標題: 000 constituents. There are 177 49 [打印本頁] 作者: ydadufuu 時間: 2016-4-1 13:45 標題: 000 constituents. There are 177 49
Tobacco Tax And Medical Marijuana To Highlight 2011 General Assembly Session AlexandriaNews
Last night, the Alexandria City Council met with the five members of the City State legislative delegation to discuss the 2011 Virginia General Assembly agenda.
Senate Majority Leader Dick Saslaw (D 35). (Photo: James Cullum)
After the General Assembly regular legislative session, there will be a special session for the decennial redistricting, and legislators are already beginning negotiations. "We have redistricting coming up next year, and we should have the numbers by the end of February no later than the 28th," said Sen. Dick Saslaw (D 35th). "There will be a special session in mid April. Assuming we can get the plan approved, there will probably be a late August/early September primary. The average House district will go to 80,000 constituents; it is now 72,000. The average Senate district will have between 187,000 and 200,000 constituents. There are 177,000 constituents now."
The City legislative package contains a proposal to Kamagra Oral Jelly 100mg increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes by $1. "The Public Health Advisory Commission and the Community Services Board have recommended that a portion of any new revenues be used for programs to prevent and curb the use of tobacco among all age groups," said Bernie Caton, Alexandria legislative director. "Those recommending this increased tax believe that it will discourage young people from starting to smoke, reduce tobacco product consumption over all and increase the likelihood that a person wanting to quit will be successful.
Delegate Adam Ebbin (D 49). (Photo: James Cullum)
In addition to the health benefits, the Commission and Board estimate that an additional $1 a pack will yield $317 million in new annual revenue for Virginia. The City tax on a pack of cigarettes is currently 80 cents," Caton said.
As to medical marijuana in Virginia: "I haven figured out whether I going to tackle medical marijuana or not. There are a few things I working on from last year, and I haven quite made up my mind yet," said Sen. Patsy Ticer (D 30).
Del. Adam Ebbin (D 49) wants to ban the sale of synthetic cannabis, an herbal and chemical product that has been banned in several states this year. It is sold in many convenience stores and gas stations in Alexandria under the commercial name Spice or K2.
"It basically legalized synthetic marijuana," Ebbin said.
Delegate David Englin (D 45). (Photo: James Cullum)
Del. David Englin (D 45) added: "Yeah, we only like natural marijuana."
The City and jurisdictions statewide continue to seek additional funding for transportation. "Revenues from all major transportation funding sources continue to deteriorate, yet needs continue to rise. Finally, any new transportation funding must not be taken from traditional core service funding programs, such as education and public safety.
"The City also supports the continuation and expansion of the Virginia Department of Transportation revenue sharing program. This program allows localities to match State funding with local funding to make crucial improvements to locality street and highway system," Caton said.
Although Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell did not call a special session of the General Assembly this fall to consider Discount Cialis 20mg privatizing the Alcohol Beverage Commission stores, he will introduce legislation to do so during the 2011 session. "Northern Virginia needs $25 billion in road improvements, and we haven done squat. Let say we get $500 million from the sale of the ABC stores, Northern Virginia would get a one time hit of $100 million," Saslaw said. "Bob [Gov. McDonnell] a decent guy, but he got a moral thing with Virginia being in the liquor business. I don and neither does the majority of the legislature. Now, I gotten, in 35 years, a bunch of complaints on VDOT, on the Department of Health and Human Services and many other issues, but I never gotten a complaint on ABC. I never had anyone say, we out of booze! Generic Cialis Tadalafil explained the City position on education funding. "The City opposes changes of methodology or the division of financial responsibility that results in a shift of funding responsibility from the State to localities, such as funding for state mandated benefits for school employees. The City opposes policies that lower State
Alexandria Legislative Director Bernie Caton. (Photo: James Cullum)
contributions to education under the Standards of Quality or other programs, including the Northern Virginia Cost of Competing. The State should not continue to maintain and increase educational requirements while at the same time decreasing state funding," he said.
Saslaw took the opportunity to express his concern that Alexandria public high school students are not permitted to attend Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, one of Virginia 18 Governor Schools. In 2008, the Alexandria School Board voted not to allow T. C. Williams High School students to attend TJ at the school system expense.
"Don you think you doing these kids a disservice by not including them in the Science and Math high school? When my daughter graduated graduated from there in 1994, of the 400 graduates, 67 went to Ivy League schools, and that doesn include kids that went to MIT, Stanford and Cal Tech," Saslaw said.
Vice Mayor Kerry Donley opinion differed from Saslaw "I don dispute that but they all cream of the crop kids, and Alexandria kids aren getting a disservice by going to T. C.," he said.
Mayor Bill Euille said that the TJ discussion is not a legislative issue. "We can make it Lovegra 100mg one," Saslaw said.
The entire delegation expects to see a number of immigration bills during the upcoming session. "There is a measure this year that would mimic what the state of Arizona has done, and we have asked Kamagra Jelly New Zealand the delegation to deny this legislation," Caton said.
Last year, Alexandria legislators worked hard Natural Viagra Brisbane to see that no anti immigrant legislation passed the General Assembly.
Donley has asked for legislation to preclude the State from using federal money Viagra Generic Online that is supposed to be spent on senior nutrition on other programs. "A state like West Virginia that has a lot less money than we do spends 100% of their federal senior nutrition funds on senior nutrition, and so should we," he said. "We need to use these funds to support programs like Meals On Lovegra Price Wheels and not use them for other programs that have nothing to do with senior nutrition," he said.
Delegate Charniele Herring (D 46). (Photo: James Cullum)
The City supports the automatic restoration of voting rights to ex felons, either by statute or Constitutional amendment. "If someone has done their time and paid their debt, they want to be integrated back into society," said Del. Charniele Herring (D 46) who will carry this bill for the City. "The ultimate goal is the return of their voting rights. In most states, you can come out of prison and vote."
In Virginia, Parking Enforcement Officers are not permitted to issue tickets to persons who use a handicapped parking placard illegally. "The law says that the placard is issued to an individual, and if that individual is not in the car where the placard is displayed, the person driving the car can park in a space that is reserved for those with a handicap," said Deputy Police Chief Blaine Corle. "Now, if we catch someone misusing that placard, the Parking Enforcement Officer can issue a ticket. A sworn police officer must do so. The bill we are asking the City to support would allow our Parking Enforcement Officers to issue tickets to those people as well as to people whose meters have expired or to people who are parked in a spot reserved for persons with disabilities."
Also, the legislation would increase the fine for violators. "We have an enormous amount of abuse of handicapped parking spaces in the City. Somewhere between 15% and 20% of parkers are not legitimate. The tickets cost $500, and it a very labor intensive act. The officer has to be there when the driver gets back to the car to get their license and give them a ticket," said Councilman Rob Krupicka.
