Weekly Column: Serving During the Pandemic

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of April 27, 2020.

Serving during the Pandemic

 Last week, the General Assembly returned to Richmond for what was probably one of the most unusual sessions we will ever have.   We convened for one day to consider the Governor’s vetoes of and amendments to the bills and budget we passed earlier in the year.

                The Senate met in the Virginia Science Museum.  The House of Delegates met in a tent on the Virginia State Capitol lawn.  Men did not wear ties because we were told they are germ magnets.  The Senate clerk gave all Senators masks and gloves.  I wore a bandana mask and a bolo made with a Virginia quarter that I bought for the occasion. 

Each Senator sat at tables 10 feet apart in order of seniority which put me in about the middle of the room.  Senator George Barker sat in a plexiglass box due to recent heart surgery.  The clerk provided box lunches and we were prohibited from touching the drink cooler.  We caucused in outdoor tents with chairs scattered six feet apart. The whole day was surreal.

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Weekly Column: Good News & Bad News in Governor's Amendments

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of April 12, 2020.

Good News & Bad News in Governor's Amendments

                On Sunday, Governor Northam signed the remaining bills that were pending for action, proposed 140 amendments to the state budget, and also 101 amendments to bills.   As of today, the plan is for the House of Delegates to meet outdoors and the Senate of Virginia to meet in a tent behind the Virginia Science Museum in Richmond next Wednesday at noon for our “Veto Session.” 

                First, the good news for our area.  The language requiring the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transit to study extending the Blue Line to Lorton, Woodbridge and Potomac Mills is still in the budget.  In addition, the authority and appropriations to fund the Prince William County Public Defender’s Office is still in the budget and cannot be amended further at this point.

Weekly Column: State Legislature Must Make Tough Decisions

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of April 5, 2020.

State Legislature Must Make Tough Decisions

Instead of reporting on the accomplishments of the General Assembly’s 2020 session, in recent weeks I have chosen to provide information about the COVID-19 crisis and its impacts.  The worldwide coronavirus pandemic is likely to change much of what state legislators passed earlier this year.  Many measures are in limbo, especially the state’s budget.  The legislature will reconvene on April 22 to consider budget changes and vetoes that Governor Ralph Northam may propose. 

This week, Governor Northam announced that he is putting all new spending in the state’s new two-year budget on hold.  Therefore, it appears that when we reconvene, we will consider proposed amendments to implement his proposals, pending economic analyses, projections and decisions on how the state can use the $3 billion in federal stimulus dollars.