Membership Presentation: General Assembly Report from Elected Officials
At the meeting, Delegates Tim Hugo, Jim LeMunyon, and Mark Keam, along with State Senator Dave Marsden, discussed legislation passed and not passed during the 2010 General Assembly.
- Delegate Tim Hugo
- Delegate Hugo said he and fellow Fairfax County delegates were able to bring home more money for Fairfax County schools than originally budgeted.
- Hugo wants to get legislation passed that would require publicly funded Virginia colleges to admit at least 40 percent of their students from the Commonwealth. He said four colleges: UVA, Virginia Tech, William & Mary, and James Madison, admit only 30 percent. They receive more tuition and “prestige” from having out-of-state and foreign students.
- Tim thanked NOVEC for the work the electric utility did in his district to keep power on during the February snowstorms.
- Delegate Jim LeMunyon
- LeMunyon said Virginia is facing a huge problem with Medicaid recipients. Currently, 39 percent of Virginians receive some sort of Medicaid. He said the percentage will only increase as baby boomers age. He said by 2013, the Commonwealth will have more people on Medicaid than in public schools.
- The delegate said out-of-state college students should pay the market rate for admission to state colleges. He said out-of-state students at George Mason University pay about $28K each year, without room and board, while Wake Forest in North Carolina charges $50K.
- LeMunyon wants to change the Virginia law that says public schools can't start until after Labor Day. He said local governments should be allowed to make their own school calendars.
- Senator Dave Marsden
- Marsden, elected senator in January, noted that when he went to high school, students who lived as far as away as Bull Run and Centreville attended Woodson High School.
- The senator said he thinks Virginia colleges should charge out-of-state students more tuition. He noted that UVA only receives 12 percent of its operating budget from the state. (The other three colleges are similar.)
- Marsden said the General Assembly borrowed from the state pension fund for school money.
- He said the state is short on money for transportation. The General Assembly is looking at installing tolls, etc., for extra revenue. But, Marsden said adding tolls presents a problem, because it costs money to build, man and operate them. Also, commuters can often find alternative routes to avoid tolls. He said we need a third lane inside the beltway in Arlington to relieve some of the traffic congestion in Fairfax.
- Marsden said he introduced environmental protection legislation that would prohibit landscapers from putting fertilizer high in nitrogen on non-pervious surfaces, such as sidewalks.
- The senator said it costs Virginia taxpayers $14 a day to keep inmates in jail. Eight jurisdictions are allowing inmates to participate in work-release programs so that they can pay child support. He said he is pleased with the initiatives Gov. McDonnell has taken to help state prisons, because the Commonwealth has 4,000 people waiting to go to prison.
- Delegate Keam
- Delegate Keam represents the 35th district and has some constituents in the Sully District. He arrived late, but said he agrees with the other representatives and said he’s working well with them.
- Questions and Answers - Audience members suggested the following:
- Hike the 17 cent gas tax a cent or two
- Tax mileage instead of gas
- Make ABC stores private. Marsden said that’s one thing the state does well and the stores should remain under state management.
- Charge $5 per ticket at Dulles Airport. Many airports add the tax to tickets and use the money for roads near the airports.