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November 19, 2008 This is certainly an exciting time to be in politics. With the election of Barack Obama, Mark Warner and the stunning victory of Tom Perriello, our region, state, and country are now in a position to creatively address the challenges of the next decade. National leadership is now poised to address the financial meltdown by re-energizing the economy, investing in infrastructure, and creating more jobs that pay a living wage. These efforts are critical to the stabilization of state and local finances, which have been severely affected by the turmoil in the economy. We are fortunate to have elected leaders who can help show the way. In other news, the election excitement has generated a number of requests for inauguration tickets. State office holders have not been provided with any inauguration tickets and my suggestion is that you should approach the office of Senator Jim Webb at (202) 224-4024 with your requests. It is our understanding that Senator-Elect Mark Warner and Congressman-Elect Tom Perriello have limited ability to assist with tickets as they have not yet taken office. We are happy to take the names of anyone who wants inauguration tickets and will pass them along to our federal representatives, but competition for these tickets is fierce and a direct request is likely to have greater impact. I am now in the process of preparing for January's legislative session. It is clear that dealing with the state budget challenges will be the major objective of this session. Projected shortfalls are likely to be $974 million in the current year's budget and more than $1.5 billion in fiscal year 2009-10. Despite the Governor's best efforts, these shortfalls will affect many services and families. Needless to say, we will need to be more focused than ever before on protecting the funding which presently exists in areas we feel are critical, such as K-12 education, health care, and public safety. Last year, there was an effort made by Republicans in the House to change the K-12 education funding formula, which would have reduced revenue to Albemarle and Charlottesville of more than $2 million per year. We ultimately defeated this, but it will likely return this year. Some of us are working to provide a statewide economic stimulus to assist middle class families and small businesses. I appreciate any advice you have in these areas. I am also in the process of preparing my bills for the coming session. Many of you may have read about two possible initiatives supported by Charlottesville City Council and the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors. Both bodies desire the creation of a Regional Transit Authority that could potentially involve the University of Virginia and non-profit groups to further enhance our transit system. A different piece of legislation involves the creation of a Regional Transportation Authority, which would differ from the transit initiative by granting authority to the localities to raise dedicated revenues for transportation purposes. This is likely to be more controversial and there has been some suggestion that any revenue increases ought to be approved by local referendum before they are implemented. There is a lot of work to do on this proposal, and I would appreciate your input on this significant piece of legislation. Beyond that, I am developing bills that will improve environmental quality in and around our schools, create new opportunities for youngsters in foster care to be adopted, provide a revenue source for funding passenger rail, and encourage the further development of solar energy in Virginia. As always, I appreciate your comments in the formation of legislation and stand willing to assist you in the event that you have a concern that requires the action of state government. It is an honor to represent you. Please let me know how I can assist you. My contact information can be obtained at the bottom of this update and please feel free to pass this along to those who might be interested. Contact Info
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