January 14, 2010

             When the 2011 General Assembly Session began this week, we hit the ground running. For three delegates – Delegates Roxann Robinson, Tony Wilt, and Greg Habeeb – Wednesday marked their first day representing their respective districts on the House Floor. We also heard Governor McDonnell outline his priorities during his State of the Commonwealth Address on Wednesday evening.  

             After hearing from Governor McDonnell, we went to work to do the people’s business. All bills before the House of Delegates were assigned to a specific committee, and those committees have begun to consider their bills. To track the progress of any bills, visit the General Assembly’s website at http://legis.virginia.gov. In addition, I will be keeping you up to date on the latest news from the General Assembly through these weekly updates.

Creating New Jobs in Virginia

               In his speech on Wednesday night, Governor McDonnell set out a bold agenda in his State of the Commonwealth address. Of his many proposals, I believe the most important and pressing issue is job creation and the economy.

             We have worked hard in the House of Delegates to advance policies that grow and protect jobs in Virginia. Our low tax rates, strong right-to-work law, and our fair regulatory structure have made Virginia a jobs-friendly state. Since February 2010, over 67,000 new jobs have been created in Virginia. Our unemployment rate, at 6.8 percent, is below the national average. While that may be good compared to other states, I know that more work needs to be done. Like Governor McDonnell said, I believe it is unacceptable that more than 280,000 Virginians remain out of work. That’s one reason I was so excited to see what Governor McDonnell has proposed in his “Opportunity at Work” agenda.

               Small businesses are the heart and soul of our economy. Whether they are a dentists office, the lawyer down the street, or the new restaurant trying to find its place on Main Street, our friends and neighbors who are out pursuing the American dream are what makes Virginia’s economy strong.

           In his speech this week, the Governor asked legislators to make further investments in small business job creation — investments that will be paid for with spending cuts in other areas. These investments in job creation couldn’t come at a more critical time.  The economy may have improved, but job creation continues to be far less than what we need. Just this week, the Federal government announced that more than 445,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits.

         My Republican colleagues and I are also working to enshrine Virginia’s status as a right-to-work state in the Commonwealth’s Constitution. Virginians everywhere should have the freedom to join a union if they so choose. They should also have the freedom to choose whether or not to form a union through a secret ballot.

             I am looking forward to supporting these and other important job creation measures this year.

Legislation

            I have chosen to file 18 pieces of legislation and resolutions this session. You can track their progress here: http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?111+mbr+H217C . Not everything has been posted as our initial filing deadline was on Wednesday but check back for more legislation and committee assignments for my bills.

Visitors

We had a lot of great groups visit the General Assembly this week, as well as a few friends from home! It was wonderful to see the Bankers, AARP, & Virginia Federation of Republican Women. I enjoyed the VFRW luncheon with so many wonderful Lynchburg Ladies as well as visits from Buck Syndor and our Lynchburg Lobbyist Linda McMinimy.

 Contact Me

As always, my staff and I are here in Richmond to serve you. We want to hear what you think about the legislation pending before the House, or if there’s anything we can do to help you in dealing with a state government agency. My office can be reached at (804) 698-1023 or via the Internet at DelSGarrett@house.virginia.gov. If you have not yet done so please visit my website at www.tscottgarrett.com for updates and my 2011 legislative survey. If you are planning to visit Richmond during Session, I encourage you to visit me in Room 718 any time!