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Peace Progress
Session Update Week 1
Message from Chris

This week the 2012 General Assembly Session convened for a 60-day session. On the first day of business, Speaker Bill Howell announced Members' committee assignments for the session. He appointed me to the Committee on Appropriations, General Laws, and Health, Welfare and Institutions.

 

The Committee on General Laws and Health are not new appointments. This year I am the fourth ranking member of the Health committee. General Laws has broad authority related to government reform, occupational licensing and housing issues, among others. I will be chairing the Housing sub-committee. General Laws also considers legislation creating transparency in government and procurement so the private sector can prosper.

 

The House Appropriations Committee considers matters relating to bills and resolutions that have a fiscal impact, whether from general or special funds of the Commonwealth. Appropriations also considers the state budget, claims, issuance of debt, and other matters concerning the expenditure of funds of the Commonwealth.

 

"I am honored that the Speaker has entrusted me with this great responsibility. Now more than ever we must reform and restructure government to make it work more efficiently and effectively. The state budget must prioritize government spending by core services first and not raise taxes. I will continue to work toward addressing the critical needs of our shared community," Peace said.

 

This session, I have introduced several bills and resolutions for consideration.  All legislation can be found on the General Assembly Website . 

 

Several bills were introduced at the request or suggestion of constituents.  I hope you will take a moment to review these bills and send me your comments;  Click here.

 

I also welcome you to take my 2012 survey online found at:

 

It is an honor to represent the people of the 97th district in the Virginia House of Delegates. If you are in Richmond in the coming weeks, please stop by our office, room 527, in the General Assembly Building.

2012 General Assembly Session Information
 
Chris and Ashley 2012 Opening Day
Delegate Peace and his wife, Ashley opening day of the 2012 session

  

The 2012 General Assembly regular session started Wednesday, January 11, 2012 and will go through Saturday, March 10, 2012. This is a sixty day session, as the legislature will be considering the new 2012-2014 biennial budget.

Peace with Patrick Henry
Peace with Patrick Henry

 

You may track legislation here: http://lis.virginia.gov  You may also keep track of committee meetings here: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?111+oth+MTG 

 

Streaming video of the House daily floor session may viewed live from your own computer by following this link: http://virginia-house.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=3 

 

If you, a school group or civic organization are interested in visiting during session, all information may be obtained here: http://legis.virginia.gov/1_vis_guide/vis_welcome.html  

 

If my office may be of assistance in planning a Capitol visit, please do not hesitate to contact us.
 

Legislative Survey 

My annual legislative survey questions reference important public policy issues which may be considered by the General Assembly during the 2012 Legislative Session. You may access the online survey via my website at www.chrispeace.com

 

If you do not have access to a computer or would prefer a hard copy of the survey, please call 804-698-1097 and my office will mail you a copy along with a reply envelope for you to easily return the completed survey.

 

Your opinion is very important to me, so please take a few moments to let me know where you stand on these important issues. If you are undecided on an issue, feel free to leave it blank. Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me at the Capitol Office at (804) 698-1097, via email at [email protected]  , on Facebook at Christopher K. Peace or Twitter @delcpeace.  

Governor McDonnell 's 2013-2014 Budget

 

Budget Invests in Core Functions of Government; Prioritizes State Spending; Does not Raise Taxes.  McDonnell: "We will not raise taxes on hardworking Virginians. This is a budget that embraces reform and sets priorities, makes Richmond live within its means and requires state government to be more efficient and effective. It positions Virginia for job creation and economic growth in the years ahead."

  

RICHMOND -Governor Bob McDonnell unveiled his two-year budget for Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014, as well as his amendments to the concluding Fiscal Year 2012 budget, in a speech to the Joint Money Committees of the General Assembly this morning in Richmond. The Governor's budget includes the greatest employer funding of the Virginia Retirement System in state history, provides significant new resources for higher education and K-12, prioritizes funds for transportation maintenance, and supplies more tools for job creation efforts in the state. The budget focuses state spending on the core functions of government, and on policies most directly tied to job creation and economic development, while not raising taxes.  The full text of the Governor's remarks to the Joint Money Committees can be found here.  

 

Speaking about the first two-year budget of his administration, the Governor remarked, "In these difficult times for Virginia and our country, each state is responsible for how it chooses to navigate forward. In the Commonwealth, we have chosen a path of fiscal responsibility, accountability and restraint. Over the past two years we have eliminated $6 billion in budget shortfalls, and set spending back to nearly 2007 levels. We have not raised taxes. During that same period we have put historic new funding into transportation and job creation, and we have made the tough choices about where limited taxpayer dollars should be directed to best spur private sector job creation. We have seen the results. Virginia has the lowest unemployment rate in the Southeast, and the third-lowest rate east of the Mississippi River. Compared to the first month of our administration, 63,000 more Virginians are working today. Our commitment to responsible budgeting has led to two consecutive budget surpluses. Now, as state revenues begin to recover and our economy continues to turn around, we must diligently exercise the fiscal restraint and responsibility that has fueled this success."

Budget
Peace listens intently as Governor McDonnell outlines his 2012-2014 budget

 

The Governor continued, "The budget bill that I am presenting today reflects the core priorities of government and our administration. It recognizes the realities of this economy. This is not a status quo period in Virginia history, thus, this is not a status quo budget. This budget prioritizes spending, ideas and policies that promote job creation, economic development and entrepreneurship. It reforms, restructures and reinvests in programs that work and make government more efficient and effective and accountable. It funds well key budget areas like education and transportation that lay the foundation for a prosperous future for our citizens. It helps solve specific big problems, like our near broken pension system, an underfunded transportation infrastructure system, and a higher education system in which tuitions have doubled in the last ten years. And it builds up cash reserves and liquidity as insurance to provide us flexibility in addressing the potential impacts of adverse future economic events and to ensure that we maintain Virginia's critically important Aaa bond rating."

 

He concluded, "This is a budget marked by tough decisions demanded by this difficult economy. Virginia citizens and businesses live on budgets and make tough decisions every day. Richmond must continue to do so as well. It is critically important that we do. When we live within our means and make government work better, we create the conditions in which private sector job creation can flourish and the citizens of Virginia can innovate, achieve and find the opportunities for success they need and deserve."

 

General fund revenues are expected to grow 3.3 percent in fiscal year 2013 and 4.5 percent in fiscal year 2014.

 

Selected Highlights of the Governor's Biennial Budget:

  • Recommends $2.21 billion in total employer contributions to Virginia's Retirement System.
  • This is the largest state contribution and the largest total employer contribution to VRS in history.
  • Provides $200 million in new funding for Virginia's higher education system to make college more affordable and accessible for Virginia students.
  • Directs an additional $438 million in total new state funding to public education for the next biennium.
  • Requires reform initiatives for K-12 education that focus on performance by requiring the Department of Education to include in the annual School Performance Report Card for school divisions the percentage of each division's annual operating budget allocated to instructional costs, with a goal of increasing classroom spending to 65% of the budget.
  • Provides much needed liquidity in the state budget by leaving an unappropriated balance in the budget of $31.4 million, which is significantly greater than the $5 to $10 million that is normally left on the bottom line, reflecting the need for a greater cushion given economic uncertainty.
  • Stabilizes Virginia's finances by growing the Rainy Day Fund by $132 million in FY 2013 and $168 million in FY 2014.
  • The Rainy Day Fund should double in size by end of FY 2014 with continued revenue growth, exceeding $600 million.
  • Places $50 million into a new Federal Action Contingency Fund (FACT Fund), a cash reserve, that can be used to mitigate a variety of negative impacts on Virginia related to likely future adverse federal budget actions which cannot be addressed by the Rainy Day Fund.
  • This Fund will be used to replace certain losses in direct federal grants; provide incentives to retain or consolidate federal facilities in Virginia, much like how the Commonwealth currently handles BRAC; address federal tax policy changes from conformity; and help businesses impacted by federal procurement or defense contracts as they change to other customers.
  • Appropriates $40 million in new funding for continued aggressive economic development efforts to encourage and facilitate private sector job creation.
  • Includes provision for up to a 3% bonus to full-time state employees on Dec. 1, 2012 if the state collectively saves at least twice the cost of the bonus $160 million. This one-time bonus, if achieved, would also save Virginia taxpayers at least $83 million.
  • Increases the dedicated transportation allocation of the sales tax from .5% to .75% over the next 8 years.
  • During the upcoming budget, the dedicated sales tax percentage will be increased to .55%, generating over $110 in critical new transportation funding for maintenance.
  • Increases mental health funding by $30 million to continue transition to more community based care.
  • In the FY 2012 budget amendments, $50 million is appropriated to eliminate the accelerated sales tax for 96% of all previously impacted retailers.

 

A full breakdown of all the Governor's budget actions can be found here: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/utility/docs/2013-2014 Budget Summary.pdf 

 

The full budget document is available here: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/utility/docs/2012
-2014BiennialBudget_all.pdf
 
 

 

 

Governor McDonnell Announces DMV and DGIF Partnership

Joint Venture to improve One-Stop Shopping Options for Customers

 

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced a partnership between the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) that supports his government reform initiative to streamline services. Beginning in late-January, citizens can register boats and boat trailers in one trip to either DGIF or DMV. They will also be able to purchase hunting and fishing licenses from both agencies.

 

Speaking about the partnership, Governor McDonnell commented, "This partnership will simplify the citizens' interaction with state agencies. Boat-owners can choose where they go to register boats and boat trailers. Previously, boat-owners had to go to DGIF to register their boats and to DMV to register their trailers. Now, it's one-stop shopping. They can conduct both transactions at either agency."

 

Governor McDonnell continued, "The 74 local DMV customer service centers and two mobile offices will join the more than 700 DGIF license agents across the state so customers will not have to travel far to obtain these products if they desire a face-to-face experience."

 

DMV and DGIF are working with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to determine how the DMV 2 Go mobile offices can assist with the sales of hunting and fishing licenses during peak seasons and events such as the highly-anticipated opening day for trout at Douthat State Park in early April.

Contact Me

My office takes the responsibility of serving seriously.  My staff is available during the week to assist you with your concerns; I am also readily available.  I encourage you to contact us.  Please continue to contact me whenever you have concerns or issues of importance to our community and the Commonwealth. 

 

I may be reached at:

 

Capitol Office:
PO Box 406
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: 804-698-1097

Fax: 804-698-6797

E-mail: [email protected]


 
District Office:

7494 Lee Davis Rd, Suite 16F
PO Box 819
Mechanicsville, VA 23111
Phone: 804-730-3737
E-mail:
[email protected]

 

Please go "like" the Facebook page of the Counties of the 97th District.   

Hanover County, VA Facebook page

 

King William County, VA Facebook page

 

New Kent County, VA Facebook page

 

In This Issue
Message from Chris
2012 Session Information
2012 Survey
Governor's Budget
DMV and DGIF Partnership
Contact Me
Quick Links
 
 
 
 
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