Dear Friends,

With our state budget facing a nearly $2 billion shortfall through 2010, many of the legislative proposals we hoped to pass have been put off for the year. When families are faced with tough financial times they are forced to make difficult choices, and the situation here in Richmond is very similar. One bill I championed, raising teacher salaries to the national average, passed the Senate with bipartisan support but most likely will not be funded this year.

I've often said that we can't be tough on crime and at the same time cheap on crime--keeping the Commonwealth safe requires giving law enforcement officers the tools, training and pay they deserve for putting their lives on the line for us every day. Senate Bill 269, which extends overtime pay to our State Police, has received overwhelming support but neither the House Appropriations or Senate Finance committees have been able to fund this proposal in their budgets.

I'm continuing to work with my colleagues in the Senate and the Governor to pass a state spending plan that meets our obligations to core state services such as education, public safety and health care. But many legislative proposals have little to no impact on the budget and I'm pleased to report that many are alive and well in the legislative process and appear headed to final passage:

Keeping Virginia Safe and Secure. In light of the tragic events at Virginia Tech in April of last year, Governor Kaine asked me to sponsor a bill on his behalf that requires every public college and university to develop a crisis and emergency management plan. The proposal, SB 256, is receiving wide bipartisan support. Two other proposals passed the Senate unanimously: My bill to give the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control the ability to access the national criminal database when conducting background checks on perspective licensees, SB 669; and my proposal to require state police, local law enforcement and campus police departments to establish policies and procedures for responding to crimes of sexual assault, SB 786.

Legislation of Local Concern. While many of the legislation I carried this year on behalf of the cities and counties that make up the 25th Senate District will have an impact on the state budget, I'm pleased that two of them have passed the upper chamber of the General Assembly and appear headed to passage in the House. Senate Bill 268 provides the City of Charlottesville with new tools to ensure affordable housing by partnering with developers. Under the proposal, developers can either set aside a fixed portion of construction to be designated as affordable housing or make a contribution to the city's affordable housing fund. Legislation that will allow family farms and individuals to prepare and sell certain foods also is making its way through the legislature. SB 272 requires that these foods only be sold to individuals and not for resale, and that they display a simple informational sticker. Finally, a proposal of mine to conduct a study on the organization and effectiveness of local government, SJ 57, has passed the Senate and awaits action in the House. It has been quite a while since the legislature has examined the relationship between state and local governments and I believe that a fresh look is appropriate to see if there are tools we can give cities and counties to manage growth, establish fairer taxing and spending policies, and generally improve the delivery of services to their constituents.

Honoring our Veterans. One proposal I have this year seems to me to be just plain common sense: SB 266 eliminates the annual fee charged to our veterans who have Purple Heart license plates. The impact on our budget is very small and is certainly worth it considering the sacrifices these soldiers have made for our country.

I have a few other bills that are still awaiting a final decision in the General Assembly. You can view a full list of each piece of legislation I sponsored this year by clicking here. As always, it is my distinct pleasure to serve you at the state capital. If you have any questions or concerns about pending legislation, please contact my office by phone at 804-698-7525 or by e-mail at senatordeeds@embarqmail.com.

Very Truly Yours,

Sen. Creigh Deeds

(Sen. Creigh Deeds, Electronic mail, February 19, 2008)