Dear Friends:
The 2010 session of the Virginia General Assembly is a very challenging one. In the past 18 months, $7 billion has been cut from the biennial budget. We are going to have to make an additional $4 billion in cuts to the next biennial budget. Those cuts will result in the elimination of jobs and services. I believe we need to fund the core services of government and eliminate the services that are not directly connected to education, transportation, health, public safety and economic development.
We must also support policies that lead to job creation so those who are willing to work can find employment. We also must find a way to fund our transportation infrastructure. Improving our roads and mass transit is not just an economic issue, it is a safety issue as well.
This session I have offered several important pieces of legislation including;
- Establishing a bi-partisan re-districting commission
- Capping pay day loans at 36%
- A play to pay for our transportation infrastructure
- A ban on the sale of Chinese dry wall in Virginia
- Establishing veterans courts in Virginia
- No excuse absentee voting for citizens 65 years old or older
- A study of 3rd grade reading test scores as the first step in ensuring every 3rd grader in Virginia reads at the 3rd grade level
- A tax credit for companies that create good paying “green jobs”
I would appreciate knowing how you feel about the important issues facing the Peninsula and the Commonwealth. Knowing how you feel on these issues helps me better represent you in Richmond. Please take my 2010 Legislative Survey that outlines some of the major decisions that I will face in Richmond this year. Just click on the button on the right.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on the issues facing the General Assembly. You can e-mail me by clicking on the tab at the top of this page, or call my Richmond office at 804 698-7501. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Senator John Miller
