Here's the link.  Very good news.

We'll have plenty of time to battle the Governor on other issues -- but he gets full credit here for taking a firm position on this issue which was critical to the taxpayers and kids of Fairfax County.

Now we still have to resolve the rest of the state budget.







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Today my Richmond office has been consumed with calls from constituents trying to dig out from the storm. There is no doubt that central Fairfax -- which is mostly single-family residential homes inside suburban subdivisions  -- has been absolutely battered by the snow storm. And the key roads are almost all state-owned.

Without VDOT plows, about 90% of my constituents cannot go to work, to the doctor or to the grocery store. Even those citizens in Fairfax City and Town of Vienna, which have locally-owned streets, must rely on state highways. 

The 30+ inches ...

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I've got the following from VDOT which I'm putting up:

The main, more heavily traveled roads in a subdivision will be plowed first, to be followed by low- volume roads and cul-de-sacs.
Plows will make one or two trips to provide a path through neighborhood streets, but they will not clear to bare pavement or from curb to curb. Because chemicals are not used in subdivisions, roads will remain snow packed and rutted after the plow has passed. Crews will put sand on hills, curves, and intersections as needed to provide traction. ... << MORE >>

I'ts been snowing for about 30 hours straight here in Fairfax. You can't even see more than fifty yards or so. I"m estimating two feet at least for now, and heading higher by tonight.

About 2 hours ago, I went outside. I was wearing duck hunting gear with gaiters that pulled up to my chest. I needed every inch of it. Our residential streets are completely unplowed. On Main Street, there were some four wheel drive vehicles with major clearance. That's it. All stores seemed to be closed, although I may ... << MORE >>

I'm in the General Assembly building right now (7:20 a.m.)  The floors are completely deserted. No staff, no visitors, no lawmakers.

The House of Delegates decided yesterday to have no session today. The Senate has a pro forma session at 9 a.m., which merely conforms to our rules in-session. All other committees are canceled.

Speaking of canceled, there will be no town hall in Fairfax City tomorrow. Everyone stay safe. We'll see you on Monday.

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I had mixed success this morning on couple different bills which touch on different aspects of our local economy.

The Senate Education Commitee passed SB 712 unanimously. This bill will allow George Mason University to partner with a sister university in South Korea to establish an overseas campus. The funds for this measure would not come from the state budget, but would be raised via a public-private partnership. There are a number of Korean institutions that are seeking this type of link with American universities. Because of our strong Korean-American community in Fairfax County, ... << MORE >>

One of the staples of Virginia public education is the "Labor Day" laws which prohibit a jurisdiction from starting school before Labor Day weekend.

And one of the staples of the General Assembly are bills to repeal that law.

And one of the staples of the State Senate is the defeat of such legislation.

The train has run inexorably down the tracks this year. Multiple bills have been proposed by Repub and Democratic senators to repeal the Labor Day law. So far they have reported ... << MORE >>

There's a great country song by Travis Tritt. (no, that's not an oxymoron)

The title is "Here's a quarter. Call someone who cares."

The Senate of Virginia had its own Travis Tritt moment yesterday.  In the heat of the national debate over health care, the Senate passed SB 283 on a vote of 23-17.

That bill states plainly that "No Virginian shall be required to purchase or maintain an individual policy for health insurance."

The proponents ... << MORE >>

Snow has been falling all day in Fairfax City. Looks like about 6 inches or so.

This afternoon I took my daughters to the local Public Library which was closed (!) due to weather, not budget cuts. So we went to Border's on Main Street. I purchased "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire."  Will make a fire tonight and see if I can read the first 100 pages or so.

I'm a sucker for great works of literature -- fictional or not -- written in the ... << MORE >>

OK, I'll admit it. I couldn't stay awake for the State of the Union last night and Governor McDonnell's response, even from our own House of Delegates chamber.

(ed. note -- I've never met a President in my life and yet I am friends with three people who have given SOTU responses on national television)

I did peruse Governor McDonnell's remarks in today's RTD. Sounded like standard stuff -- get government off people's backs, reduce taxes, off-shore drilling, charter schools, etc., etc. Nothing terribly controversial or very new.
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