I have in the past used this final Legislative Report to walk through provisions of the final budget which is traditionally available on the Thursday prior to adjournment of the General Assembly. This year there is, as yet, no budget to review. Transportation funding appears to be the roadblock to final budget decisions and both are dependent on each other. The House and the Senate continue to enter the argument from different directions. The session is scheduled to end February 24 th and I am optimistic we will meet that deadline, but probably not without a rush of controversial activity in the concluding hours.

It is worth looking back on some of the accomplishments of this session, along with some of the disappointments. As our population ages, I am pleased that Virginia is heightening its attention to issues of concern to seniors. This year we expanded long term care service requirements to include transportation and housing and to strengthen interagency accountability for long term care services. We also instructed the Director of Medical Assistance Services to develop and initiate a Quality Improvement Program for certified nursing facilities. Security and safety are growing concerns for aging individuals and the General Assembly created a Senior Alert Process based on the successful Amber Alert Program and required a process for residents of nursing homes to be educated about access to Virginia’s sex offender registry. I am also pleased that my initiative to provide retired teachers with an increase in their health insurance credit is poised to pass. The health insurance credit serves as a buffer to rising prescription costs.

At the other end of the spectrum, the General Assembly is poised to restrict the cellphone use of teenage drivers. This “Hang Up & Drive” law would prohibit youth under 17 years of age from talking, sending text messages or taking pictures with a cellphone while driving on a Virginia road. The measure joins Maryland, the District of Columbia along with 11 other states in banning cellphone use for inexperienced drivers.

This year I received more correspondence on several animal issues than I have received on any other issue in my entire tenure in the House of Delegates. One of the bills that generated great interest will provide significant relief and improvement to emergency response by requiring the state to add the rescue needs of companion and agricultural animals in Disaster Preparedness Plans. We learned through the tragic example of Hurricane Katrina that people should not be forced to abandon animals and pets when evacuating during an emergency or disaster. I believe strongly that this is an important public health, public safety and social service commitment the state owes to its citizens.

I also received a great deal of correspondence about gun rights and gun safety. My legislative record reflects my support for 2nd amendment rights, but this year I was stopped short by a couple of proposals. I opposed a bill that would have allowed judges to carry a concealed weapon without having to obtain a permit. A judge is no more beyond the strictures of law than any person who may encounter angry or vengeful citizens. If a judge wishes to carry a concealed weapon, it means submitting to the same process and training required of all permit holders. I also opposed a bill that would have erased the authority of a university Board of Regents to restrict guns on campus. This bill generated a lot of heat, but in the end I had to side with the majority on the committee who agreed that dormitories filled with teenagers presents a unique situation on a campus that should remain under the auspices of university governance.

In what for me was a distressing display of partisan maneuvering, the bill to raise the minimum wage was diverted to a committee that will not meet again during this session. Those opposed to the bill recognized that voting against the bill would be seen by citizens as a vote against working Virginians, and so rather than honestly addressing the issue they chose a backdoor approach of redirecting the measure without actually facing the responsibility of a vote up or down. For me it is one of the more disrespectful ways of retreating from legislative action.

The session is on the road to the final gavel and it’s a hurry up and wait time as we consider last minute compromises and final funding decisions. I will be returning to my district office and if you have questions and concerns you may reach me through any of the following contact addresses.