Currently, some local jurisdictions are wrongly led by gambling advocates to believe that if any product, no matter how inconsequential, is offered along with an opportunity to gamble, Virginia’s gambling statute has been legally circumvented (for example, selling a 10 cent pencil for $5 and including in the sale a “free” opportunity to gamble on an Internet game). These gambling operations, which seek to characterize themselves as legitimate sweepstakes games, are currently in operation or have operated in the following localities thus far: Warren County, Front Royal, Petersburg, Chesapeake, Danville, Emporia, Hampton, Richmond, Caroline, Spotsylvania, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Chesterfield, and Pittsylvania.

The Newport News Planning Commission recently approved of two internet gambling casinos in the Denbigh section of Newport News. These proposals are currently awaiting action by the Newport News City Council.

“It is my hope that the passage of this bill will provide the Newport News City Council, as well as other municipalities, the tools they need to prevent internet gambling casinos from using a loophole in the law to open gambling casinos in their communities,” said Delegate Oder. “It is my hope that the passage of this bill will prevent the two casinos proposed for the Denbigh area from ever opening.”

Delegate Chris Jones (R-Suffolk), Chairman of House General Laws Committee contributed to the efforts to create and pass this legislation. Delegates Jones and Oder worked on this legislation as a reaction to the migration of internet gambling casinos from other states into Virginia.

“As other states ramped up their restrictions on internet gambling casinos, the operators of these venues decided to challenge Virginia laws by opening these casinos in our communities,” said Delegate Jones. “The passage of this new law makes it clear to our Commonwealth Attorneys that these casinos are illegal and will not be permitted in our state.”

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The bill eliminates a burdensome state tax on aviation companies that make more than a $4 million investment in aviation-related real estate or make real estate improvements on a publicly owned, public use airport in the Commonwealth.  In order to comply with the provisions of HB 2221, the company is also required to create at least 50 new jobs and pay at least 150% of the average salary in that area.  House Bill 2221 provides that any aircraft purchased or leased by the aviation company which complies with these requirements will be exempt from the Aviation Sales and Use Tax.

Delegate Oder has been working with the Secretary of Transportation, Department of Aviation, Department of Taxation, and Virginia Economic Development Partnership to insure that any tax benefit to the company would be as a result of significant capital investment in Virginia and tied to the creation of new jobs.

“The current aviation tax in Virginia places us at a distinct disadvantage when compared to our border states.  High paying, quality jobs are not coming to Virginia because of our aviation tax structure,” Delegate Oder said.  “House Bill 2221 eliminates the aviation tax, places us on a level playing field with our competition and does not include any financial investment by Virginia taxpayers.”

In addition, HB 2221 allows for any aircraft sold in the Commonwealth but leaves Virginia within 60 days of purchase shall also be exempt from sales tax.  The result of this provision creates an incentive for aviation companies to locate aviation sales offices in Virginia.  The inclusion of this provision encourages more jobs in the sales and service of aircraft.

House Bill 2221 is anticipated to be heard in the full House Finance Committee on Wednesday.

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2001.  He represents the 94^th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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Currently, some local jurisdictions are wrongly led by gambling advocates to believe that if any product, no matter how inconsequential, is offered along with an opportunity to gamble, Virginia’s gambling statute has been legally circumvented (for example, selling a 10 cent pencil for $5 and including in the sale a “free” opportunity to gamble on an Internet game).  These gambling operations, which seek to characterize themselves as legitimate sweepstakes games, are currently operation or have operated in the following localities thus far: Warren County, Front Royal, Petersburg, Chesapeake, Danville, Emporia, Hampton, Richmond, Caroline, Spotsylvania, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Chesterfield, and Pittsylvania.

“Recently, North Carolina proposed new laws regarding internet casino gambling.  Unfortunately, these illegal casinos are now moving into Virginia,” said Delegate Oder.  “HB 1584 is designed to make the law clear that these illegal casinos have no place in Virginia.”

The Newport News Planning Commission recently approved of two internet gambling casinos in the Denbigh section of Newport News.  These proposals are currently awaiting action by the Newport News City Council.

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2001.  He represents the 94^th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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“I am very grateful to the JLC for bringing these important legislative initiatives to the General Assembly. As Chairman of the Subcommittee that oversees veteran’s affairs, I will do my best to help pass these proposals,” said Delegate Oder. “Our freedom today was paid for by the service of our veterans and we should do all that we can to help them.”

“The legislative initiatives supported by the JLC will assist veterans across the Commonwealth,” said Colonel Bill Townsley, USAF (Ret.), a member of the JLC. “Delegate Oder continues to be a strong supporter of issues benefiting our veterans and I am grateful for his support.”

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2001. He represents the 94th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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I am pleased to report that the first bill to pass the House of Delegates was a bill I introduced (House Bill 1426) to provide relief to taxi cabs in Virginia who were subject to overregulation regarding taxi cab markings. Although a simple bill, all issues that affect small business are important and we must do all that we can to reduce overregulation of government practices on small business. HB 1426 is quickly proceeding through the Senate and it should be before the Governor next week.

Although the final number of bills will not be known until late Friday, the House of Delegates is well into the process of evaluating and holding hearings on the over 1,300 House Bills and Resolutions that have been introduced for this 46 day “short” Session.

I am pleased to report that we have fewer bills introduced this year thanks to an important rules change put in place by House Republicans. During short sessions, a Delegate can introduce a maximum of 15 bills. This is a practical, Republican sponsored rule that allows us to give more thoughtful consideration to the bills and resolutions that are before us during the short time we are here.

Although most bills are still being debated in committees, several important measures have passed the House of Delegates and I would like to bring them to your attention.

Significant Vote: House Republicans Vote to Strengthen Our Right-to-Work Law

On Wednesday, the House of Delegates voted to pass House Joint Resolution 500. This is an amendment that would add our right-to-work law to the Virginia Constitution. As you are aware, our current right-to-work law is one reason Virginia consistently ranks as one of the best states for business. For decades, Virginia has placed a premium on the freedom of workers to decide whether or not they want to join a union. Our laws ensure that employees can’t be forced to join a union as a condition of employment. Virginia has the distinction of being the northernmost right-to-work state east of the Mississippi River, giving us a major competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting new companies from northeastern states to the Old Dominion.

Although the economy here in Virginia is stronger than most other states, it’s not nearly as strong as it should be. I support adding our right-to-work law to the Virginia Constitution as this would give us another advantage to help attract new businesses and jobs to the Commonwealth. I believe this would also send a message to Virginia businesses that our right-to-work rules aren’t going to change on and further encourage them to grow and expand here in Virginia.

My Legislation

HJ 511 – Constitutional amendment (first resolution); Transportation Funds. Requires the General Assembly to maintain permanent and separate Transportation Funds to include the Commonwealth Transportation Fund, Transportation Trust Fund, Highway Maintenance and Operating Fund, and other funds established by general law for transportation. All revenues dedicated to Transportation Funds on January 1, 2012, by general law, other than a general appropriation law, shall be deposited to the Transportation Funds, unless the General Assembly by general law, other than a general appropriation law, alters the revenues dedicated to the Funds. The amendment limits the use of Fund moneys to transportation and related purposes. The General Assembly may borrow from the Funds for other purposes only by a vote of two-thirds plus one of the members voting in each house, and the loan must be repaid with reasonable interest by the end of the fourth fiscal year following the date of the borrowing.

HB 1612 – Patriots Crossing project. Requires the Virginia Department of Transportation to accept unsolicited proposals for review of a possible construction project for the Patriots Crossing project at Hampton Roads. This bill was amended to remove the provision requiring a cost comparison to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel.

HB1610 – Defective Chinese drywall; disclosure, assessed value, real estate tax exemption. Requires licensees engaged by sellers and buyers, and landlords who have actual knowledge of defective Chinese drywall in a dwelling unit, to disclose that information to the prospective tenant or buyer. If a tenant is not provided disclosure within 60 days of discovery of defective drywall he may terminate the lease. The bill also provides upon confirmation by a building official that defective Chinese drywall is present, that the commissioner or other assessing official may reassess the property accordingly. Local governments may also place the property in a rehabilitation district for purposes of granting the owner a partial real estate tax exemption. This bill is a recommendation of the Housing Commission.

Visitors

We were pleased to have many visitors from home this week. Mary Leedom of the Peninsula Tea Party stopped by, as did members of the of the Virginia 10th Amendment Revolution. Also visiting about Tea Party legislation was Donna Holt of Midlothian and Tyler Spires, a student at Old Dominion University. Dacia Juhn with National Alliance on Mental Illness in Virginia Beach also came to meet with me on issues related to mental illness.

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet Catherine Goggins and Emily Montgomery from Newport News who are both interning with the Virginia Association of Soil and Water Conservation Districts. William Cogar from The Mariner’s Museum and Page Hayhurst from the Virginia Living Museum visited me about issues related to our museums. Members of the Virginia Dental Hygienists Association, accompanied by Dr. Michael Link of Newport News, stopped by as well.

Jane Hobbs made her annual visit advocating for the needs of the mentally and physically challenged. Her visit always reminds me of the work my father did for handicapped and disadvantaged children. Perhaps his memory challenges me to continue the fight against predatory lenders and illegal gambling that preys upon the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Lastly, about 30 members of the Ford’s Colony Travel Club visited and toured the Capitol this week. It was a joy to get to speak with them and help arrange their visit. If your group is interested in visiting the Capitol and taking a tour, please do not hesitate to contact my office. We will gladly help arrange your visit.

Contact Me

As always, Jesica, Carol and I are here to serve you. We want to hear what you think about the legislation pending before the House and we are glad to help you in dealing with state government agencies. Our office can be reached at (804) 698-1094 or via the email at DelGOder@house.virginia.gov. If you are planning to visit Richmond during Session, I encourage you to visit me in Room 505.

Thank you again for allowing me to serve as your Delegate.

Note: You can download this newsletter as a PDF by clicking on the image above. You may also read the text of the newsletter below.

“Throughout the course of this year, I have learned of new victims of Chinese Drywall who have bought homes at reduced prices or entered into rental agreements. These victims were never told that the homes contained toxic drywall,” said Delegate Oder. “We have enough knowledge of the dangers associated with toxic drywall that if a seller or real estate agent is aware of the presence of this product in the home, it must be disclosed. We should not be having new victims associated with this product.”

HB 1610 also provides that if the presence of toxic drywall is confirmed by a building official, the Commissioner of the Revenue or other assessing official may reassess the property accordingly. The bill goes on to provide that local governments may also place the property in a rehabilitation district for purposes of granting the owner a partial real estate tax exemption.

“Victims of toxic Chinese Drywall can no longer live in their homes or take their tainted belongings with them,” Delegate Oder explained. “They need real relief and one way is to provide options for localities to reduce their real estate taxes.”

Delegate Oder worked on this bill throughout the year and received a unanimous recommendation from the Virginia Housing Commission.

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2002. He represents the 94th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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“Shaken Baby Syndrome is a result of a person shaking an innocent baby so violently that it creates severe and irreparable brain damage. I believe if we take better steps to educate citizens on how to cope with the pressures of child care, less babies will be harmed,” said Delegate Oder. “House Joint Resolution 632 is the first step toward bringing state agencies and other stakeholders together to identify the number of shaken baby cases in Virginia and identifying the best practices to prevent future cases of SBS.”

In developing this legislative proposal, Delegate Oder worked with Shaken Baby Syndrome of Virginia, Inc, an organization founded by Steve and Kathy Stowe and dedicated to their grandson, Jared, who was violently shaken at 6 weeks old. In April of 2010, the Stowe’s represented SBS of VA and trained over 5,000 soldiers about the devastating effects of SBS. They were awarded The Coin of Excellence and a Certificate of Appreciation for their efforts by Colonel G.K. Grothe, Commander, United States Army.

HJ 632 is a continuation of the efforts begun in 2010 with HB 411 where the General Assembly passed legislation requiring childcare providers in Virginia to be trained about the dangers of shaking a baby. HJ 632 begins the process of determining the best way to educate new parents on the fragile nature of a baby’s brain and the dangers of shaking a baby.

“As co-founders of Shaken Baby Syndrome of Virginia, we believe HJ 632 will identify the extent of the problem as well as the best ways to insure that new parents are educated about the devastating consequences of shaking a baby,” said Steve Stowe. “We will use our experience as primary care givers to our grandson Jared, as well as our experience from helping other victims from across Virginia, to work with this study group to insure children like Jared never have to needlessly suffer and die because parents do not understand the trauma associated with shaking babies.”

Delegate Oder will be working with hospital and healthcare providers to seek support for the passage of this important child care legislation.

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2002. He represents the 94th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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After hearing from Governor McDonnell, we went to work to do the people’s business. All bills before the House of Delegates were assigned to a specific committee and those committees have begun to consider their bills. To track the progress of any bills, visit the General Assembly’s website at http://legis.virginia.gov. In addition, I will be keeping you up to date on the latest news from the General Assembly through these weekly updates.

Spotlight on: Creating Jobs in Virginia

In his State of the Commonwealth speech on Wednesday night, Governor McDonnell set out a bold agenda. Of his many proposals, I believe the most important and pressing issue is job creation and the economy.

The House of Delegates has worked hard to advance policies that grow and protect jobs. Our low tax rates, strong right-to-work law, and fair regulatory structure have made Virginia a jobs-friendly state. Since February 2010, over 67,000 new jobs have been created in Virginia. Our unemployment rate, at 6.8 percent, is below the national average. While that may be good compared to other states, I know that more work needs to be done. Like Governor McDonnell said, I believe it is unacceptable that more than 280,000 Virginians remain out of work. That’s one reason I was so excited to see what Governor McDonnell has proposed in his “Opportunity at Work” agenda.

Small businesses are the heart and soul of our economy. Whether they are a dentist’s office, the lawyer down the street, or the new restaurant trying to find its place here in Newport News, our friends and neighbors who are out pursuing the American dream are what makes Virginia’s economy strong.  As Co-chairman of the Small Business Commission, I will continue to promote policies that benefit our Virginia businesses.

In his speech this week, the Governor asked legislators to make further investments in small business job creation — investments that will be paid for with spending cuts in other areas. These investments in job creation couldn’t come at a more critical time.  The economy may have improved, but job creation continues to be far less than what we need. Just this week, the Federal government announced that more than 445,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits.

My Republican colleagues and I are also working to enshrine Virginia’s status as a right-to-work state in the Commonwealth’s Constitution. Virginians everywhere should have the freedom to join a union if they so choose. They should also have the freedom to choose whether or not to form a union through a secret ballot.

I am looking forward to supporting these and other important job creation measures this year.

Legislative Update

As we begin the legislative session, I am pleased to report that the Republican Leadership continues to give me an increasing amount of legislative responsibilities.  On Thursday of this week, it was announced that I would be the new Chair of the ABC/Gaming Subcommittee.  This subcommittee oversees all of the alcohol, bingo, lottery, religious, cemetery, and consumer protection laws in Virginia.  I look forward to this new challenge and hope you will continue to submit your comments to me as we consider these legislative matters.

Visitors

This week we had visitors from multiple organizations including students from Thomas Nelson Community College, members of the banker’s industry, AARP, and the Virginia Federation of Republican Women.

Contact Me

As always, my staff and I are here to serve you. I want to hear what you think about the legislation pending before the House and am glad to help you in dealing with state government agencies. My office can be reached at (804) 698-1094 or via the email at DelGOder@house.virginia.gov. If you are planning to visit Richmond during Session, I encourage you to visit me in Room 505.

Thank you again for allowing me to serve as your Delegate.

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“During the previous Administration, I became a vocal critic when Virginia was declared “dead last” in spending the federal stimulus money and we were in danger of losing our allocation,” said Delegate Oder.  “However, as a result of the hard work of the VDOT staff, I now understand that Virginia has met the requirement to have its allocation obligated by March 2, 2010 and we are in a position to receive additional dollars from other states who did not meet this requirement.”

Virginia’s allocations included 68 projects obligated by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) and 54 projects obligated by the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). Of the 68 CTB projects, $413.7 million in work on 45 projects has already been advertised for bidding, and $287.1 million of work for 40 projects has already been awarded to contractors. Of the 54 MPO projects, $2.8 million has been advertised for two projects, and seven projects with a value of $6.8 million have been awarded.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama on Feb.17, 2009.

• Virginia received a total of $694.5 million in highway stimulus funding.
• Virginia has met every deadline and requirement set forth in the ARRA legislation.
• $117.8 million of this stimulus funding will be for projects selected by the state’s five large urban metropolitan planning organizations.
• $101.6 million is targeted to improve or replace structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges and culverts.
• $142.5 million is targeted toward repaving or overlaying roads in Virginia.
• $76.9 million is targeted to fund improvements necessary near expanding military installations supporting 21,400 jobs.
• $37.3 million is targeted to improve Virginia’s rail network and access to the Port of Virginia.
• $20.8 million is targeted to be used for enhancement projects.
• $197.4 million is targeted to advance much-needed congestion-relief projects including building new roadways.