Weekly Column: Spring Transportation Update

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette and The Mt. Vernon Voice in the week of May 5, 2014.

Spring Transportation Update 

Spring has arrived which means a beginning to the construction season.  Here’s an update regarding transportation improvements in our area. 

U.S. 1 Widening  

Last week, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) started construction to six-lane U.S. 1 from Mt. Vernon Memorial Highway to Telegraph Road and reserve transit right-of-way in the center.  The project will take two years and is funded by the federal government thanks to U.S. Congressman Jim Moran. 

Jeff Todd Way/Mulligan Road Opening 

In September 2014, Jeff Todd Way will open between U.S. 1 (Roy Rogers) and Telegraph Road finally restoring cross-county connectivity between Woodlawn and Hayfield after access through Fort Belvoir was shut down thirteen years ago.  Listen for the loud sigh of relief in 22309 after opening.

2014 DMV Updates: Hybrid Tax, Birth Certificates & Mopeds

July 1 is always an important date for new laws, but here are a few things people should be aware of effective July 1 when it comes to vehicles this year.

Hybrid Tax Repeal
Senator Adam Ebbin and I made repeal of the hybrid tax a priority.  That goes into effect on July 1, 2014 and customers who have pre-paid to register their hybrid vehicles for multiple years will be entitled to a refund for the pre-paid registration years that begin on July 1, 2014 and after.

Individuals whose registration expires prior to July 1, 2014, but who do not renew their registration until after that date, will still owe the $64.  They will also be assessed a $10 late fee, per the Code.

I will post more information regarding the refund process when I have it, but DMV expects to have a refund process ready by July 1, 2014.

2014 Paving Projects in 44th District

Last year, I raised an issue with the Virginia Department of Transportation about the lack of paving projects in the 44th District on some of the lists I was seeing.

This year, VDOT provided me with a map showing all paving projects in our part of the County.  I was glad to see a large increase in the number of projects.  If you have any questions or would like to suggest some roads that are in dire need, feel free to shoot me a note at scottsurovell@gmail.com.

2014 Paving Projects in the 44th District

2014 Repaving Projects in the 44th District

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2014 Paving Project List
Street	Length
Sherwood Hall Ln	1.73
Fort Hunt Rd	1.488
Fort Hunt Rd	2.27
Paul Spring Rd	0.446
Bedford Ln	0.05
Stafford Rd	0.29
Rippon Rd	0.37
Drury Rd	0.12
Boswell Ave	0.304
Hollindale Rd	0.3
Whiteoaks Dr	0.66
Radcliffe Dr/Rollins Dr	0.37
Roanoke Dr	0.13
Duke Dr	0.39
Dartmouth Dr	0.24
Colgate Dr	0.32
Rollins Dr/Westgrove Blvd	0.76
Mary Baldwin Dr	0.35
University Dr/Canterbury Ln	0.25
Canterbury Ln	0.14
Davis St/Oberlin Dr	0.26
Smithway Dr	0.13
Westhampton Dr	0.17
Temple Ct	0.05
Memorial St	0.346
Groveton St	0.367
E Lee Ave	0.195
E Side Dr	0.273
Schelhorn Rd	0.47
Frances Dr	0.436
Elm Dr	0.03
Covertry Rd	0.29
Woodlawn Ln	0.07
Rebecca Dr	0.716
Stone Hedge Dr	0.15
Devonshire Rd	0.31
Glasgow Rd	0.13
Memorial Heights Dr	0.222
Marlan Dr	0.11
Ridgecrest Dr/Park Terrace Dr	1.73
Rita Ct	0.05
Davenport St	0.065
Brentwood Pl	0.087
Daphne Ln	0.08
Bluebill Ln	0.276
Hollindale Ct	0.04
Morningside Ln	0.452
Evening Ln	0.17
Earldale Ct	0.13
Midday Ln	0.61
Daybreak Ct	0.036
Custis St	0.32
Courtland Rd	0.57
Shannon Ct	0.05
Leric Ln	0.05
Lida Ct	0.05
Traies Ct	0.18
Jube Ct	0.09
Shiver Dr	0.66
Mason Hill Dr	0.84
Windmill Ln	0.08
Kimbro St	0.17
Maid Marian Ct	0.07
Saville Ct	0.05
Cheshire Ln	0.09
Delafield Pl	0.13

Media Coverage on U.S. 1 Widening Groundbreaking

WUSA with Peggy Fox

WRC with Megan McGrath

WJLA with John Gonzalez

Weekly Column: Special Session Begins Work on State Budget

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette and The Mt. Vernon Voice in the week of April 2, 2014.

Special Session Begins Work on State Budget
Last week, we returned to Richmond for the first day of our special session to finalize Virginia’s two-year, $90 billion budget.

Governor Terry McAuliffe proposed amendments to the budget originally introduced. The major change was for Virginia to expand its Medicaid program to all adults earning less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level with the cost reimbursed by the federal government for the next three years and phased down to 90 percent of the cost by the year 2020 pursuant to the Federal Affordable Care Act.

Shifting this cost to the federal government frees up at least $225 million of Virginia taxpayer money to fund other programs this budget cycle. Governor McAuliffe proposes to use those savings to provide $100 million for a “rainy day fund” to cover potential future Medicaid expenditures as requested by Republican Senators. He also budgets $76 million to shore up the Virginia Retirement System because the General Assembly borrowed money to balance the budget back in 2010-2011.

Medicaid: The Actual Consequences of Obstruction

There's been a lot of talk about Richmond about alleged Medicaid fraud, the Federal deficit, and many other excuses for inaction on Virginia's stingiest-in-the-United States Medicaid system that have been around for about the last 20 years.

Back in January, The Health Affairs Blog posted an interesting analysis of the real consequences of failing to expand Medicaid on a state-by-state basis.

The Health Affairs Blog: Opting Out of Medicaid Expansion: The Health and Financial Impacts (Jan. 30, 2014)

The blog uses the Kaiser Family Foundation's Status of State Action on the Medicaid Expansion Decision updated on November 22, 2013 as compared with the 2013 U.S. Census Estimates.

Here are their conclusions for the Commonwealth of Virginia for a twelve-month period:

• 26,656 - Estimated Number of Individuals Suffering Depression (Lack of Antidepressants)
• 15,819 - Estimated Number of Individuals Not Utilizing Diabetes Medications
• 9,166 - Estimated Number of Women Foregoing Cancer Screening (Mammograms) 
• 17,788 - Estimated Number of Women Foregoing Cancer Screening (Pap Smears)
• 8,165 - Estimated Number of People with Catastrophic Medical Expenses 
• 266 to 987 - Estimated Number of Deaths 

You can see the full chart below.

Weekly Column: Closing the Healthcare Coverage Gap Saves Virginia Taxpayers

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette and The Mt. Vernon Voice in the week of March 25, 2014.

Closing the Healthcare Coverage Gap Saves Virginia Taxpayers

As the General Assembly attempts to complete work in Richmond on the $90 billion state budget, the  looming obstacle to an agreement is how to close the health insurance gap or cover uninsured Virginians.

There are an estimated one million uninsured adults in Virginia today or about one in every eight Virginians. The federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) is designed to provide coverage in three ways: (1) require large employers to provide health insurance; (2) create a  healthcare exchange to give uninsured adults bargaining power to purchase insurance in a pool at competitive rates, with subsidies for lower-income adults; and (3)  expand Medicaid eligibility for all adults whose incomes are 133% of the federal poverty level (FPL) or lower. Under this approach, people would be eligible if their income ranges from around $16,000 for an individual to $32,000 for a family of four.

Puller-Surovell Healthcare Town Hall

Today, State Senator Toddy Puller and I held a town hall meeting regarding proposals to close the uninsured healthcare gap in Virginia with Virginia Secretary of Health William Hazel.  About forty Mt. Vernon residents showed up to learn about closing the gap and ask questions.

Here are some bottom lines:

• Closing the Gap Would Save VA Taxpayers Hundreds of Millions
• Would Free Up General Fund Money for Other Purposes
• Would Provide Last Uninsured with Dignity of Health Insurance
• Will Create 30,000 Virginia Jobs
• Will Bring VA Federal Tax Dollars Back to Virginia and Stop VA Subsidizing Other States
• Will Control Exploding Private Medical Insurance Costs
• Is Supported by:
  
           –  Health Care Industry–  Virginia Chamber of Commerce–  Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce–  Senate of Virginia–  Governor Terry McAuliffe
• Is Opposed by:
  
           –  Virginia House Republican Caucus

You can see the presentation we gave below.

Weekly Column: U.S. 1 Version 2.0: Second Public Hearing Next Week!

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette and The Mt. Vernon Voice in the week of March 18, 2014.

U.S. 1 Version 2.0: Second Public Hearing Next Week!

On Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 6:00 p.m., the second public hearing regarding the U.S. 1 Multimodal Transit Alternative Analysis Study will take place at the South County Government Center.

The study was funded by a $2 million budget amendment secured by Senator Toddy Puller and I last session and is being administered by Virginia’s Department of Rail and Public Transit.  It is probably the most important study for the future of our area to ever take place. 

The purpose of the study is to consider all factors clearly define the key transportation needs for our community, consider a range of multimodal transportation solutions to address the needs, and arrive at a recommended program of transportation improvements and accompanying land uses to lay the groundwork for development in our area through the year 2035. 

The Digital Divide and Standards of Learning

This past weekend, my wife and I were discussing our third grader's first academic right of passage - taking her first Standards of Learning or SOL test.

She was struggling with her math, so we had her practice with an online program called SOL Pass.

SOL Pass advertises itself as "Virginia's Leader in SOL Science and Social Studies Practice and Review for Elementary and Middle School."  It is a nice resource, but it also got me thinking again about The Digital Divide which I have written about in other articles on this blog:

The Dixie Pig: Leveling the Digital Divide in Virginia's Schools (Dec. 3, 2013)

The Dixie Pig: Monday Public Meetings on Digital Divide at West Potomac (May 18, 2013)

Many children in the 44th District do not have parents who are sophisticated enough to know whether their children are struggling on SOL material or to understand it themselves.  Even if they do understand, many of the children in the 44th District do not have computers or broadband in their homes that are capable of accessing SOL Pass.

When I think about why every elementary school on the west side of U.S. 1, Bucknell Elementary, and Mount Vernon High School struggle to maintain their academic accreditation with the state, these issues should be front and center.

My children have the opportunity to practice and test for their SOL tests that many children in the 44th District cannot even attempt to access because they do not have the equipment of broadband connections.

I will be unveiling a project to begin to address in this in the 44th District very soon.  But we must also address this at the statewide level.  Closing The Digital Divide must also be at the forefront of education reform in Virginia.

44th District 2014 Paving Requests

After analyzing the results of my 2014 Constituent Survey, I have submitted all of my constituent paving requests to the Virginia Department of Transportation.

The big winners were Fort Hunt Road, U.S. 1, Old Mill, and Sherwood Hall Lane.  You can read the full list below.

44th District VDOT Paving Requests

Weekly Column: The Top 20 Reasons the 2014 Session Mattered for the 44th District

The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette and The Mt. Vernon Voice in the week of March 11, 2014.

The Top 20 Reasons the 2014 Session Mattered for the 44th District

The 2014 General Assembly session has adjourned and now moves into a special session to finish the budget.

Notwithstanding many disputes, it has been a surprisingly productive session. The legislature passed twelve of my bills in some form and four of my budget amendments. The budget amendments are now part of ongoing budget negotiations.

Below are the top 20 reasons why this session was important for people of the 44^th District. Even though some good bills were defeated, debating them has value and it moves us closer to solutions long-term.

(1)                Ethics Reforms. We passed a $250 cap on tangible gifts, all gift disclosures will be online, gifts to family members must be reported and tangible gifts during litigation with the state are banned. The legislature also passed my bill banning gifts and political contributions during Governor’s Opportunity Fund grant negotiations . We should have gone much farther and I will continue to work to strengthen ethics laws.

(2)                Standards of Learning (SOL) Reform. The number of SOL tests in grades 3-8 will be reduced and we created a new committee to recommend additional reforms.