Senator Creigh Deeds

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Session Newsletter (Feb 7, 2014)

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The 2014 session rolls on, and we are nearing crossover. Crossover is the time when the Senate must complete work on bills introduced in the Senate, and the House must complete work on bills introduced in the House. It’s called the crossover because after it occurs, the bills cross over to the other house for consideration.

Virginia Budget Issues

Transportation

As usual, the budget is the major piece of work to be completed in this session of the General Assembly. In past years, transportation has been the topic at the top of the agenda. With the passage of the comprehensive transportation package last year, there are more arguments over spending priorities and how to balance the budget. With that said, the transportation plan last year has not raised nearly as much money as anticipated because last year’s numbers were built on the presumption that the price of gas would continue to rise. The good news for consumers is that the price of gas, though high, has remained fairly stable.

Expansion of Medicaid

Not surprisingly, the big issue this year with respect to the budget is the expansion of Medicaid. As outlined in this space a few weeks ago, I think expansion would be a good deal for Virginia. It would provide health care, including mental health service, to between 200,000 and 400,000 currently uninsured Virginians; and it would create a significant number of new jobs in Virginia. The federal government has committed to funding 100 percent of the cost of Medicaid expansion for the first three years and at least 90 percent in subsequent years. To me, it’s a no brainer: it is the right thing to do, and it makes good economic sense. A proposal to create a Virginia Marketplace to provide coverage for these individuals has been advanced in the Senate. The General Assembly is far from reaching a consensus on this issue, which risks tying up the budgetary process for a considerable period of time.

Contentious Legislative Proposals

A number of controversial topics have been debated this session that generated a lot of phone calls and emails. Among the most contentious measures are:

Sunday Hunting

This year a bill was fashioned by Senator Phillip Puckett and others to allow Sunday hunting on private property by the owner of the property or those to whom he gave permission. I have long resisted voting for Sunday hunting because I think there are things to do outside on a Sunday other than hunt. In Bath County, where I live, hunting remains a popular activity. In the fall, Sunday is the only day that you can participate in other outdoor recreation, like trail riding or hiking, without coming across hunters in the woods.

Boating on Non-Navigable Streams

Senator Dave Marsden introduced a bill this year granting anyone the right to float on a stream with a drainage area of at least seven square miles. The bill was framed somewhat innocuously but would have allowed, from my perspective, floating on just about every stream in Virginia. Because I was concerned that this approach would have negatively affected some people’s property rights and would have provoked confrontation, I voted no.

Death Penalty

Currently there is a bill pending from Senator Bill Carrico that would mandate execution by electrocution, a method that is optional under current law, if the chemicals for lethal injection are not available. Starting in 1994 Virginia joined the trend of performing executions by lethal injection. Today, some of the drugs that have been used to make the cocktail for the lethal injection are in short supply. I understand why Senator Carrico introduced the bill. However, there are only four states that currently allow the use of the electric chair. I am inclined not to support this legislation. I think we need to make sure that our statutes are constitutional, and I am concerned that this bill will actually weaken our death penalty statute.

Ethics Reform

The high profile case involving former Governor Bob McDonnell generated a great deal of interest and legislation pertaining to our ethics laws. The bill moving through the Senate would create the Virginia Conflict of Interest and Ethics Advisory Council, expand reporting requirements to include gifts to children, require semi-annual reporting of lobbyists and elected officials, and cap tangible gifts to legislators at $250, among other provisions. The bill is pending on the Senate floor as we debate amendments. While the bill does not go as far as some would like, the provisions are an improvement over current law.

Mental Health Policy Reform

A large portion of my work continues to be in the area of attempting to reform our mental health laws. Two of my proposals, Senate Bills 260 and 263, and legislation sponsored by others have been merged into one bill. The omnibus bill will require subjects be held up to 24 hours under an emergency custody order, create a database of available psychiatric beds, and ensure people in need of hospitalization cannot be “streeted” by establishing state hospitals as providers of last resort. That bill is currently on the floor of the Senate, and I expect to move it to the House by next week. The resolution creating a joint subcommittee to study mental health services passed the Senate and is pending in the House Committee on Rules.

The response to my legislative work on mental health has been overwhelming. People from throughout Virginia and the United States have shared their stories and reached out to me for help. Getting in touch with your elected officials and voicing your concerns is critical to effecting change. The Governor’s Task Force of Mental Health Services and Crisis Response will continue to meet throughout the year. You can submit public comment here.

It continues to be my distinct honor to serve you in the General Assembly. This will continue to 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, [email protected], or (804) 698-7525.

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Session Newsletter (Jan. 31, 2014)

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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, [email protected], or (804) 698-7525.

Best,

Creigh

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