Now that school is almost out, the internship season begins and we always have a need for interns around the office. Interns with Delegate Scott Surovell can be expected to do the following kinds of activities:
Every year I send out a letter summarizing the General Assembly Session. Most of us call it our Sine Die Letter named after the motion that is made to adjourn sine die at the end of a session. 
As part of Governor McDonnell's efforts to make Virginia the "most veteran friendly state" in the country, the Department of Motor Vehicles is initiating a whole new series of measures for veterans.
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, the Mt. Vernon Voice and Patch in the week of May 14, 2012Movie Star Tax Credits, A Gay Judge and the Session EndsWell, it’s over. The 2012 General Assembly ended on May 15, 2012 at 2:00 a.m. after a 13-hour House of Delegates’ session involving 117 of Governor Bob McDonnell’s amendments and the election of 40 judges. It was a fitting end to a very contentious session.The day was not without controversy. This year, we authorized a bonus and raises for state employees for the first time in five years to be funded with unanticipated revenues. These state employees include state troopers, corrections employees and people who work for the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC), Department of Transportation (VDOT), judges, court clerks, game wardens, and colleges. On a zero to 95 vote, the House of Delegates rejected the Governor’s proposal to allow raises only if employees could find millions of dollars of cuts in 45 days.
Once upon a time, Hollin Hall Senior Center was my elementary school (and my dad's). In 1983, the school closed and it became the Hollin Hall Senior Center. 
This past week, I've received quite a few emails and Facebook messages from people concerned about the future of Woodlawn Stables due to the widening of U.S. 1.
This column below was my weekly column that appeared in the Mount Vernon Gazette and Patch in their April 26, 2012 editions:The New State Budget Misses the Mark
I voted against the final state budget last week because it fails to address our needs and reflects badly-skewed priorities. It was an eventful two days in Richmond.
The Senate budget deadlock centered on new funding to “buy down” tolls on the Dulles Toll Road and in Hampton Roads. Hampton Roads is in revolt right now due to a public-private partnership the Governor negotiated for a new tunnel that could cost Portsmouth drivers $1,000 per year.
Several years ago, the Dulles Toll Road was transferred to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which assumed responsibility for the construction of the Silver Line. Tolls will double next year to over $4.00 per trip. For someone driving five days per week, fifty weeks per year, that totals over $1,000 . The High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes on the Beltway will bring more tolls, plus the Governor has plans to bring HOT lanes from Fredericksburg to I-395.
The 1940 Census has just come out and being a local history geek, I had to go look. My grandparents didn't move to Mount Vernon until Halloween Day, 1941, so it predated their arrival, but it gives a fascinating glimpse of our community poised for the massive growth that arrived 1945-1960.
This column below was my weekly column that appeared in the Mount Vernon Gazette, Mt. Vernon Voice and Patch in their April 5, 2012 editions:Lee and Mount Vernon’s Streams and Rivers Are Polluted, says Virginia DEQ
Last week, I received a report from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding Mount Vernon and Lee’s rivers and streams. The annual assessment reports are disturbing and continue to show our rivers and streams are in poor health.
According to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s analysis of the data, 71% of Virginia’s streams violate state water quality standards along with 94% of all estuaries (tidal parts of Hunting Creek/Cameron Run, Little Hunting Creek, Dogue Creek and the Potomac River). Every embayment and stream monitored in my delegate seat violated state water quality standards.
