The online newsletter for Senator Scott Surovell. The Dixie Pig was my grandmother's favorite restaurant on U.S. 1 located across from Beacon Mall where a Rite Aid used to stand.
Legislation I supported and secured amendments to during the 2019 General Assembly directed CTB to initiate a data-driven study to develop the I-95 Corridor Plan to identify key problem areas, identify potential solutions and areas for additional review and study including investments in transit. Here is the bill:
Every year, I interview with Cable Reports to preview the General Assembly Session. This year, I did two interviews - one focusing on Fairfax County and the other on Prince William and Stafford Counties. During these interview we were able to cover a wide array topics from the Governor's agenda to items that specifically affect the constituents within my district. I was glad to discuss the coal ash removal bill that was supported by the Governor. We went on to discuss my legislation on predatory lending, the urgency of passing tax conformity, underground utility lines, the tolling situation on I-81 and bi-partisan redistricting.
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 December 3, 2018.
Ending
Gridlock, Seeking Transportation Funds for Our Area
As
traffic congestion continues to plague us, I am intensifying my fight for more transportation
resources in our area.Last week, I
testified before the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) and made the case
for more funds for several critically needed transportation projects: the I-95/Occoquan bottleneck, U.S. 1 widening
and bus rapid transit, U.S. 1 in Dumfries and several other projects.
A few
years ago, we began scoring projects based on objective criteria including
congestion relief, economic development, environmental benefits and safety
improvements. Not surprisingly, U.S. 1 scored relatively high using these
new metrics as compared to projects around the rest of Northern Virginia, a result
that underscores my long-term point that U.S. 1 has been long ignored over the
last few decades.
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, and the Potomac and Stafford Localsin the week of March 12, 2018.
Successes in the State Legislature
Last week brought an end to the regular 2018 session of the General Assembly. Once again, I had some significant successes. The legislature sent 13 of my 61 bills to Governor Northam for his signature. Legislators continued 15 to 2019 for studies and referred several to agencies for administrative consideration.
While several of my budget amendments were included in the Senate budget, including the funding the first staff at brand new Widewater State Park in Stafford, we unfortunately adjourned without adopting a biennial budget due to the Senate Republican Caucus’s refusal to include Medicaid expansion into their budget. Budget discussions have completely stalled out and Governor Northam will call us into special session at some point in the next two months.
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Mt. Vernon Voice, and the Potomac and Stafford Localsin the week of March 4, 2018.
Underground Utilities, Transportation Solutions Get Attention
The second to last week of the General Assembly session brought a conclusion to most committee work in the legislature, passage of several important bills and a fierce wind storm.
On Friday, a powerful wind storm struck Virginia and inflicted millions of dollars in damage to people and property, far more harm than most people anticipated. Many people lost electricity, some for several days. According to Dominion Energy, it was the fifth worst power outage in company history after Hurricanes Isabel, Floyd, Irene and the 2012 Derecho.
The mass destruction reaffirms my view that we need to invest in utility undergrounding immediately. The newer developed parts of Northern Virginia where power lines are underground did not suffer outages and while undergrounding is expensive, the disruption of people’s lives has great value also.
Legislation I supported and secured amendments to during the 2019 General Assembly directed CTB to initiate a data-driven study to develop the I-95 Corridor Plan to identify key problem areas, identify potential solutions and areas for additional review and study including investments in transit. Here is the bill:
