By Del. Charles Poindexter
This week was the first full week of the 2017 Session, so we moved into high gear to process more than a thousand bills filed by legislators. Since Monday was a holiday for most people but not for us, Capitol Square overflowed with citizens who came to lobby for or against issues, as well as to visit us legislators in our offices in the General Assembly Building. Subcommittees and committees were busy considering bills, while the money committees reviewed budget issues. For example, as chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Compensation and Retirement, I’ve already held two subcommittee meetings regarding compensation, health insurance and Virginia Retirement System issues. I also chair the Counties, Cities and Towns Subcommittee #1 in which we reported out several bills, mostly dealing with the update of town and county charters.
Next week, I anticipate continuing working with these bills plus an accelerated agenda on the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee, where I serve as vice-chairman. House Republican have been working since we adjourned in 2016 to develop our priorities for the 2017 session. Our policies aim to create a culture of opportunity where people can empower themselves to flourish in society. We have bills in the hopper for welfare reform, private job creation and entrepreneurship, healthcare reform, and modernizing education options. You will be reading about these in the media as we move them forward. During this session, I have put in several amendments to the Governor’s budget. One of these amendments is to restore the pay increases that were canceled due to the more than one-billion-dollar budget shortfall. The General Assembly made a promise to our state employees to provide them with a long-awaited raise, and I believe we should do everything feasible to keep that promise. Some other items on my agenda include the following budget amendments: • Restore state support to provide technical assistance to livestock farmers in dealing with wildlife depredation from coyotes and black vultures. • Eliminate a proposed increase in the annual inspection fee for non-restaurant food establishments and restores the general fund support for the program. • Restore the 100 percent state match to the revenue generated by the forest industries severance tax to support the Reforestation of Timberlands Program. • Remove language authorizing use of $113,360 from the Reforestation of Timberlands (RT) program to replace the accounting system used by the Department and provide a like amount of general fund appropriation to cover this share of the costs. • Remove funding to support subsidies for the Solar Industry. • Prohibit the Department of Conservation and Recreation from accepting by gift, transfer or purchase any lands for use as a state park without the approval of the General Assembly, contrary to the Governor’s intent. • Direct the Department of Historic Resources to utilize $10,000 of its general fund appropriation for historic preservation in the second year for the reconstruction of the Bob White Covered Bridge in Woolwine. • Restore $91.1 million from the general fund to convert the funding proposed in the Governor’s introduced budget for state and state-supported employees’ compensation from a 1.5% bonus to meaningful salary increases. I always enjoy seeing visitors from home. One local visitor was Steve Helms of Primland in Patrick County. If I can be of further service to you, please call or email my legislative assistant, William Pace, at (804) 698-1009, DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov or write to me at P.O. Box 406, Room 802, Richmond VA 23218.
