To discuss some of the legislation considered thus far, I will be holding a tele-town hall meeting this coming Wednesday evening, February 22, at 7:30 p.m. A tele-town hall meeting is similar to a district-wide conference call. I will provide an update about the session and take questions. For the tele-town hall, our office will only call constituents of the 67th district and if you have indicated a “do not call” preference in the past, that will be honored.

Budget

Governor McDonnell introduced a balanced budget for the July 2012-June 2014 period. Next week the House will consider the budget along with amendments proposed by the Appropriations Committee. The Governor’s budget proposal includes providing additional funding for the Virginia Retirement System to help ensure its long-term solvency. As you may know, VRS is the pension plan for state and local employees, including teachers.

Transportation

I reintroduced legislation in the 2012 session, H.B. 599, to require that planned transportation projects be rated based on the amount of congestion reduction achieved per dollar spent on each project. In this way, the highest priority projects that offer the biggest “bang for the buck” can be identified in a publicly available list. Because our transportation dollars are limited, we should be funding these kinds of projects first. H.B. 599 passed the House of Delegates this week and will now be considered by the Senate.

The House also passed H.B. 864, a bill I cosponsored to provide Northern Virginia with more representation on the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which is the decision-making body that allocates transportation infrastructure funds. The bill passed 51 to 47, which was due to the fact that Northern Virginia now has more representation in the House of Delegates as a result of redistricting, following the 2010 census. Northern Virginia’s delegation worked effectively with a coalition of legislators from other regions in Virginia that have traffic problems to provide the winning margin. This vote is significant because it shows that Northern Virginia has more votes than in the past to better address transportation funding issues.

Government Reform

I have been working with the Governor and other members of the House of Delegates on H.B. 1291, to eliminate duplicative and outdated boards and commissions from state government and unnecessary regulations. During the process of considering H.B. 1291, I offered amendments to strengthen the law that prevents the government from competing with the private sector. The General Laws Committee recently approved these amendments. The Governor’s restructuring bill passed the House this week and will now be considered by the Senate.

On another matter, I introduced H.B. 601 to give Virginia a permanent statewide seat on the Metro Board. Virginia provides more than $100 million annually to support Metro rail and Metro bus operations. I believe Virginia needs a permanent watchdog on the board to monitor how our tax dollars are used, especially given the cost overruns and safety problems that Metrorail and Metrobus service has encountered in recent years. H.B. 601 passed the House, 71-26 and will now be considered by the Senate.

As you may know, I was the first member of the House of Delegates to post my voting record online. Legislation I authored last year requires all recorded votes of each member in the House of Delegates to be posted online, effective January 2012. You can access this information by going to my website, www.LeMunyon.com, and clicking on “voting record.”

If you are unable to participate in the tele-town hall meeting on Wednesday, you are always welcome to contact my office by phone, 804.698.1067, or by email, deljlemunyon@house.virginia.gov. I appreciate and value your advice and suggestions.

Since the start of the session on January 11, my office has received more than 3,000 email messages, letters and phone calls from constituents regarding various bills and related public policy issues. There are a few topics on which we’ve received a great deal of mail, and I’d like to share with you those that have generated the greatest interest.

H.B. 1291 endeavors to re-organize numerous state agencies, boards, and commissions to streamline and reduce the cost of government. Of particular interest to many constituents was a part of the bill that would deregulate the profession of interior design. Currently, interior designers are licensed by the state. Upon the request of many voters across the state, this element was removed from the bill and interior designers will still be licensed by the state. This bill passed the General Laws Committee with my support and will be considered by the full House next week.

H.B. 576 addresses employment of public school teachers and principals. The bill as amended by the Education Committee does not affect teachers and principals currently on “continuing contracts” (sometimes referred to as tenure), except to ensure that teachers receive regular performance evaluations. As new teachers enter the teaching profession in Virginia, they would be offered three-year term contracts after a probationary period.

Issues remain with the bill regarding the circumstances under which teachers on a three-year term contract could be released from employment. I met privately with the Governor on this issue yesterday, and I expect that additional amendments to the bill will be made.

H.B. 947 would establish a five-year pilot program to allow home-schooled students to try out for public school athletics under certain conditions. I considered the “pros” and “cons” and good arguments exist on both sides of this issue. I decided to support the bill for several reasons: testimony in committee indicated a small number of students statewide would take advantage of the program, home-school families pay taxes that help support the sports programs, and finally, if this pilot program doesn’t work for some reason it will expire.

Prior to the 2012 General Assembly session, there was widespread speculation regarding whether or not the General Assembly would consider taking steps toward lifting the 30-year ban on uranium mining in Virginia. No Delegate or Senator introduced legislation to lift the ban during the 2012 session. I expect that a bill may be considered in the coming years related to this topic, but want you to know that it will not be addressed this session.

I hope that you have found this summary of these “hot topics” helpful. As always, I value your input and hope that you will continue to communicate your concerns and support for legislation before the Virginia General Assembly. Please feel free to send an email message to DelJLeMunyon@house.virginia.gov or call 702-264-1432. Your call will automatically forward to my office in Richmond.

It is an honor to sit in your chair and work at your desk each day in the Capitol. I’d like to extend my thanks to all who have contacted me to express points of view on various issues. I value the opinions of all citizens regardless of whether we agree or disagree on a particular issue.

Two of the questions on the constituent survey pertained to the ever-increasing tolls on the Dulles Toll Road. Tolls are scheduled to increase in order to pay off more than $1.2 billion in debt issued so far to pay for the Dulles Rail project. Another $1 billion or more is planned. The results of my survey indicate that more than half of those who use the Toll Road have already reduced their use of the road because of these toll increases. This is consistent with what voters told me while I was knocking on doors during the 2011 campaign. We need to fully utilize the Dulles Toll Road or more congestion will be created on other roads. The Fairfax Times published an op-ed that I wrote related to this topic. To read the article in full, click here.

I have introduced legislation to prevent additional debt from being used for Dulles Rail if it is to be paid off with toll increases. Candidly, this legislation is not supported by many other Northern Virginia legislators, as it is difficult to find other funding sources to pay for the Dulles Rail and could slow completion of the project. I believe we should take the necessary time now to ensure that financing of this project is done right rather than saddle residents of Northern Virginia with more debt than we can afford and high tolls for decades to come.

Related to this issue, this year I reintroduced legislation to require that planned transportation projects be rated based on the amount of congestion reduction achieved per dollar spent on each project. In this way, the highest priority projects that offer the biggest “bang for the buck” can be identified in a publicly available list. Because our transportation dollars are limited, we should first be funding the projects that help get Northern Virginia moving. This bill, H.B. 599 passed a transportation subcommittee this week and will be considered by the full committee next week.

Two other transportation bills I introduced are moving through committee. H.B. 626 provides for evaluations of roads with increased traffic noise in order to help local governments make better decisions about placement of sound walls and use of quiet pavement technology. H.B. 625 requires VDOT to review changes of local zoning plans, specifically to make note of any possibility of increased congestion or a reduction of mobility in the event of a homeland security emergency in our area.

Last week, I reported that the education subcommittee that I chair voted to repeal the so-called “Kings Dominion” law, a law requiring school boards to open school after Labor Day. I am happy to report that H.B. 1063, a bill I cosponsored, passed the House of Delegates 76 to 23 and will now be considered by the Senate in the coming weeks.

The Teachers and Administrative Action Subcommittee, which I chair, passed a bipartisan bill with my support to allow local school boards to set the start date for the school calendar, eliminating the post-Labor Day opening requirement commonly known as the “Kings Dominion Law.” I expect that the full Education Committee will consider this bill, H.B. 1063, next week.

I have received many phone calls, e-mails and visitors, especially from educators in the district, who expressed concerns over a H.B. 576, a bill that if passed, would reform teacher contracts and evaluations. My staff and I are meeting with the Governor’s staff, officials at the Virginia Department of Education, principals, teachers, and representatives from local school boards to carefully evaluate the bill and look for ways to improve the legislation to the benefit of both teachers and students. The Teachers and Administrative Action subcommittee, that I chair, will consider this bill next week.

In response to the numerous calls and emails I received during the election last fall related to robocalls, I introduced a bipartisan resolution, H.R. 9, to urge political candidates to voluntarily agree to refrain from calling people whose numbers are listed in “do-not-call” registries, such as the National Do Not Call Registry. Unfortunately, the resolution failed in committee, but I have registered with the National Do Not Call Registry and plan to utilize it.

I have proposed an additional $400,000 in the state budget for the State Police to more effectively conduct background checks for individuals desiring to purchase a firearm. Recently, a constituent brought to my attention the significant delays some purchasers were experiencing in receiving the results of their background checks due to insufficient staffing to conduct the checks. It is important that the State Police have the resources to perform background checks thoroughly and in a timely manner so that firearms are not sold to criminals or the mentally ill, and so that law abiding citizens receive prompt service.

The Governor introduced H.B. 1291, a bill to reform a significant number of state boards and commissions, to make state government more efficient and to save tax dollars. I anticipate this legislation will be considered by the General Laws Committee, of which I am a member, this coming week.

I expect that we will also see further action regarding my transportation bills next week. Please contact my office if you have any comments or suggestions on legislation that appears before the General Assembly this session.

“Virginia law requires 180 instructional days in the school year. Starting school after Labor Day means that schools must remain open until mid-June, weeks after standardized testing is completed. Since the standardized testing dates can’t be changed due to federal requirements, children are only benefiting from 165 to 170 instructional days before testing occurs,” said LeMunyon. “Not only are students placed at a disadvantage, but also it costs the Commonwealth of Virginia $50 million dollars per day to keep schools open, when both the state and local funding contributions are considered. We can’t afford to underutilize more than $500 million of taxpayers’ dollars each year by keeping children in school for weeks after testing is completed.

“Since I was first elected in 2009, I have met with fifteen principals from schools in the 67th district in addition to dozens of parents and teachers. There is overwhelming support for this change in Virginia law,” said LeMunyon.

House Bill 1063 passed the Teachers and Administrative Action Subcommittee on a vote of seven to one with LeMunyon voting “yes.”

###

HB627: While going door-to-door during my 2011 campaign, I often heard complaints regarding increased tolls on the Dulles Toll Road. These tolls are being raised every year to cover the cost of construction of the Metrorail to Dulles Airport. The burden of funding construction of Metro has been inappropriately placed on the Toll Road users. HB 627 would ban tolls from being used to fund Phase 2 of Dulles Rail. In my view, the cost of Metrorail to Dulles should be borne by people who will ride the train and not those driving on the road, in addition to federal, state, and local government contributions. These tolls are already discouraging motorists from using the road, which creates more congestion on other, already crowded roads.

HB602: I reintroduced legislation to give local school boards the flexibility to start the school year prior to Labor Day. Governor McDonnell recently announced his support for doing so. One immediate impact of changing this date is to more closely align standardized test dates with the end of the school year. This bill and related bills will be considered by the Teachers and Administrative Action Subcommittee, which I chair, on Thursday, January 26.

HB547: I co-patroned this bill which would incentivize school districts to find areas of cost savings and then allow the school system to use surplus funds for one-time teacher bonuses up to 3 percent.

HB604: To honor the victims of the 2007 Virginia Tech tragedy, I introduced this bill to create a specialty license plate available through the DMV. In order for this bill to pass the House of Delegates, 450 motorists must fill out prepaid applications for these plates. You can help us reach 450 by pre-ordering your license plate here.

HB616: Campaign season wasn’t that long ago, and I received numerous complaints about the number of political signs (as well as commercial signs) posted along road ways. HB 616 raises the fine from $100 to $250 dollars for a single sign in the right-of-way of a road. It also financially incentivizes VDOT to contract with local governments to enforce the law and remove signs that are illegally placed along roadways. This bill will be considered by a transportation subcommittee on Monday.

Be on the lookout for more email updates as the session progresses. You can view my votes in committee and on the House floor by clicking here. Be sure to use the pull down menu to find my name. If you have any questions or comments on these, or other bills I have introduced, please contact my office by phone, 804-698-1067, or by email, DelJLeMunyon@house.virginia.gov.

Richmond – Today, in an organizational meeting of the House Education Committee, Delegate Jim LeMunyon (R-67 Fairfax/Loudoun) was appointed Chairman of the Teachers and Administrative Action Subcommittee. Delegate LeMunyon is in his second term as a Member of the House of Delegates and third session as a Member of the House Education Committee.

“I am honored that Delegate Tata, Chairman of the Education Committee, extended this responsibility to me. This subcommittee will consider matters related to the responsibilities of teachers and the essential role they place in educating more than one million young people every school day in Virginia,” said LeMunyon, who is the son of a career third grade public school teacher.

House Speaker Bill Howell commented, “It is uncommon that a second term Member be given the responsibility of chairing a subcommittee in the House of Delegates. Jim’s appointment to this important subcommittee reflects the confidence Members of the House of Delegates have in his ability.”

In keeping with a 2009 campaign promise, I introduced bipartisan legislation in 2010 and 2011 requiring the House of Delegates to electronically publish the voting records of every Member of the Virginia House on the Virginia General Assembly website, indexed by Member name. The House of Delegates passed H.R. 64 to accomplish this in 2011.

I am delighted to inform you that the voting record system is now operational. Adding this feature to search by a Delegate’s name creates more openness and transparency. You can access this new feature by clicking here and using the drop down menu to find my name. Please let me know if you have suggestions on ways to improve this feature.

We’ve received more than 500 responses to my 2012 constituent survey so far. If you haven’t completed the survey yet, please do so here. Of course, I welcome your ideas and suggestions on legislation that comes before the General Assembly. Please stay in touch.

P.S. Did you know that today, January 13, is recognized as Korean-American Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia? I salute the many contributions of Korean-Americans that make our community and Virginia a better place to live, work and raise a family.

Have you ever wanted to take a tour of Virginia’s Capitol? Come visit! If you would like take a tour of the Capitol, visit the 67th district’s office, or the Governor’s Mansion please send an email to deljlemunyon@house.virginia.gov for more details.

While in Richmond, the best ways to reach our office are:

By email: deljlemunyon@house.virginia.gov

By phone: 804-698-1067 *Our district phone number (703-264-1432) will forward to our Richmond number. You can call either number.

As always, please let me know if I can be of assistance to you or your family.

For those of you who voted for me, thank you! I’m especially grateful for the more than 400 people who volunteered their time, energy, and financial support during the course of the campaign. We made a big push at the end. In the four days prior to Election Day, we distributed about 10,000 door hangars going door-to-door to get out the vote. The 2011 campaign reminds me again that candidates do not win elections. They are won by a large number of people committed to a common purpose.

Our campaign staff amazed me every day. Led by Christen Smith, our team included Towers Mingledorff, Bennett Opitz, Joann Landry and others on a part time basis. They brought our campaign plan to life and won big. Their hard work, good cheer, and enthusiasm were very contagious. We also had tremendous support from the Governor, House Speaker Bill Howell and other colleagues in the House of Delegates, as well as the Republican Party of Virginia.

If you voted for my opponent, please know that I value your advice and suggestions just as much as anyone who supported me. I do a better job of representing the people of the 67^th district mindful of a range of viewpoints on the issues. I will endeavor to provide you with the same constituent service as anyone else. I know we won’t always agree, and I’ll be candid with you when we don’t, but I expect there will be areas of common ground, too. In any case, I’ll continue to work to make politics more civilized, and seek bipartisan solutions whenever possible.

If I had to sum up the voters’ message in 2009, it would be “okay, we’ll give you a chance.” In 2011, with an 18 percent, plus, victory margin, the message is “we’ll keep you for another two years–and raise the bar.” I’m reminded of the Biblical passage, “to whom much is given, much is expected.” We received a lot of votes on Tuesday, and I know that an increase in expectations about my performance as a legislator comes along with that.

I’ll continue to focus on important issues such as transportation, education, economic growth, and open government, while keeping Virginia’s budget balanced. I’m meeting with House Speaker Bill Howell tomorrow to discuss some specific bill ideas and what the General Assembly might be able to accomplish in these areas in 2012.

Lastly and most importantly, I’d like to thank my immediate and extended family for their love, support and tolerance for all of the unique things that happen in life when a family member is a public official. They know what I mean. Thank you!