We have now been here for over three weeks, and while we have been waiting for a budget, I have been busy getting bills through committees and the House.

Perhaps the most significant of my bills passed so far is HB 2160, a major change in foster care law that is designed to move children into adoptive homes faster than they are at present. Virginia has not done especially well in moving children from foster care into permanent homes, and this bill should expedite that process. HB 2158, the bill that would establish the Regional Transit Authority for Albemarle and Charlottesville just passed the House; it does not establish a funding mechanism for transit operations, (another bill that would do this was killed in subcommittee) but does allow the City and County to create an authority so that the transit system can run more efficiently. HB 1837 adds Albemarle County to the counties where rural unpaved roads have an un-posted speed limit of 35 mph. HB 2537 will allow foster parents to advocate more effectively for children in special education.

In addition, I continue to work on several other important initiatives. First, money remains in the budget for the three-year pilot passenger rail service from Washington to Lynchburg through Charlottesville. This would be daily service operated by Amtrak. The biggest concern right now stems from efforts by Bristol-area Senator Wampler to remove that funding from the transportation plan. I will fight to keep these monies in the budget.

Second, I am actively engaged with a number of energy bills. I have two of my own (HB 2155 and HB 2157), but also am working with a bipartisan coalition on a number of others that will advance the use of renewable energy in the Commonwealth.

My bill to give localities greater ability to prohibit smoking in public areas will be heard this week with other anti-smoking legislation.

Finally, the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees are addressing $2.9 billion projected shortfall in state revenues. As most of you know, this shortfall is likely to affect spending in almost every area of the state government. Aid to localities will likely be diminished as well as funding for K-12 education and higher education. I continue to advocate that we limit, if not prevent, cuts to K-12 education, but given the magnitude of the shortfall, some cuts are almost inevitable. Localities have genuine concerns about how cuts will affect funding for social services, public safety, and transportation. The big unknown is how the federal stimulus package will impact our budget. We know substantial monies will flow to the states, but are not precisely sure of the magnitude, where they will be targeted, and what, if any, strings will be attached to their use.

It is a pleasure to represent the 57th House District in the Virginia General Assembly. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think would be interested. If you received this from a friend, you can join the list by visiting my website at www.davidtoscano.com.

Contact Info
As always, I appreciate hearing your thoughts and concerns about legislative matters. Please call the Richmond office at (804) 698-1057, send emails to deldtoscano@house.state.va.us or send letters to David Toscano, Virginia House of Delegates, P.O. Box 406, Richmond, VA 23218.