GOP leaders tout job growth in Virginia
The Republican mantra on jobs is that recent growth in job numbers at the federal level isn’t enough and that President Obama hasn’t been doing enough.
At the state level in Virginia, modest gains in the jobs sector is reason for celebration for Republicans hoping to gain political advantage.
“Needless to say, I am delighted to see that our unemployment rate has fallen to 5.8 percent, the lowest rate in more than three years. This is a significant drop, and it is further indication that our efforts to get our economy growing again and create jobs are succeeding,” said Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, who hopes to succeed Gov. Bob McDonnell in the state’s top job. Read more
Chris Graham: What’s good for the goose …
Republicans in the United State Senate have used arcane legislative rules to their advantage the past two years to fight from the minority anything substantive that Democrats want to do from coming to fruition.
Republicans in Virginia are now crying foul that their Democratic counterparts are riding an arcane rule related to the 20-20 split in the Virginia Senate to a position of power in state-budget negotiations. Read more
Senate passes private-school tax credit
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling cast the tie-breaking vote in the State Senate today pushing a bill that will provide for up to $25 million in tax credits for businesses that donate money to private schools.
The state tax credit is designed to encourage individuals and corporations to contribute to non-profit organizations who provide education improvement scholarships to students in low and middle income families, and to students with a qualifying disability in order for them to attend non-public elementary or secondary schools. Read more
Bolling: I will vote to break Senate ties
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling said today that there are no constitutional limitations on his ability to vote on State Senate organizational matters, including the election of Senate leaders and committee chairs and members.
“I recognize that senators on both sides of the aisle may be disappointed with my conclusions, albeit for entirely different reasons. However, throughout my service as lieutenant governor, I have tried to preside over the Senate in a fair and impartial manner, and I will continue to do so,” said Bolling, announcing that he intends to vote on such matters to break tie votes as necessary.
Senate Democrats have been trying to put public pressure on Bolling to back away from voting on matters involving Senate organization. The November elections left the chamber equally divided with 20 Republicans and 20 Democrats seated in the 40-member legislative chamber. Read more
Bolling takes swipe at Cuccinelli over primary
Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli has reversed his position on an earlier public call for immediate action that would allow candidates who failed to qualify for the March Republican presidential primary a spot on the ballot.
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling took a swipe at his rival for the 2013 GOP gubernatorial nomination in the aftermath, encouraging Cuccinelli to “avoid making public statements that criticize our state election laws while his office is defending the State Board of Elections.”
“I am concerned that such public comments could be used against the Commonwealth in our effort to defend these lawsuits, and I am confident that the attorney general would not want to do anything that could jeopardize his office’s ability to win this case,” Bolling said in a statement. Read more
Poll: Virginians divided over State Senate split
A new Public Policy Polling survey reveals that Virginia voters think that Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling would be acting in accord with the state Constitution if he were to break a tie in favor of giving Republicans control olf the State Senate, but that at the same time the GOP should share power with Democrats in accord with the results of the November General Assembly elections.
Fifty-five percent of Virginia voters think there should be some sort of power-sharing arrangement, according to a PPP poll released Friday, while only 31 percent of voters think Republicans should have full control of the senior chamber. The key voting bloc there is independents, who side with Democrats in backing power-sharing by a 53 percent-to-28 percent margin.
The split in favor of Bolling’s power to vote to break ties is much closer – with 37 percent saying they feel he has the power to side with Republicans in the Senate organization and 34 percent saying they don’t think he has that power. Read more
David Reynolds: Our next governor
Posted by afp on February 21, 2012 · Leave a Comment
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with bill bolling, bob mcdonnell, david reynolds, ken cuccinelli, republican politics, virginia politics