Showing posts with label McDonnell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label McDonnell. Show all posts

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Statement on Verdict in McDonnell Case

McAuliffe speaking at Frying Pan Park in Hernd...
. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Governor Terry McAuliffe released the following statement following the verdict in the public corruption case against former Governor Bob McDonnell and former First Lady Maureen McDonnell:

“I am deeply saddened by the events of the trial that ended in today’s verdict, and the impact it has had on our Commonwealth’s reputation for honesty and clean government.

“Dorothy and I will continue to pray for the McDonnell family and for everyone who was affected by this trial.” 




Thursday, January 23, 2014

Governor McAuliffe Statement on McDonnell Indictment

McAuliffe speaking at Frying Pan Park in Hernd...
McAuliffe speaking at Frying Pan Park in Herndon, VA. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in .
English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe released the following statement today in response to the news that Governor Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen are in receipt of federal indictments:

“I am obviously troubled by the charges that federal prosecutors have made against Governor McDonnell and his wife Maureen and the message that this period in our history sends about how government in this Commonwealth is run.

“As this case progresses, it is my sincerest hope that justice will be served and that Virginians get the answers to which they are entitled. As Governor, I will remain focused on leading this Commonwealth in a way that restores Virginians’ trust in government and honors their expectation of transparency and accountability.

“I want to thank the many federal and state public safety officials who have worked on this case for their tireless and impartial efforts. Dorothy’s and my thoughts and prayers are with the entire McDonnell family. This is a sad day for Virginia, but I remain optimistic that we can work together to reform our system in order to prevent episodes like this from occurring ever again.”


Brian Coy
Office of Governor Terry McAuliffe
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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Governor Terence R. McAuliffe Inaugural Address

English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / ...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Inaugural Address
Governor Terence R. McAuliffe
January 11, 2014 – 12:30 PM
As Prepared for Delivery

Mr. Speaker,  Lt. Governor Northam, Attorney General Herring, Members of the  General Assembly,  Justices of the  Supreme Court,  guests from across our Commonwealth and nation, my fellow Virginians:  It is humbling, and the highest honor of my life, to stand before you today.
 
It is humbling because of the responsibility that you have given me, and because of the history and tradition of where we stand.
 
While makeshift, the Virginia State Capitol first came to Richmond in 1780 at the urging of Thomas Jefferson – during the height of the American Revolution.
 
Through the courage and sacrifice of so many who came before us, our Commonwealth survived the Revolution. Freedom was born. Tyranny was defeated. And a permanent Capitol was constructed here in Richmond.
 
This Capitol, where I stand today, reminds us not only of the durability of Virginia, but of what Virginia overcame.
 
While often too slowly – together we overcame the evils of slavery, Civil War, and segregation. 
 
Now, more than 200 years later, Virginia has grown stronger than ever.
 
Relative to the nation, we've emerged from the Great Recession with an economy more resilient than many of our sister states.
 
We are a stronger Commonwealth because our leaders have wisely invested in superior public schools for our children.
 
We are one of the best states to do business because we have worked together to minimize regulations and keep taxes low.
 
Our colleges and universities are models for the nation because there is bipartisan consensus in Richmond that higher education drives long-term, innovative growth.
 
And Virginia is the national model for fiscal discipline because our leaders– leaders like Governor Doug Wilder, decided long ago to put the common good ahead of short-term politics.
 
That's the Virginia way – it's a tradition that we should be proud of. 
 
But it is also a tradition that must be sustained through constant work by leaders who choose progress over ideology.
 
Common ground doesn't move towards us, we move towards it.
 
On behalf of all Virginians, I want to thank Governor Bob McDonnell for his leadership during the last four years.
 
Governor McDonnell has provided for the smoothest transition imaginable, and I am grateful to him for that. 
 
He and Lieutenant Governor Bolling will long be remembered for their leadership on transportation – not just for the policy accomplishment, but for the manner in which it was achieved.
 
It was an approach that built consensus worthy of the Virginia way.
 
It's the same approach taken by Governor Warner to save our triple A bond rating while investing in education, and by Governor Kaine who prudently guided our Commonwealth through the great recession.
 
But as we celebrate our past, the truth is that we still face serious economic headwinds over the course of the next four years.
 
And, like four years ago, the skeptics are predicting divided government driven to gridlock by partisanship.
 
Virginia, together, we will prove them wrong again.
 
As Virginians, the spirit of service is built into the fabric of our communities.
 
We were home to so many of the founders who sacrificed their lives to build a nation based on the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
 
And now today, Virginia is home to so many who serve to protect those everlasting rights. Join me in recognizing them and their families.
 
I remember growing up, hearing stories of sacrifice from my father who served in World War II.
These are the same stories that Virginians hear every night from parents and grandparents –
and from brothers and sisters returning home now.
We will honor their sacrifice by ensuring that they have access to the education, health care, and career opportunities they deserve. 
 
Our servicemen and women have the technical training our innovative industries demand, and they embody that strong sense of teamwork, leadership, and drive that make them valuable assets to our workforce. That is why we need to make it easier for them to get good jobs when they come back home.
 
Our 23 community colleges have and will continue to play a major part in this effort. They are our workforce development engines, and over the past year, I visited each and every one of them across the state.
 
They are preparing our students for the jobs available today and equipping them with the knowledge and skills for the emerging industries of tomorrow.
 
With a community college within 30 miles of every single Virginian, they are the key to attracting and keeping the industries of the future across the Commonwealth– from Arlington to Abingdon; Luray to Lunenburg. 
 
But, in order to do that, we must work to reduce unnecessary mandates and achieve adequate funding. 
 
We must also recognize that Virginians have placed great trust in us and expect transparency, and decision-making that avoids improper conflicts.  That is why I will sign an executive order later today imposing a strict limit on gifts on myself and the members of my administration.
 
I commend the members of the General Assembly from both parties who are making significant steps forward on this issue, and I will ask the entire General Assembly to enact the strongest possible new ethics rules to hold all Virginia elected officials to the highest of standards.
 
While there is a fierce debate on health care in Washington DC,  the choice we face here in Virginia is simpler.
 
Like the majority of other states –– we need to act on the consensus of the business community and health care industry to accept funding that will expand health care coverage, save rural hospitals, and spur job creation. 
 
With a stronger health care system in Virginia as our objective, I will work with the legislature to build on the Medicaid reforms that the General Assembly has already achieved, and to put Virginians' own tax dollars to work keeping families healthy and creating jobs here in the Commonwealth.
 
Finally, the greatest policy challenge we face is diversifying Virginia's economy in the face of inevitable federal spending cuts and heightened competition from abroad.
 
Mr. Speaker and members of the General Assembly, as we begin this term together, know that my top priority will be to lay the groundwork for a diverse and growing economy in every region of the Commonwealth.
 
And I know it is your top priority as well.
 
Diversifying Virginia's economy can seem abstract – especially when the true benefits may be felt years down the road.
 
But over the past four years I've traveled to every corner of the Commonwealth, and met hard working Virginians who are struggling to provide for their families, unable to access the quality education and training they need to get good-paying jobs, or even worried about just providing healthy meals for their children.
 
When you think about those Virginians, you realize that the decisions we make over the next four years will determine:
 
Whether parents who worked hard their entire life will have the savings to retire with some security.
 
Whether the brave men and women who return home from serving abroad can find work or start their own businesses.
 
Whether children who grow up in rural Virginia can live, work and thrive in the communities where they were born.
 
And it will determine whether another kid from a middle class family can find enough customers for his driveway maintenance business to help pay for college.
 
As the legislature and my administration work to diversify our economy, we need to remember that our sense of urgency is driven by those Virginians who struggle each and every day to get by – and whose dream is simply to give their children the opportunities that they may never have had. 
 
My administration will work tirelessly to ensure that those opportunities are equal for all of Virginia's children –
No matter if you're a girl or a boy,
No matter what part of the Commonwealth you live in,
No matter your race or religion,
And no matter whom you love.
 
There is still work to do to.
 
We must work to ensure that the children of new immigrants to Virginia have equal educational opportunities. 
 
To ensure that someone can’t lose a job simply because they are gay.
 
And to ensure that every woman has the right to make her own personal health care decisions.
 
An open and welcoming state is critical in a 21st Century economy.  But, it is also an imperative for justice and fairness – values I learned from Jack and Millie McAuliffe. 
 
While we grew up in a middle class family, my brothers and I were always reminded of the struggles of those less fortunate – and our obligation to do something about it.
 
It's that same message that has guided Dorothy and me as we've raised our five children in Fairfax County over the last 21 years.  And as our children have grown, they've constantly impressed us with their dedication to service and improving the lives of others.
 
It's also those values that shaped me as a person and drove my decision to run for Governor.
 
In four years, we will all gather again here at Jefferson's capitol to welcome the next Governor of the Commonwealth.
 
When she or he takes the oath of office, I am confident that they will begin to lead a Commonwealth with broader economic opportunity and growing 21st Century industries. 
 
They will lead a Commonwealth that has expanded our advantages in pre K-12 education, workforce development and higher education.
 
They will lead a Commonwealth that has maintained a reputation for strong fiscal management.
 
They will lead a Commonwealth that strives to keep all of its families healthy. 
 
They will lead a Commonwealth that never stands still on the road to greater equality for all our people.
 
And they will lead a Commonwealth that has delivered those results in a manner worthy of the Virginia way.
 
The impediments to consensus are well known: ideology, personal political ambition, partisanship or score-settling. Identifying the roadblocks is not a challenge.
 
What is hard is having the humility to admit that each of us has allowed these impediments to influence our decisions.
 
And even more challenging is having the foresight to put them aside for the greater good.
 
As I said on election night, the test of my commitment to finding common ground in Virginia will not be a speech at an inauguration; it will be my actions in office. And I expect those who did not support me in November to hold me to my word.
 
No one who has served as an elected official has looked back and wished they had been more rigid, more ideological or more partisan. 
 
And long after giving up elected office –describing himself as quote “near the end of my voyage” - Thomas Jefferson wrote from Monticello, “A government held together by the bands of reason only, requires much compromise of opinion."
 
Mr. Speaker, Delegates and Senators, these next four years will be our moment to again show Americans what can be accomplished by mainstream leaders, and to show Virginians that we will live up to their expectation of consensus-driven progress.
 
In Washington today, that talk of consensus can seem quaint, illusory or even naïve.
 
But in Virginia, political progress in divided government is a tradition that we must continue.
 
I will work to live up to that tradition.
 
Now, I begin serving with humility to the accomplishments of my predecessors and gratitude to the people of Virginia.
 
Thank you and may God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia.
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Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Governor McDonnell Announces Launch of the Commonwealth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Measurement System

English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in .
English: Governor of Virginia at CPAC in . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell announced today the launch of the Commonwealth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Measurement System (IEMS), a web-based portal that uses key metrics and outcomes to track the performance of Virginia’s innovation economy.

Speaking about the new system, Governor McDonnell said, “This system, which is available to the public, provides a dashboard and strategic path to new opportunities in the innovation economy using key indicators that can assist lawmakers, industry leaders and other stakeholders determine the best public-private investment priorities and policies. This program is an excellent example of how we can utilize creative solutions to empower the emerging economy and help create the jobs of the future.”

The IEMS was developed by the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) to further the work of the Commonwealth Research and Technology Strategic Roadmap, which links funding for research commercialization projects to Virginia’s strategic technology priorities.  The IEMS measures five key performance areas of Virginia’s Innovation Economy, as well as the economic impact of innovation and entrepreneurship. The key performance areas are:

·         Talent Pipeline – the degree to which the educational system is developing the skills needed to support entrepreneurism and innovation in the Commonwealth.
·         Research and Development – the level of targeted innovation taking place through research and development activity occurring in the Commonwealth.
·         Access to Capital – the amount of public and private funding deployed to support company formation and taking new ideas to the marketplace.
·         Commercialization – the level of university-based technology licensing and company formation in Virginia.
·         Business Dynamics – tracking outcomes and other elements of an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

A final category, Outputs, measures the economic impact of innovation and entrepreneurship in Virginia’s economy, especially as they affect employment and wages in key industries.

Data feeding the IEMS come from federal, state and private sources, with economic performance indicators identified by CIT, the Council on Virginia’s Future, the Virginia Chamber of Commerce’s Blueprint Virginia and other sources.

Jane Kusiak, Executive Director of the Council on Virginia’s Future, said, “Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship are essential elements of Virginia’s global competitiveness strategy. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Measurement System will enable our leaders to discuss quantifiable ways to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in the Commonwealth. The Council on Virginia’s Future is proud of its partnership with the Center for Innovative Technology on the IEMS and is launching a new indicator on innovation and entrepreneurship on Virginia Performs to showcase this system.”

Governor McDonnell thanked Senator Bryce Reeves and Delegate Charles Poindexter for sponsoring legislation in the 2013 session that led to the creation of the IEMS. 

The IEMS portal can be found HERE.
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Friday, January 3, 2014

Governor McDonnell Announces Membership of Task Force on Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response

Issues in Mental Health Nursing
Issues in Mental Health Nursing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Group to Hold First Meeting Tuesday, January 7thin Richmond

RICHMOND - Governor Bob McDonnell today announced the membership for the newly-created Task Force on Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response. The membership includes leaders in the mental health field, law enforcement communities, the judicial system, private hospitals, and individuals receiving mental health services and their families. The group will review existing services and challenges in Virginia’s mental health system and make recommendations, including legislative and budget proposals, for critical improvements to mental health procedures, programs and services.

Speaking about the taskforce and its membership, Governor McDonnell said, “We must ensure that people experiencing mental health crises are connected immediately to needed services to help ensure their safety and the safety of those around them. It is critically important that we expand existing mental health treatment services as needed in order to help prevent mental health emergencies from happening. This task force brings together experts on mental health services from a variety of perspectives. I am thankful for Secretary Hazel and Secretary Rhode for their invaluable leadership of this effort, and to all of the task force members who have agreed to examine these important topics, and I believe they will develop recommendations that can be used to make a real difference for Virginians with serious mental health issues and their families. I am pleased that Governor-elect McAuliffe has stated he will issue a similar Executive Order continuing the Task Force during his administration.”

On December 10, Governor McDonnell issued Executive Order 68establishing a multidisciplinary task force to seek and recommend solutions that will improve Virginia’s mental health crisis services and help prevent crises from developing. The task force will send initial recommendations no later than January 31, 2014. It will make additional recommendations on an ongoing basis and provide a final report on all aspects of the executive order to the governor no later than October 1, 2014.

The Task Force will hold its first meeting on January 7th, at 1:00 PM, in the Patrick Henry Building in Richmond.

Governor's Task Force on Improving Mental Health Services and Crisis Response

Co-Chairs
The Honorable Bill Hazel, MD, Secretary of Health and Human Resources
The Honorable Bryan Rhode, Secretary of Public Safety

Members
The Honorable Kenneth Cuccinelli, Attorney General of Virginia
The Honorable Cynthia D. Kinser, Chief Justice of Virginia Supreme Court
The Honorable Rob Bell, Virginia House of Delegates
The Honorable Joseph Yost, Virginia House of Delegates
The Honorable Emmett Hanger, Senate of Virginia
The Honorable Janet Howell, Senate of Virginia
James Stewart, Commissioner, Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
Cindi Jones, Commissioner, Department of Medical Assistance Services
Margaret Schultze, Commissioner, Department of Social Services
Colonel Steven Flaherty, Superintendent, Virginia Department of State Police
Buzz Barnett, Emergency Services Director, Region Ten Community Services Board, Charlottesville
Kaye Fair, Emergency Services Director, Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board, Fairfax
Melanie Adkins, Emergency Services Director, New River Valley Community Services, Roanoke
Gabriel Morgan, Sheriff, City of Newport News
John Venuti, Chief, Virginia Commonwealth Police Department, Richmond
James Agnew, Sheriff, County of Goochland, Goochland
Mike O’Connor, Executive Director, Henrico Area Community Services, Henrico
Chuck Walsh, Executive Director, Middle Peninsula-Northern Neck Community Services Board, Saluda
Jeffrey Lanham, Regional Magistrate Supervisor, 6th Magisterial Region
Daniel Holser, Chief Magistrate, 12th Judicial District
Bruce Lo, MD, Chief, Department of Emergency Medicine, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Norfolk
William Barker, MD, Emergency Medicine, Fauquier Hospital, Warrenton
Douglas Knittel, MD, Psychiatric Emergency Services, Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Portsmouth
Thomas Wise, MD, Department of Psychiatry, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Falls Church
Ananda Pandurangi, MD, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
Cynthia McClasky, PhD, Director, Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute, Marion
Scott SyverudMD, Vice Chair, Clinical Operations, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville
Joseph Trapani, Chief Executive Officer, Poplar Springs Hospital, Petersburg
Ted Stryker, Vice President, Centra Mental Health Services, Lynchburg
Greg Peters, President and Chief Executive Officer, United Methodist Family Services, Richmond
Teshana Henderson, Chief Administrative Officer, NDUTIME Youth & Family Services, Richmond
Becky Sterling, Saluda
Ben Shaw, Fredericksburg
Rhonda VanLowe, Fairfax
Tom Spurlock, Roanoke
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