On May 30, the General Assembly passed a bipartisan budget bill that included Medicaid expansion for hundreds of thousands of Virginians in need of access to healthcare. This was a long-overdue legislative action, and helps lift the burden from those who often have to decide between managing a chronic illness […]

The most essential responsibility entrusted to state legislators is to be good stewards of public funds. State funds to operate government come from the citizens and should be prudently spent on infrastructure and other core services that enhance our quality of life. This past March, the General Assembly dropped the […]

Since adjourning, my colleagues have used this column space to highlight some of the work of the General Assembly. I want to talk about the missed opportunity of not having a budget. The regular session adjourned with the two Republican-led chambers (both the House and Senate) at an impasse over […]

We are in the final stretch of the 2018 General Assembly Session. All attention has turned to Virginia’s next biennial spending plan. We have had an intense six weeks of prepping an amended budget, taking into consideration hundreds of hours of testimony to get here. The Senate Budget as presented […]

The General Assembly is off to a fast and furious start. Governor Northam took the helm Jan. 13 and has set the stage for bipartisan efforts on behalf of Virginians. You may recall last November there was a Democratic wave that swept all three statewide offices and netted Democrats 15 […]

Happy New Year to you! The chapter on 2017 has been written. We now start 2018 with optimism for continued economic growth and prosperity for all Virginians. The turmoil from Washington continues to put hardworking families at risk of losing their healthcare, paying more for the education they need to […]

The November elections and Thanksgiving are now in the rearview mirror. There was unprecedented voter participation in the House of Delegate and statewide elections. I commend those who worked relentlessly to get people to take this non-presidential election seriously. There’s no mistaking that Virginians sought an outlet for their frustrations […]

The national spotlight has once again been turned on the Commonwealth. We are one of two states in the nation that will be electing a new governor, lt. governor and attorney general. Despite all the media coverage, millions of dollars in direct mail, and a plethora of polls that have […]

There has been yet another human carnage in this nation. It is long past the time to talk about the why and how of the latest mass shooting. There is no place for assault weapons in the hands of anyone outside of our deployed military personnel. Let the conversation begin […]

Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer. I extend my best wishes to both the teachers and students for success in their upcoming academic year. Children and school buses are on the roads – be sure to give them a “brake.” We are also entering the final stretch of […]