News from Delegate Herring
Seventh Week of Session Edition
Feb. 26, 2010
In This IssueCutting the Arts Hurts Our Economy Welcome to Delegate Herring’s Newsletter Thank you for taking the time to read my newsletter. I hope you find the information in here valuable. As always, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or concerns. Del. Herring on Funding Cuts to Arts in Virginia As I stated, there are a lot of things wrong in the House budget. Aside from the obvious absurd cuts to free and reduced lunch programs and eliminating the breakfast program which for many children are the only meals they get a day, there are less obvious and still detrimental cuts. The proposed budget seeks to cut the Virginia Commission for the Arts by 50% next year and eliminates it completely the following year. While I agree that every program, department and agency must tighten their belts this year, cutting arts in our community is not the answer. Arts programs not only provide invaluable cultural benefits to the community, the help with tourism dollars for a locality as well as creating jobs. The state contributes very little to the Arts Commission compared to some of our other programs, and yet children and our communities benefit so greatly. I voted against this budget for numerous reasons, this being one of them. In tough times, tough decisions are made, but I don’t want to balance this budget by cutting the programs that help our communities the most. I urge you to patron your local arts programs and explore them with your families. I hope that when the Senate and House go into conference, the Arts Commission will no longer be on the chopping block. |
Greetings!This week the House took on the budget. I wish I could tell you that after a long and open process we had a document we could be proud of, but I can’t. Unfortunately, a majority of Delegates, including every Democrat and quite a few Republicans were shut out of the process, leaving us all to wonder just what exactly would be in our proposed Budget. What I found when it was finally made public was that our budget was full of cuts to education, healthcare, community programs, and the arts. However, there were a few additions that left me wondering what exactly the priorities of this body were. Below find an article I wrote about the budget process and my feelings on the budget we passed yesterday (despite my no vote). I hope that when the Senate and House go into conference a better budget will emerge. This is a extremely difficult economic year and I am not afraid to cut spending. I just refuse to do it on the backs of the poor. I have heard from many of you about the budget and I appreciate every email and phone call. If you have any more questions or concerns, please continue to reach out to my office -Charniele LETTER FROM THE FRONT: A LOOK AT THE BUDGET In order to put the budget amendments in perspective, we must remember the simple fact that we need to compensate for a $2 billion shortfall without raising new revenue through taxes. When reviewing the House budget amendments, I discovered that some interesting choices were made. For example, $1.5 million will be placed in the Virginia Wine Promotion Fund, and at the same time, nearly the same amount $1.3 million will be removed from the homeless grant programs. Additionally, $2 million will be placed in the Motion Picture Fund to provide incentives for film production in Virginia and $2 million will be removed from domestic violence services. Finally, $1.5 million will be spent to establish Virginia satellite offices overseas but $1.9 million will be cut from the Comprehensive Health Investment Project of Virginia (CHIP). With respect to children and their education, there is only a small bit of good news for Northern Virginia. I co-sponsored a budget amendment to remove Governor Kaine’s proposed freeze on the local composite index (LCI) which is used to determine the amount of state funding localities will receive for education. I am pleased that Governor McDonnell proposed to remove the freeze and it is part of the proposed budget. As a result, school divisions in Northern Virginia will receive a greater share of funding from the state. However, there are deep cuts to education. Therefore, we will lose teachers and class sizes will grow, among other things. Additionally, with respect to public safety, the proposed budget contains provisions for increased spending in the amount of $7.5 million to train additional troopers in the 2011-2012 biennium. However, there will be a freeze on filling judicial vacancies. Reflecting on the proposed budget and the process, I am reminded that we have committees that are made up of Democratic, Republican and Independent members. It is a basic element of good government that all committee members are part of the process to formulate law and policy. When one party is closed out of the process, we have a product that is not truly representative of the people’s will. Unfortunately, this has happened in the budget process in the House. |
This being my second year in Richmond, I have learned that the budget process on the House side has an interesting history. At one time, armed guards stood outside a door while budget conferees met and decided the state’s appropriations for the biennium. Then, there was a time that it was an entirely open process where Appropriation Committee members, Democrats, Republicans and Independents, would be consulted on budget proposals. Apparently, this year, many of the members of the Appropriations Committee did not receive a copy of the funding proposed recommendations until it was distributed to the general public last Sunday. After careful consideration, I voted against this budget yesterday because I could not in good conscious support so many cuts to our most necessary programs. Our priorities as skewed in this budget, and as a custodian of all Virginians, I had to stand up and say no to a budget that attempt to balance its deficit on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens. delcherring@house.virginia.gov (804) 698-1046
PO Box 406, Richmond, VA 23218
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Read moreEileen Filler-Corn has just been endorsed by the Washington Post!
Friends,
Eileen Filler-Corn has just been endorsed by the Washington Post!
In their endorsement, the Post recognized what you already know: that Eileen Filler-Corn is our best choice for delegate!
Click here to read the whole Washington Post Endorsement
We need your help to get the word out about this endorsement among the many others Eileen has received , especially your own!
We need you to tell your friends and neighbors about why you think Eileen should be our next Delegate.
Can you volunteer today to help get the word out? Sign up here or call 571-249-3453
Our phone bank opens at 10 AM to start spreading the word! We’ll see you then!
Thanks,
Danny Friedman
Campaign Manager
Eileen Filler-Corn for Delegate
New Study: Poised to Run
I am thrilled to share with you Poised to Run, the most comprehensive study ever conducted on state legislators’ routes to office. The Barbara Lee Family Foundation is proud to have made a leadership grant to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers (CAWP) to help make this research possible.
The report offers a fresh look at how women reach the legislatures and how their pathways to public office have changed over time. Findings from a nationwide survey compare women and men, examining their decisions to seek office, previous political experiences, and personal backgrounds.
Among the findings of the study is that women need to be recruited! Women are more likely than men to run for office because they were recruited rather than deciding to run on their own.
Please share this report to someone you think would make a great candidate – and ask her to run for office.
Additional report highlights include:
Political Parties Matter
It is critical that women candidates attract party support. Women who reach the legislature usually do so with the support of their parties.
Organizations Help Women Run
Organizations are encouraging women to run for office, but they could be more active in candidate recruitment.
More Women Can Run
The pool of women candidates is larger than is commonly believed.
Resources are Important
More funding and training can help women win.
Read the full report: http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/research/reports/PoisedtoRun.pdf
For more information about the progressive initiatives supported by the Barbara Lee Family Foundation, please visit our website: http://www.barbaraleefoundation.org
Warm Regards,
Barbara Lee
Barbara Lee
Lee Family Office
131 Mt. Auburn Street, Suite 2
Cambridge, MA 02138
v) 617-234-0351
f) 617-234-0359
Criticizing Marshall, Delegate cites disabled son
By Fredrick Kunkle
The Washington Post Virginia Politics Blog
The onslaught of criticism aimed at Del. Robert G. Marshall for his remarks on abortion, God and people with disabilities continued for a second day, including a speech from the House of Delegates floor by a new lawmaker whose son is severely disabled.
Speaking on the occasion of her son Nicholas’ 30th birthday, Del. Robin A. Abbott, (D-Newport News), told of her wrenching discovery that her newborn son had suffered brain damage at birth. He was blind, and doctors gave his parents little hope that he would walk, talk or recognize his own mother.
Abbott told of spending five years teaching her son the simple game of pattycake, of his struggles to learn to feed himself, constantly making sure that he was never left unattended, and trying to balance his care with the needs of her other three children.
And she talked of her family’s need to seek public aid for his care–a process commonly known as receiving a Medicaid waiver, which provides for care outside an institution. She urged the legislature, as lawmakers search for ways to close a $4 billion gap, to do what they could to lift the freeze on available waivers and work to reduce the waiting list for these services.
And then she chided – gently and not by name — Marshall, saying she was “disturbed that a member of this body believes that disabled children are somehow punishment or deserved by the parents.”
“I hope this view is not shared by other members of this chamber. More important than words or rhetoric are the actions we take,” she said.
Her remarks were greeted by applause. Marshall, who had been taking pictures in the chamber when she began her remarks, put away his camera, sat and listened. As the House recessed, they met at the rear of the chamber, and Marshall whispered in her ear, as she put her hand on his shoulder.
“It was hard to hear him, but he said something to the effect that the words were out of context,” she said.
Abbott said she felt exhilirated at having given her speech. “It’s a fight that needs to be fought,” she said.
Others who criticized Marshall Tuesday included the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).
“These outrageous comments not only attack us as people with disabilities, but our families as well. In all my years of public service, I have never heard anything so hurtful,” Tony Coelho, AAPD’s board chair, former House Majority Whip and the author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), said in a statement.
Read moreHouse Denies Insurance Coverage for Treatment of Autistic Children
Office of Senator Janet Howell
32nd District
February 23, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Michael Kelly, Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus
Phone: (804) 513-3733
Email: Michael@vademocrats.org
HOUSE DENIES INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR TREATMENT OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN
~ Bill would have required coverage for early intervention treatment that improves outcomes, saves state money ~
RICHMOND—The House of Delegates today defeated a bill that would have required insurance companies to cover the diagnosis and treatment of children with autism. Senator Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) sponsored SB464 which would have expanded the availability of early intervention treatments that can lead to improved outcomes for children with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. The bill was defeated this afternoon by a voice vote in a sub-committee of the House Commerce and Labor committee.
“This bill was a small step, but an important step in providing desperately needed services,” said Sen. Howell. “This was a very limited bill crafted specifically to minimize impact on insurance premiums. I am very disappointed that so many children and families are going to have to wait another year for the treatment they need and deserve.”
SB464 passed the Senate of Virginia with bipartisan support despite opposition from business and insurance lobbies. Many of those same special interest groups testified in opposition to the bill at today’s hearing. Senator Howell’s bill would have required insurance companies in Virginia to cover the diagnosis and treatment of autistic children between two and six years of age when treatment has been shown to be most effective.
“This bill would have provided therapies to help these children have a successful life, in addition to reducing long-term costs to the state,” said Senator Howell. “I simply cannot understand why the House of Delegates would choose special interests over the best interests of children.”
According to a June 2009 report by Virginia’s Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), nearly 50% of autistic children who receive intensive developmental therapy can function normally and successfully in the classroom with an additional 40% of diagnosed children experiencing an improvement in function. The report also noted that “providing intensive treatment to young children can significantly reduce public costs by decreasing the need for special education and other forms of public assistance.”
Read moreClick on the link below to attend the Women of Courage and Truth Reception
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