March 30, 2016
 
 
Delegate Ken Plum's 
Virginia E-News

Happy Spring!

Commentary

Words of Wisdom                      
Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum

Folks back home where I grew up in Page County, Virginia were not known to have a lot to say about events. In fact, they were suspicious of people who talked too much. Someone who talked a lot about themselves was considered a braggart, and there was little need to talk about circumstances beyond ones' control. As often is the case, people of few words can pack a lot of meaning into the words they do say. Some of the wisdom conveyed to me in simple words and phrases of the folksy sayings of my childhood came to mind during the recent legislative session.

I was always advised by my parents and others to "Never cut off your nose to spite your face." That, however, is exactly what the General Assembly did this session. Over the last couple of years various reasons have been given for not expanding Medicaid to provide health care to the working poor. Some argued that expansion would add to the national debt, but as a self-funded program it does not. It was called too expensive even though Virginia taxpayer dollars that go to the federal government would have covered 100 percent of the cost in the first three years. It was called "Obamacare" as though the President having something to do with it somehow made it bad. The state Medicaid program was audited more than 60 times, and proposed reforms were adopted. The federal expansion would have freed up more than 150 million in state dollars that could have been used for other programs like the schools. The inaction of the General Assembly to close the coverage gap in health insurance has left more than three billion dollars on the table that could have come to Virginia and as many as 400,000 Virginians without health care. I believe that the old saying, "penny wise and pound foolish" might apply to the General Assembly in the future if it continues to refuse federal dollars for Medicaid when the 100 percent reimbursement becomes a 90-10 match. Likewise, the failure to invest regularly in infrastructure improvements will cost the state in the future. A greater investment in bridges is especially important. The Metro system that is critically important to Virginia commuters is another example of penny wise, pound foolish policies of the past. The recent unprecedented closing of Metro in order to identify safety concerns and the finding of a significant number of critical repairs that are needed show how far behind we are in investing in its maintenance.

"A stitch in time saves nine" is always good advice. I am pleased with the additional funding that the state is providing in early childhood education. Many studies prove the point that investing in children's education early saves money in the future.

Society is more complex than it was in the years of my youth, but the wisdom of that time can still apply to understanding the challenges of today.

 
Virginia Report on Comcast Channel 28
  
Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming (Verizon Channel 1981). Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference.

TONIGHT- Wednesday, March 30 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Rob Gehring about Criminal Justice Reform
    
Tuesday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, April 6 at 10:30 p.m., Delegate Plum talks with Darcy Cunningham of CASA Fairfax

Virginia Report is also available for viewing online at
www.youtube.com/watch. Previous shows can be viewed at https://vimeo.com/album/1650266. 


Bulletin Board  
 
Stop Gun Violence License Plate


The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has proposed a special license plate for Virginia motorists, but there must be 450 prepaid applications before a plate can be approved. 

To participate print the application found at License Plate Application. 
Check the "Special Interest" box and next to it enter: Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. On the line below, enter: Proposed design, "Stop Gun Violence"
Make check payable to Coalition to Stop Gun Violence (CSGV). Mail application and check to: The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, 805 15th Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005. Annual Fee: $10 non-personalized or $20 personalized. Your Title and Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) are found on your Vehicle Registration. For more information write to Carol Luten at cpluten@msn.com. 
____________________

Healthcare Decisions Day


Saturday, April 16, is Healthcare Decisions Day in Virginia. The day is meant to raise public awareness of the need to plan ahead for healthcare decisions related to end-of-life care and medical decision making whenever patients are unable to speak for themselves and to encourage the specific use of Advance Directives to communicate these important healthcare decisions. To create your own Advance Directive, visit www.virginiaregistry.org.

 ____________________

Fairfax County Volunteer Opportunities  


The Washington Post recently published an extensive listing of the many volunteer opportunities with organizations in our area.

View article here.

____________________

A Seminar on 
Future Plans and Projects in the Silver Line Corridor

 
 
Wednesday, April 13, 2016, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m.  
 AOl Campus, 22000 AOL Way, Dulles, VA 20166 (directions)

Hosted by: Committee for Dulles, Dulles Corridor Rail Association, Dulles South Alliance, and Washington Airports Task Force
 
Seminar Agenda: View Here
Cost: $40 per person, RSVP required. RSVP Here 
More information:
Visit: www.committeefordulles.org
Call: 703-430-8749
E-mail: info@committeefordulles.org  
____________________

The VBPD Wants You! Board slots open as of July 1

 
The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities has one upcoming vacancy for each of the categories below. If you are:
  • The parent/guardian of minor child with DD,
  • A local government agency representative,
  • A person with a developmental disability,
  • A non-governmental Service Provider,
  • or a person with a disability other than developmental,
and are interested in serving on the Virginia Board, complete and submit the required online application at Apply Here. The Board is located in the Health and Human Resources (HHR) Secretariat. For more information about serving on the Board go to www.vaboard.org/about and scroll down to "Appointment information."
  
 

Calendar of Events      

Tomorrow: Thursday, March 31, 11:00 a.m., "Destination Rides" Information Session, NV Rides-Reston will host a one-hour information session to learn about issues facing non-driving seniors in our community, at Reston Community Center, Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza, Reston. This is a free event; you will not be asked to make a financial contribution. For information or to RSVP, contact NV Rides at GinaC@NVRides.org or 703.537.3070. More is at www.NVRides.org.

Thursday, March 31, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., Reston Paid Parking Community Forum, Hyatt Regency Ballroom in the Reston Town Center. Frequently asked questions about Reston Town Center parking are at http://www.restontowncenter.com/about/faq/.

Friday, April 1, 6:30 to 9:00 p.m., Path to Naturalization seminar, designed to help members of all new immigrant groups in our region to understand and begin the process for applying for American citizenship. Co-sponsored by a significant number of Latino, Asian and other organizations representing their respective communities in this area. Download a flyer here.

April 1-3, SingStrong A cappella Music Festival, at South Lakes High School Arts Center, 11400 South Lakes Drive, Reston. Details are at SingStrong. 
 
Saturday, April 2, from 9:00 a.m. to noon, Spring Cleaning of Our Parks, a partnership between the Nature Conservancy and Fairfax County Park Authority to pick up trash at eight locations in Fairfax County. For more information or to register online, click here. Download a flyer here.

April 3 through 10, Reston Founder's Week. A week of events to celebrate and give those who live, work and play in Reston a chance to reconnect to founder Bob Simon and the spirit of his vision and his life. A full schedule of events is at Founder's Week. An extensive listing of events and sponsors can be downloaded here. To request this information in an alternate format, call BeBe Nguyen at 703-390-6145. 

April 5-7, Environment Virginia Symposium, at VMI's Center for Leadership and Ethics, one of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality's Virginia Green Convention and Conference Centers. Find more information about the symposium and register at Environment Virginia Symposium. 
 
Thursday, April 7, 5:30 to 10:00 p.m., Best of Reston Awards Gala, at Hyatt Regency Reston. Details are at Best of Reston. 
 
Friday, April 8, 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Empty Bowls fundraiser to help fight hunger and food insecurity in our community. At Floris United Methodist Church, 13600 Frying Pan Road in Herndon. Further details are at Empty Bowls. 
 
Saturday, April 16, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Living Well, Aging Well Summit, at Fairfax County Government Center, 12000 Government Center Parkway, Fairfax. Free event, for older adults & people with disabilities. Download a flyer here. Register here.

Saturday, April 16, 5:30 p.m., Equality Virginia's 13th Annual Commonwealth Dinner, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 North Third Street, Richmond. Virginia's largest gala for the LGBT community and allies celebrates the hard work of advocates across the Commonwealth during this year's General Assembly session. Find information and purchase tickets at Commonwealth Dinner. 
 
Saturday, April 23, noon to 6:00 p.m., Diva Central Event, at Reston Community Center Lake Anne, 1609-A Washington Plaza. The one-day event is open to any current high school student who is in need of a prom dress and other accessories. Everything is absolutely FREE. Limit one dress per person. Download a flyer here. 

Saturday, April 23, 6:00 to 11:00 p.m., FISH Fling Gala, at Hyatt Dulles Hotel, 2300 Dulles Corner Boulevard in Herndon. Download a flyer for the event here. For more information on FISH, visit herndonrestonfish.org.

April 23 to 30, Historic Garden Week. House & garden tours offered statewide. Learn more at vagardenweek.org.

Sunday, April 24, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Reston Citizens Association (RCA) 2015 Reston Citizen of the Year Award presentation, at the Reston Community Center, Hunters Woods, Community Room, 2310 Colts Neck Road, Reston. More information is at Citizen of the Year.
 
April 25-26, National Reduce Tobacco Use Conference, showcasing the latest in tobacco-use prevention, reduction, and cessation with youth and young adults. For more information, visit reducetobaccouse.org. 
 
Saturday, April 30, Fairfax CASA Run for the Children Race, Starting Time: 8:00 a.m., at the Fairfax County Courthouse complex. Features music, food, prizes and raffle items. Raises money to help Fairfax CASA volunteers advocate for those children under the court's protection. Details are at Run for the Children.   
 
Sunday, May 1, March for Babies, Family teams, company teams and people walking with friends to raise money for babies in our community. To register, learn more, or ask questions, visit March for Babies. 

May 21 to 22, 1:00 to 7:00 p.m., Relay For Life of Reston, at South Lakes High School. The American Cancer Society Relay For Life movement symbolizes hope and our shared goal to end a disease that threatens the lives of so many people we love. More information is at Relay for Life. 
 

36th District 

Reston, Virginia
 
In This Issue
"Virginia Report"
Bulletin Board
Check Your Calendar
Commentary..."Words of Wisdom"

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum
Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News


Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News is authorized by Kenneth R. Plum
 and paid for by Friends of Delegate Ken Plum.