David Toscano

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David Toscano
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General Assembly 2018

Virginia General Assembly Democrats 2018 Session

Virginia’s Government Is Energized (and Open)

January 22, 2018 by David Toscano

We have completed the first full week of the General Assembly Session, and committees are now actively engaged in considering bills. To date, I have not had any bills considered before a full committee, though one bill (HB1346) has been sent from subcommittee to the full Courts of Justice committee, by unanimous vote.

Expanding Local Authority

My original bill to permit localities to regulate war memorials and monuments (HB1225) has been criticized by some for reasons that are unrelated to the specific language of my now-amended bill. Unlike other “statue” bills that have been introduced this year, one of which has already been killed in the Senate, my amended proposal is focused exclusively on Confederate monuments. Any criticism that my bill could be used to remove monuments honoring fallen veterans of the United States armed forces from recent wars or conflicts is totally misplaced. My bill also requires a public process to be followed before a locality can remove a monument. This would mean that a local Planning Commission would need to consider any change, and that there would need to be public hearings. Localities would also be permitted, but not required, to conduct a non-binding referendum prior to a vote to remove.

I have two other bills that will provide greater public safety authority to localities. The first is a bill (HB1019) requested by the Governor’s office that will allow localities which issue event permits for demonstrations and major public gatherings to prevent weapons and guns from being carried into such events. This bill has been assigned to the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee, which is not known to favor restrictions on gun possession. I also filed a bill that would add Charlottesville and Albemarle to a list of specific localities that can prohibit semi-automatic weapons in public places (HB1009). This bill has been also been referred to the Militia, Police, and Public Safety Committee, and could be heard early this week. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Assembly 2018 Tagged With: Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Environmental Protection, Gun Safety, Renewable Energy, war monuments and memorials

A New Dynamic in the Virginia House of Delegates

January 14, 2018 by David Toscano

Preceded by a flurry of negotiations on Rules and reorganization, the House of Delegates convened at noon on Wednesday, January 10, 2018. I was pleased to see a smooth opening to the session, which occurred largely because of advance negotiations and cooperative endeavors designed to reflect the new dynamic in the House. With 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats, cooperation will be more important than ever. Democrats were able to obtain the ability to have recorded votes in subcommittees; something we had pushed for years has become a reality. Beyond that, Democrats and Republicans now have membership on committees proportional to our numbers in the House, with the exception of the Rules Committee (on which I sit). Aside from that, each committee has 22 members; 12 will be Republicans and 10 will be Democrats. In addition, proportionality will now also apply to subcommittees, with the result that Democrats will have more influence on these important bodies than ever before.

State of the Commonwealth Address

Governor Terry McAuliffe's final State of the Commonwealth Address, Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Governor Terry McAuliffe’s final State of the Commonwealth Address, Wednesday, January 10, 2018

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Assembly 2018 Tagged With: Charlottesville and Albemarle County

2018 General Assembly Session Commences Wednesday

January 8, 2018 by David Toscano

The 2018 session of the Virginia General Assembly commences at noon on Wednesday, January 10, 2018. After the wave election last November, it appears that the partisan composition in the House will stand at 49 Democrats and 51 Republicans, numbers that many of us hoped for, but few would have predicted last summer. Picking up 15 new seats was an incredible and unprecedented feat, and its significance has not diminished even with the disappointments of the last few days. Not only are our very talented new Delegates entering the chamber this week, but dedicated candidates such as Josh Cole, Donte Tanner, and Shelly Simonds, who came so close and fought for every vote until the end, are to be commended. We expect these and others who ran strong campaigns to be back competing in the next election.

There has been much attention given to recounts and court cases, but on January 10 we put campaigns behind us and will reorganize and start working on the business of governance, the people’s business. There are many issues coming before us, not the least of which will be the two-year budget. In Virginia, the outgoing Governor proposes a budget at the end of his term, and Gov. McAuliffe has continued his focus on building a new Virginia economy and investing properly in education, health care, and job creation. His four-year record has been unparalleled: more than 207,000 jobs created, almost $20 billion in new capital investment, and an unemployment rate among the lowest in the nation. He was just chosen by Governing Magazine as the Best Governor in the nation. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Assembly 2018 Tagged With: Affordable Health Care, Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Education, Environmental Protection, Gun Safety, Job Creation, K-12 Education funding, Medicaid expansion, Renewable Energy, University of Virginia, Virginia Higher Education Funding

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211 E. High Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
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Fax: 434-220-1677
david@davidtoscano.com

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