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Jeff Frederick’s Speech
By Greg L | 10 January 2007 | Virginia House | No Comments
Delegate Frederick must really be making quite an impression in Richmond, getting the opportunity to respond to Governor Kaine’s speech tonight. Based on what he said this evening, I can certainly see why they think this way.
TEXT OF DELEGATE JEFF FREDERICK’S SPEECH
In the 2007 Session, we will build upon a foundation of achievement.
Last year, the General Assembly passed important measures to improve quality of life, and livelihoods for all Virginians.
We approved the first-ever Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, reducing the tax burden on hardworking Virginia families.
We abolished Virginia’s Death Tax, ending an unfair policy that burdened small businesses and family farms.
And, we made the largest transportation investment in Virginia history, dedicating nearly $10 billion to improve our roads, rail and transit.
I represent Prince William County, one of the fastest growing localities in Virginia. The people I work for are on the front lines of our transportation challenges, as they experience the time-consuming effects of clogged and congested roadways. As a new father to a beautiful three-month-old, I would like to spend less time in traffic and more time with my wife and daughter. The people of my district experience similar frustrations every day.
For us, transportation is a quality of life issue.
Virginia’s current transportation system is based on a 1932, depression-era approach. House Republicans firmly believe that we must bring that system into the 21st Century. To produce real results for our citizens, we must adopt a comprehensive approach to meeting our transportation challenges. Simply making our current, failed system bigger will only result in a bigger problem.
We must confront a root cause of congestion – uncontrolled and unmanaged growth and development.
To combat sprawl, our transportation plan will give fast-growing communities greater authority to control residential development. We want to give local governments greater responsibility in determining how transportation dollars are spent, because VDOT in Richmond doesn’t always know best. By controlling overdevelopment and sprawl, we can ultimately shorten the amount of time Virginians have to spend behind the wheel, spending that time, instead, on more important things in our lives.
Another key component of our plan is securing the Transportation Trust Fund. In 2003 and 2005, Delegates overwhelmingly approved Republican legislation that would have locked-up our transportation dollars. At that time, others did not share our sense of urgency in reserving those revenues for transportation.
Now, it is essential that the General Assembly enact legislation to put the “trust” back in “trust-fund” to guarantee that the revenues collected for transportation go only to transportation.
This year, we have already pledged to dedicate at least 50 percent of the state’s $545 million surplus to transportation – a funding level far exceeding the 29 percent that the Governor has committed.
The targeted use of surplus funds, however, is just one piece of our comprehensive package.
We also are advocating the prudent use of Virginia’s Triple-A bond rating to jump-start long overdue projects to reduce congestion and improve public transportation. Road construction costs are increasing at about 12 to 15 percent per year, yet we can now finance projects at four percent – saving the taxpayers a fortune by using this innovative tool.
The Governor has declared his support for using our Triple-A bond rating to speed the clean-up of the Chesapeake Bay, to increase capacity in our prisons, and to expand our colleges and universities.
We agree that bonding is a fiscally responsible way to address long term infrastructure needs.
If bonding makes sense for these priorities, then Virginia’s overburdened roads and highways deserve the same consideration and action.
Our plan also includes ongoing dedicated revenues for transportation. We can designate existing revenue streams – many of them already transportation-related, but not currently used for that purpose – without harming education.
What our plan does not include are statewide tax increases. This year, for the third year in a row, Virginia’s budget will show a substantial surplus. When you consider that revenues and spending have increased by more than 40 percent in just four years, and that the largest tax increase in Virginia history was imposed just two years ago, we believe it would be wrong to ask you to pay even more. Because of this record revenue growth, we can fund the core service of transportation and still increase funding for education, health care, and public safety. There is no need to pit these core services against one another. Those who claim otherwise are placing partisan rhetoric ahead of real progress.
Transportation is not our only challenge.
Two years ago, the United States Supreme Court handed down a decision that expanded the power of government to seize your property through eminent domain. House Republicans believe that decision was wrong – even immoral – and will, once again, ensure the property rights of all Virginians are protected from the effects of this ruling.
Controlling sprawl, improving transportation, and protecting property rights are just some of our priorities for the 2007 General Assembly that started today.
We also will be supporting and passing legislation to build upon and expand our successes in providing quality education in our public schools, colleges and universities.
We will be working to increase access to affordable health care.
We will continue pushing for legislation to protect our kids from sexual predators, and all of us from violent criminals.
We will be approving common-sense approaches to address the problem of illegal immigration.
And, House Republicans remain committed to keeping the promises already made to Virginians, by finally completing the phase-out of the car tax.
As we begin Virginia’s fifth century by commemorating the landing at Jamestown, let us recommit ourselves to the promise of our Commonwealth.
By ensuring a government that protects our liberty and freedom, and encourages opportunity for all, Republicans are dedicated to making Virginia’s future even more prosperous and promising than the milestone we celebrate tonight.
`Thank you, and may God bless your family, our Commonwealth, and our Nation.
Goodnight.
H/T: Riley
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
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