First Full Week
The first full week of session has come and gone. Last week was a whirlwind of meetings and appointments and we are now in full swing.
Small group budget briefings were held to inform House Members about the major issues in this year’s budget. As Vice Chairman of House Appropriations, I sat in on as many of those meetings as possible to help our newest members gain a better understanding of the budget process. The Commonwealth has a shortfall that must be closed and we will do it by crafting a conservative budget that funds our core priorities like education, public safety, and health care along with cutting wasteful spending and not raising taxes.
Making College More Affordable
It’s becoming increasingly difficult to save for and pay for college, with Virginia students now borrowing more than $1 billion every year to pay for school. In his State of the Union Address, President Obama outlined a tax scheme that includes targeting 529 college savings accounts for taxation, which would make it even more difficult to save. I am a copatron of House Bills 1895 and 1897, introduced by Delegate Kirk Cox (R-66th), that makes college more affordable by making it easier for small schools to cut wasteful spending and capping expensive athletic fees, both of which I’m happy to report passed unanimously out of committee this week.
Human Trafficking
While many think of it as an issue in remote parts of the world, human trafficking is a growing problem in Virginia. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, an estimated 100,000 children are trafficked for commercial sex every year and human trafficking is the second fastest growing criminal industry. I will be supporting legislation this year that would give prosecutors additional tools to combat sex trafficking in Virginia. If you are interested in this legislation it is House Bill 1964 by Delegate Tim Hugo (R-40th) and Senate Bill 1188 by Senator Mark Obenshain (R-26th). You may review these and any other bills by accessing the Virginia General Assembly website at http://virginiageneralassembly.gov and putting in the correct bill number.
Veterans
Virginia is home to more than 780,000 veterans. In the 25th House District alone, there are an estimated 18,000 veterans, and there is a critical need for more veterans care centers in Virginia to support them. As Del. Chris Stolle (R-83rd) noted, “Maine has a bed in a veterans care center for every 200 veterans in the state. Virginia has a bed for every 2,000 veterans.”
I am pleased to report that Delegate Kirk Cox (R-66th) introduced House Bills 1275 and 1276 to fund new care centers in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads and both bills advanced from the Appropriations Committee this week. These two new 230-bed centers would not only provide valuable services to veterans in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, but they would also allow the existing centers in Richmond and Salem to better meet the need in those regions.
Status of My Legislation
As Chairman of the House Education Committee, I introduced five pieces of education legislation related to higher education that address several concerns. This legislation will help promote agency coordination related to education, establish uniform policy for undergraduate course credit in public colleges and universities, address terms for the Board of Visitors at the University of Virginia, endorse a statewide plan for higher education, and oppose the federal Postsecondary Institution Ratings System.
HOUSE BILL 1335: Requires the Secretary of Education to consult with the agencies for which he is responsible pursuant to statute and biennially report to the General Assembly on the coordination efforts among such agencies. The bill also requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to designate an employee of the Department of Education to serve as its liaison to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and the State Board for Community Colleges and the Chancellor of Community Colleges to designate an employee of the State Board for Community Colleges to serve as its liaison to the Board of Education.
HOUSE BILL 1336: Requires the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), in consultation with the governing board of each public institution of higher education, to establish a uniform policy for granting undergraduate course credit to entering freshman students who have taken one or more Advanced Placement, Cambridge Advanced (A/AS), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), or International Baccalaureate examinations and repeals the current law under which such governing boards individually implement such policies. The bill requires SCHEV and each public institution of higher education to make the policy available to the public on its website. The bill has a delayed effective date of July 1, 2016.
HOUSE BILL 2290: Requires the board of visitors of the University of Virginia to establish in its bylaws the commencement and expiration dates of the two-year terms of the board's rector and vice-rector. Under current law, such two-year terms are required to commence on July 1 of the year of appointment and expire on June 30 of the year of expiration.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 555: Endorses the framework of mission, vision, goals, and strategies for the statewide strategic plan for higher education developed and approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) as the Commonwealth's vision and plan for higher education and requires SCHEV to report annually for six years on the Commonwealth's progress toward achieving the plan's goals to the Governor, General Assembly, institutions of higher education, and the public.
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 707: Recognizes the quality and value of diversity and innovation in the institutions of higher education in the United States and strongly disagrees with the proposal of the President of the United States to create a federal Postsecondary Institution Ratings System.
Visitors, January 19-23
We have had a “swell” of visitors this week, more than my schedule can sometimes accommodate. Our staff appreciates your patience as we work through the many committee meetings and try to accommodate constituent appointments at the same time.
Some of our visitors this week included Steve Layman of Bridgewater, Stephen Grepps of Verona, as well as Mike Walker and James and Roxana Atwood of Harrisonburg. From Albemarle County, Rev. Allison Liles, Deborah Scott, Deborah Garth, Sandra Wise, Wendy Phillips, Garland Moore and Joyce and Forrest Kerns visited.
Victoria Jones travelled from Crozet to participate in the Certified Public Accountants Advocacy Day. And our bottling company friends came in from back home which included Wayne Davis and Jesse Yowell with Pepsi-Cola and Bo Wilson and Bruce Thompson of Dr. Pepper. Principal Darla Miller was here to represent the Valley Career & Technical Center in Fishersville.
Baker Garber and Janice Gandy came down to discuss the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Free Clinic and Erika Viccellio and Carolyn Engelhard advocated for the Charlottesville Free Clinic. A large contingency from the Valley Associates for Independent Living was led by Gayl Brunk, Director.
As you can tell, with all the other committee meetings and advocates from around the state, we have had a very full week!
Contact Me
As always, my staff and I are here in Richmond to serve you. My full time Legislative Director, Judy Wyatt, who works session as well as in the District, will be handling constituent concerns, legislative issues, and ensuring things run smoothly. During session, James Lawrence is onboard as a legislative assistant to aid me in my Education and Appropriations duties as well as to assist Judy with constituent inquiries and office dutie
Carolyn Musika, our Session Secretary, is the main contact for appointments. This year our intern is Emily Herring, a Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) senior, who has been assigned to our office through the Virginia Capital Semester Program.
I want to hear what you think about the legislation pending before the House, or if there's anything we can do to help you in dealing with a state government agency. While in Richmond, my office can be reached by phone at 804.698.1025 or by email at [email protected].
If you are planning to visit Richmond during Session, I encourage you to call our Secretary to make an appointment. Our office location is on the 9th Floor, Room 947. Our Richmond address is Post Office Box 406, Richmond, Virginia 23218. Please visit my website at www.stevelandes.com for my newest press releases and newsletters.
Thank you again for allowing me to serve as your Delegate.
Sincerely,
Steve Landes
