Session Update Week 1

January 29, 2017

The 2017 General Assembly session officially got under way at noon on Wednesday, January 11. Even though this year is a short session, we will still be making adjustments to our biennial budget and working to enact policy that strengthens Virginia’s economy, improves our schools, and provides healthcare services to the most in need, without expanding costly entitlement programs.

On the first day of session, the Speaker announced a new transparency measure that builds on initiatives that were implemented last year. Now the public will be able to view the video archive of the daily floor sessions on demand from the General Assembly website. You will also have the ability to search the footage by bill or member. Up until this year, you could only watch the floor sessions live. To access the video, please visit the General Assembly website.

Later Wednesday evening, Governor McAuliffe delivered the annual State of the Commonwealth Address.  As this is McAuliffe’s final year in office, much of his speech was a review of his time as Governor.

Republican Delegate Ron Villanueva (Virginia Beach) and Senator Siobhan Dunnavant (Henrico) delivered the Republican perspective on the State of the Commonwealth. They reminded us that with last November’s elections, there are big changes coming to our nation’s Capital. Some of these changes, like rebuilding our national defense and curbing job-killing government regulation, will greatly benefit Virginia. But it is here in our state Capitol where work is going to be done that directly benefits the day to day lives of Virginians. If you are like me, you are in no mood for partisan games like we often see coming out of Washington.  My colleagues and I are committed to advancing commonsense priorities in Richmond that can garner widespread support.

I encourage you to keep in touch with me and my office over the coming months.  I value the feedback you provide on a continual basis as it helps me do a better job of representing you.  You can email me at [email protected] or call my office during session at (804) 698-1026.

I look forward to keeping you regularly updated as we get underway. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your representative in Richmond.