Showing posts with label Funding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Funding. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Rob Wittman: Weekly Update - How Can I Help You?

English:
English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From Prince William County to Hampton Roads, I serve some of the strongest communities in the Commonwealth, and I am humbled every day to work for the people of Virginia’s First District. As a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, I truly believe that my primary responsibility is to represent the interests of the men and women who’ve elected me, and I can only do that with your continued input and feedback.

Whether I’m advocating for our federal workers and service members—both during and after their service—or strengthening our economy by preserving the Chesapeake Bay and our other natural resources, I am committed to advancing commonsense policies that further Virginia’s legislative priorities. But that isn’t all that I do. My office is also here to help in more specific ways—by assisting with grant applications and federal agency issues, providing military service academy nominations, offering internships, and even scheduling tours of the Capitol and other landmarks and monuments here in Washington, D.C.

Below is a more comprehensive list of the constituent services I provide through my offices in Stafford, Tappahannock, Yorktown, and Washington. Please reach out to let me know how I can serve you better. I look forward to hearing from you.

Help With a Federal Agency
As a U.S. representative, one of the most important things that I do is help constituents who are having issues with federal agencies. While I cannot override final decisions made by federal agencies, my office can help with communication, information, status updates, and even requests for agency reconsideration.

Grants and Federal Domestic Assistance
My office provides information about grants as well as a list of resources that de-mystify the grant application process.


Student Financial Aid
I’ve teamed up with the Department of Education to provide high school and college students and parents in Virginia’s First District with information and financial aid options for higher education. See my website or contact my offices for more information.


Military Service Academy Nominations
I have the privilege each year of nominating a number of determined and hard-working young men and women to four of our nation’s five service academies. You can find a preliminary online application here or contact my Yorktown office for more information.

Congressional Internships
We offer a number of internships to First District students who are interested in policy, public service, and political communications. If you or someone you know is interested, contact any one of my offices to learn more.

Tour Requests
Not only do we offer tours of the Capitol through our Washington, D.C. office, but we can also help you schedule tours of the White House, the Library of Congress, and other national landmarks and monuments. Let us know how we can make your visit to D.C. even better!

American Flag Requests
Having a flag flown over the Capitol is a great way to honor an event or the memory of a loved one, and my office is happy to facilitate that. Click here or contact my Washington, D.C. office to purchase a flag and include a personal message.

The main streets of Virginia’s First District are full of ideas to get our economy back on track, and your feedback is critically important to me as I serve you. I can be reached by telephone at (202) 225-4261, through my website (www.wittman.house.gov), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/reprobwittman), and via Twitter (www.twitter.com/robwittman).

Governor McAuliffe Announces More Than $8.2 Million in Community Development Block Grants

~ Projects include water and sewer service, downtown revitalization, and housing rehabilitation ~ 
RICHMOND – Governor Terry McAuliffe today announced more than $8.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for 12 projects in Virginia. Since 1982, the federally-funded CDBG program has been administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), and Virginia receives approximately $17 million annually for this grant program.
Speaking about today’s announcement, Governor McAuliffe said, “In order to build a new Virginia economy, we need to use all available resources to improve the lives of Virginians.  These projects help provide better infrastructure, affordable housing, and revitalize downtown districts to create sustainable and vibrant communities across the Commonwealth.”

Speaking at an event in Bassett, VirginiaSecretary of Commerce and Trade Maurice Jones said, “The CDBG program continues to help localities across the Commonwealth make the necessary investments to stay competitive and thrive in today’s economic environment.  These funds are critical in order to help our communities, particularly those in rural areas, become the best places to live, work and conduct business.”

CDBG grants are awarded through a competitive process.  Most projects benefit low- and moderate-income persons, and many projects are targeted for the prevention or elimination of slums and blight conditions.

During this year’s competitive cycle, 22 proposals were submitted by 21 localities, and 11 projects received the initial funding, with two projects receiving multi-year funding and one project receiving a letter of intent. Multi-year funding projects are those that will receive a contract allocating a portion of the funds this year, and after achieving specific performance targets, the project will then be eligible for additional funding. The letter of intent project is worthy of funding but lacks key components necessary for the project to be immediately implemented, and the grant allows the locality to address the missing key components.

2015 CDBG Community Improvement Grant Awards:
Locality
Project Name
CDBG Award
Buchanan County
Hurley Regional Water Project Phase VI
     $ 1,000,000
Town of Damascus
Damascus Downtown Revitalization
     $ 659,400
Dickenson County
Georges Fork Sewer Project
     $ 1,000,000
Town of Dungannon
Dungannon Economic Revitalization
     $ 700,000
Henry County
Smith River Small Towns Business District Revitalization
     $ 700,000
Town of Smithfield
Pinewood Heights Redevelopment Project Phase III
    $ 1,000,000
Town of Strasburg
Strasburg Downtown Revitalization Project
     $ 700,000
Wise County
Roda, Osaka and Stonega Sewer Phase II
     $ 690,000
Town of Wytheville
Freedom Lane Housing Production
     $ 505,625
Town of Appomattox
Meadowlark Neighborhood Improvement Project
Multi-year Funding
     $ 1,000,000
Town of Pulaski
Kersey Bottom Neighborhood Revitalization Project
Multi-year Funding
     $ 1,000,000
Town of White Stone
White Stone Comprehensive Project
Letter of Intent
     $ 1,400,000

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Gloucester Schools Want More Funding For Page Middle School


Here we go.  This point has already been put up before the Board of Supervisors already and the Board pretty much said no.  So what do the propagandists do?  They start the media campaign in an effort to publicly  embarrass the Board of Supervisors in an expectation that the School Board will get its way.

  This is not a new trick.  Its a very old trick and it works very well.  Especially when you can get any area of the media to run the story such as channel 13 news.  The school board is bloated with way too many administrative staff and spent a fortune on a refurbishing an entire school building for themselves all at the same time knowing that they had to fund Page.  But hey, its your money so who cares how much they spend?

  We have a solution to all of this.  Raise the tax rates on every registered democrat in Gloucester County by 3 times the present rate.  For the democrats hiding in the republican party raise their rates by the same amount.  Raise the rates on the socialists by 10 times the present amount.  They are free to complain but no one will care.  Anyone else who just feels bad about it all can pony up and donate all the money they want until it hurts.  Get another mortgage on your house and donate that money to the school board so they can continue their bloat at your expense.  This should allow them to add all new levels of bloat as well.

  We told everyone years ago before construction even started this would happen.  Yes we are saying we told you so.  What is even worse?  None of these folks feel the least bit bad about this crap.  In fact if you want to talk to any of them they will be more than happy to justify their claim and talk you out of more of your money.  Make it simple, just hand them all the money in your pocket before you even start to think about speaking to any of them.



One last thought.  If the school board can not afford to open this school they can always turn it into a homeless shelter that the area desperately needs anyway.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Gloucester, VA School Board's Appalling Pleas For Additional Funding - Video




This is the video from the March 24th, 2014 budget meeting.  Right around 36 minutes, after Brenda Garton, County Administrator, gave her presentation for the 2014 - 2015 budget, a student comes up and gives an absolutely appalling speech requesting additional money from the taxpayers, claiming old outdated textbooks, and a lack of paper for copying as some of the claims as well as teacher raises are much needed.  Though the student was well spoken, he was very poorly educated in the area of economics and it was a disgusting display of pure ignorance in our view.

  There is nothing complicated about budgets, economics and or government until bureaucrats decide to make it so.  The nihilistic socialist agenda spewing from the mouth of the student shows clearly that we have seriously digressed in the areas of economics and government oversight.  The Kiser has put this county into higher economic burdens and now we get to see with great delight, the horrible outcome of his oversight in the extraordinary appalling speech from the young man whom has no idea what he is talking about as he lacks the education to understand and we can not blame this young man for such.  We must look at those in charge of education.

  Let's be specific with his complaints.  He states what he claims are facts and figures that DO NOT ACCOUNT for areas such as shrinking enrollments, higher expenditures at the school board level that have little or nothing to do with the education of the students, subsidized lunches for school administration as well as higher levels of security for school board administration than they are willing to provide students with.  Bloated areas of expenditures in the school board that have little or nothing to do with education.

  Let's address the textbook issues.  Children are not coming home with textbooks.  If the textbooks are outdated in the school, direct the questions to the school board and NOT the board of supervisors.  The school board budget never uses it's full amount in any given year for textbooks that is allocated from what we have seen.  We are mortified here with this.  We can all thank The Kiser and the school board.  And this kid wants to become a teacher?  Says he won't come back here to teach?  Thank God.  He already lacks the education and shame on the school system for producing such a disgusting product of pure nihilistic filth.

  The folks that continued to come up, kept overlooking all of the above issues.  Lower enrollments.  No increases within the community showing expected increases in enrollments.  The Kiser closed one school when he could have used that school for relocating students from the old Page school.  The money wasted building the new Page Middle school instead of rebuilding the old Page site.  That was millions of dollars that were left on the table.  Does anyone understand simple economics or are we looking at the continued product of The Kisers really nihilistic socialist schooling. platform?

  At least the second speaker pointed out flaws in Brenda Garton's bloated budget which needs some very serious adjustments as well on the downward trend.  If anything, these meetings showed a need to get back to basics in education for everyone.  Simple economics is step one.  Let's look at the works of one of the first and real economists, Adam Smith.



 

Wealth of Nations - Adam Smith from Chuck Thompson

That's 667 pages of back to basics.  You can download this book for free from our slideshare site.  It's all very simple and easy to understand.  If the school board needs more money, let them take it out of the extra money they have cost us all building a new school in the swamp the county didn't need.

  Way to much oh poor me.  Guess what, the taxpayers are also saying poor me.  These folks are failing to realize who they must get their money from.  The taxpayers, not the board of supervisors.  The taxpayers DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY folks.  Did you hear that?  the taxpayers DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY.  YOU ARE NOT ASKING THE BOARD FOR MONEY.  You are asking the county taxpayers for money.  Hello!!!!!!  Anyone home?

  We just could not stand to listen to anyone else wine about how they want the Board of Supervisors to give them taxpayer money.  It's not their money school board.  It's the people of the county's money.  It's just infuriating.  

On a final note, we really want to thank the Board of Supervisors for recording and producing these videos so we can see what kind of outrageous nagging they must sit through from very ignorant people.  Our hats off to the Board of Supervisors for having to deal with such nonsense and still try and maintain decorum.   

Monday, December 9, 2013

Governor McDonnell’s Biennial Budget to Continue Commitment to Improving Virginia’s Prisoner Re-Entry and Restoration of Rights Processes

Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at...
Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell speaking at CPAC. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if used elsewhere. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
RICHMOND – Governor Bob McDonnell will recommend substantial new state investments in the areas of prisoner re-entry and restoration of rights when he puts forward his two-year spending plan for the Commonwealth next Monday. The governor has put a focus on the two policy areas over the last four years, establishing Virginia’s first-ever prisoner re-entry statewide plan and appointing the first-ever prisoner re-entry coordinator. Today, the Commonwealth has the nation’s second-lowest recidivism rate at 23.4 percent. The governor has restored the rights of 7,500 individuals, more than any governor in Virginia history and this summer he instituted the state’s first automatic restoration of rights policy for non-violent offenders.

 Speaking about the investments, Governor McDonnell remarked, “America is a nation of second chances. I’m a former prosecutor and attorney general. I believe strongly that we are a nation of laws and failure to abide by those laws has consequences. But when someone has met those consequences, we must be there to help them successfully rejoin society. That’s good for the individual, and it’s good for the community. When we help men and women put together a positive plan for life after prison we increase their chances for success going forward, and we lessen the burden on our state from individuals returning to prison. The same thing happens when we make it easier for our fellow Virginians to regain their civil rights. When someone has a stake in their government and community, they are far more likely to contribute, to give back and to help our Commonwealth grow. These new investments will continue the great progress we are making in these critically important public policy efforts.”

            The governor’s budget will provide the following funding for prisoner re-entry and restoration of rights efforts:

Re-entry Initiatives:

·         Provides funding for emergency housing for offenders upon release.  This will enable the Department of Corrections to provided temporary lodging for hard to place offenders to minimize public safety risks and to assist with re-entry. Adds $533,517 the first year and second year of the biennial budget.
·         Increases funding for inmate education program. The funds are for the cost of administering GED testing and for additional computers in classrooms, and funding for part-time instructors to enable the Department of Corrections to enhance its re-entry efforts.  Adds $331,660 for the first year and $482,773 the second year in general fund support.
·         Provides funding for the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment grant match.  The Department of Corrections was awarded a federal grant to provide substance abuse treatment services to improve its re-entry services. The grant program serves over 300 inmates and is established in 11 correctional facilities.  For FY14 the state match is $342,147; and the state match for the first year is $537,660 and $586,538 for the second year of the new biennial budget.   

Restoration of Rights Initiative:

·         Appropriates $197,309 in the first year and $243,052 for the second year of the new biennial budget in general fund support for the operations and management of the automatic restoration of civil rights process. This funding is for four new additional staff positions for the biennium.The new funding and positions will provide additional resources that will allow the Commonwealth to respond in a timelier manner to an increased number of applications for the automatic restoration of rights.
Enhanced by Zemanta