I am very pleased to present my 2012 legislative agenda.  Below is a summary of just a few of my bills. A full list can be found by clicking here.

HB 423 – Best Practices for HOA Declarations. When I was growing up in Fairfax, HOAs were the exception. Today, almost all new development is governed by an HOA. Because HOAs serve in a quasi-governmental capacity, it is very important that the documents establishing the HOA (usually put together by the developer) are fair and consistent. However, there is no standard to ensure that this is the case. This bill directs the state board responsible for HOAs to identify best practices and to develop a model declaration.

HB 429 – Protection from Fraudulent Billing. Have you ever been “crammed?” Even if you didn’t notice, that doesn’t mean you haven’t been a victim. Cramming is the practice of placing misleading or deceptive charges on your telephone bill without authorization. Often, these are small charges with generic names in the hope that they won’t be noticed. This legislation gives customers the right to permanently block these charges and requires that customers be given notice of this option.

HB 426 – Strengthening Regional Cooperation. There are very few issues in Northern Virginia that respect local government boundaries. Although we have a regional planning organization, Northern Virginia is the only region in the state that is not required to put together a regional strategic plan. This bill removes that exemption. While the bill doesn’t mandate what must be in the plan, it does set up a process for our local governments to think about how to better work together on common interests and concerns.

HB 427 – Transportation Maintenance Funding. This is a bill I’ve been working on for a number of years that makes the distribution of transportation maintenance funds more fair and transparent. The bill requires the Commonwealth Transportation Board to consider asset management standards and sound engineering practices when deciding how to distribute funding. As Virginians, we should all enjoy the same standard of maintenance for our roads.

HB 1158 – Water Supply Planning. After the last state-wide drought, Virginia required each locality or region to develop a water supply plan to ensure that there would be adequate water to meet anticipated long-term demand. However, State Code doesn’t require these plans to be considered when permitting a major water withdrawal. This bill simply requires the State Water Control Board to consider these plans, which represent an investment of millions of dollars, when making decisions.

HB 424 and HB 1164 -Education and Transportation Efficiency. These bills are based on recommendations from the Virginia Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review. HB 424 allows our schools to self authenticate records using an affidavit when the records have been requested by a local court. Currently, a school official must take time away from work to present the records in person. No other state or local government agency is required to do this. The goal of HB 1164 is to reduce the bureaucracy associated with VDOT’s review of strictly local roads. Even minor projects must now go through review at the district level and the Richmond level – even though the criteria are identical. HB 1164 directs the Secretary of Transportation to review the process and empower regional managers to make decisions when possible.

HB 1201 – Jury Duty for Overseas Military and Foreign Service Officers. Jury duty is a matter of civic pride. However, Virginia recognizes unique circumstances that make serving difficult. For example, firefighters and police are exempt given the nature of their professions. It came to my attention that Virginia does not provide an exemption for active duty military or the diplomatic corps when they are overseas. While almost any court would provide a deferral of jury duty, it is often very difficult for these individuals to respond in a timely manner – potentially placing them at risk of being in contempt of court. This bill gives these individuals the ability to self-exempt for the time that they are out of the country.

If you would like to receive updates on these and other issues before the General Assembly, please sign up for my Focus on Fairfax newsletter.

Greetings from the 2012 session of the Virginia General Assembly!  One of my goals is to make it as easy as possible for you to participate in the decision-making process in Richmond, where we will literally consider thousands of bills during the next two months.  Please make sure that your voice is heard by completing my 2012 Constituent Survey.

In addition, please save the date for my Town Hall meetings coming up on February 4th. These are a great opportunity to hear about what is going on in Richmond and to ask questions about issues that are important to you. This year I will have two meetings. The first will be at Fairfax City Hall with Senator Chap Petersen from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and the second will be at the Fairfax County Government Center with Senator Dave Marsden from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m.  I hope you will be able to join me.

Thank you for your faith and confidence in me and for giving me the opportunity to serve our community in the Virginia House of Deletates for another term.  I’m looking forward to spending some quality time with Gretchen and the kids and then preparing for what is likely to be a challenging session of the General Assembly.  We have a wonderful quality of life here in Fairfax and we owe it to future generations to make the investments we need for an even brighter future.  If you have ideas for potential legislation, please send them my way before the next legislative session begins in January.  I am proud that much of my legislation comes from constituents.

You can stay up-to-date on the latest in Richmond by checking my website www.davidbulova.com or follow me on www.facebook.com/DelegateDavidBulova.  It is an honor to serve you in the House of Delegates.

Continuing a tradition started when I was first elected, this Saturday I will hold the first in a series of informal office hours where constituents are invited to talk about issues of interest and to ask questions about legislation affecting our community.  The format is casual and no appointment is needed.  Because of redistricting, I am including a new location at the Jireh Café in Centreville in addition to my usual place at Main Street Bagel.  Both events will take place from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.  Coffee is on me!

• September 17^th at Main Street Bagel, 10268 Main Street, City of Fairfax
• September 24^th at Jireh Bakery and Café, 13848 Lee Highway, Centreville

Additional informal office hours will be scheduled for November and December.  I am also happy to arrange individual appointments on specific issues or concerns.

With Hurricane Irene currently making its way up the coast, Virginia is now in the process of making emergency preparations.  Please take time to make sure your home and family are prepared.  According to the latest information from the National Weather Service, Virginia could have damaging winds and flooding beginning on Saturday with rainfall ranges from 6 to 12 inches in our area.  Those of you who remember Hurricane Isabel can attest that it is important to plan to be self-sustaining for at least three days.  This includes food that doesn’t need to be refrigerated and at least one gallon of water per person per day.  Have a battery-powered and/or hand crank radio and extra batteries in case the power goes out so that you can hear weather information and instructions from emergency officials.  If you don’t already have a family emergency plan, visit www.ReadyVirginia.gov for a great template. 

Additional information and tips can be found at the Fairfax County Hurricane Preparedness website and at the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.   To report power outages you may call Dominion Power at 1-866-366-4357 or the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative at 1-888-335-0500.

Finally, don’t forget that we are all in this together.  Take the time to check on neighbors both before and after the storm.  Be safe and be prepared.