Showing posts with label Bill Howell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Howell. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Virginia Leaders Announce Comprehensive Budget Deal

English: Former DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe spea...
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Bipartisan Agreement Targets $2.4 Billion Budget Shortfall While Protecting K-12 in FY’15

Richmond, Virginia
 – Today, Governor Terry McAuliffe, Speaker Bill Howell, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Chris Jones, Senate Finance Co-Chairman Chuck Colgan and leaders from the General Assembly money committees announced they had reached a bipartisan agreement on how to tackle Virginia’s budget shortfall. The agreement will close $346 million this fiscal year and will address the $536 million gap for Fiscal Year (FY) 16.
“Virginia stands at an economic crossroads and the decisions we make today will affect the Commonwealth for years to come,” said Governor Terry McAuliffe. “I am pleased we were able to come together in a bipartisan way and make the tough decisions that will help ensure Virginia remains fiscally strong and provide much-needed certainty to the bond rating agencies on Wall Street. While the budget shortfall is forcing us to tighten our belts, I am proud that we were able to protect many of our core democratic priorities, including health care and K-12 funding for this fiscal year. The plan also prioritizes higher education by reducing the average budget reduction for public colleges and universities from an expected 5 percent to 3.3 percent for FY15. As we move forward, it is my hope that we can find other constructive ways to work together to build a new Virginia economy.” 
Speaker Bill Howell (R-Stafford)
“Addressing Virginia’s budget shortfall sooner rather than later is the fiscally responsible thing to do. By acting now, we can create certainty for Virginia’s economy, give state agencies and local governments flexibility, and most importantly send a strong signal to the bond rating agencies that Virginia is serious about protecting its AAA -bond rating. We have once again proven just how big a difference 90 miles can make. While Washington continues to kick the can down the road, Virginia is demonstrating that elected leaders can work together, make tough decisions, and find ways for government to live within its means.”
House Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones (R-Suffolk)
“As House Appropriations Committee Chairman, I have a fiduciary obligation to the people of the Commonwealth. I take pride in our responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, especially during tough economic times. The actions taken today, and the bipartisan manner in which we have taken them, speak clearly to Virginia’s reputation as one of the nation’s best-managed states.”
Senate Finance Co-Chairman Chuck Colgan (D-Prince William)
"This bipartisan agreement is a good first step toward dealing with our budget shortfall and working together on Governor McAuliffe's vision for a new Virginia economy. The Governor and both parties in the General Assembly came to the table to broker a responsible bipartisan compromise that will balance the budget and put core priorities like education and health care first."
The agreement will close the budget gap by:
  • Appropriating transfers from the Revenue Stabilization Fund, estimated at $470 million in FY15 and $235 million in FY16;

  • Establishing reduction adjustment targets for state agencies, higher education and local governments to address the shortfall, including:

    • State agencies are slated for $92.4 million in FY15 and $100 million in FY16
    • Higher education is set at $45 million per year during the biennium
    • Aid to localities is included at $30 million a year for the biennium
  • Setting the stage for $272 million in other actions in FY16 to be achieved through measures that the Governor will address when he introduces his budget amendments in December.

  • Allowing flexibility in capturing savings from available unexpected balances so that important priority items, especially in the areas of health care and economic development, are kept in place.

President Pro tempore, Senate Finance Co-Chairman, Senator Walter Stosch (R-Henrico)
“A major responsibility of the legislature and Governor is to protect and improve on the financial integrity of the Commonwealth.  I am pleased we were able to work as a team to bring our collective and creative solutions together to respond to the further expected revenue shortfall.  Virginia’s financial standing with Wall Street and with our citizens will benefit from our proposed action to responsibly address this matter now.”
Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr, (R-James City)
“Virginia is once again serving as a model on how government should address fiscal challenges.  Today’s announcement is the result of collaboration and cooperation between the Executive and Legislature, the House and the Senate, and Democrats and Republicans.  The hard work of Chairmen Jones and Stosch, Governor McAuliffe, and Secretary Brown has resulted in the Commonwealth quickly taking the steps necessary to preserve its hard-won reputation as America’s best fiscally managed state.”
Senate Democratic Leader Senator Dick Saslaw (D–Fairfax)
"Virginians elect us to work together to solve problems, and this agreement is proof that we can still honor that responsibility. Cutting the budget is never easy, but Governor McAuliffe's leadership has resulted in a balanced process that prioritizes core services like education and health care."
Senate Republican Caucus Chairman Ryan T. McDougle (R-Hanover)
“When legislators act to approve this measure on Thursday, they will be voting for the sound fiscal management of the Commonwealth.  When this challenge was identified over the course of the summer, Virginia acted urgently to ensure its budget would remain balanced, its taxpayers protected, and its AAA-bond rating preserved.  That’s precisely what the people who have entrusted us to represent them expect of their leaders.”
House Majority Leader Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights)
“Today’s agreement proves once again that it is not impossible for elected leaders to work together in order to address fiscal challenges, despite Washington’s best attempts to prove otherwise. This agreement is about protecting the financial integrity of Virginia and preserving Virginia’s reputation for sound fiscal management. This agreement cuts spending, but protects core functions of government like K-12 education and provides local governments with the flexibility they need to address this shortfall. Most importantly, we are not raising taxes or fees. We are setting priorities and making tough decisions just like Virginia families and businesses have to do.” ​
House Democratic Leader David Toscano (D- Charlottesville)
"Governor McAuliffe promised to bring Republicans and Democrats together to build a new Virginia economy, and that begins with balancing our budget responsibly. We cannot grow an economy without investing in public education, health care and other core services, and this budget deal protects those priorities first. I applaud the Governor and the General Assembly leadership for coming together and getting this important agreement done."
Barry Duval, President & CEO Virginia Chamber of Commerce
"A bipartisan approach to balancing the budget is in the long term best interest of the Commonwealth.  I commend the Governor and members of the General Assembly for protecting Virginia's reputation as the best managed state."
Brett A. Vassey, President and CEO, Virginia Manufacturers Association:
"VMA is encouraged that Governor McAuliffe and General Assembly leaders have been able to work together to balance priorities and the budget."
Chris Saxman, Executive Director, Virginia Foundation for Research and Economic Education (FREE)
"Thank you to Governor McAuliffe, Speaker Howell, Chairmen Jones, Colgan and Stosch for working together to balance Virginia's biennial budget. This bipartisan effort sends a strong signal to the business community and the citizens of the Commonwealth that maintaining our strong fiscal position is essential to economic development and growth."

(It just reeks of socialism to the hilt.  All the socialist buzz words are used throughout.)



Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Our view: Hiding in plain sight The Roanoke Times Editorial Board

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Me...
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (Medicaid administrator) logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
More often than not, that missing item you've turned the house upside down to find - reading glasses or car keys, for example - ends up being right in front of you.
That should be a lesson to Gov. McAuliffe and House leaders in their search for an elusive solution to the current budget stalemate.
McAuliffe wants to expand Medicaid, the government funded program providing health insurance to the indigent, to cover low-income adults.
House leaders object but have devoted all their time to nitpicking the governor's plan rather than coming up with their own.
Senators have helpfully offered a rational compromise. Marketplace Virginia would allow uninsured individuals to purchase private insurance using federal funds available from taxes already being collected on state residents and businesses. Participants would be required to share in the costs. The program offers relief to hospitals facing steep cuts under the Affordable Care Act, which rolls back charitable care assistance under the assumption that more patients will be insured.
It's a middle-ground, business-oriented idea that should be an easy decision. But instead, legislators swept into Capitol Square last week, spouted off a lot of partisan blabber then headed home, leaving the negotiating table vacant.
House leaders say they're loath to use federal dollars, which would initially pay 100 percent of costs and 90 percent in future years, out of fear that national leaders might one day renege.
But that argument makes little sense given their use of $195 million in federal funding from other parts of the Affordable Care Act to balance their own budget proposal for the current year, plus another $51 million for the new two-year spending plan they endorsed. Indeed, they rely on a total of more than $20 billion in federal funds, nearly a quarter of their entire budget plan.
McAuliffe's proposal to expand Medicaid coverage in a two-year pilot program has generated some confusion given his previous support for the Marketplace Virginia model. It's hard to determine whether he's helped or harmed the process given the reality that absolutely nothing has happened in weeks.
His proposal doesn't rule out the private-option favored by the Senate. Rather it could serve as a temporary means for Virginia to qualify for federal funding while hammering out the particulars for the private insurance model. Doing so would free up $225 million in state tax revenues, some of which could be used for mental health reforms, teacher pay, pre-kindergarten and extended school year programs, and stabilization of the state's pension fund.
But the best choice for state leaders still rests with the Marketplace Virginia approach. If House leaders can't stomach adding more people to the Medicaid rolls, despite the fact that they've added thousands of intellectually disabled individuals to the program in recent years, then they should focus on digesting the Senate proposal. Once they've decided what they like and dislike about the idea, they can hash out the details with senators who would welcome that conversation.
In January, Speaker Bill Howell penned a commentary calling for an "alternative approach" to expanding Medicaid. Nearly three months later, he has yet to offer any alternative of his own. Meanwhile, the Marketplace Virginia plan sits untouched, waiting for someone to show up at the negotiating table. Like a misplaced pair of glasses, it's in plain sight. State leaders are just pretending not to see it.
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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

GOP defeats open two chairmanships in House of Delegates - Richmond Times Dispatch

English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / ...
English: The state seal of Virginia. Српски / Srpski: Застава америчке савезне државе Вирџиније. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Posted: Wednesday, June 12, 2013 5:22 pm
The defeat of two veteran Republican delegates in Tuesday’s primary opened more committee chairmanships in the House of Delegates and fanned debate about the impact of this year’s historic transportation funding vote.
Both Del. Joe T. May, R-Loudoun, and Beverly J. Sherwood, R-Frederick, supported the transportation funding overhaul that passed in this year’s General Assembly session, a landmark infusion of cash into the state’s beleaguered roads fund.
Many conservatives were displeased with the tax increases in the bill, which is expected to raise about $3.4 billion statewide over five years and an additional $2.5 billion in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads.
On the heels of Tuesday’s results, Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform said May’s defeat “can be directly attributed to his vote for Speaker Bill Howell's misguided $6 billion tax hike.”
Of the 34 Republicans -- and one Independent who caucuses with Republicans -- in the House who supported the transportation measure, four faced primary challenges and two were defeated. Del. C. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, beat a primary challenger but Gilbert did not support the transportation plan.
Del. Robert D. Orrock Sr., R-Caroline, and House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, both survived primary challenges – and Howell sponsored the transportation legislation.
Howell noted that May and Sherwood had each served for about 20 years and had taken thousands of votes.
“Two people losing out of 35, I think it’s hard to say that the transportation bill was a sole factor or even a primary factor,” he said. “I think in both Joe and Bev’s races there were a lot of other things that took place.”
Sherwood lost to retired physician Mark J. Berg and May lost to general contractor Dave A. LaRock.
The losses will also mean a greater shifting of committee chairmanships, as May chaired Transportation Committee and Sherwood chaired House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources.

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