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On the 18th day of April, about six weeks after the procedural resolution called for the passage of a budget, Virginia’s General Assembly, together for a Veto Session, finally passed a budget. There is much in the budget to like, some items not to like, and signs for the future that are very worrisome.
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Gov. Bob McDonnell has taken executive action on legislation passed by the General Assembly during the 2012 session. McDonnell amended two pieces of legislation that were part of his “Opportunity to Learn” K-12 education agenda. Further, Governor McDonnell amended two key pieces of his transportation agenda – the Comprehensive Port of Virginia Promotion and Reform…
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The State Senate voted 35-4 on Monday to pass a budget that adds millions to support public schools, reduce the cost of tolls, help families who have suffered during the foreclosure crisis, and protect the safety net that supports the most vulnerable Virginians. “I’m pleased the Senate has passed this budget, which better funds our…
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Senate Democrats are claiming success in a budget vote by the Finance Committee that provides for more funding for public schools, families who have suffered during the foreclosure crisis, and Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens. “We made this budget a lot better in terms of health and human services and public education. It was a cooperative…
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U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner, D-Va., on Wednesday joined colleagues in a bipartisan 74-22 vote to adopt the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), which reauthorizes highway, transit, and safety programs for two fiscal years at current funding levels. The legislation is fully funded and maintains the solvency of the Highway…
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Staunton and Waynesboro City Council candidates will respond to a series of citizen questions pertaining to city-wide topics and senior issues at two upcoming public forums. Questions will be developed based on submissions from local citizens interested in what’s affecting area public safety, health, housing, transportation and more. When new and incumbent Council members face…
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Relatively recent “recovery principles” in mental health stems around the motto self determination, recovery, and empowerment. The genesis of this was the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2003). Despite the fact the Virginia DMHMRSAS mission (now rechristened the Virginia Department of Behavioral and Developmental Services) statement is, “Our vision is of a “consumer-driven…
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Senator Jim Webb (D-VA), author of the landmark Post-9/11 G.I. Bill, today introduced bipartisan legislation to preserve those veterans’ education benefits from abuses by certain schools. Troubling statistics show that the cost to taxpayers to send a veteran to a for-profit school is more than double the cost of a public university and that eight…
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Adjournment of the 2012 Session of the General Assembly, scheduled for March 10, is rapidly approaching, and we are in totally uncharted waters. The Senate versions of the caboose budget bill that covers the remainder of the current fiscal year and the budget bill for the 2012-2014 biennium have been defeated in the Senate. The…
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Big companies are trying to change the way U.S. farmers operate their businesses, but some things don’t need changing. Restaurant chain Chipotle aired its “Back to the Start” advertisement April 12 during the Grammy Awards. The commercial portrays large-scale farming as dismal compared to bucolic grasslands on which pigs roam free. And McDonald’s recently announced…
