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Nothing is more important to America’s future than ensuring a high-quality education for our nation’s children. While the basic goals of our current education law, the No Child Left Behind Act, are well-intentioned, the law is not working effectively and ultimately lacks critical flexibility and decision-making power for the individual states, parents, and teachers.
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The health care law is a “train wreck.” Or at least that’s how Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) referred to it recently. It’s very telling when one of the chief architects of the law makes that statement.
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The Supreme Court had an historic week recently with major decisions on gay marriage, immigration and voting. I am particularly concerned about the decision that I believe does major damage to the Voting Rights Act.
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The 2013 session of the General Assembly was a landmark one, according to most everyone who follows politics in the Old Dominion. It passed a sweeping transportation funding package that had eluded approval for at least a couple of decades.
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The primary reason why our immigration system is broken today is because the present and past administrations have largely ignored or been selective in the enforcement of our immigration laws.
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The IRS recently admitted that certain conservative groups had been singled out for extra scrutiny based on political leanings, including some in Virginia. The IRS must be held accountable for this blatant abuse of power.
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Congressional efforts to uncover more details about the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012 continue. Last week, as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, I released a report as part of an ongoing review of the events that led to the death of four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
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Renee Pullen, the SANE—sexual assault nurse examiner—nurse at Augusta Health, and the ambulance crew at the Fishersville facility drove down to Lexington this week to receive a donation of Fear 2 Freedom kits from the local chapter at Washington and Lee University.
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Not only did the 2013 session of the General Assembly end on time last Saturday, but it also ended on a high note. Having sat through a couple of decades of failed efforts to pass meaningful legislation addressing our transportation needs, I was not optimistic that we would be successful this year. The Governor’s proposal to fix a billion dollar problem with a revenue-neutral solution did not give me much hope. I was both amazed and delighted when the House passed a transportation funding bill by a vote of 60 to 40 that provides new revenue to meet road and transit needs.
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During legislative sessions in Virginia there is far too much partisan bickering, currying to special interests and in recent years doing the things that appear on late-night comedy shows. These events tend to overshadow the amount of time that legislators work amicably together, regardless of political party and without personal gain, to solve complex problems to make the Commonwealth a better place to live. The negative forces at work in the legislature help to contrast the significant moments when statesmanship prevails.
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