To view a complete list of legislation that Delegate LeMunyon introduced for the 2012 session, click here.
Transportation
My top priority is the issue that unites us all in Northern Virginia—reducing traffic congestion and improving our regional mobility.
For the 2012 General Assembly session, I re-introduced legislation from last year, H.B. 599 requiring the Commonwealth Transportation Board to rate planned transportation projects 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 passed the House on February 14 by a vote of 64-36 and is now before the Virginia Senate.
In 2011, the General Assembly approved $4 billion in new transportation spending for use during the next three years. This legislation, which I co-sponsored, does not allocate funds for specific regions or projects, as the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) makes most of those decisions. In 2012, I introduced H.B. 600 to reform the membership of the CTB to give Northern Virginia more representation on the Board. This bill was combined into H.B. 864 which passed the House on February 13 by a vote of 51-47 and is now before the Virginia Senate. For a complete list of current VDOT transportation projects in Northern Virginia, click here.
At this time, no federal funds have been committed to Phase 2 of the Silver Line Project to Dulles Airport. Because there are no federal funds secured for Phase 2 of the Silver Line, the burden has fallen to the toll payers that use the Dulles Toll Road, and tolls collections on the Dulles Toll Road are paying for the largest percentage of the project at 52.6 percent. Updates projections show tolls rising to more than $8 each way in the next few years. I disagree with the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) being able to increase tolls without approval by an elected body. I have introduced legislation, H.B. 627, to limit the increases of tolls to pay for Phase 2, which discourages people from using the Toll Road and creates more congestion on other, already crowded roads. Unfortunately, this bill was defeated in committee. I will continue to work in other ways to stop funding Dulles Rail with toll hikes.
Education
My commitment to quality public education is second to none. As the son of a career third grade teacher and father of three graduates of Fairfax County Public Schools, I know and appreciate the impact our teachers have on our children—and America’s future—every day. Our children learn best when we attract and retain well-paid and motivated teachers and when parents are actively involved in our schools.
In 2012, I continue to serve on the Education Committee of the House of Delegates, which I was assigned to in 2010. This committee considers legislation on a range of issues related to K-12 education and Virginia’s public colleges and universities. In January 2012, I was appointed chairman of the Teachers and Administrative Action Subcommittee.
In 2012, I introduced H.B. 602 and cosponsored H.B. 1063, bills that would give local school boards more flexibility to start school as early as two weeks prior to Labor Day and end two weeks earlier in June. Throughout 2010, I met with 15 principals from schools in the 67th district. This bill is a direct result of listening to their advice and ideas. One immediate impact of changing this date is to more closely align standardized test dates with the end of the school year. This would give students more time to learn before testing. Presently, such tests are administered in May and early June, while schools stay open until the third week of June. H.B. 1063 passed the House on February 2 by a 76-23 vote and is now before the Virginia Senate.
I also re-introduce a bill, H.B. 603, allowing open enrollment within school districts. This bill is designed to mitigate the anxiety so often associated with school boundary changes. Unlike most states, Virginia does not have an open enrollment statute. Open enrollment means that parents and students can choose the public school they wish to attend, with certain restrictions, even if they don’t live in the desired school’s attendance area. Open enrollment is permitted in some form in 46 states. This bill passed the House of February 10 by a vote of 97-0 and is now before the Virginia Senate.
Under an open enrollment policy, local school boards could establish policies to enable parents and students would be able to select the school of their choice within their current school system (e.g. Fairfax County Public Schools and Loudoun County Public Schools), different from their assigned school. Subject to certain restrictions, no “permission” from the school system would be required as it is today. The provision would not apply when the desired school is at capacity. Transportation would not be provided to any student who opts for an alternate school choice. Students desiring to attend a magnet school, such as Thomas Jefferson High School, would still be required to compete for admission. Click here for a summary of the open enrollment policies in the 50 states assembled by the highly regarded Education Commission of the States.
In 2011, significant higher education legislation passed with my vote to create 1,725 more seats at Virginia’s four most competitive public universities: William & Mary, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech and James Madison. Increasing the number of seats available to Northern Virginia students at Virginia’s public colleges and universities is a top educational priority of mine. For this reason, I have cosponsored H.B. 1083, to ensure that at least 75% of students who attend Virginia public universities are in-state. This bill was defeated in committee, but I am working directly with state universities on this issue.
Good Government
During the last two General Assembly sessions, I voted for a balanced state budget without any tax increases. On December 19, 2011, the Governor released his proposed biennial budget. You can view the budget in its entirety, here. I am reviewing the Governor’s budget along with members and staff in the House of Delegates.
In keeping with a campaign promise, I introduced 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. The 2011 legislation was approved, and it is now possible to easily look up by Member name how a particular Member voted on bills and resolutions. Adding a feature to search by a Delegate’s name is fundamental to creating more openness and transparency of Virginia’s government. I was the first Member of the House or Senate to publish my entire floor voting record online. My voting record is available at www.LeMunyon.com.
Veterans
To honor the sacrifices of Virginia’s 800,000 veterans and active duty personnel in the state, I supported legislation in 2010 and 2011 to pay tribute to our veterans. I voted for legislation to improve access to higher education and health care for veterans, and most recently, real estate property tax exemptions for disabled veterans and their surviving spouses. I have also supported legislation that makes it easier for veterans to get back to work when they return from serving our country, including fee waivers for veterans starting a new business. Governor McDonnell signed bills pertaining to all of these issues into law.
Jobs & Opportunity
Our economy will grow stronger, but not by making government bigger. We cannot spend our way to prosperity and leave behind unimaginable debt for future generations to reconcile. Instead, we need leaders who will implement policies that unleash the potential of Americans to innovate and prosper through our free enterprise system, to make a better life for themselves and their children. During the 2010 and 2011 legislative sessions, I sponsored and co-sponsored several bills to promote such policies.
This includes an income tax credit for individuals and businesses that incur qualified research and development expenses. This type of tax incentive encourages technology businesses to conduct more R&D, which can lead to the creation of jobs and new products and services. I voted for incentives to develop renewable energy sources. I also co-sponsored legislation to create a tele-work tax credit for employers to encourage tele-work. These bills passed the House and Senate and were signed into law by Governor McDonnell.
