Issues

Supporting People Through Hard Times

Getting our economy moving again through private sector job creation is vitally important. During my terms as Delegate, Virginia was recognized as the “Best State for Business.” I’ve defended our right to work laws while supporting legislation to extend unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 59 weeks through $62.5 million in “no strings attached” federal funding.

Pro-Military Legislation

As the Delegate from the 94th District, I have been focused on finding ways to help our military community in Newport News. My HB 712 directed the State Council of Higher Education to include procedures for the required re-enrollment of students whose call to active duty military service precluded their completion of a semester in our state colleges and universities. This new law essentially freezes where a military student is in the class if he is called to active duty and requires the college to allow him to finish the class when is military obligations permit.

I’ve also been proud to support bills over the years that provided in-state college tuition rates to military dependents (HB 1996) and reduced tuition for many active duty members, activated guard or reservist members (HB 1822). I currently serve on the Hampton Roads Military and Federal Facilities Alliance Advisory subcommittee that works to defend our community from future base closure considerations.

Transportation Improvements Without Higher Taxes

As your Delegate, I understand that getting our economy moving involves getting traffic moving and we should use the future growth of our regional economy to help fund those expansions. I have sponsored key legislation that will pay for better roads, and these proposals have been adopted by Bob McDonnell in his comprehensive transportation plan as he runs for Governor.

• HB 1579 uses future revenues from the Ports to fund roads in Hampton Roads
• HB 1580 abolished the Hampton Roads Transportation Authority
• HJ 620 creates a Transportation Lock Box to ensure your transportation dollars are spent on roads and not other government programs
• HB 2079 requires VDOT to accept private proposals to upgrade the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel

Protecting Marriage

I co-patroned HR 615 which called for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as being between a man and a woman. Voters throughout our district and throughout Virginia approved it by referendum.

I strongly believe that marriage and family are vital components of our society and support protecting the traditional definition of marriage.

Health Care

Making sure quality, affordable health care is accessible is a key concern of mine. I have supported legislation that promotes choice and efficiency in health care while protecting the quality of care citizens expect and deserve.

I also supported HB 5002 which expands access and support of Virginia’s 34 community health centers and 47 free clinics. My support of HB 786 and HB 759 provided tax deductions for long term care health insurance premiums and HB 2198 and HB 2044 allowed for cost savings through use of electronic health records. Additionally, I supported HB 499, HB 559, HB 560 and HB 815 that provided sweeping reforms to Virginia’s mandatory outpatient treatment laws by closing the gaps in the mental health system exposed in the Virginia Tech tragedy.

Education

One of the keys to strengthening our economy involves strengthening education. We must make sure every student has the opportunity to succeed and we must broaden the efforts to bridge every educational shortfall.

Some of the most rewarding and needed careers require specialized career and technical education. I have been an advocate to emphasize the development of these skills as well as encourage more investment in Virginia’s higher education system.

HB 2039 and HB 506 have strengthened standards and accessibility to students seeking career and technical education and expanding loan programs to teachers of career and technical education.

Additionally, we have significantly increased the state investment in education since you first sent me to Richmond. I have supported and we have passed increasing public school teacher salaries and funded 100% of kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade students who require reading intervention services (HB 1650). While supporting our public schools, I have also supported many free-market proposals to foster greater access to quality educational opportunities for all students.

And we must continue to make sure Virginia colleges and universities are accessible, both by making in-state tuition affordable and, like my bill HB 1726 did, allow students to save money on college textbooks by purchasing the books on line.

Closing Loopholes for Payday Lenders

This is the fourth year in a row that I have stood up to fight against predatory payday lenders. The 2008 Payday Loan Act, HB 12 which I patroned, enacted strong restrictions on payday loans to eliminate rollover loans and multiple loans that were snowballing people into an inescapable cycle of debt.

This year in Virginia, the number of payday lenders have dropped from 82 to 55 (33%) and lending locations have dropped from 832 to 540 (35%). Actual payday loans in Virginia this year are down 85% from projected levels.

This past General Assembly session, I patroned HB 1709 to require payday lenders to operate under the restrictions passed in 2008. Governor Kaine signed both of these payday regulation bills and these laws are protecting citizens from the practices of predatory lenders.

Smoke-Free Restaurants
At the urging of many citizens, we passed a compromise smoke-free restaurants law. Unless the restaurant is a private club or has a separate room with a separate ventilation system, smoking will be prohibited in that public restaurant. This will significantly improve the air quality in restaurants across Virginia and provide for healthier conditions in our public restaurants.

Energy

I support an “all of the above” strategy that encourages conservation while making full use of solar, nuclear, biofuels, and the exploration and use of offshore sources of natural gas and oil, all of which can develop significant jobs for our area. I co-patroned HB 1633, which would prepare for the possibility of off-shore drilling for natural gas and oil while directing royalties received to alternative energy solutions, cleaning the Chesapeake Bay, and improving our transportation system.

In July, I attended the AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding joint venture ground breaking ceremony for a 330,000 square-foot facility that will manufacture heavy components for future AREVA U.S. EPR™ reactors in the United States and other EPR™ projects around the world. The development of the AREVA Newport News facility represents an investment of more than $360 million and will create approximately 540 skilled manufacturing and salaried jobs in Virginia .