Issues

 
As your voice in the Virginia House of Delegates, I believe it is important for you to know where I stand on the issues affecting our community.  Even more, I believe that action speaks louder than words.  Please see below for my priorities and the legislation that I have introduced or supported to turn these priorities into reality.

Fiscal Responsibility

The General Assembly has an obligation to use your tax dollars wisely and efficiently.  Virginia has a AAA bond rating because of our reputation for fiscal responsibility.  In these economically challenging times, it is critical for Virginia to continue this tradition.  I am proud that Virginia’s Constitution requires a balanced budget and that the General Assembly has worked together in a bi-partisan manner to make necessary cuts in a fiscally responsible manner. 

As a member of the House of Delegates, I have supported several initiatives to streamline the delivery of services and spearheaded successful legislation (HB 208) that eliminated a half-dozen outdated or redundant school reporting requirements to ensure that funding goes where it belongs — in our classrooms.

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Transportation

Traffic congestion threatens our economy and our quality of life.  As the parent of three children, I know the frustration of being late for that important recital or evening sports practice.  The last time that transportation was substantively addressed in Virginia was 1986 – over 20 years ago.  That is a real tragedy.  I have consistently supported common-sense measures to provide much needed transportation funding for the Northern Virginia region.  At the same time, I have opposed efforts to simply “rearrange the deck chairs” by taking general fund money from education, human services, and other core services.

In addition to new construction, we must adequately maintain our existing infrastructure.  The current funding formula not only under-funds maintenance, it is also unfair to Northern Virginia.  I have been at the forefront of efforts to change the formula and have introduced legislation to tie distribution of funds to actual asset management standards (HBs 389, 6011, and 1993).  This past session I served as chief co-patron of transportation funding legislation (HB1491) with Delegate Dave Albo.  Getting our fair share will continue to be one of my top priorities.

Additional priorities include:

1. Increase our investment in transportation technology, including telework, “smart highways,” and better synchronization of our traffic lights.
2. Help get people out of their cars by making strategic investments in bike paths and walking trails.
3. Continue to expand transit options and adequately fund the Virginia Railway Express and Metro.
4. Enact a constitutional amendment to create a transportation trust fund “lock box” that will ensure revenue dedicated to transportation is not diverted for other purposes. 

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Education

As the proud parent of two children who attend Fairfax County Public Schools, I know first hand the importance of quality public education.  This year, the Virginia Education Association gave me the “Solid as a Rock for Public Education Award” for my efforts on the House Education Committee.  In 2010, I was proud to be part of a coalition of Northern Virginia legislators that defeated an attempt to change the funding formula that would have cost Fairfax County and the City of Fairfax over $61 million.

As your delegate, my priorities include:

1. Keep class size low in order to maximize the ability of teachers to provide individualized attention to students.
2. Retain and recruit highly qualified teachers and support staff.
3. Provide students with modern educational facilities that maximize the use of technology.
4. Promote parental involvement in our schools as a key component to learning.
5. Continually look for opportunities to streamline operations and assess the effectiveness of existing programs.
6. Revise the State’s Composite Index so that our schools get a fair share of funding.  Fairfax County currently received only 26% of its base-funding from the State, while the City of Fairfax only receives 20%.
7. Continue to pursue waivers to the federal No Child Left Behind Act and explore whether Virginia should leave the program altogether.  Virginia’s existing Standards of Learning do a better job of providing accountability and directing resources to schools that need additional help.

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Energy

Whether you are concerned about the impacts of climate change or the threat to national security posed by our dependence on foreign energy sources, sustainable energy is one of our nation’s greatest challenges.  This year, I introduced successful legislation that will position Virginia to be a leader in the area of electric plug-in vehicles by eliminating regulatory hurdles that would stifle entrepreneurialism (HB 2105).  In 2009, I also successfully passed HB 1994 to increase Virginia’s renewable energy goal to 15% by the year 2025.  This legislation, and others like it, will protect consumers in the long-run from volatile energy prices caused by our reliance on fossil fuels.

I will continue to work hard to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels while keeping energy affordable.  My priorities include:

1. Invest in clean, renewable sources of energy.  Virginia has enormous potential to be a leader in renewable energy.  This is good for the environment and our economy.  I support: harnessing our tremendous off-shore wind resources; providing incentives for the production of biofuels that do not compete with our food supply; increasing our investment in research at our universities; and, other innovative approaches, such as harvesting methane from landfills and agricultural operations.
2. Empower residents to conserve energy.  This is win-win for the environment and the consumer.  I support: expanding smart meters so that consumers have better information about their energy consumption; exploring public-private partnerships to retrofit existing buildings; assisting low income families with weatherization; and, providing tax incentives to encourage investment in solar and wind power.
3. Encourage more efficient cars and reduce our reliance on the automobile.  Automobiles account for more than a third of our greenhouse gas emissions.  Nationally, we must continue to increase fuel efficiency standards.  Here in Virginia, we need to encourage land use patterns that promote walking and biking and take advantage of public transit.

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Environment

Virginia is blessed with an abundance of natural resources.  As an environmental planner by profession, I consider it a special responsibility to fight for the environment in the General Assembly.  I am proud to have been designated as a Legislative “Hero” or “Leader” by the Virginia League of Conservation Voters for the past six years.

As your delegate, I have successfully spearheaded legislation to:

1. require the leak-plagues Pickett Road Tank Farm in the City of Fairfax to bring their above ground storage tanks into conformance with modern industry standards (HB 2103);
2. strengthen solid waste planning in Virginia (HB 421);
3. better protect our Potomac River water supply during drought conditions (HB 2487); and,
4. increase the penalties that local governments can use against developers that violate our water quality regulations (HB 392).

I also successfully fought for new legislation to help local governments in Northern Virginia preserve mature trees during development (HB 1437).  Mature trees not only increase property values and beautify our neighborhoods, they also help to clean the air.  In recognition of this achievement, I was proud to accept the 2008 Fairfax County Friends of Trees Award.

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Health Care/Mental Health

The cost of health care in Virginia is increasing far more rapidly than the pace of inflation – making it difficult for families to afford adequate health insurance.  Today, about 15% of Virginians are uninsured.  Not only does this mean that many residents are not receiving preventive health care, it also means that our emergency rooms are frequently being used as a primary health care source.  These costs are then passed on to rate payers, making insurance even more expensive.  

As a member of the General Assembly’s Joint Commission on Health Care, I have worked closely with Secretary of Health and Human Resources Bill Hazel on a wide range of health care and mental health issues.  My priorities include:

1. Mental health reform.  In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, the General Assembly made important reforms to our mental health laws and increased the resources available to courts and case managers.  We need to continue to refine these reforms and ensure that funding is not cut to these critical services.
2. Autism spectrum disorder.  I co-patroned the successful effort to require health insurers to provide coverage for the diagnosis and treatment of autism spectrum disorder.  The benefits of early intervention are enormous, not only to the child, but also in terms of the long-term cost savings to the state.  No family should be put in the position of having to decide if they can afford appropriate treatment.
3. Smoking in restaurants ban.  As a member of the General Laws Committee, I helped to pass the landmark legislation in 2009 that protects both the health of customers and workers by significantly limiting smoking in restaurants.

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Public Safety

We enjoy one of the lowest crime rates of any major metropolitan area in the nation.  Let’s keep it that way!  I am proud to support those who protect us every day – our police, firefighters, and emergency personnel.  In 2010 I was named the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters “Legislator of the Year.”

I have been pleased to support or co-patron several efforts to strengthen Virginia’s public safety laws. Some of these efforts included:

1. Strengthening the ability of our law enforcement agencies to combat child exploitation and human trafficking (HB2393)
2. Protecting our children from sex offenders by requiring offenders to register their email addresses and/or screen names (HB 2749) and by creating mandatory-minimum sentences for the production and distribution of child pornography (HB 2755).
3. Prohibiting the dangerous practice of text messaging while driving (HB 1876).
4. Increasing penalties for violating laws against residential overcrowding. Unfortunately, existing penalties were too low and often ignored. I co-patroned a measure (HB 2261) that more than doubled penalties for overcrowding and made it a new violation every 10 days that a problem is not fixed.

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Supporting Our Veterans

As the son and grandson of veterans, I am thankful for the sacrifices our veterans make to protect our freedoms.  I have been proud to support Virginia’s Wounded Warriors Program as both a member of the House of Delegates and as a Board Member of Brain Injury Services, Inc.  This session I had the honor to serve as chief co-patron of successful legislation (HB 1691) designed to help veterans who have fallen on tough times.  Based on successful programs in New York and Pennsylvania, the legislation allows local courts to establish special dockets for veterans and active military service members who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury and run into trouble with the law.  According to a 2008 RAND Corporation study, nearly 20 percent of our service men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.  Many more suffer from traumatic brain injury – both diagnosed and undiagnosed.  Fewer than half of these individuals actually seek treatment for PTSD or depression.  Unfortunately, while trying to recover, some of these veterans fall into drug and alcohol abuse or commit minor crimes and end up in the criminal justice system.  It is during these trying times that our veterans need our assistance the most.  The premise behind HB 1691 is to provide alternatives to incarceration when possible and to ensure that judges are aware of the rehabilitative programs offered by state and federal agencies as well as local veterans organizations.  I was proud to work with the Joint Leadership Council of Veterans Service Organizations, which represents over two dozen veteran service organizations in Virginia, on this effort.

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Identity Theft

As our community relies more and more on electronically stored data, the opportunity for personal information to reach the wrong hands also increases.  Identity theft can have a devastating impact on both individuals and families, and Virginia must vigorously pursue and prosecute anyone who steals or misuses personal information.

That is why I worked with the Secretary of Technology to introduce HB 390 the “Compromised Data Disclosure Act” during the 2008 General Assembly Session.  My bill was ultimately rolled into HB 1469, which was signed by the Governor.  As a result, any time personal information is accessed by an unauthorized person, the keeper of the information, whether business or government, must notify the individual and the Office of the Attorney General that a breach has occurred.  I was also proud to support legislation to allow any consumer to freeze access to his or her credit report (HB 1311) to ensure that the information cannot be accessed without the consumer’s explicit authorization.

Finally, I introduced successful legislation in 2010 (HB 210) to strengthen Virginia’s extortion statute and to close a dangerous loop-hole that would have allowed someone to threaten to sell personal information for financial gain.

While I am pleased with the progress we have made to protect our citizens from identity theft, much work remains to be done.  Sensitive personal information can still be obtained all too easily, including from publicly available land records and legal proceedings.  Protecting our citizens from identity theft will continue to be one of my top priorities.

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Illegal Immigration

Northern Virginia is a rich tapestry of people of different cultures and backgrounds – and it makes our region truly special. As a nation of immigrants, we must do everything possible to ensure that our legal immigrants have every opportunity to succeed.

At the same time, our quality of life relies on respect for our laws. While immigration is a federal responsibility, illegal immigration has a profound impact on our schools and social services, as well as employee protections such as workers compensation. I have consistently supported common-sense measures to strengthen penalties against businesses that knowingly violate our immigration laws and to ensure that our State agencies are sharing information on immigration status – especially when a violation of our laws has occurred.  I will also continue to support measures to train our State Police so that they can work as partners with federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

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Land Use and Growth

No amount of transportation funding can overcome poor land use planning and growth that exceeds our capacity to serve it with public infrastructure.  My priorities are to strengthen the ability of our local governments to manage growth responsibility and to strengthen regional coordination of land use planning.  Specifically, localities should have the authority to deny a rezoning when an analysis shows that the local transportation system can not handle the additional density.  

Northern Virginia has a population of over 1.8 million.  And yet, the organization created to coordinate among localities – the Northern Virginia Regional Commission – is exempt from the strategic planning requirements applicable to every other region in the Commonwealth.  During the next session, I will introduce legislation to eliminate this exemption and require localities to work together to put together a regional plan, including how to deal with conflicting land use patterns.

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Open and Accountable Government

As your voice in Richmond, I am accountable to you for my votes and strive to make government more open and accessible.  Open and accountable government starts right here at home.  Each year I hold a town hall meeting during session, mail constituents a Report from Richmond to summarize issues tackled by the General Assembly, conduct a Constituent Survey, and host a series of “informal office hours” where residents can stop by to chat and provide feedback on community issues.  Each spring I also send a letter to all community/civic association presidents offering to speak at meetings and attend community events.

Finally, I believe that voters should choose their representatives – not the other way around.  Our current system of redistricting results in too many non-competitive districts that are drawn for political purposes.  I have supported numerous efforts to establish a non-partisan Virginia Advisory Redistricting Commission.  While these measures failed, I will continue to be a strong advocate for this very important electoral reform.