Keeping an Eye On the General Assembly

Published in the January 21st edition of the Lynchburg Ledger 

While our national attention has been focused on Tucson, the Virginia General Assembly began what is called their “short” session, lasting 45 days.  This session is shorter than the 60-day session because the state budget is prepared for a two-year period.  This year, they will tweak the budget passed last year.

But before I begin discussing the session, I want to make two final comments regarding the Tucson shooting.

In last week’s column, I mentioned that Dorwan Stoddard, the father of Dale Stoddard of Lynchburg and a member of Thomas Terrace Baptist Church, was one of those who died.  Dale’s father tied protecting his wife Mavy, taking the bullets meant for her.  She suffered only a leg wound.

It takes an extraordinary amount of love to sacrifice one’s self as he did.  It is sad that the media has not seen fit to focus on this act of self-sacrifice.

My pastor and an assistant pastor from church traveled to Tucson to minister to the family and attend the funeral last Sunday for Mr. Stoddard.  I am blessed to be attending such a loving and caring church.

Also in my last column, I was critical of the rush-to-judgment of the local sheriff and the liberal left.  After more of the facts about the shooter became known, it was abundantly clear the shooting was not in anyway associated with political rhetoric.  The liberals very quickly backed away from this accusation, but it didn’t stop Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, a self-described socialist, from using it in a fundraising letter.

President Barack Obama, in what was supposed to be a memorial service but seemed more like a liberal pep-rally, called for “civility” in public discord.  What he was really saying was conservatives should be quiet and liberals, who lead the pack in incivility, should keep on keeping on.

Returning to the General Assembly, known for its civility, we can be sure of at least one thing.  Since 2011 is an election year when all 100 Delegates and 40 Senators are up for election, there will be no tax increase.  At least, not on the state level.

But that is not because one isn’t trying.   Delegate Joe Morrissey (D, Henrico) wants to add a plastic bag tax to our grocery bills, which are already on the rise due to the production of ethanol for use in fuels and unusually cold weather in Florida.  Morrissey is proposing a 20 cent tax on the bags. He says Virginians consume over 2.3 billion plastic bags per year and what he really wants is a ban on using them because he believes they have a negative impact on the environment.

This is not necessarily true as they can be recycled and people find other uses for them.  For example, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality suggests we dispose of fluorescent bulbs by wrapping them in plastic bags before putting them into a landfill.

Morrissey obviously doesn’t remember why we have plastic bags in the first place instead of those big paper bags of 20 years ago.  It was because the environmentalists wanted to save trees.  You get 75 plastic bags per pound as opposed to only 11 paper bags per pound.

Morrissey’s bill will go nowhere as most of the legislators who want to be re-elected will oppose any tax increase bill.  Only those in heavily Democrat districts would dare vote for a tax increase.

That does not mean that our taxes won’t increase.  The local city and county governments are heavily dependent state funding for schools, law enforcement, social services and other branches of local government.  As state tax revenues shrink, the amount of funds flowing to the city and counties will also shrink as the state must balance its budget.

Localities which have become dependent on state funds are going to scrambling to balance their own budgets.  That means they will either cut services, raise taxes, or a combination of both.

One other way the state balances their budget is by “unfunded mandates.”  They require a local government to provide some service but don’t provide the funding for it.

One such example is storm water regulations.  Since we in Central Virginia are in the watershed for the Chesapeake Bay, we need to contend with Erosion & Control (E&S) programs and a new mandate called the total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL). To implement these programs local governments will be required to expend local funds.

In Campbell County, the cost estimate for first year startup of the program includes:

•           $77,000 for GIS land cover mapping

•           $18,000 for a vehicle

•           $28,000 to fill a vacant E&S/Storm water position

•           $75,000 for consulting engineering.

The total comes to $198,000, which will have to be factored into the next budget. 

State tax revenues seem to be improving so there is a possibility that the projected cuts to local governments won’t be as severe as some estimates indicate.

I would encourage all of us to stay in touch with our state legislators; we all have one Delegate and Senator.  You can phone them, email them, and even visit them.  If you have never been to Richmond for a day when the General Assembly is in session, I would recommend it. 

The Family Foundation hosts an annual lobbying day each hear.  This year, it is on Thursday, February 10th from 8:30 to noon.  Call Roger Pogge at 804-343-0010 for more details.

Concerned Women for America also hosts a day at the Virginia Capitol.  This year, it is on Monday, February 14^th.  Call Janet Robey at 434-401-8852 for more information.