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David Toscano

Virginia House of Delegates 57th District

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Democrats Sustain the Governor’s Vetoes

April 22, 2016 David Toscano

General Assembly Retains Focus on Building New Virginia Economy

In Governor McAuliffe’s State of the Commonwealth address in January, 2016, he made clear his priorities for the upcoming General Assembly session. He argued that our focus should be on building a new Virginia economy that is diversified and robust, and investing in education at all levels to encourage creativity and innovation. He also stated that if Republicans in the House or Senate sent him legislation that was socially divisive or that threatened workers’ rights, women’s ability to control their reproductive health choices, discriminatory measures, or bills that transfer public investments from public schools to private entities, he would veto the bills.

The Governor kept his promises. He proposed a budget that included major new investments in ports, airports, and economic incentives. He proposed almost a billion dollars in additional funding for K-12 education, and substantial new investments in higher education. He supported the initiative of private business leaders called “Go Virginia.” During the General Assembly session, both the House and the Senate adopted most of the Governor’s proposals, and even increased funding for others. That was a wonderful example of finding common ground for the benefit of the Commonwealth.

Along the way, however, Republicans passed, as they have done in recent years, a series of measures that would undermine the rights of Virginia citizens. In response, Gov. McAuliffe vetoed 32 pieces of legislation coming out of this session.

During our Reconvene session of Wednesday, April 20, 2016, Democrats sustained every one of the Governor’s vetoes. Among the vetoes that were sustained (this means that the bills will not become law), are measures that would:

  • Defund Planned Parenthood.
  • Undermine efforts of the Commonwealth to produce a clean power plan.
  • Extend inefficient and costly tax credits to coal producers.
  • Deny localities the ability to contract with private companies to pay a living wage.
  • Allow discrimination under the guise of religious freedom.
  • Reverse the Governor’s executive orders to keep guns out of state administrative buildings.
  • Remove the discretion of sheriffs and local law enforcement in handling immigration detention requests from the federal government.
  • Place additional barriers on citizen’s ability to register and vote.
  • Limit the ability of localities to determine the status of monuments in their cities and counties.

In addition, we passed a number of the proposals made by the Governor to change legislation and include new items in the budget. These included new additional monies for bioscience support and initiatives in cybersecurity.

Our efforts to enact a Solar Tax Credit targeted to investment in Southwest Virginia failed in a party line vote, as did the proposal to build a smaller and less punitive juvenile detention center.

Finally, the Governor’s proposal to make it easier to get drugs for lethal injection was passed by the General Assembly. This proposal arose in response to a bill that would make the electric chair the default execution method in Virginia in the event that the lethal injection drugs were not available. The Governor’s proposal proved very controversial because it would keep secret the identities of companies manufacturing the lethal cocktail as well as the components of the mixture. Civil libertarians argued against the measure and this was one area where I departed from the Governor by voting against it. In my career, I have voted against any measure that would expand the death penalty or make it easier to administer. While lethal injection is perceived as less cruel than the electric chair, it is nonetheless replete with all kinds of problems, and there have been many botched attempts using these drugs for execution. Accepting the Governor’s recommendation means that the death penalty will continue to be carried out in Virginia.

Town Hall Meetings

In the next month, I will be convening several town hall meetings to discuss the General Assembly session. I am also available to speak to groups about what we did and did not do in the 2016 session. We will provide more information about times and locations.

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General Assembly 2016 Coal Tax Credits, Cybersecurity, Death Penalty, Gun Safety, Immigration, Job Creation, Renewable Energy, Reproductive Choice, Virginia Higher Education Funding

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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

Press Releases

Toscano Statement on House and Senate Republicans’ Votes to Adjourn the Special Session

July 9, 2019

Toscano Statement on House and Senate Republicans’ Votes to Adjourn the Special Session on Gun Violence Prevention until November 18

RICHMOND –Following this afternoon’s surprise party-line votes which adjourned the Virginia General Assembly’s special session until November 18, 2019, Delegate David J. Toscano (D-57th District) released the following statement:

“House and Senate Republicans today showed Virginia that the only vote they are willing to take regarding gun violence protection is a vote to delay, delay, delay. In the face of clear support for action now, captured by multiple polls and embodied by the energetic activists who rallied at the Capitol today, they abdicated their responsibility to serve their constituents and the Commonwealth of Virginia in an appallingly cynical political move to push any votes off until after the November general election.

“I am disappointed but not surprised. Time and time again, whether it is about passing universal background checks for all gun purchases, or enacting measures that would permit a judge, after a hearing, to remove a gun from a person in a mental health crisis to prevent injury to self or others, the Republican leadership continues to stonewall and not even debate, much less pass, reasonable measures designed to reduce gun violence in the Commonwealth.”

Delegate Toscano is available today to the media for further comment.

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Healthcare Insurance 2018

Contact Info for Sen. Warner, Sen. Kaine, Rep. Garrett, & Optima Health

December 7, 2017 By David Toscano

As you know, the only ACA-compliant health care insurance policies available in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area for 2018 are offered by Optima Health. Optima has personal plan advisors, who can be reached by calling 1-866-659-0892. Though Optima cannot guarantee a particular outcome, they will do all they can to assist constituents. According to Optima’s experience, roughly 70% of the people who use the ACA Marketplace are eligible for some form of subsidy, and the advisors can help callers check to be sure whether or not they qualify. [Read More…]

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General Assembly Updates 2011-18

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Topics

2016 presidential election 2017 Virginia election ABC law enforcement procedures Adoption Affordable Care Act - Virginia Anti-Discrimination Charlottesville and Albemarle County Charlottesville sidewalk funding program Climate Change Coal Tax Credits Death Penalty DNA Database Expansion Domestic Violence Educational reform Equal Rights Amendment Ethics reform Financial exploitation of elderly Foster Care Gun Safety Immigration Job Creation Judicial Appointments K-12 Education funding Legislative Redistricting Medicaid expansion Mental Health Policy Pre-K Education Funding Religious Freedom Renewable Energy Reproductive Choice Right to Work Same-Sex Marriage Senator Creigh Deeds Sexual Assault Policy Special Session Standards of Learning State Employee Compensation University of Virginia Virginia budget Virginia General Assembly Process Virginia Health Insurance Marketplace Virginia Higher Education Funding Virginia Retirement System funding Virginia transportation Voting Access

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Phone: 434-220-1660
Fax: 434-220-1677
david@davidtoscano.com

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