Weekly Column: Over $210 Million in New Funds Coming to the 36th District

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, The Mt. Vernon Voice and The Potomac-Stafford Local in the week of March 14, 2016.

Over $210 Million in New Funds Coming to the 36th District

The last week of the 2016 General Assembly session brought a flurry of activity on some of our most difficult bills, along with approval of a state budget.   

In this column, I will detail highlights in the final budget affecting our area.  Next week, I will report on other important budget items.  In the near future, I will cover some of the more important legislation that we considered and the fight over the state Supreme Court.  I will also let you know about my eight bills the Governor has signed or are awaiting his signature.  

The legislature approved a final budget, including two of my amendments.  First, I advocated for an additional $100,000 to fund the Virginia Star Program which provides refurbished computers to low-income, public school students.  Prince William County’s public schools are using this program extensively in the U.S. 1 corridor.  The final budget includes my complete request.

Weekly Column: Bills Becoming Law As Session Ends

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, The Mt. Vernon Voice and The Potomac-Stafford Local in the week of March 5, 2016.

Bills Becoming Law as Session Ends

The eighth week of the General Assembly session brought a few vetoes and heated debates as the most contentious bills of the session moved toward final passage.

Eight of my bills have either been signed into law, passed by both houses or are on Governor Terry McAuliffe’s desk awaiting signature.  My legislation to revive the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) cleared a final hurdle.  FOIA applies to all state and local agencies, from the governor to local  school boards and is how citizens can ensure their government is operating openly and fairly.  

Last year, the Supreme Court of Virginia held that government agencies rarely have a duty to redact documents if the documents contain even the smallest amount of information that is exempt from FOIA and that agencies can withhold entire documents.  The court also held that government officials’ decisions to withhold documents should receive “great weight” during court reviews.  

Voter ID Disenfranchises

Tonight, I received the following email from a former 44th District constituent.

Tonight at Paul Springs a women was turned away because her Virginia drivers license was expired.  I approached the poll worker who told me the law is the license can't be more than 12 months expired. The poll worker pointed out a sheet with the rules in Virginia. I was furious, I asked if the women could be given a provisional ballot and the poll worker said not in a primary. She apologized and said she wished things were different . I just wonder how many other people were turned away today.

Voter identification rules disenfranchise voters.  If one person was turned away at every precinct in Virginia, it would negate over 5,000 votes. 

Weekly Column: The Senate Budget Emerges

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, The Mt. Vernon Voice and The Potomac-Stafford Local in the week of February 16, 2016.

The Senate Budget Emerges

This week, the seventh of this session of the Virginia General Assembly, both the Senate and House of Delegates are considering the state’s two-year budget. After each house passes a budget, a joint conference committee resolves the differences. The Senate budget has good news and bad news.

 

Good News

Revenues have increased more than expenses for the first time in seven years, offering opportunities to address unmet needs.  The Senate Budget makes significant investments in education including an additional $80 million for Fairfax County, $32 million for Prince William County and $22 million for Stafford County over last year’s appropriations including $16 million for a program called “Cost to Compete” which is supplemental funding for high-cost areas like Northern Virginia to pay teachers and support staff.  The plan also includes a two-percent salary increase for all elementary-secondary school teachers.  

Supervisor Dan Storck 2016 Town Hall Report

Today, I attended Supervisor Dan Storck's Town Hall which is the 29th we've had in Mt. Vernon.  The town hall is always the best place to find out what's going on in Mt. Vernon and what's coming in the next twelve months.

Fairfax County

First, we heard from Board Chairman Sharon Bulova.  Chairman Bulova said that schools were the County's top priority.  She talked about the County's attempting to prioritize shifting to diversion for mental health crises instead of jail. 

Next, we heard from Ed Long. 

• County tax revenue has started to grow again albeit not at our historical rates due to lagging job growth.
• Strong schools are the County's top priority
• Recommended a $0.04 advertised tax rate although did not explain why given that was $68 million short of FCPS' request. 

LAST DAY for In Person Absentee Voting

Today is the last day for in-person absentee voting for the Democratic and Republican Presidential Primaries.

You can vote at one of eight locations in Fairfax, five in Prince William and one in Stafford.  Click below for the locations.

Fairfax County In Person Absentee Voting Information

Prince William County In Person Absentee Voting Information
Stafford County In Person Absentee Voting Information

Make sure you vote and your voice is heard!

Fully Fund Fairfax County's Schools and Advertise a Dime

Next week, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors takes an important vote which will determine whether the community is allowed to engage in a debate to fully fund our schools or not.  Hopefully, they will vote to allow a discussion. 

 

My father attended Mt. Vernon High School.  I went to the same elementary school as my father and graduated from West Potomac High School.  All four of my children attend the same schools I did and will continue to do so over the coming decade.

 

As a parent and your State Senator, I have been disturbed by the proliferation of trailers, teachers resigning to take higher salaries elsewhere, Fairfax County Public Schools' (FCPS) unprecedented faculty vacancy rate, and other systems that offer superior technology and services to children's education due to lagging funding from both the State and Fairfax County. 

 

In the seven years I have served in the General Assembly of Virginia, the Commonwealth has increased funding to FCPS by over $200 million per year or 48%. Here are the numbers:

 

 

Weekly Column: Week #6: Electronic Textbooks, Sunshine and Other Bills Moves

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, The Mt. Vernon Voice and The Potomac-Stafford Local in the week of February 16, 2016.

Week #6: Electronic Textbooks, Sunshine and Other Bills Moves

As we pass the mid-point of this General Assembly session, many bills are moving. 

After a 30-minute debate, the Senate approved my bill prohibiting the use of electronic textbooks in public schools without a plan to provide school broadband and digital devices to every student required to use an electronic textbook.  Virginia’s constitution requires that every child receive a free textbook.  

On the floor, I argued that without home computers, electronic textbooks create a two-tiered education system for the haves and the have-nots.  Senators Adam Ebbin and George Barker joined me in stressing that even Northern Virginia’s schools have significant low-income student populations who face  disadvantages in the classroom without their own devices.  The bill now moves to the House of Delegates.

Weekly Column: Week #5: Regional Gas Tax, Digital Divide, and Identity Protection

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, The Mt. Vernon Voice and The Potomac-Stafford Local in the week of February 16, 2016.

Week #5: Regional Gas Tax, Digital Divide, and Identity Protection

The fifth week of the General Assembly Session brought some long days and nights as we rushed to complete work on bills before our mid-session deadline called “Crossover.”

First the Senate passed legislation to plug a hole in the Northern Virginia 2.1% regional gas tax that is used to fund transit.  This legislation was the top priority for Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford Counties.  It now goes on to an uncertain future in the House of Delegates, but without the legislation, localities will be under even more pressure to raise real estate taxes if we expect to maintain the same level of transit service. 

Eleven of my bills have passed the full Senate with two more still waiting for final passage.  One bill involved improving the fairness of protective order proceedings and another ensured that Virginians can enforce subpoenae in civil and criminal cases in Virginia due to a recent Supreme Court of Virginia opinion.

Embark Richmond Highway Embarks!

There are exciting things afoot on U.S. 1 in Fairfax County.  The condition of U.S. 1 is tied to everything in our community - property values, schools, environment, and quality of life.  When I was elected in 2009, I promised voters that my number one priority would be facilitating the redevelopment and revitalization of the U.S. 1 Corridor. 

After consulting with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), we determined that the first step was to develop a coherent consensus view of transit and land use in the corridor.  In 2011, Senator Toddy Puller and I pushed through SJ292 which commissioned the Route 1 Multimodal Alternatives Analysis and Senator Puller and I secured $2 million to fund the study working with Governor Robert McDonnell and Secretary of Transportation Sean CoNnaughton. 

The study wrapped up last year and included collaboration from myself, Senators Toddy Puller and Adam Ebbin, Delegates Mark Sickles and Dave Albo, and Supervisors Gerry Hyland and Jeff McKay.  The final report is 500 pages long and you can read it here:

Route 1 Multimodal Alternative Analysis Final Report

The study recommended a four phase approach to construct:

• Sidewalks down the entire 14-mile length of U.S. 1 and a multi-use path for pedestrian and cycling.
• Widening U.S. 1 to six lanes its entire length.
• Constructing a median-dedicated bus rapid transit system from the Huntington Metro to the Woodbridge Virginia Railway Express Station.
• Extend the Yellow Line from Huntington Metro to Beacon Hill and Hybla Valley. 

This was endorsed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors last year.  Making this a reality will require long-term hard work and collaboration between the Federal, State and Local governments and all of Mt. Vernon and Lee District's elected officials.   

VDOT's Response on January 20 Storm Preparation

On January 20, 2016 (before the major storm), a small storm brought Northern Virginia's evening rush hour to a halt.  I received a series of emails from constituents stuck on U.S. 1 whose 30 minutes commutes turned into three hours.

Below is correspondence I wrote to VDOT and VDOT's response.  Please let me know if you have any feedback!

Surovell-Cuervo Correspondence Regarding January 2016 Weather

Weekly Column: Week #4: Coal Ash Bill Fails, Other Bills Move Forward

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, The Mt. Vernon Voice and The Potomac-Stafford Local in the week of February 2, 2016.

Week #4: Coal Ash Bill Fails, Other Bills Move Forward

As we move towards the midpoint of the General Assembly Session called “Crossover,” we are required to finish work on all bills in our respective chambers.  Things are picking up in Richmond.

First, I am on track to pass about a dozen bills out of the Senate and several bills were passed by the Senate.  First, my legislation to raise Virginia’s threshold between misdemeanors and felonies from $200 to $500 was incorporated into a Republican senator’s bill and passed 26-14 with wide bipartisan support including the support of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys.