|
|
|
Delegate Ken Plum's
Virginia e-News
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Commentary
Core Services of Government
Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
The General Assembly is likely to meet its March 13 deadline for passing legislation with the probable exception of reaching agreement on the biennial budget. Conferees from the House and Senate are working to resolve major differences between the two bodies on a spending plan for the next two years. Agreement will be difficult to reach as the task is greater than getting the numbers in the different budgets to add up; the differences are in the definitions of the core services of government held by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates and the Democratic-controlled State Senate. The differences could not be starker than in the contrasting plans for funding public education. The Senate budget that I voted for would provide more than a half-billion dollars more for public schools than the House budget.
In a floor debate in which I engaged on public education funding, the vice-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee told the members of the House in response to my plea for greater funding for preschool education that he did not consider preschool to be a core service of government. While I always suspected that was his feeling, I was nonetheless shocked to hear him say it. That same member in a leadership role in the House may feel the same way about remedial and alternative education as those programs were slashed in the House budget. How far the definition of core services goes in public education is unclear as there is a strong push to establish charter schools.
The legislature is likely to recess and members go home until a budget compromise is reached. A short, probably one-day session would be called to ratify the budget plan in that case. Governor McDonnell indicated last week that he is likely to call two special sessions: one to deal with his plan to reorganize government and another to respond to our transportation needs. While the House budget provides a glimpse as to what the Republican Governor and House majority consider the core services of government, a special session will reveal the broader blueprint. A periodic review of government functions is appropriate. We need to be vigilant though as to the winners and losers in this new definition of government. What some people may consider budget bloat may be other people's safety net.
Check on the progress on legislation at http://legis.virginia.gov. |
|
|
|
|
|
"Virginia Report"
Reston Comcast Channel 28
Tuesday nights at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday nights at 10:30 p.m. - "Report from Richmond" with Delegate Ken Plum at the General Assembly Building
Online Viewing
|
Delegate Ken Plum is shown here with Ellen Howerton and Connor Cotton, students at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, along with parent coordinator Jane Pyrak. The students were at the Capitol advocating for TJHSST and the Governor's Schools throughout Virginia. |
Climate Change Citizen Action
Reston Environmental Action (REACT) will hold a "Member Update" on Saturday, March 13, 10:30 a.m. at the Lake Anne Coffee House. Meet REACT members and find out who is supporting environmental actions in Reston.
From REACT's latest email update:
Adopting Changes - Large and Small
REACT projects include a range of actions so that each of us can gradually make green changes in the progression that works best. We encourage using cloth napkins and taking mass transit to work. Behavior changes, along with legislation and technology, are all necessary to lessen the environmental load.
We say sweat the small stuff -- but not because small decisions add independently to big changes. Rather, because societal change isn't just additive like stair-climbing, it's transformative like metamorphosis, and small actions play a crucial role. Practiced consistently, small steps facilitate both gradual evolution and rapid revolution for positive lasting change.
|
|
Announcements
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors' Transportation Committee will host a "Snow Summit" on Tuesday, March 16, 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the Board Auditorium of the Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Members of the public are welcome to attend the event. It also will be broadcast live by Fairfax County Government Channel 16. The summit will assess what worked well and what did not, at both the state level and the county level, during this winter's massive snowstorms. The summit will include the Virginia Department of Transportation, the county's public safety agencies, Fairfax County Public Schools, and the county's Facilities Management Department. To comment on the snowstorms and either the county or VDOT response, residents can call teh snow comment line at 703.324.3170 and leave a voice mail message up to one minute in length.
On April 1, residents can do one simple thing to bring home millions of dollars to their family, friends, neighbors and themselves - fill out and mail your census form that will be sent to you this month. By filling out and returning your form by April 1, you will help Fairfax County get money for schools, roads, housing, and more. Every year, the federal government gives out billions of dollars to cities and counties bsed on the census including Fairfax County. To learn more about the 2010 census, visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/census.
Legal Services of Northern Virginia has a new telephone number for intake services - 866-LEGL-AID (866-534-5243). Legal Services of Northern Virginia and the Potomac Legal Aid Society have merged, keeping the name Legal Services of Northern Virginia. For information about their services and office locations, go to www.lsnv.org. |
Calendar of Events
Are you new to Reston? Come to Newcomers Night 2010 on Thursday, March 11, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. at the RA Main Conference Room, 1930 Isaac Newton Square, and get to know your Reston Association ((RA). Come learn more about RA and its many services, amenities, and programs. Meet RA Board Members and staff and find out how you can get involved in Reston. RSVP to Ha Brock, Community Outreach Specialist, at habrock@reston.org or 703.435.7986.
A free concert by Mosaic Harmony will be held on Saturday, March 13, 7:30 p.m., at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, 1700 Wainwright Drive, Reston. The concert is sponsored by Shoreshim and St. Anne's. A free-will offering will be taken with donations going to Partners in Health, a group that helps the people of Haiti in this hour of need. Donations can also be made online at http://tinyurl.com/harmony4haiti. Call 703.437.6530 for more information.
The Traveling Players ensemble presents "Hamlet" on Sunday, March 14, at The Old Firehouse Teen Center in McLean at 3:30 p.m. (doors open at 3:00). Admission is $10, or free with a valid Fairfax County Public School ID. A talented cast of 14 teens will present Shakespeare's masterpiece of family, conscience, and revenge. An after-show Open Mic will feature songs, monologues, jokes, poetry, dance routines -- if you have something, share it. Learn more about Traveling Players and this event at www.travelingplayers.org.
The Women Voices Forum will celebrate Women's History Month with the program, "Come Let Your Voice Be Heard," on Saturday, March 20, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for Fairfax County residents to engage the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, the Commission for Women, key experts, and community opinion leaders in intergenerational conversations. For more information and to register, contact Fairfax County Commission for Women, 703.324.5730.
The fourth annual Reading: A Family Affair, presented by the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia and Verizon, will be held on Saturday, March 20, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the James Lee Community Center. This free, family-friendly event offers live performances from some of the area's most sought-after children's entertainers: Grammy award winning musicians Cathy Fink and Marcy marxer, magician The Great Zucchini, Good Life Theater puppets, plus storytellers and local children's book authors. Special guest WETA TV 26's Clifford the Big Red Dog will also be there.
The Fairfax Choral Society will present "Light Everlasting - Music of Faith, Hope, & Love," at 8:00 p.m. on March 20, 2010, in the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center on the Alexandria campus of Northern Virginia Community College, 3001 North Beauregard Street. For tickets or more information, contact 703.642.3277 or office@fairfaxchoralsociety.org.
The Fairafx County Sheriff's Office is sponsoring a 2-day AARP Driver Safety Program on March 22-23, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Fairfax County Criminal Justice Academy, 14601 Lee Road, Chantilly. The course provides information on safe driving strategies and a review of the "rules of the road." Participants will be eligible to receive a discount through their auto insurance. Preregistration is required and class size is limited. the cost is $12 for AARP members and $14 for nonmembers, with checks payable to "AARP." To register or request further information, contact charise.thompson@fairfaxcounty.gov or call 703.246.3246.
The Fairfax County Police Department is offering a Mature Operator's Driver Improvement Program (MODIP) on Tuesday, March 23, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m, at the Fairfax County Government Center, Room 4-5, 12000 Government Center Parkway. This 8-hour class covers safe driving for mature drivers. After completing the course, drivers may be eligible for insurance premium reductions. The class is free, but preregistration is required. To register call the Fair Oaks District Police Station at 703.591.0966 (press 0 when you get the menu).
"Generation Next: Reston Leadership Development" will be hosted and sponsored by the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods on Thursday, March 25, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. All are welcome to come to the RCC Community Room to share in an active dialog session on getting involved in leading our community. Those wishing to continue Reston's values in the work of civic and community organizations are urged to attend. Current and future leaders representing Arts, Culture, Education, Government, Human Services, Sports, and more will discuss concepts, leadership development, and getting involved. Refreshments will be provided by some of Reston's favorite eateries. RSVP to RCCContact@fairfaxcounty.gov. This event is free!
The next Electric Sunday TV and Computer Recycling Event will be held at a new location - I-95 Landfill Complex, 9850 Furnace Road, Lorton - on March 28, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Fairfax residents may recycle televisions, computers, monitors and peripheral electronic devices (printers, scanners, speakers, keyboards, external drives, etc.) and fluorescent lights. For more information call 703.324.5230, TTY 711.
The Reston Community Orchestra will present "Spring Inflorescence - Ebony Vibrations" at a concert on Sunday, March 28, at 4:00 p.m. at the Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods. Music by Chopin, Rubenstein, Debussy, and Crusell will be featured.
The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities seeks public comment on disability services and will hold a Public Comment Forum on Monday, March 29, University of Virginia Northern Virginia Center, 7054 Haycock Road, Room 213, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Periodic assessment of Virginia's disability services system by the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities is required by state statute. As the state's federally established Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, the Board is also required to include assessment information as a part of its federal five-year State Plan. In late spring 2011, the Board will publish a new edition of its Assessment of the Disability Services System in Virginia. In August 2011, it will submit its 2012-2016 State Plan to the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, its federal oversight and funding agency. These two important documents will impact the Board's activities and inform individuals with disabilities, their families, advocates, service providers, policymakers, educators, the media, and all Virginians for years to come. Constituents will have opportunities to provide input on both documents and are strongly encouraged to do so. Public comment can also be submitted by postal or other delivery to Attention: Triennial Assessment, Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, Washington Building, Capitol Square, 1100 Bank Street 7th Floor, Richmond, VA 23219; by email to VBPD@VBPD.virginia.gov; by fax to 804.786.1118; or by phone to 1-800-846-4464. To be considered, comments ust be received no later than Friday, April 30, 2010. Both the current 2007-2011 State Plan and the 2008 Assessment are available online at www.VABoard.org/reports.htm.
On April 5 the Katelyn Hall Foundation will hold its 5th Annual Golf Tournament to benefit the Georgetown University Hospital neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the March of Dimes at Lansdowne Golf Club, 44050 Woodridge Parkway, in Lansdowne, VA. Shotgun Start (Captain's Choice) begins at 9:00 a.m. Register online at www.khallfoundation.com/golftournament.
Learn about home modifications and inexpensive devices that can help your loved one maintain independence at a program, "Making Life Easier: Gadgets, Gizmos and Home Modifications," on Wednesday, April 7, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. at the Oakton Library, 10304 Lynnhaven Place, Oakton. Call 703.242.4020 for directions or information.
The 21st Annual Environment Virginia symposium will take place April 7 and 8 in Lexington, Virginia. The theme of this year's symposium is "Optimizing Stewardship in a Challenging Environment." Join over 500 environmental decision-makers from all sectors and from across the Commonwealth to learn the latest about environmental challenges and solutions and to build partnerships to implement solutions to these challenges. For detailed information and registration, visit www.vmi.edu/environmentva.
"Empty Bowls," a benefit supper for hunger relief, will be held on Friday, April 9, 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston. Sponsor is the Giving Circle of HOPE, and all proceeds will go directly to Food for Others, the largest distributor of free food to the needy in Northern Virginia. For a minimum donation of $20, guests will choose a handmade pottery bowl and receive a simple supper of soup, bread, beverage and dessert. The bowl is yours to keep to remind that there are "empty bowls" in our community. Tickets are available by contacting givingcircle@hotmail.com.
Mark your calendars for Reston's Founder's Day on Saturday, April 10, in honor of the 96th birthday of Reston founder Robert E. Simon, Jr., presented by Reston Historic Trust, Reston Museum. This celebration will be held on the Plaza at Lake Anne. Call 703.709.7700 for more details.
The Alice Ferguson Foundaiton will again host this year's Potomac River Watershed Cleanup on Saturday, April 10, 9:00 a.m. until noon. Cleanup sites will be listed on their website, www.PotomacCleanup.org, starting in March so you can pick your perfect location. Contact Ginny Harris Crake at gharris@fergusonfoundation.org for more information.
Save the date - Saturday, April 17, 7:30 p.m. - for the Reston Community Orchestra's annual benefit gala, "Puttin' on the Ritz." Visit www.restoncommunityorchestra.org for more information.
The Medical Care for Children Partnership Foundation will hold its "Dress Up with Grown-Ups Gala" on Saturday, April 17, 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Fairview Park Marriott, Falls Church. Ticket prices are: Family Ticket for $300 per family (includes up to 2 adults and 2 children); $100 per extra adult; and $75 per extra child. The cost of one family ticket, $300, is the cost for medical care for an entire year for one child in the MCCP program. Bring your kids or your grandkids, or just come by yourselves. This unique gala will reflect the fact that MCCP Foundation raises funds for the medical care of uninsured children right here in our community. This event includes a silent auction, sit-down dinner, dancing to a DJ, family photo-op, and fun activities for the kids. For more information, contact Margery Leveen Sher at mlsher@mccpfoundation.org.
In celebration of the inaugural year of Nature House at the Walker Nature Education Center, the Nature House 5K Race will take place on Saturday, April 24, 8:00 a.m. Help celebrate and make sure that this wonderful new facility continues to have the support it needs for a bright future. Registration is at www.active.com/running/reston-va/7th-annual-nature-house-5k-fund-run-2010. You can also register on race day. Fee is $25 prior to March 31, $30 after March 31.
The Fairfax County Department of Community and Recreation Services will host the Second Annual Technology Summit on Saturday, May 1, at the James Lee Community Center, 2855-A Annandale Road, Falls Church, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. The Technology Summit is an opportunity for individuals, groups, and corporations to set up and display their technology, science, and engineering endeavors for the public. Space and tables are free and will be allotted on a first come, first served basis. You must provide your own equipment and spplies. To reserve your booth, contct Robert O'Quinn at 703.324.5588, TTY. Deadline for reserving booths is April 16.
GRACE's 19th Annual Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival will be held May 15 and 16 at the Reston Town Center. Watch this section for more information about this year's Festival.
|
| Go Green |
 Go Green - consider the environment! Please print this newsletter only if necessary. | |
|
|
|
| Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia e-News.
Authorized by Kenneth R. Plum. Paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum. |
|
|
|
|
