Newsletter

January 16, 2005

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the 2005 Session of the Virginia General Assembly!

As I've done in previous years, every week (roughly) through the end of the session on February 26 I'll send out an e-mail newsletter describing the goings-on in Richmond. I look forward to sharing some thoughts and information with you, and I hope to get feedback from you as well.

Weather Report:

The weather in Richmond was spring-like this past week. It gave us hope that the rancor and gridlock that characterized last year's marathon 115-day session were a thing of the past, and that this year, when the real spring arrives, we'll have completed our work in the allotted 46 days and gone home.

Not that we don't have a lot to do in those 46 days. In this “short session”, the main item of business is to make mid-course corrections to the biennial budget. While a reviving economy and the revenue restructuring we accomplished last year have put the Commonwealth on much firmer footing than in recent years, we do face major fiscal challenges – among them, funding for a growing school population and escalating costs of Medicaid, which provides health care for some of the neediest Virginians.

Opening Day:

Very little formal business is conducted on the first day of a Session. We enacted the rules that will govern us, welcomed new Delegate Paula Miller of Norfolk, wished good health to Delegate Marion Van Landingham who is monitoring the Session from her home in Alexandria, and informed the Governor's office that we were open for business.

That evening, a Joint Session of Delegates and Senators, along with invited guests including the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Governor's Cabinet, and other state officials, gathered in the House Chamber of the Capitol to receive the Governor's State of the Commonwealth address.

Governor Warner set a warm and conciliatory tone in addressing us. He praised the Assembly for the tough choices they had made to put Virginia financial house back in order by balancing the budget and achieving administrative reforms.

The Governor went on to enumerate the accomplishments brought about by last year's $1.4 billion tax package: stabilized funding for education, health care, and public safety; tax reforms; a series of low-cost initiatives that benefits education, health care, and economic development. He also announced that our state is outpacing the rest of the nation in creating new jobs, with many recent ones going to Southside and Southwest Virginia

I was pleased that he singled out a program I've worked on for years: Virginia's health insurance program for low- and moderate-income children (its acronym is FAMIS). In a series of steps over the years that cut red tape and encouraged outreach, Virginia went from an abysmal record to one of the best in the country in making sure that all of our kids get off to a healthy start.

Governor Warner then outlined his steps for ensuring the fiscal discipline necessary to avoid making the mistakes of the past. His plan is to invest the vast majority of revenues in three basic one-time purposes: cut the food tax two years early; make an additional $229 million contribution to the Rainy Day Fund; and invest $824 million in rail and public transportation and to jump-start road projects. He touched on other programs that I will mention in future newsletters.

For the record, the Governor was interrupted with applause 27 times, 9 with standing ovations. He and we obviously enjoyed his third State of the Commonwealth Address.

Capitol Renovation & Expansion:

Visitors to the Capitol during the General Assembly session this year may be shocked by what they see. Instead of Thomas Jefferson's “temple on the hill” --an imposing white federal style building facing a sweeping lawn and garden – the Capitol grounds look like a cross between a strip mine and a Christo art installation: a huge gaping, muddy hole and a substantial part of the building covered by scaffolding and layers of white tarpaulin. We are Under Construction.

The Capitol is now undergoing major restoration and renovation, a project that will take at least two more years. When the General Assembly convenes next year, we will have to meet in the old State Library building on Broad and 10th Streets (directly behind the recently restored Governor's Mansion), where we will remain until the work is finished.

The plan is to complete the restoration by 2007, in time for the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. Queen Elizabeth is expected to attend the celebration in Jamestown and, on the way, to visit Richmond and its newly renovated Capitol.

Two projects will change the facility, if not the face, of the Capitol: renovation and restoration of the main building and creation of a new visitors' center.

The last major renovation of the Capitol was 1904-06. That's when they added on the current House and Senate wings to Jefferson's original building.

Since then, moisture has caused major damage to the outside stucco, the underlying brick, and the foundation of the building, all of which will either have to be replaced or restored. In addition, replacement of mechanical, plumbing, HVAC and electrical systems, and abatement of hazardous materials are necessary. Then the interior will be refurbished, using archival materials, probes, core samples and other analysis to confirm finishes, match patterns and colors to be replicated throughout the building.

The 26,000 square foot underground visitor center will include an exhibition hall, a café, restrooms, and a gift shop, plus a new press room and reconfiguration of some of the lower level Capitol space. The main entrance will be on Bank Street, which lies at the bottom of the hill, with a columned entrance, echoing the Capitol, where visitors will walk through a tunnel leading into the welcome center and then take an elevator up to see Richmond's most visited attraction.

You can follow the progress of this historic project on www.virginiacapitol.gov

That's it for the opening days. As always, we hope you'll drop by our Richmond office in Room 712 of the General Assembly Building, if you're down our way.

Sincerely,

Bob Brink

Bob Brink

HOW TO REACH ME:
VOICE: 804-698-1048
FAX: 804-643-0976
E-mail: del_brink@house.state.va.us

A toll-free PUBLIC OPINION HOTLINE if you wish to send a message to any legislator or the governor: 1-800-889-0200

The Virginia Online Legislature (http//:legis.state.va.us) provides information on legislators.

The Legislative Information System (http//leg1.state.va.us) provides status information on bills and resolutions

TO WRITE A LETTER:

Delegate Bob Brink
House of Delegates, P.O. Box 406, Richmond, VA 23218

District Address:

P.O. Box 7668
Arlington VA 22207-0668