David Toscano

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David Toscano
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Week One of the 400th Session Is Underway

January 14, 2019 by David Toscano

Four hundred years is a very long time. For that entire period, Virginia has been governed by a representative legislative body. From the Jamestown settlement in 1619 to Williamsburg to Richmond, the House of Delegates (formerly House of Burgesses) has met each year to pass laws – some good and some bad – reflecting the preferences of those who elected us to serve.

We convened on Wednesday, January 9, 2019, for this 400th anniversary session, and, as with all 399 sessions before, the issues we will discuss are important to the people of Virginia. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Assembly 2019 Tagged With: Affordable Health Care, Casinos, Climate Change, Environmental Protection, Equal Rights Amendment, Gun Safety, health care costs, Legislative Redistricting, limiting campaign contributions

Why I Serve In The General Assembly

January 7, 2019 by David Toscano

The 2019 Session Is Upon Us

Since my election to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2005, my goal has always been to serve this region with honesty and integrity while pushing the progressive measures which reflect this community’s values.  For all of this time, Democrats have been in the minority in the House, with the result that many of the initiatives our region supports have not yet been adopted. Nonetheless, we have achieved some major victories, not the least of which occurred in the last session when we were able, after 5 years of trying, to pass Medicaid expansion, and provide access to health insurance to over 300,000 Virginians.  It was the most consequential vote in decades.

Working with others in the General Assembly, we have been able to raise teacher salaries, make more investments in environmental protection and mental health, and provide monies for critical investments in transportation, including roads and mass transit.  We have worked to restore and increase funding for education that was cut during the Great Recession.  And we have fought efforts to restrict the reproductive rights of women and deny the rights of our LGBTQ and immigrant communities.  As Democratic Leader for the past seven years, I was proud to help lead these fights.  Under the McAuliffe Administration, Virginia’s economy expanded and many new jobs were created.  Under the Northam Administration, growth rates have increased and we have been able to better meet the needs of all citizens in the Commonwealth.  I remain committed to the following principles and will work to see policies embodied by them passed in upcoming sessions.

Good Jobs that Honor Work, Provide Opportunity, and Build Prosperity: Virginians Need a Raise

Hardworking Virginians should be able to earn a livable wage and have a decent standard of living, including the ability to access paid time for family leave, vacations, and sickness.  Opportunity and prosperity are ensured when employees are protected at work, and have access to health care and other benefits.  Virginia families want their children and grandchildren to succeed and not be forced to move from their communities to seek a better life. To that end, we should pass laws to ensure:

  1. A concrete plan to increase the minimum wage from $7.25 per hour, lowest in the nation, to $15 per hour.
  2. Strong paid family leave policies.
  3. Contracting procedures that reward companies which provide health care and benefits to their employees while ensuring workers’ rights to a safe and secure workplace.
  4. Equal pay for equal work.
  5. Nondiscrimination in hiring and employment.
  6. Incentives to ensure that all Virginians have access to affordable and quality health care.
  7. Prohibitions against wage theft in the workplace.
  8. Better workforce training linked to good jobs in the community.
  9. Greater investments in Virginia’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, directing these monies for local use (similar to the $1 million grant we obtained for Habitat’s Southwood initiative).

Access to Affordable and Quality Health Care

Virginians continue to experience problems with accessing health care at affordable rates.  Large numbers of Virginians remain uninsured, and in many parts of the Commonwealth insurance premiums take too large a percentage of a family’s income.  Medicaid expansion will permit a larger number of Virginians access to quality insurance, but there are other areas where reforms are necessary.  I support:

  1. Effective implementation of Medicaid expansion.
  2. Expanding health care insurance options to increase access and hold down costs.
  3. Transparency in providing information about the costs of services and prescriptions so that consumers can make educated choices.
  4. Investment in public health centers and free clinics to assist those who are unable to pay for medical procedures and prescriptions.
  5. Emphasis on preventive public health rather than expensive emergency medicine.
  6. Increasing investments to ensure that food insecurity is eliminated among Virginians.
  7. Protecting women’s reproductive rights.
  8. Lowering drug prices under Medicaid by leveraging the purchasing power of state agencies.
  9. Protecting consumers from surprise medical bills from out-of-network providers.
  10. Ensuring that persons with pre-existing conditions do not lose insurance.
  11. Enhancing the ability of our Bureau of Insurance (BOI) to rein in health insurance premium increases.

[Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Assembly 2019 Tagged With: Affordable Health Care, affordable housing, Anti-Discrimination, Education, Environmental Protection, Equal Rights Amendment, Gun Safety, Job Creation, K-12 Education funding, limiting campaign contributions, Medicaid expansion, Mental Health Policy, minimum wage, Pre-K Education Funding, Reproductive Choice, Standards of Learning, Virginia Higher Education Funding

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline–Living On Borrowed Time?

January 2, 2019 by David Toscano

Forgive the imagery (and the irony), but the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) is increasingly looking like an old automobile in need of a valve job – it is leaking serious oil, suffers by comparison to newer, more advanced models, and even if it can be made roadworthy, you and I will pay the bill for decades.

Several years ago, when this massive pipeline was proposed, I was skeptical but willing to listen. I recognized that our state legislature had no vote on the pipeline, but I nonetheless brought my serious concerns to the attention of Dominion, state agencies, and my constituents.  I worked with Nelson County homeowners in and around Wintergreen to ask Dominion to move the pipeline route, but we were rebuffed. We suggested many possible alternative routes, each of which would limit the environmental impact, but all of these were rejected. I formally asked that the state Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) adopt more stringent review of stream crossings, an approach that was only marginally accepted. I advanced a set of criteria that would allow the pipeline to gain my support, most of which have not been met. The proposed siting of the gas compression station at Union Hill is increasingly problematic. And my initial concern about the cost of the pipeline, much of which will be borne by the ratepayers, has only intensified.

THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW

In short, what I heard when this was first presented about future energy needs requiring the building of this massive new pipeline has been undercut by developments over and over again. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Assembly 2019 Tagged With: Environmental Protection, Renewable Energy

An Early Look at Budgetary Prospects for 2019

December 21, 2018 by David Toscano

Perhaps the most important action we take as legislators is to pass a biennial budget. This is done in the even-numbered years and it is then modified in the next year. 2019 will be the year of budget modification. Governor Northam recently presented his proposals for changes we can make in our two-year budget during our session beginning January 9, 2019. I was impressed by several developments:

1. The Virginia economy is booming. Unemployment now stands at 2.9% and our revenue forecast has improved dramatically. The state ended the fiscal year on June 20, 2018, with a surplus of approximately $550 million. Typically, surplus revenues are either saved for a future year or expended on one-time investments, such as buildings, roads, or other infrastructure. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: General Assembly 2019 Tagged With: Affordable Health Care, Education, Medicaid expansion, State Employee Compensation, Virginia budget, Virginia Higher Education Funding

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211 E. High Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: 434-220-1660
Fax: 434-220-1677
david@davidtoscano.com

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Help me bring more common sense to the General Assembly by helping elect candidates that share our views in other districts across the Commonwealth. Make a contribution to my leadership PAC, Virginia First, where funds go directly to support candidates across the state. - David

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