Delegate Richard Anderson (R-51) reports from Richmond - Feb. 17, 2017

Dear Prince William families, friends, and neighbors,

Before I leave the House floor this afternoon, I want to get this update to you about our activities in Richmond.

We are now one week away from the scheduled end of our 45-day legislative session. We are finishing our committee work, reviewing amendments from the Senate, and working on the budget. As we wind down our General Assembly session, I want to update you on a few important areas.

PASSING OF PWC CLERK OF CIRCUIT COURT MICHELE B. MCQUIGG: We were saddened to receive word that The Honorable Michele B. McQuigg passed away on February 16th after a short illness. This is a profound loss for Prince William County and has personal meaning for my family. Before being elected in 2008 as Clerk of Court, Michele served as the Occoquan District Supervisor during 1992-1998 (a position now held by my wife, Supervisor Ruth M. Anderson) and as the 51st House District delegate to the Virginia General Assembly during 1998-2007 (the position I now hold). Michele had a heart for public service, and we send our deepest sympathy to Michele’s husband, Clancy, and to their children and grandchildren. Today, I paid a tribute to Michele on the floor of the House of Delegates, which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi1e3RZSV9s

VIRGINIA STATE BUDGET: We have adopted a cautious and balanced state budget that will be passed next Saturday. Our spending plan adheres to our commitment to spend your taxpayer dollars on strategic and targeted investments that fund the core functions of state government. We also took several steps to advance Virginia on a fiscally responsible course, to include the elimination of several fees and reduction in borrowing. The Governor included several fee increases in his budget to generate more revenue, but we in the House have eliminated these increases. In sum, the House has reduced proposed debt by almost $70M.

VETERAN INITIATIVES: As chair of the General Assembly Military and Veterans Caucus, I’ve focused much of my time on moving strong bi-partisan legislation (my own bills and bills patroned by other Delegates) through the system that takes care of 150,000 active duty military members and the 800,000 veterans who live in Virginia (50,000 of whom live in Prince William County). With 21 veterans in the House from all branches of military service, I have plenty of allies to assist me in this effort.

STATUS OF MY BILLS: 10 of my 15 bills have passed out of the House and Senate and are now enroute to the Governor for signature. The other five were tabled in the committees that considered them, and I will resubmit several when we return next year for the 2018 session of the General Assembly. The below paragraphs summarize my 10 bills that made it through the process and will soon be on the Governor’s desk. You can click here to see details: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?171+mbr+H210C

(1) HB 1716, Extension of the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Commission: This bill extends the life of this important statewide body to July 1, 2020 and is vital to the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other related disorders.

(2) HB 1718, Extension of the Virginia Commission on Civics Education: This bill extends the life of this important statewide body to July 1, 2019 and educates students on their civic duty in a constitutional republic.

(3) HB 1719, Wireless E-911 Fund: This bill extends the date (to July 1, 2018) when calculations are made on the distribution of funds to local 9-1-1 agencies and is critical to Virginia’s 21st century 911 emergency system.

(4) HB 1720, Flags at Half-Staff: This bill specifies that flags on local government buildings must be lowered to half-staff to match the policy for state government buildings whenever military, law enforcement, and fire and rescue personnel are killed in the line of duty.

(5) HB 1721, Reduced Tuition for Active Duty Military Students: This bill permits the Virginia Community College System to charge slightly reduced rates for active duty students who are pursuing degrees related to their military skills.

(6) HB 1738, “Tax Exemption for Aviation Parts, Engines, and Supplies: This bill will provide a tax exemption for parts installed on airplanes in Virginia aircraft maintenance facilities. This will attract large numbers of aircraft maintenance facilities to Virginia, double our $1.05 billion aviation industry and its 17,500 jobs, and significantly expand capital investment in Virginia.

(7) HB 1761, “Taxicab Technology Transformation Act of 2017: This bill modernizes statewide taxicab technology by permitting operators to retrofit their fleets with modern GPS technologies that replace old electromechanical devices used to compute fares.

(8) HB 1913, Cigarette Trafficking: This State Crime Commission bill will at long last end the felony crime of cigarette trafficking across state lines and put $10M each year into the state treasury.

(9) HB 2302, Duties of the Virginia Board of Veterans Services (BVS): This bill streamlines the BVS process on behalf of 800,000 Virginia veterans.

(10) HB 2425, The Virginians with Disabilities Employment Act of 2017: This bill will provide greater opportunities for Virginians with disabilities to obtain employment with Virginia state government.

WE’LL BE HOME IN ONE WEEK! We now have one week remaining in the 2017 session of the General Assembly—and we look forward to returning home to our families, friends, and neighbors. This is a reelection year, so I look forward to talking with you and your family at your doors, on your living room sofas, and at your kitchen tables. These conversations are of immense value to us as we prepare for the 2018 session of the Assembly, and I look forward to seeing you soon. In the meantime, please call Tommy Herbert (my legislative assistant) and me at our district office number (571-264-9983) if we can assist in any way. My email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), and Tommy’s email is .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

See you soon—and thank you for the rare honor of representing you and your family at home and in Richmond!
RICHARD L. ANDERSON
Delegate, 51st House District
Virginia General Assembly