Virginia General Assembly 2014 Archives - Page 3 of 3

Session Newsletter (Jan. 31, 2014)

January 31, 2014 by Creigh Deeds

This past week saw significant changes at the Virginia General Assembly. Nearly half way into the 2014 session two new senators were seated. Since both senators, Jennifer Wexton from Loudoun County and Lynwood Lewis from Accomack County, are Democrats, the balance of power shifted in the Senate of Virginia. With 20 Democrats and 20 Republicans, the balance of power tipped to the Democrats now that we have a Democratic Lieutenant Governor in Ralph Northam.

Twice before in Virginia’s recent history, the Senate was evenly divided. In January 1996 the parties agreed to a power sharing arrangement. The committee chairs and majorities were staggered, with both the Democrats and the Republicans having what amounted to an equal say in the business of the Senate. That precedent was not followed when the 2011 elections yielded a 20-20 tie. Rather, the Republicans seized power and, for the first time in the history of the Senate of Virginia, threw members off committees. You might recall that I lost assignments to both the Committee for Courts of Justice and the Committee on Commerce and Labor during that upheaval.

This year, the Democrats followed the precedent from 2012. The Lieutenant Governor broke the procedural ties, and Democrats have claimed majorities on all but two committees and each committee chairmanship.

The result of the transfer of power is that my committee assignments have changed again. I have served on the Transportation Committee of the Senate since 2002, under chairs Marty Williams, Yvonne Miller, and Steve Newman. Earlier this week I was elected chair of the Transportation Committee. The chairmanship will give me a significant voice in the establishment of transportation policy throughout the Commonwealth. I still just have one vote on the Committee, but I will have more control over which bills are heard and the order of business.

I also gained two committee assignments. As a committee chair, I have a seat on the Rules Committee. This committee has a significant role regarding the conduct of business in the Senate and considers a wide variety of issues that are raised primarily with resolutions. Significantly, I have been appointed to the Senate Finance Committee. Without question, this is the most important committee in the Senate because it handles the budget and all legislation with a fiscal impact. A majority of bills and public policy matters require funding, and sometimes bills pass but are ineffective because money is not attached. My vote on the Finance Committee will give me and my constituents a significant voice in the conduct of government in Virginia. This is my 23rd year in the General Assembly and the first time I have been appointed to a money committee.

The work of the Senate Finance Committee is divided up by topic matter into eight subcommittees. I have three subcommittee assignments in the Finance Committee. First, I serve on the Transportation Subcommittee due to my chairmanship of the Transportation Committee and my long standing interest in transportation policy. Specific construction projects are not usually funded by the General Assembly, rather decisions about which projects go forward are made at the local level through MPOs and by the Commonwealth Transportation Board. However, this assignment will give me and my constituents a significant role in determining which policy areas are funded and how we move forward, particularly in the areas of rail and air space, a growing area of economic importance for the Commonwealth.

My second new subcommittee assignment is for Economic Development and Natural Resources. This subcommittee is very important to me because of my long standing interest in conservation and state parks, and my interest and efforts in the area of economic development. Some may recall that I introduced the legislation back in 1996 that codified the Governor’s Opportunity Fund. Any number of economic development projects have been funded through budget amendments I have introduced over the years. Historically, Virginia ranks near the bottom of the 50 states in spending on natural resources and state parks. You can expect me to work to increase funding there and to make sure that our economic development dollars are spent wisely.

My final subcommittee assignment is to the Public Safety Subcommittee. This is the subcommittee that decides what criminal justice or corrections initiatives, whether advanced through the Courts of Justice Committee, or elsewhere, are worth funding. Difficult decisions are made here because many worthy bills pass, but fiscal constraints require us to set priorities. Without question this subcommittee will involve some of the toughest decisions I will have to make.

I suppose many people wished the power sharing precedent of 1996 was followed. In fact, that is the model that would probably produce more collegiality and a better work environment. However, after the events of 2012 when multiple senators were thrown off committees, and the blatant power grab allowed issues such as the invasive ultrasound bill to advance, it was impossible to follow the earlier precedent. I am confident that the Senate can move on and work toward the goals of the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia. We have vital work to do in the remaining five weeks.

A list of all of the bills I am working on this session is available here.

It continues to be my distinct honor to serve you in the General Assembly. This will be a busy session for me, and I look forward to your input throughout the process. Concerns, questions, or requests should be directed to my office at: PO Box 396, Richmond, VA 23218, district25@senate.virginia.gov, or (804) 698-7525.

Best,

Creigh

Session Newsletter (Jan. 25, 2014)

January 27, 2014 by Creigh Deeds

The 2014 session of the General Assembly is streaking by and will soon be a memory. This year’s session is memorable for several reasons. First, it is the first year of a new governorship, which always brings a certain level of excitement, together with a period of uncertainty as new people get accustomed to new jobs. Second, the legislature convenes with the idea of addressing problems and balancing the budget for all the people of Virginia. While each session resembles the previous one, new legislators and a new administration guarantee a new twist.

For the past several years, I have been forced to deal with the state’s system of mental health on behalf of my son. In November a lot of issues related to that system were thrust in my face. I am determined to take the experience I have and use what I’ve learned to try and prevent future tragedies. To that end, I’ve introduced several pieces of legislation.

First, I introduced legislation requiring the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) to review the qualifications of workers charged with evaluating people in crisis. Current regulations require the person performing the evaluation to have a Master’s degree or its equivalent or be a registered nurse with a certain amount of experience in the psychiatric field. However, based on my experience, it is not clear that every person charged with doing evaluations has the necessary skills and qualifications; I have asked the Department simply to review the regulations and make a report to the General Assembly. Before wholesale changes are made to current law, we need to take into account that which is currently on the books and review whether it works.

Second, I’ve called for increasing the amount of time a person may be held under an emergency custody order (ECO). Current law allows a person to be held for four hours with, under certain circumstances, one two hour extension. That time frame is the shortest in the nation. Most states hold people between 24 and 72 hours before a determination is made that they should be held pursuant to a temporary detention order. While that legislation has drawn a lot of fire, specifically from the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and the ACLU, it makes sense to me to bring Virginia in line with the rest of the country. There should not be an incident of one who is in need of stabilization services being released, or “streeted.”

Just as important as extending the time period is to eliminate the requirement that the duration of the ECO be extended by a magistrate. Particularly in rural areas, merely having to seek an extension is a waste of precious time.

Coincident with my legislation, others have introduced bills to require that a state facility be a provider of last resort. That legislation essentially would require that a bed be available when one is deemed necessary.

The third bill I sponsored calls for the establishment of a digital registry of available, public and private, psychiatric beds. The Department has been working on a registry for about three years; however it is not a mandate in the law. In this internet driven information age, it makes no sense for precious hours to be wasted on the phone looking for a bed when live time information could be readily accessible.

The last bill I introduced relating to mental health calls for a comprehensive study of our mental health care delivery system. We need to look not only on how we provide services in the area of crisis intervention, but how we deal with mental health issues long term. What kind of care should we be providing to people who are mentally ill? The study resolution has been rewritten to include issues related to the re-institutionalization of the mentally ill in our jails and prison system. The issues are absolutely related, and I hope we can move this matter forward.

While it is difficult for me even to talk to friends right now, I made a decision to speak publicly about my circumstances in order to prevent future tragedies. And I chose what I consider to be the biggest megaphone. By taking to the airwaves, I hope that I can effect as much change as possible and in some way help the millions of families across the country who are struggling and looking for help.

I look forward to hearing from you as we move through the session. I appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve you in the Senate of Virginia. Concerns, questions, or requests should be directed to my office at: PO Box 396, Richmond, VA 23218, district25@senate.virginia.gov, or (804) 698-7525.

Session Newsletter (Jan. 17, 2014)

January 17, 2014 by Creigh Deeds

The 2014 Session is well underway. This year, like every year, we have challenges to conquer to meet the needs of the Commonwealth’s 8.3 million residents. Before we get to those challenges, we have to go through the ceremony that is required every four years.

Last week, Governor McDonnell gave his farewell address highlighting his achievements over the past four years: over 170,000 new jobs in Virginia, brought on largely by the national economic recovery, success in increasing the number of children adopted out of foster care, and last year’s monumental transportation plan. He also apologized for his role in the gift scandal that plagued his last year in office. The matter is currently under continuing federal investigation. There are many who will suggest that all politicians receive such largesse, so Governor McDonnell’s culpability is insignificant; however, I take exception to that. Sure, there are a fair amount of free dinners and even vacations that people involved in politics accept. But the magnitude of the gifts accepted by the McDonnell family, and the fact that they weren’t reported, is unprecedented and leaves a stain on the McDonnell administration.

On Saturday, amidst a steady rain, Governor Terry McAuliffe, Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam, and Attorney General Mark Herring were inaugurated. Whether it was a sign from above or not, the rain lifted and the sun came out at about the same time Governor McAuliffe began his address. The following Monday, the Governor outlined his priorities in an address before the Joint Assembly of the House of Delegates and the Senate of Virginia. Primary among his priorities is Medicaid expansion.

Medicaid is insurance provided by the federal government since the 1960s. The program is regulated and funded to a large degree by state governments, which historically have been able to determine to whom it is provided. Under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, the role of Medicaid would be expanded by increasing eligibility. The federal government has committed to funding 100 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion for the first three years and 90 percent of expansion cost the following three years. Virginia has already adopted regulations requiring us to pull out of expansion if at any time federal funding of the cost of expansion falls below the 90 percent threshold. Expansion in Virginia makes good sense. We will provide coverage to an additional two to four hundred thousand Virginians. The health care of those Virginians is presently being subsidized by those who pay private insurance. Because they can’t afford preventative care, their health care needs are met primarily in emergency rooms. When hospitals aren’t paid for emergency room care, the costs are written off and insurance rates must go up to cover those costs. As many as 30 thousand veterans are among the Virginians who can benefit from expansion. It is inexcusable that these people who have given so much to this country return home to poverty.

It also makes good business sense for us to expand Medicaid. As noted above, the uninsured currently drive up the cost of insurance and thus health care. We simply have to find a way to control the cost of health care. In addition, Virginia will receive about $2.1 billion in federal funding per year for the next three years if we support expansion. The investment of federal dollars will continue and injects over $5 million a day into Virginia’s economy. As a result, Medicaid expansion is expected to create about 30,000 jobs, primarily in the health care field, over the next six years.

We lost a rural hospital in southwest Virginia this past year. These critical federal dollars, which all Virginians will pay in the form of taxes whether we expand Medicaid or not, could, save rural hospitals all over Virginia. Medicaid expansion is the right thing to do.

Much attention has been paid to my focus this session on mental health. In fact, that issue is important to me and will take a significant amount of time. However, I am working on other legislation, including:

A bill to extend the statute of limitations to one year past the 18th birthday of a victim of a misdemeanor involving sexual misconduct.
A bill to consolidate the law enforcement divisions of the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission.
Several bills to revise the Standards of Learning tests for elementary age children.
A bill that would include conservation officers who work in our State Parks as members of the Virginia Law Officers Retirement System.
An effort to create a state park in either Highland County or Rockingham County.
A bill to reform the Board of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

On a personal note, thanks to all for your prayers and support during a tough time. Your kind expressions have been overwhelming.

This will be a busy session for me. I look forward to hearing from you as we move through the session. I appreciate the opportunity to continue to serve you in the Senate of Virginia. Concerns, questions, or requests should be directed to my office at: PO Box 396, Richmond, VA 23218, district25@senate.virginia.gov, or (804) 698-7525.