealth Caucus, democrats, broke with their ranks and voted largely with republicans, to break this stalemate. As I have told you before, four of us started the Commonwealth Caucus just for situations like this, and judges was one of our particular core areas to deal with. This particular vote is indeed a testament to our bi-partisan effort to get things done in the General Assembly for those we represent. I will tell you that the election of judges is one of our most important responsibilities and politics should not enter into the equation.
Our Commonwealth Caucus is also opposing the bill introduced by Senator Henry Marsh (D-Richmond City) which would raise the malpractice cap to $2,750,000 effective July 1, 2009. That cap is currently $2,000,000 and has been so for several years now. We are finally seeing obstetricians and pediatricians alike having their malpractice premiums level out. The affect of this bill raising the cap would be devastating on many areas of healthcare. Particularly, it could force the closure of certain medical facilities in our rural area. It is a horrible bill and a bad time to bring this forward, if there ever was a good time. Our Caucus has openly opposed this and we are committed to killing the raise of the cap.
We have witnessed the 44th peaceful transition of power in Washington, D.C., and it is absolutely one of the most historic events we will ever see. Whether you supported President Obama or not in the election, it is clear that we all should support him now. He is our President and we should do all that we can to help him have a successful administration. That is simply what we do in America. We also can hope that all of the work that Governor Kaine and time he spent on President Obama’s campaign will benefit the citizens of Virginia.
Finally, we had exciting news recently that Harris Teeter will invest about $101,000,000 to open a distribution center in King George County which will create about 335 jobs, and The O’Gara Group will open a new training academy in Westmoreland County with an investment of approximately $15,000,000 and bringing up to 85 full and part-time jobs. This is the worst economy that I have ever seen in my lifetime. Certainly for us to have this sort of job creation in our rural areas in this downturn is a great thing and can only help our local economy.
As always, I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to serve you in the State Senate. If I can be of any service, I can be reached at my senate office, 804-698-7528, P. O. Box 396, Richmond, Virginia 23218 or my district office, 804-493-8892, P. O. Box 1146, Montross, Virginia 22520, or by email at
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