February 15, 2010

Here at the Capitol, the Richmond Free Press is a weekly newspaper that – as its name implies – is given out free of charge. It is available in blue metal boxes in many locations around Capitol Square. This week, its headline said it all: “Snow, snow, snow”.
While most of Virginia has been digging out of what has been the snowiest winter in memory, and while school kids are enjoying one of the longest unscheduled breaks in state history, the General Assembly has been passing legislation.

During this week, a lot of legislation was approved, as both the House and the Senate worked toward completing consideration of bills filed by their own members before the “crossover” deadline of February 16.
My legislative agenda continues to focus on job creation (in concert with Governor McDonnell’s efforts), economic development, addressing our core essential needs in public safety and education, and working to assure our tax dollars are generated and spent wisely.
Opportunity To Learn
There are a few exceptions to the rule where the House must complete its action on bills introduced by delegates by the February 16 crossover deadline. The most prominent one of these exceptions is the budget, which will not be approved by the House until February 25. Another exception is bills introduced by the Governor. Under the Constitution of Virginia, the Governor has the ability to send bills to the General Assembly for consideration whenever we’re in session. This week, Governor McDonnell did just that, and on an issue that has become prominent nationally and in Virginia: Improving Education.

Governor McDonnell’s “Opportunity to Learn” legislative package was introduced this week with broad bipartisan support. Former Governor Wilder joined Governor McDonnell and legislators of both parties to announce the initiative.
The package includes three bills. The first bill would help to streamline the process of approval for charter schools, which have flourished nationally. But while there are more than 4,600 charter schools nationally, Virginia only has three. This bill would help to remedy that discrepancy. It will also aid the Commonwealth in accessing available federal funding for these innovative schools.
The second bill would promote the development of virtual schools in Virginia. Under this innovative approach to education, students use technology to learn full-time through a distance learning environment outside of the traditional classroom. It has been demonstrated to be especially effective for those students who have struggled in a traditional classroom setting.
The third bill would promote cooperation between higher education and K-12 systems, through the creation of College Partnership Lab Schools. These schools would serve to draw upon the resources of higher education to improve the learning experience of K-12 students. The idea is to provide greater flexibility while encouraging innovation.
Considering our current challenges with the budget, applying innovative and non-traditional approaches to improving education should both improve the achievement levels of our students and get the most value for taxpayers. .

AEP Rates
One of the most frequent – and perhaps the most frequent – concern I have heard from citizens during this session is about something very close to home – electricity rates. Those who get their electricity from AEP have experienced staggering rate increases recently.

The increases, which AEP calls “interim” because they have yet to be approved by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), have hit consumers very hard. The SCC, an independent state agency, is actually responsible for oversight of public utilities. Still, legislators from both parties have been working on enacting some measure that will provide relief.
Earlier this week the House and Senate unanimously approved House Bill 1308. The measure would prohibit public electric utilities from changing their rates on an interim or temporary basis. The bill makes it clear that rates cannot be increased until the increase is approved by the SCC. Although the General Assembly does not have the authority to set or regulate rates (only the SCC can do that), this legislation would prevent a “back door” increase like the one imposed by AEP.
The legislation was passed as an “Emergency” measure. This means that it will go into effect immediately upon the signature of the Governor. Most bills don not take effect until July 1 of the year they are passed, but relief from the exorbitant rate increases imposed by AEP will be coming to consumers much sooner because of House Bill 1308.
Closing

Next week, I will update you on the latest news from the Capitol. If there is something you have been hearing about that interests you, please consider dropping us an email at DelSGarrett@house.virginia.gov.
The General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on March 13, so we have now passed the halfway point of the current session. That means there are just four more installments of this column to come. Look for another column in this place next week.

Thanks for Reading!

Please contact our Legislative Office
Phone: 804 698 1023
Email: DelSGarrett@house.virginia.gov
Visit our website: www.tscottgarrett.com