The General Assembly adjourned at 9:28 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, 2012 without a budget. We simply ran out of time. We immediately convened a Special Session to address the budget, which will hopefully occur within the next month. This is the fourth time since 2001 when the General Assembly has not been able to reach agreement on a budget before the session ended. In my first session (2006), we went 100 days into overtime before we passed a budget.

Fortunately, both sides appear close enough that a budget can emerge soon. If you recall from my previous posts, Governor McDonnell’s budget made cuts in the social safety net and shortchanged education. While we were able to argue successfully to restore some of the cuts and to enhance funding for education, the House budget was still inadequate and therefore I could not support it.

Senate Democrats have also argued for additional monies for the social safety net and education. Virginia per pupil spending has been declining in recent years and now is on par with 2007 levels. Teacher salaries have also not kept pace with the national average. In addition, our system of higher education, while likely to receive an increase in this year’s budget, has been neglected for the last decade. Many observers believe that we face substantial budgetary challenges in the coming years and may not be able to maintain our priorities without an influx of revenue.

As the clock wound down for end of session, we considered two initiatives that the Governor had been promoting. The first was his transportation bill, which would have diverted money away from schools to transportation. The Governor’s proposal was soundly rejected, and the resulting bill had little left in it. Transportation funding will remain a challenge for us to address. The second was a major overhaul of VRS, which was presented to us at the last minute. House Democrats objected to voting on a bill so quickly and without the benefit of public input, but the measure was passed nonetheless. I will have a future post on this, and will continue to advocate for positive changes in the bill to protect employees between now and the veto session in April.

In the end, this session is likely to be remembered for the socially divisive bills forced through by conservative Republicans. These bills deflected our attention from critical issues like adequately funding our public schools, creating jobs, and solving our transportation challenges. While the Governor is already claiming several “successes”, they pale by comparison to the challenges that we continue to face in the Commonwealth.

Sincerely,

David

Much of the focus this General Assembly session has been on the socially divisive legislation that has been pushed by conservatives in the House of Delegates. However, the most important piece of legislation that we consider each biennium is the budget. Since Governor McDonnell introduced his flawed budget proposal in December, which would have short changed our educational system substantially while shredding the social safety net, many of us in the House have been advocating for a reallocation of priorities and spending that will enhance education, encourage job creation and protect those most vulnerable.

In the House, Democrats have been more successful than we initially thought, but the budget that emerged was still deficient in many respects. When the House budget went to the Senate, Senate Democrats rejected it and indicated that it required substantial reform before it could be passed. In an attempt to increase pressure on the Senate Democrats, the House Republicans forced through another budget last week that was almost exactly the same form as the one passed previously. I took the floor to analogize the process to the movie starring Bill Murray titled “Ground Hog Day.” In the movie, Murray portrays a weatherman who goes to bed each night only to awake the next morning as if it was the previous day. He goes through the same experiences day after day. Eventually, he learns that he must change his behavior in order to escape from reliving the same day. Last week was an experience in “Ground Hog Day” in the House of Delegates. We received the same budget, had the same debate, and had the same result as we did one week earlier. As I inquired of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, why would the Senate approve the same budget that they had simply rejected last week? I suspect we will see the same outcome from the Senate and be no closer to having a budget than we were a week ago.

In other news, we won a great victory for tax fairness and for main street retailers with the passage of SB597, a measure designed to have Amazon collect and remit sales taxes from internet purchases in Virginia. You may recall my statements on this issue after the Governor announced a deal with Amazon last fall. The bill has now passed and was sent to the Governor. This will level the playing field for local retailers and provide some additional revenue to help fund schools, public safety, and human services.

I have also been pushing a bill that will allow us to evaluate tax preferences, many of which go to the largest corporations in Virginia, and which transfer billions of dollars that might otherwise be used to fund education and other core services through a process that is often not evaluated. This is not to say that some tax credits are not beneficial to the economy or assist in support of useful social policy. The Earned Income Tax Credit, for example, helps low and moderate income persons by allowing taxpayers to recover monies that they have already paid in taxes. The Land Preservation Tax Credit preserves thousands of acres of land in Virginia for future generations. Nonetheless, all tax credits should be subject to periodic evaluation to see whether they work for their intended purpose. As you are aware, I have been critical of the  coal tax credit and believe that a full discussion of the value of that credit is justified.

My bill to assist Habitat for Humanity in negotiating of a land swap with the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) for land in the Biscuit Run Park has passed the Senate and hopefully will be signed by the Governor. HB1113 will permit Habitat to begin negotiations on a land exchange that will help the county and the region develop more recreation facilities south of the city and assist Habitat in the redevelopment of the Southwood Trailer Park.

We are scheduled to adjourn on March 10, 2012, but the budget negotiations could go on for awhile, so I will keep you informed of further developments.

Sincerely,

David

P.S. For those interested in my statement on the arrests of protesters on Capitol grounds, you can view the clip here.

SENATE PASSES BILL MANDATING UNNECESSARY ULTRASOUND
HB462 Tells Virginia’s Doctors How To Practice Medicine

Richmond – The Senate today passed HB462, a bill to mandate women undergo a medically unnecessary procedure prior to receiving an abortion.  Presented as an “informed consent” measure, the legislation intrudes upon the physician-patient relationship.  The bill passed the Senate on a 21 to 19 vote.

“This version of the ultrasound bill has unmasked its true purpose,” said Delegate David Toscano (D-Charlottesville).  “It is neither about women’s health nor safety nor determining the age of a fetus.  It is about forcing women to undergo – and doctors to administer – a costly and medically unnecessary procedure that will provide little useful information and serves simply to intimidate women, their families, and their doctors.”

The bill sponsored in the House by Del. Kathy Byron (R-Bedford), originally required women to undergo a physically intrusive transvaginal ultrasound but was amended after national public outcry to allow women to “opt out”.  Senator Janet Howell (D-Fairfax) was successful in exempting women who are victims of rape or incest from undergoing the intrusive procedure.  It now goes back to the House for final approval.

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The eyes of the nation have been focused on Virginia. And it is not for any special recognition for job creation or economic activity as it was under the Warner and Kaine Administrations. Instead, the country has been riveted on the debate on social issues that has occurred during this session.

In the Governor’s State of the Commonwealth address, he advised Republicans not to overreach. But overreach is what we have gotten. The most recent example has been the passage of an extremely intrusive bill designed to compel women against their will to have a transvaginal ultrasound prior to an abortion. The House bill passed last week and brought a firestorm of opposition from around the country. Democrats have railed against this bill, which would require doctors to invade a woman’s body with a vaginal probe, as an unnecessary and unconstitutional invasion of a woman’s privacy rights. During our debate on the same bill passed by the Senate, the Governor, who has had this bill to review since January 10th changed his position at the last minute. He then presented new language, which we were given less than one-half hour to review prior to passage. This is not the way to carefully consider major changes in social policy. I continue to have serious concerns about this modified bill. The bill is now in the Senate, and I will continue to oppose it.

The so-called “personhood” bill, which would have granted constitutional rights to an unborn child passed the House. The Senate, however, recognizing the far reaching legal complications of the measure, voted to recommit the bill to the Senate Committee on Education and Health, essentially killing the bill for this year.

As the Democratic leader in the House, I am proud of the House Democrats who have fought hard to protect women’s health and the assault on women’s rights. If you are interested in seeing some of the debate on the bill, you can click here.

We finally were able to debate the budget on Thursday, February 23, 2012. Over the last few weeks, I have been pushing for changes in Gov. McDonnell’s budget, which included draconian cuts in the health care safety net and substantial changes in education funding. We are able to prevail in restoring many of the cuts to the safety net, including funding for the free clinics and community health centers. In addition, because of our advocacy, many, though not all, of the cuts for the school divisions and localities were inserted into the House budget. Nonetheless, I could not support a budget which diverts hundreds of millions of dollars from the fund that assists schools, public safety, and health care to fund transportation. Transportation should be funded on a user-fee approach, and the Governor has unfortunately refused to exercise sufficient leadership to fix the problem.

Due to our efforts, Charlottesville and Albemarle, will receive more money than what is in the Governor’s budget, but not as much as they received only several years ago. The result has been a greater burden on the local taxpayer and, as you can see in the debates in Albemarle County, increased pressure on the real estate tax rate. At some point, the Commonwealth needs to honor its obligations to adequately fund public education, and we will continue to fight to insure that it does so.

Thanks to everyone who participated in my telephone town hall meeting on Thursday. We had a good conversation and more questions than time to answer. I received great input from these calls and look forward to hearing more.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve you in Richmond. Your input is important to me and I invite you to share your thoughts and concerns with me on all matters before the Commonwealth. I look forward to hearing from you.

We have now hit the mid-point of the General Assembly session. Known as “crossover,” this is a date by which each body needs to pass its legislation over to the other body for consideration. What that means is long sessions in which hundreds of bills are considered in a single day.

As has been the case throughout the session, the debate has been fierce and the conservative agenda of the House Republican caucus has largely prevailed. The House has passed the so-called “personhood” bill, which defines life as beginning at conception, extending rights to “unborn children.” Even if this measure is found to be constitutional, the potential exists for all kinds of unintended consequences. The word “person” is used more than 10,000 times in the Virginia Code, and many thoughtful observers are concerned about the implications of this legislation for everything from Medicaid eligibility for unborn children to inheritance law.

The House rejected an amendment to ensure that the measure would not compromise a woman’s ability to use lawful contraception, a fact that raises serious questions about how far the proponents wish to take their efforts to deny families the ability to plan when they wish to have children.

The House also passed a bill that would require women to undergo an ultrasound before they can have an abortion. The “ultrasound” bill is yet another example of how some legislators have decided to increase the government intrusion into the private lives of Virginia families by requiring doctors to perform an invasive procedure which is not medically necessary and, in some cases, could actually involve the penetration of a woman’s body without her explicit consent. During debate, one Republican member suggested that the termination of a pregnancy was a “matter of lifestyle convenience,” a comment for which he later apologized.

I voted against both the “personhood” bill and the “ultrasound” bill.

The House passed two bills designed to reform the Virginia Retirement System. The first makes some minor changes to the benefits for employees hired beginning January 1, 2013 in an effort to shore-up the financial viability of the system. The second involves the creation of an optional defined contribution plan by which individuals could opt out of the defined benefit plan in exchange for participating in a new arrangement. I remain concerned about the financial implications of such an approach, but am also aware that there is a bill coming from the Senate that takes a slightly different approach. My focus in this debate is to ensure the fiscal viability of the plan for employees to whom we have made promises, and to retain the choice for those who wish to remain in the defined benefit plan. I hope that we will have several bills that allow us to meet these two goals.

The House passed a bill to extend the death penalty to another category of persons, that is, those who are involved in capital murder, but did not actually commit the killing. I voted against this, as I have done in the past.

The House passed a series of bills providing tax credits to a wide variety of groups, primarily larger companies, despite a recent JLARC report that indicates that some of the credits no longer serve their original purpose. I argued for the elimination of the coal tax credit, a measure that costs the taxpayers $31 million a year and which does little to create jobs in the coal industry. Instead, the General Assembly decided to extend the credit for another two years. I was able to prevail in getting a commission appointed to study all of these credits in greater detail. Perhaps that commission will provide sufficient political cover for the legislature to make some very hard decisions to eliminate some of these credits, which, after passed, provide a continuing drain on the State’s budget.

Now that crossover is done, we will focus on the budget and see whether we can protect and expand education funding for all levels.

On February 19th, the House and Senate will release their revisions to the Governor’s proposed budget. We will have two days to review the proposed revisions before we begin the process of debate on the House floor to offer amendments to reflect our priorities for education, jobs and healthcare.

On Thursday, February 23 beginning at 7:00 pm, I will conduct a live telephone town hall to discuss the budget. Joining me will be Michael Cassidy, President and CEO of The Commonwealth Institute, and we will discuss more closely how the budget affects our schools, VRS, transportation and the safety net. Sign up here with your name and telephone number to join the conversation on Thursday, February 23.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve you in Richmond. Your input is important to me and I invite you to share your thoughts and concerns with me on all matters before the Commonwealth. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

David

Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen of the House:

I rise this morning to again draw attention to what should be one of the number one priorities in this year’s budget – education. Education is important not just to provide our children the skills they will need to compete in a complex economy, but for continued business growth and retention in our Commonwealth.

Like many of you, I read the newspapers every morning.  And, like many of you, I have noticed increased concerns about the impact of the Governor’s proposed budget on education.

Here’s what people are saying:

In my own district, Albemarle County School’s projected shortfall is $2.4 million.  In my own home city, Charlottesville’s school board is considering closing a school because of lack of funds.  In neighboring Augusta County, they are projecting a $4.5 million deficit. Throughout the state, the headlines are alarming:

• [Loudoun] School Board Cuts Proposed Budget by $11 million, Leesburg Today, February 8, 2012
• Virginia Beach Reports $39 million Shortfall, Virginian Pilot, February 9, 2012, Va. Beach Schools Chair Asks Legislators for Help
• Danville Reports a $5.2 million Shortfall, Danville Register & Bee, February 5, 2012
• Richmond Times-Dispatch projects Richmond’s deficit at $23.8 million, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 6, 2012, Public Stays Quiet on Richmond Schools Budget
• Montgomery County Eyes Hefty Real Estate Tax Jump to Pay for Schools, Roanoke Times, February 7, 2012
• Henrico Schools Contend with a $26.3 million Shortfall, Richmond Times-Dispatch, February 10, 2012

It is clear that without our help, localities will have to enact cuts, increase tax, or both.

Therefore, I want to follow up on the kind offer of the Majority Leader[Del. Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights] to continue our dialogue on the budget in an open and transparent fashion.

On this side of the aisle, we have been very clear in stating that the Governor’s budget for education is simply inadequate.

We have also been very clear in stating what many of us in this Chamber know – that investment in education is a key element of future job and business growth.  Education is key to providing our youngsters with the necessary skills to compete in an increasingly complex global economy.

We are approaching decision time and it is our last chance to make an impact on an inadequate Governor’s budget.

What do we want, what do we care about?  Let me tell you about several from this side.

• First, we want to restore funding that the Governor eliminated for teachers and school personnel in areas which have high costs of living – the so-called “cost to compete”. Restoring this funding is critical to recruiting and retaining quality teachers in the classroom.

• Second, we support a budget that increases monies going into classrooms throughout the state, particularly for teachers’ salaries.  The magic happens in the classrooms, and our salaries continue to lag.  Virginia ranks 35^th in the nation for teacher’s salaries.

• Third, we should provide more monies to localities to cushion the proposed changes in the VRS contributions. It is on this item where localities are being whip-sawed the most.  It may appear as if our schools are receiving significant increases in state monies, but when you take into account what they have to return for their VRS contribution, the school divisions are hurting. Localities are facing a triple whammy in the form of declining real estate values, higher fixed costs, and less assistance from the state.  That explains the headlines above.

• Finally, we propose that Pre-K be funded at the levels suggested by the Board of Education. While the Governor has not technically cut Pre-K spending, he has not followed the recommendations of his own Board of Education.  The result is that children that could utilize this critical resource will go unserved.  Business groups and studies from the Federal Reserve Bank document the effectiveness of good Pre-K programs, and we need to have the dollars available for those who need them.

I realize some people will ask – how will you pay for these?   These same people will suggest that all we want to do is raise taxes.  But we offer real solutions for how we can accomplish these goals without implementing any tax increases.

• First, we propose eliminating the Governor’s proposed transfer of money from the General Fund to transportation. This would free up $100 million over the biennium that could be used to fund these school initiatives.

• Second, we propose transferring the monies that the Governor has set aside for the Federal Action Contingency Fund back to the General Fund.  We’ve not heard a substantive rationale for why the Governor should have yet another discretionary fund, and it frees up another $50 million for education funding.

• Third, impose limited caps on some of the tax credits, and do not approve or extend any more tax credits until further study has been done to determine which ones work and which ones do not.  We have already been told that Virginia provides tax credits that involve millions of dollars per year.  It is time to impose more discipline on our budgetary process and fund programs that are proven to work for the Commonwealth.

• Fourth, let us take a close look at our funding of the Rainy Day Fund.  The Governor’s proposed transfer moves an additional $76 million above the statutory requirement of $223 million.  While this is only a one-time infusion, this money could help in the short-term.

These are several ideas that are not tax increases which would provide more funding for education.  The Governor has proposed his budget, which reflects his priorities.  Now, it is about our priorities.  We believe the budget has short-changed education and our children, and we would like to restore that priority.  A priority we believe will spur with job creation and economic opportunity.

The citizens of the Commonwealth want us to work together to produce a budget that works for Virginia.  We remain willing to do that, so long as we focus on the priorities that are important; and number one on this list is education.

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Our state budget reflects the priorities of the Commonwealth, and the Governor’s proposed budget raises several concerns.  The Governor’s budget proposes transferring a portion of the sales tax revenue that would otherwise go to fund schools and public education into the transportation budget.  Transportation is important but it should not be funded at the expense of schools.  Republicans in the House argue against new sources of revenue for transportation, stating we should not increase the costs to Virginia families during a time of economic challenge.  Democrats agree with this principle, however, because of our lack of transportation investment, Virginia families may actually pay more under the Governor’s plan.

First, the Governor continues to place more and more emphasis on tolls.  Tolls cost real money to Virginia families.  We are fortunate in our area that tolling is not being proposed, but in other areas of the Commonwealth – most notably in Hampton Roads and Northern Virginia – tolls are an increasing concern to residents.  In some cases, an individual’s toll bill over the course of a year could be in excess of $400.00.   Contrast that to cost that would be incurred if we were to impose a 5% wholesale gas tax, which is estimated to cost a family approximately $200.00 per year.

Second, since we are not properly maintaining our roads, the costs to families due to flat tires and realignments caused by hitting potholes will continue to mount.  These are real costs imposed on Virginians because of our failure to act.

As the Governor’s proposed budget receives more careful review, it discloses major cost shifting onto Virginia families.  The Governor proposes to defund community health centers and free clinics, such as the Charlottesville Free Clinic, and dramatically decrease reimbursements to teaching hospitals like UVA and MCV, which provide care to indigent citizens.  As we contemplate our budget and potential cuts, we should focus on preserving existing jobs whenever possible, retaining those programs that are most efficient, and protecting those most in need.  The Governor’s healthcare budget does not do that.  Many seniors who rely on certain programs likely will not qualify if the Governor’s proposals are enacted.  In addition, efficient programs such as free clinics and the community healthcare system often access other resources using state monies.  Without these monies, these organizations will have to seek new funding sources, which may result in fewer people receiving the care they need.

The Governor suggests that he is increasing funding for education.  If you look closer, however, the per pupil spending is actually declining.  And, if one considers that school divisions will have to send back a portion of their appropriations to fund required increases to VRS, some school divisions will actually see a net decrease in funding.  Albemarle schools project their additional costs for VRS will create a loss of approximately $1.36 million.  Charlottesville schools estimate they will have to transfer $1.4 million from their local funds for VRS – monies that would otherwise be used for classroom resources.  This will mean fewer teachers, fewer resources, and some places may actually need to consider closing some schools.  My number one priority is to restore these funds.

As the new Democratic Leader in the House of Delegates, my responsibilities have increased dramatically. When the session convened on January 11, 2012, I began to focus on a number of critical themes for the session. You can view the video of my opening day floor speech here.

First, in response to the advocacy of the House Democrats, changes were made in the House Rules that will improve the budget process. Legislators will now receive the budget conference report earlier, and will receive more information with that report. This includes a list of all non-state agencies included in the budget, as well as any language that represents legislation that was defeated by either chamber. This tracks many of the changes I requested in my 2010 bill, HB62, and were some of the measures the House Democrats proposed in our December 12 press release on Government Transparency.

Second, support continues to build for the creation of the Virginia Health Marketplace, a system that would allow consumers and small businesses to have access to better information about healthcare plans and their costs, thereby increasing competition and driving down costs.  Legislation authored by Delegate Jennifer McClellan (D-Richmond) and Delegate Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), and co-patroned by me, would accomplish this goal. It is important to do this now because federal monies are available to help Virginia, and if we do not establish such a marketplace, it is possible that the federal government would impose its own system on the Commonwealth. The House Democrats issued a press release on January 10, 2012, on establishing the Virginia Healthcare Marketplace.

Finally, I remain active in developing approaches to the Governor’s proposed budget. I am very concerned that the Governor’s proposal to take monies from the General Fund that would otherwise go for education, public safety, and health services, and use them for transportation. Transportation is important, but it should not be purchased at the expense of teacher salaries and resources in the classroom.

I am also concerned about the deep cuts in human services in the second year of the Governor’s proposed budget, particularly, the Governor’s proposal to reduce funding for free clinics around the Commonwealth.

Thank you for this opportunity to serve you in Richmond. Your input is important to me and I invite you to share your thoughts and concerns with me on all matters before the Commonwealth. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

David

“I rise today with a new role in this chamber, but not with a new perspective on politics. That perspective is grounded in 12 years of service in local government and 6 years in this chamber. It is a perspective that rests on the principle that I think all of us share — that we should represent our constituents to the best of our ability. But, it is also broader than that.

Often times, we can get too parochial in our positions down here. In my view, we should also try to represent our regions, and, perhaps even more importantly, our entire Commonwealth. We are called a Commonwealth for good reason. We are one of only four states with such a moniker and it is my hope that we will remember what the name actually means.

A Commonwealth, simply put, is a political community organized on the concept of promoting the common good. It is not organized based on ideology, narrow self-interest, or class warfare. It is organized to develop and promote – in a balanced way – the social, political, and economic ‘common’ wealth of our society. If we look at what is happening in Washington, Mr. Speaker, most of us would agree that we are at risk of losing our balance. We cannot let that happen in Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, I believe, and I hope many of us will agree, that to be a true Commonwealth, we should work to create jobs and promote economic opportunity for the broadest cross-section of the public as possible. That is what the Governor referred to in his inaugural speech, labeling Virginia as a ‘Commonwealth of Opportunity’.

Fortunately, our nation’s economy is finally showing signs of recovery. But that does not mean that our work is done. While we need to support, recognize and celebrate our many businesses which create jobs by investing, we must remember that what we do here is key to their continued success. We must remember that we help set the stage for economic activity. Our public sector builds and maintains the infrastructure – the roads, the rail, the schools, the public amenities – that businesses consider as they decide whether to expand or even come to Virginia. And our government creates jobs in the form of teachers, firefighters, and police to support that infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, we can have the lowest tax burden in the country, but businesses will not invest or expand unless they can get their goods to market. And we can have the fewest regulations in the country, but businesses will not invest OR expand unless they have a quality labor force and know that our educational system will continue to provide the workers of the 21st century. Make no mistake — with the decisions we make in this chamber, we all become ‘job creators’ in the truest sense of the word.

Mr. Speaker, to be a true Commonwealth, we will need to invest in educating our children and our citizens, whether it be through Pre-K, K-12, or higher education. It is very difficult to out-compete the Chinese in traditional manufacturing these days – their wages are simply too low. But we can out-compete them in terms of our mindpower, and America has shown its strength in doing that over the years. The key to maintaining our critical edge in that area is education, and we neglect it at our peril. It is for that reason that those of us on this side of the aisle will be fighting hard to expand funding for education at all levels, and we hope that our friends on the other side of the aisle will join us in that effort.

Mr. Speaker, we also cannot have a Commonwealth without being fiscally responsible, honoring our promises, and sharing our challenges.

That is why those of us on this side of the aisle are committed to restoring the VRS to full solvency and to maintaining a balanced approach in our budgeting process.

We hope our friends on the other side of the aisle will join us in these efforts.

Mr. Speaker, building a Commonwealth also requires focusing on the future – embracing the innovation and the science that will help us compete in the 21st century. That is why many of us on this side of the aisle will continue to support our scientific research and our institutions of higher learning. Historically, the United States has educated more students, educated them better, and utilized our research capabilities and technological innovation to drive economic growth. Supporting scientific inquiry and scientific results has never been uniquely democratic nor republican, and we hope to keep it that way.

And, finally, Mr. Speaker, building a Commonwealth means protecting those most in need. Whether they are citizens who seek nursing home care at reasonable costs, or workers who are thrown out of work through no fault of their own, we have an obligation to assist those in need. That does not mean that government must always provide the service, but it does mean that government needs to catalyze the effort.

During this session, our side of the aisle will serve the role of the ‘loyal opposition’, to tell, as Paul Harvey used to say, ‘the rest of the story’. We will probe, prod, engage, and embrace, as Jefferson said, ‘the noblest purposes of debate.’ We will do this not out of a desire to embarrass, humiliate, or surprise, but out of a search for the truth that leads to good public policy. So, let us debate, raise critical questions, find common ground where it is present, and advance the progress of our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, some people say that America’s best days are behind it. They decry a lack of civility and are pessimistic about our courage to change. And while we have had our moments of incivility in this chamber, I remain, as too should all members of this chamber, genuinely optimistic about our ability to work together and bring results – oriented change in a balanced fashion – so that we may build a genuine Commonwealth of Virginia.”