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Greetings!
The 2012 General Assembly Session came to a close this past Saturday night without an agreement on the state budget. In order to keep the budget process moving forward, the General Assembly entered into a special session immediately after the adjournment of the regular session.
In this week's update, I have included the latest news on the budget negotiations, an update on Virginia's improving economic outlook, and a thank you to the dedicated members of the Capitol Police who work tirelessly to keep the Capitol grounds safe.
Over the next few weeks, I will continue to keep you updated on the progress of the budget negotiations as well as provide more information on a number of important bills that passed the General Assembly this year.
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Budget Negotiations Continue Past Session Close
As I mentioned earlier, the General Assembly Session adjourned on Saturday without completing work on the arguably the most important bill, the state budget. Before we adjourned, we were able to make some progress as House Budget Conferees met with both Republican and Democrat members of the Senate Finance Committee to begin to work out the budget differences between the two chambers. I can assure you that the House Conferees are committed to crafting a fiscally sound and structurally balanced budget and getting that budget passed as soon as possible.
When comparing the House and the proposed Senate budget that did not pass on the Senate floor, it is clear that the differences are not as large as they have been in prior years. This is a promising sign that, if Senate Democrats set aside their demand for more committee assignments, we will be able to reach a budget agreement sooner rather than later.
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Virginia's Economy Continuing to Grow
-Unemployment Rate at Three-Year Low -February Revenue Collections up 17%
Despite the economic uncertainty nationwide, Virginia's economy is showing signs of continued improvement evidenced by two recent statistics. First, Virginia's unemployment rate is down to a three-year low of 5.8% and is well below the national unemployment rate of 8.3%. Second, Virginia's monthly revenue collection was up 17.2% in February over the same month a year ago.
The improvement in Virginia's economy is no accident. It is the result of several pro-job growth policies advanced by Republicans in the General Assembly, Governor McDonnell, and Lt. Governor Bolling. This year, a number of pro-job initiatives are included in the 2012-14 biennial budget-- the same budget that Senate Democrats are holding up.
I can assure you that my colleagues and I will continue to focus on helping Virginia businesses create new jobs and opportunities until everyone who is looking for a job can find one.
Below is a link to RPV's video highlighting the good news regarding Virginia's job and economic growth.
 | | Results: 5.8% |
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Commending the Capitol Police
I would like to publicly thank the men and women of the Capitol Police who work tirelessly to keep all visitors, secretaries, interns, aides, and elected officials safe and protect our Capitol grounds. This Session has seen a lot of groups visit the Capitol to voice their support and concerns about a whole range of bills. Most groups abide by the rules of the Capitol and have positive visits; however, a very small minority of groups came to the Capitol with other intentions, and the Capitol Police handled these incidents in a very professional manner. I spoke on this subject on the House Floor, and it was evident from the response to my remarks that nearly all members of the House agree that we have a very professional force with a tough job to do. The video of the floor speech can be found below. We are all very grateful for their sense of duty and professionalism.
 | | Delegate Cox Commending Capitol Police and Col. Pike |
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In Closing
As this Session has come to a close, I would like to thank everyone who visited me in Richmond and everyone who called or emailed me to share his or her opinion. Your guidance and support helps me to effectively serve as your voice in the House of Delegates. Additionally, we have sent out over 7,000 letters to constituents around the district to report on the progress of numerous bills during this Session and the legislation I have introduced. While we have not been able to answer every letter and email during the session, we will be working on replies well after the session. I will also be out speaking with the many organizations in the district that have invited me to give them a post session report. Finally, I would like to thank my staff for all of their hard work throughout the Session. They do a lot of heavy lifting around the office and help me to serve you to the best of my ability.
We have moved out of the General Assembly office and are back in the district office. The district office can be reached by phone at 526-5135 or by email at DelKCox@house.virginia.gov. If my staff or I can be of service to you, please don't hesitate to contact me.
I invite you to forward this email to your family and friends in the district and encourage them to sign up to receive these email updates. A "forward email" link can be found at the bottom of this email.
Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Delegate.
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Regards,
Kirk Cox
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