In The Mother County of Virginia’s Beautiful Northern Neck
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All rights reserved. Patrick J. O’Brien, Chairman
January 16, 2012
The Virginia General Assembly began its 2012 Session on Wednesday, January 11, 2012, with all 100 Delegates and 40 Senators taking their oaths of office marking the beginning of their terms.
As you have probably seen from the news coverage, media attention was focused squarely on the Senate, where the day’s business took considerably longer to complete. The election of 20 Republican and 20 Democratic Senators guaranteed that every aspect of opening day activities in the Senate would be closely monitored. The media was waiting for a pitched partisan battle, but what they got instead was a Senate with members disagreeing in a thoroughly professional, courteous “senatorial” way.
The most contentious debates in the Senate were marked by civility. Instead of over-
The core of the disagreement between the two parties is the role of Virginia’s Lieutenant
Governor, who presides over the Senate and is empowered by the Constitution of Virginia
to break tie votes in all but a few circumstances. The Lieutenant Governor’s responsibilities
in Virginia are similar to those of the Vice President of the United States, who
is the presiding officer of the United States Senate with the power to break ties
in that body. Because Lieutenant Governor Bolling is a Republican, the Senate’s partisan
“tie” effectively becomes a 21-
STATE OF THE COMMONWEALTH
The first day of every General Assembly session concludes with the Governor’s State of Commonwealth Address to a joint session of the House and Senate. This year, Governor McDonnell’s address marked the impressive progress Virginia has made over the last two years and detailed his legislative priorities. Virginia now has the distinction of having the lowest unemployment rate in our region, and the Governor is committed to continuing that progress. His agenda includes multiple measures to further strengthen Virginia’s business environment to create jobs.
Continuing his efforts to make state government more efficient and effective, Governor McDonnell also outlined his proposals to streamline state government by reducing and consolidating some state agencies, departments, boards and commissions. To keep government spending under control, the Governor announced a new effort to study and address unfunded federal mandates. And, to ensure that Virginia does not experience a pension crisis like the ones plaguing several states, he is proposing the greatest employer funding of the Virginia Retirement System in Virginia history.
Making improvements and instituting reforms to Virginia’s education system is a major
component of Governor McDonnell’s agenda. He is proposing that Virginia’s state-
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
Like most legislative bodies, the Senate uses a committee system to review legislation. After a bill is submitted, it is sent to one of eleven standing committees for review. Each of the committees considers specific areas of legislation. The members of the committees screen bills, sometimes suggesting amendments and determining whether or not they should be considered by the entire Senate.
This year I’ve been appointed by my colleagues to serve as Caucus Chairman of the Senate Republican Caucus and I look forward to this new leadership role. I’ve also been appointed to serve on five Senate Committees and am excited to have been appointed as the new Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee. The Rules Committee, which handles a myriad number of responsibilities relating to managing and operating the Senate of Virginia and the General Assembly, is comprised of members of the leadership of both parties and the body’s most senior members.
In addition to my appointment as Chairman of the Rules Committee, I’ve been named as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, which is responsible for all legislation relating to spending and taxation and is charged with crafting a budget for the Commonwealth. I will continue to serve as a member of the Senate Transportation, Courts of Justice, and Rehabilitation and Social Services Committees.
We are now set up in our offices in Richmond. My legislative assistant, Anne Creasy,
is staffing our office here, located in Room 314 of the General Assembly Building.
You can contact us by sending an e-
Look here next week for more news from Richmond.
Ryan T. McDougle
Paid for and authorized by McDougle for Virginia