McDonnell announces initiative to eliminate state mandates on localities
Gov. Bob McDonnell, joined by members of the Governor’s Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review, today announced specific legislation to eliminate burdensome state mandates on localities.
Today’s announcement is part of a continuing effort to reduce burdensome state mandates on localities. In September 2011, McDonnell announced the creation of the Governor’s Task Force for Local Government Mandate Review. The five-member Task Force is a result of legislation introduced during the 2011 General Assembly Session by Sen. Steve Newman (R-Bedford County) to review state mandates imposed on localities and to recommend temporary suspension or permanent repeal of such mandates as appropriate. Read more
It’s flu-shot season
Gov. Bob McDonnell gets his annual flu shot at the free flu shot clinic put on by the CommonHealth Employee Wellness Program on Wednesday.
The clinic is open to state employees and runs through Thursday at the James Monroe Building in Richmond.
Pictured here (L to R): Gov. McDonnell; Tim Colyer, pharmacy manager at the Walgreens Store on Ridgefield Parkway in Richmond.
Photo Courtesy of Michaele White, Governor’s Photographer.
Virginia wine sales see boost
Sales of Virginia wine in fiscal year 2010 increased nearly 13 percent from 2009, according to numbers released today by the state.
Total sales of Virginia wine amounted to $1,604,387 in wine liter tax collections during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2010, whereas the total wine liter tax collected by the state derived from the sale of Virginia wine in FY2009 amounted to $1,428,216.
“The increase in the sale of Virginia wine is good news for our grape growers and wine makers, both of whom are responsible for producing the outstanding wines that Virginia is now being recognized for both here and abroad,” Gov. Bob McDonnell said. “The growth of the wine industry in Virginia means more jobs for our citizens and needed economic development in our communities, particularly in the rural areas of the Commonwealth. The increase in sales also means more funds will be dedicated to wine grape education and research and wine marketing initiatives that will help the Virginia wine industry continue to grow, and lead to more jobs being created in the years ahead.”
According to figures from the most recent economic impact study, the Virginia wine industry employs approximately 3,000 people and contributes almost $350 million to the Virginia economy on an annual basis. The study reflected the impact of 120 wineries in 2005; today, there are nearly 180 licensed farm wineries in the state. In recent years, Virginia has become a nationwide leader in wine and is now fifth in the nation both for wine production and number of wineries. The governor has declared October Virginia Wine Month and encourages Virginians to support this thriving agricultural sector by visiting a winery or purchasing Virginia wine through their local restaurants, grocers and specialty shops.
The wine liter tax is applied at a rate of $3.60 per case of wine. The tax collection report is issued annually in a letter from the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to the House Appropriations Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Virginia Wine Board.
For more information about the Virginia wine industry, please visit www.virginiawine.org or contact the Virginia Wine Marketing Office at 804.344.8200.
Edited by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at freepress2@ntelos.net.
Whirley named new VDOT commissioner
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced today the appointment of Gregory Whirley as the new commissioner of the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Whirley had been serving as acting commissioner under McDonnell since January. A VDOT veteran, Whirley also served as acting commissioner of the department in 2005 and had served as well as chief deputy commissioner, acting chief financial officer and inspector general.
Whirley is a certified public accountant with 35 years of public and private experience in auditing, investigations and financial management. As inspector general, he had coordinated the agency’s antitrust and internal and external audit functions to safeguard taxpayer dollars and prevent waste, fraud and abuse.
Before becoming inspector general, he directed the agency’s fiscal division, and managed external audits as controller of financial operations. He began work with VDOT in 1988. Whirley began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co. and served as controller for the National Mental Health Association and the National Governor’s Association before joining VDOT. He is a graduate of Virginia State University.
McDonnell: ‘Slight increase in incoming revenue for the year ahead’
Story by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
The bad news: The state is facing down another massive budget shortfall.
The good news: According to Gov. Bob McDonnell, the state can expect to see more revenues in the coming year with the improving economy.
“I am pleased to report that the updated revenue numbers from the Department of Taxation project a slight increase in incoming revenue for the year ahead. I have made a conservative estimate of increased revenue based on the new information,” McDonnell said on Wednesday at a press conference detailing the latest revenue projections.
McDonnell said he will recommend to the General Assembly that the projected new reveunes be put toward K-12 public education, employee compensation and other core government services. He also called for a restoration of some of the proposed cuts to public safety and no further cuts to higher education. “Tough times call for setting priorities. Public safety and higher education have been cut significantly in recent years and cannot sustain further reductions,” the governor said. Read more
Big Brother and local education
Column by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
Big government has no place in local education. Does us no good to be sending dictates down from Washingon and Richmond with all manner of strings attached.
No Child Left Behind – bad idea. Standards of Learning – bad idea.
Freshman State Del. Dickie Bell’s proposed state mandate that local school boards allocate 65 percent of its operating budget to instructional spending – bad idea.
The initiative isn’t Bell’s alone. Bob McDonnell had the 65 percent threshold as part of his ’09 guberntorial-campaign platform. I can understand a pol like McDonnell getting something like this wrong, but not Bell, a public-school teacher when the General Assembly is not in session. Read more
The Rant | Give McDonnell a break
Posted by afp on February 19, 2010 · Leave a Comment
Video Essay by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
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