Importance of Manufacturing To Local Economy
Watching both party’s conventions on television this week as both a City Councilman and concerned Republican, I couldn’t help but reflect on just how lucky we are to live in such a great country. I’m so very proud to play a small role in our representative democracy as a member of the Manassas City Council. We have such a great city.
Potomac Local was copied in this email to Prince William County Coles District Supervisor Marty Nohe: Prince William County Supervisor Nohe: What do the President of the United States, the Honorable Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the Cities of Alexandria and Fairfax, the Town of Herndon, and the Counties of Arlington and […]
On January 13, 2016, I take my oath of office as your state senator. I am planning on introducing approximately 40 bills and about a dozen budget amendments in our 60-day session.
Predatory Lending
Predatory lending is a major problem in the U.S. 1 Corridor. Car title lenders have been abusing this loophole by charging rates over 200% by recharacterizing car title loans as separately regulated car title loans. To reign in car title lender bait and switch tactics, I am proposing to limit interest rates on consumer finance loans at 36%. I have also introduced legislation to prohibit car title lenders from using subsidiaries from using the open end credit loophole to also evade consumer protections.
The 2016, 60-day session of the Virginia General Assembly gavels in on January 13.
The legislature will craft a two-year budget, which will be Governor McAuliffe’s first chance to put his stamp on the state’s finances. While Virginia’s economy lags behind the national average, revenue is up more than average for the first time since I was elected in 2009 and there are many unmet needs worthy of funding.
Now that this years’ election has concluded and budget season is here, it is time for the Prince William Board of County Supervisors to make good on their campaign promises.
At the December 1 Board meeting, Chairman Stewart took the first steps to follow through on his promises to improve the County’s business climate and expand the commercial tax base by announcing the introduction of an aggressive economic development agenda in the coming weeks. What exactly can we hope to expect from the Chairman’s economic development plan?
To the Editor:
You recently published a letter to the editor from the chair of the Prince William Democratic Committee regarding Dominion’s request for a water permit modification for Possum Point Power Station that will enable the company to close its coal ash ponds at the facility.
Dominion Power has applied for a permit to discharge millions of gallons of toxic waste water into Quantico Creek, a tidal water way that flows in to the Potomac River and eventually in to the Chesapeake Bay.
The toxic waste that Dominion is proposing to discharge comes from unlined coal ash ponds at the Possum Point power plant that are leaking in to ground water and contains fatal to life heavy metals including arsenic, chromium, lead, mercury and numerous other toxic and life killing substances.
At the State Senate annual Finance Retreat two weeks ago, staff updated the State Senate on Virginia’s economy, projected revenues and significant budget issues expected during the 2016 session to begin on January 13. The news is a mixed bag.
First, Virginia’s economy is still struggling. Thanks to the “Sequester,” large, across-the-board, federal budget cuts, federal spending in Virginia is down by 33 percent over just last year. That’s $24 billion fewer dollars coming into the Virginia economy. Not surprisingly, economic growth has been flat statewide. Twelve percent of homes are still short sales due to stagnant home prices and our predicted economic growth for 2016 is about one-third less than the national rate.
Last week, I joined the Virginia Senate’s Finance Committee in Portsmouth for briefings on Virginia’s economy, revenue projections and other important issues facing the state legislature. More on that later. While in Portsmouth, I toured two significant and under-appreciated Virginia assets.
While neither the shipyard nor the Port is located in Northern Virginia, both have a significant impact on our quality of life and the entire state’s economy. A healthy Port of Virginia has beneficial ripple effects across the whole state.
November is National Adoption Month in America, a time when our nation celebrates and raises awareness about adoption. While all adoption stories are important, the particular focus of this month is the adoption of children currently in foster care.
There are millions of orphans all over the world who desperately need families. Here in America, there are also children who don’t have the love and security of a stable family.
