From the Legislator’s Website
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December 2, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of December 2, 2019.
Getting Bills Ready for the 2020 State LegislatureThe 2020 Virginia General Assembly will convene in about a month and legislators are now preparing bills to propose. Many constituents and advocacy groups are proposing legislation.
Two weeks ago, I reported on some of the bigger issues we are likely to tackle. In this column, I am covering a few of the bills that I will introduce. I will discuss more in future columns.
In the 2018 and 2019 sessions, we came very close to passing legislation prohibiting drivers from having a phone in their hand in a moving vehicle. In the last session, we approved legislation to prohibit this in construction zones, but the Speaker killed it by ruling Governor Ralph Northam’s attempt to widen it to all highways not germane. It will pass this session.
I will propose several predatory lending reforms. Using Native American tribes as fronts, online lenders continue to make loans over the internet in Virginia at over 400 percent interest rates and requiring far off tribal arbitration for disputes. Other states have enacted consumer protections, including steps to rein in interest rates, fees, collection practices and repeat loans.
I will introduce bills to curb firearm violence. The Unite the Right March in Charlottesville coupled with the four-armed men who appeared at the Alexandria Farmer’s Market in September underscore the need for local governments to have the ability to prohibit firearms at permitted public events. Second, suicide is the leading cause of firearm death in Virginia. One of my bills will allow people to place themselves on a “do-not-sell” list for firearms so they cannot be sold a gun if they have a moment of weakness. Third, Virginia’s Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is still allowing permittees to license duck blinds in counties and areas where duck hunting is illegal under local ordinances. I will introduce legislation to fix this along with Delegate Paul Krizek.
I will introduce a bill to create a new Public Defender’s Office for Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park. Virginia currently has 25 public defender offices, but Virginia’s second-largest jurisdiction does not. A public defender’s office will professionalize defense representation, improve justice outcomes and cost taxpayers little more than funding private court-appointed counsel.
In the late 1990s, Virginia required the use of alternative sentencing analyses to inform judges when convicted defendants should be considered for non-prison sentences. Over time, judges have ignored these recommendations more than followed them. I will carry legislation requiring the state to assemble data on judicial use of this data and require probation officers to provide findings about the costs of various sentencing alternatives to the courts before a judge renders a final sentence in a case. This would hopefully encourage more informed decision-making and better outcomes.
Virginia’s civil justice system should also be modernized. Virginia and Mississippi are the only states in America that do not allow class action lawsuits. Virginia also still adheres to ancient doctrines that punish largely innocent collision victims, and we have not adjusted Virginia’s auto insurance minimum policy limits since the 1970s when medical care cost a fraction of today’s cost and the average car cost 25 percent of today’s vehicles. This allows wrongdoers to escape responsibility and leaves innocent collision victims holding the bag for their own injuries.
Virginia’s three boards governing mental health professionals issued regulations prohibiting therapies that attempt to change one’s sexual orientation, known as “conversion therapy.” We need to put that prohibition into law to ensure that it will not be reversed. I will introduce that bill.
For the last four sessions, I have introduced legislation to address the lack of available driving permits for many of my immigrant constituents. Since 2014, Maryland and the District of Columbia have allowed driving permits to anyone who can show that they pay taxes, pass a driving test and pay fees. My bill has died in committee by one vote each year. I am hopeful the new majority will mean a better outcome.
It is an honor to serve as your state senator. Please email me at scott@scottsurovell.orgif you have any questions or feedback.
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November 17, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of November 17, 2019.
2020 Virginia Legislature to Consider Many Reforms Election Day, November 5, 2019, brought a political earthquake to Virginia. The Governor’s office, House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia will be controlled by Democrats for the first time since 1991. Virginians voted for change and we are likely to see significant changes in Virginia policy after nearly 30 years of delayed and avoided actions. The 2020 Session is a welcomed opportunity to bring Virginia up to speed with the rest of the country. Your state legislators are now preparing for the 2020 General Assembly session which will begin on January 8 and end in March. People should expect to see funding for education at all levels prioritized. Virginia’s teacher salaries have dropped from the top third in the country to the bottom third over the last three decades. This hurts teacher recruitment and retention and ultimately the quality of education. We will work for progress toward universal preschool. Virginia’s state-supported colleges now have some of the highest tuition rates in the United States. I expect the legislature to work toward lowering tuition. Voting reforms will be high on the agenda, including expanding early voting. I will work to move state and local elections to even years, but that may take time and requires a state constitutional change. Virginia’s criminal justice system is unnecessarily punitive, has significant racial disparities and falls short on rehabilitation. We will likely revisit Virginia’s still low misdemeanor-felony threshold of $500, along with measures to increase diversion, promote expungement and second chances and reconsider mandatory minimum sentences. We will move the long-overdue Equal Rights Act ratification early in the session. The legislature will also put Roe v. Wade into law to protect against the U.S. Supreme Court going backwards. We are also likely to revisit Virginia’s mandatory ultrasound requirement for women exercising their constitutional reproductive rights. Several groups have ranked Virginia as the worst state in which to be an employee. The General Assembly will consider raising the $15 minimum wage phased in over time. We will also address measures to strengthen workers’ rights, including eliminating the ban on project labor agreements in public contracts, requiring a prevailing wage in public contracts and measures to provide real remedies to employees who experience wage theft. Virginia has a recent history of hostility to people in our lesbian-gay-bisexual-Transgendered (LGBT community). We will be considering measures to prohibit discrimination in housing and employment against LGBT Virginians and prohibiting the misguided practice of conversion therapy. Virginia’s newest residents have also been unfairly demonized over the last two decades. My legislation to provide one-year driver’s privilege cards to certain undocumented immigrants will finally receive serious consideration along with in-state tuition privileges for Virginia children brought to the United States as minors. The legislature will give serious attention to investments in wind and solar energy, including incentives to make it easier and more affordable for Virginians to install solar panels on their own homes. We will also likely consider mandating renewable energy targets for the entire state. These measures will help reduce polluting, carbon-based, greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet at unsustainable rates. The General Assembly will finally truly take on predatory lending. Online lenders who charge 400% interest rates and hide behind out-of-state Native American tribes will face regulation. Car title lenders who currently charge 267% interest rates authorized by Virginia law will likely face lower rates. Many of these changes will require additional resources. Virginia should not have repealed its estate tax in 2008. The repeal only affected about 50-100 families per year and has cost taxpayers nearly $2 billion since it was done. Virginia’s income tax is effectively a flat tax given that our top bracket is a $17,500. Considering all of these changes will not be easy and will require significant time, focus and consideration. Public support is critical and feedback from constituents is important to make sure the General Assembly gets these proposals right. As we work toward fulfilling our commitments to voters and prioritizing policies, I look forward to your comments and encourage you to reach out to me at scott@scottsurovell.org. It is an honor to serve as your state senator.
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November 13, 2019
On November 17th, 2019, the I-395 Express Lanes will open to E-ZPass® or E-ZPass® Flex holders. This will allow single-occupancy vehicles to use the high-occupancy vehicles lane at all hours. The 395 Express Lanes project has been underway since August 2017, and with its completion, Northern Virginia commuters will notice the improvement of traffic flow and safety on our interstate.
The route will continuously run for 8 miles from Aquia Harbor in Stafford County to the 14th Street Bridge. The new Express Lanes will provide 3 free-flowing, reversible Lanes 24/7 with quicker access to the Pentagon and Pentagon City. Transurban, the operator of the 395 Express Lanes, will transfer Virginia with $15 million per year to improve transit service in the corridor. Toll prices will be based on a real-time dynamic pricing system similar to what presently exists on I-495, I-95, and I-66.
Here's how you can travel the lanes for free:
Carpools with 3 people or more and an E-ZPass® Flex can ride for free.
Buses travel on the 395 Express Lanes for free, providing a faster, more reliable way to commute.
There is no toll for customers on a motorcycle and you don’t need an E-ZPass® to take a trip on the 395 Express Lanes.
Hybrid vehicles are no longer allowed to ride on the lanes for free unless they meet one of the above exceptions.
Even if drivers don’t choose to use the Express Lanes, overall traffic flow will improve. Northern Virginia has seen a 20% reduction in congestion on the regular lanes on I-95 and I-495 since the Express Lanes opened and Transurban anticipates that the 395 Express Lanes will further reduce congestion in the region.
As part of the project agreement, Transurban will provide the Commonwealth with $15 million per year to invest in transit projects in the 95 and 395 corridors. The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission and the Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission will administer the program and choose projects that benefit toll-paying customers and travelers in the corridor.
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October 11, 2019
Montclair Community in Dumfries, VA
Earlier this week, Prince William County Department of Transportation proposed three alternatives for changes to the Waterway-Silvan Glen intersection in Montclair. Delegate Elizabeth Guzman and I are bringing these options to the community to invite your feedback. Please review the information from PWCDOT below and complete the form HERE or at the bottom of this blog post so you can make your voice heard!Waterway suffers from increased traffic volumes and speeding due to electronic way-finding services such as Google Maps and Waze. When traffic backs up on Minnieville and Dumfries Road, it spills into neighborhood streets like Cardinal Drive and Waterway. While I have introduced legislation to allow localities to designate certain streets to be excluded from electronic routing registries, they have not passed committee. The map below shows data gathered by VDOT regarding average traffic volumes and speeds.
Increased speed and volume have become a major concern at Waterway and Silvan Glen because of children entering and leaving Henderson Elementary School. Many parents whose children live close enough to walk are concerned for their children's safety when crossing Waterway to get to school.PWCDOT has proposed the proposals on the left. County staff are now reviewing these proposals with school and police staff, finalizing the analysis, and will make a recommendation to VDOT after everything is completed. The proposal will also be presented to the Montclair Homeowners Association for feedback and endorsement. The first proposal does away with the southern cross walk and creates an area for respite on the median in the middle of Waterway. It would also add a streetlight on the northeast corner.The second proposal would retain the southern crosswalk but also move the northern crosswalk up on to the median and add a streetlight to improve visibility.We need feedback from Montclair residents to forward to VDOT regarding the proposal. Every comment completed on the form below will be forwarded to VDOT.Ultimately, speeding poses the greatest risk to safety. Pole mounted speed indicators have proven effective at lowering speeds on neighborhood roads. As shown on the right, Prince William County is also proposing to add one to the north of this intersection.Please provide your feedback below.Loading…
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September 11, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of September 8, 2019.
Every Saturday morning, my father and 12 year-old son go to the Alexandria Farmer’s Market. My son gets cookies. My dad gets ham biscuits. Two weeks ago, they brought me some homemade salsa. This weekend, they got something else.
Four men in a group called “The Right to Bear Arms” showed up at the Alexandria City Farmer’s Market carrying AR-15 assault rifles outfitted with scopes and bipods for sniping. According to a video one of the group members, they staged this action to “educate people” about gun rights and “exercising our constitutional rights without fear to do so.” The video is also filled with the usual references to freedom and the government taking away rights if you do not use them. He also indicated they intended to do these kind of “monthly walks.”
While the current President has lowered the bar for socially acceptable political conduct and while this was technically legal, this was outrageous.
It never escapes me that Malvo and Muhammad terrorized Northern Virginia for two weeks using an AR-15. Every time I hear that word, it triggers memories for me of the ten people who were murdered and three others, including a 13 year-old child, who were shot in 2002.
Those memories have only been reinforced with by the recent carnage inflicted by the AR-15 including Poway, Aurora, Orlando, Parkland, Las Vegas, Sandy Hook, Waffle House, San Bernandino, Sutherland Springs, El Paso, Tree of Life and Midland/Odesa two weeks ago. The sight of an AR-15 in public is anything but reassuring.
These “education lessons” are extremely dangerous. Perusing a farmer’s market with an assault rifle in a country that sees an assault rifle related mass shooting about six times per year is more likely to promote shock, fear, and terror than it is likely to “educate” anyone. If anything, the presence of an AR-15 is more likely to incite violence than to deter it.
The United States and Virginia are currently being strangled by a small minority who wield political power orders of magnitude larger than their numbers. Background checks are supported by over 90% of the public. “Red Flag Laws” that would allow judges to take guns away from dangerous persons are supported by over 80%. Law limiting ammunition clips are supported by over 60% of voters. Assault weapon bans have majority support. None of these bills are capable of passing Republican-controlled General Assembly or the U.S. Senate because of internal Republican Party politics.
There is no question in my mind that this past weekend’s actions were not done to “educate” anyone – they were done to threaten, intimidate and terrorize a community that believes firearms should be more tightly regulated. The First Amendment protects speech, but it does not protect physical threats.
While the vast majority of gun owners are law abiding citizens and would never dream of parading their weapons in public spaces, this incident demonstrates there is a minority who are irresponsible. Similarly, while most people drive safely, there are others who would be happy to drive 100 MPH on the Beltway. We have rules to keep our communities safe and control small groups of people who are incapable of being either responsible or exercising self-control.
Fairfax County, Arlington County and the City of Alexandria (but not Prince William County) already wisely prohibit the carriage of loaded rifles in automobiles, but this incident only underscores the need for the Commonwealth to prohibit the open carry of assault weapons at a minimum at permitted events or at public assemblages. Alternatively, the Commonwealth should consider allowing localities to regulate the public carriage of assault rifles to consistent with the expectations of each local community. I am sure we will be taking this up next session in Richmond.
In the meantime, my advice for this group called “The Right to Bear Arms” is simple: Go home and stay away. You are doing anything to help your cause. People go to Farmer’s Markets to buy local food. They don’t go there for lessons in firearm rights, terrorism, bullying, intimidation or demonstrations of male insecurity.
Feel free to send me any feedback at scott@scottsurovell.org.
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September 3, 2019
Hurricane Dorian is currently battering the Bahamas and is expected to turn north along the Atlantic Coast. The Governor declared a state of emergency for the entire Commonwealth of Virginia. Now is the time to prepare for this storm. Our region could experience high winds and heavy rain which may cause flooding and power outages. I have outlined a few resources below. You may call my office throughout the storm for assistance at 571-249-4484.From Dominion's Hurricane Preparedness Guide
Update the phone number on your Dominion Energy account. Login into Manage Account or call 866-366-4357 to change your phone number. In the event of an outage, this will help you report your outage.
Review evacuation zones. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management has an evacuation zone look up tool to assist you in preparing for hurricanes.
If a family member uses medical equipment, review emergency plans to relocate if necessary.
If you own a generator, familiarize yourself with connecting and operating it before a storm arrives.
Make sure your cars have a full tank of gas and remember to fill extra gas cans for generators.
Tie down loose items outside or properly store them to prevent extra damage.
Disaster kit items
The National Weather Service recommends creating a basic disaster kit. Store the items in airtight plastic bags and put the entire kit in easy-to-carry containers (plastic bins, duffel bag). A basic kit could include the following items:
Water: one gallon per person per day (at least a 3 day supply)
Non-perishable food: canned meats and vegetables, protein or fruit bars, dry cereal, food for infants.
Battery-powered radio
Flash light
First Aid kit
Extra batteries
Manual can opener
Local maps
Cell phone chargers and extra battery packs
Personal emergency items
Along with the essential items, remember to pack your disaster kit for your individual needs.
Prescription and non-prescription medications.
Infant food, bottles, wipes, diapers, etc.
Food and water for your pet
Cash
Important family documents (insurance policies, IDs, bank records)
Blankets for each person
Change of clothes
Matches in water-proof container
Down time activities (books, games, puzzles).
If you have lost power
During a storm, if you have lost power, always report your outage. Along with reporting your outage:
Turn off major appliances such as air conditioners, water heaters and stoves.
Unplug TVs, stereos, microwaves and computers to prevent damage during possible overloads.
Leave a lamp or light on so you’ll know when power is restored.
Stay away from any downed lines. Always assume the lines are energized and make sure to report them by calling 866-366-4357. Refer to our Outage FAQs for answers to other common questions.
Additionally, please use the link and the numbers provided below to stay up-to-date on current conditions or to report any power outages:
Dominion Resources Power Outage Line
1-866-366-4357
Dominion Resources Storm Center Outage andRestoration Updates
NorthernVirginia Outages Map
Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative 1-888-335-0500Washington Gas1-800-752-7520Columbia Gas1-800-544-5606
Verizon Wireless1-800-837-4966
Cox Communications
1-800-961-0027
Also, if you have any problems, you can always contact my office at 571.249.4484. Stay safe!More information from DominionThe months of August through October are traditionally the most active tropical weather months for Dominion Energy’s service territories, and this year is no exception. Hurricane Dorian is currently located about 90 miles off the coast of Florida, slowly moving north, and we continue to carefully track the storm.
Current guidance suggests impacts to the communities we serve in Virginia and North Carolina throughout the day on Friday, so I urge you and your constituents to take the time now to review personal hurricane preparation plans and restock necessary supplies. We expect significant damage in Eastern Virginia and North Carolina; forecasts increasingly suggest impacts in the Richmond area as well. Given the anticipated storm damage, customers should plan for a multi-day outage event.
The attached graphic lists items recommended for inclusion in your emergency preparation kits. Please also bear in mind important safety measures:
Assume downed wires are energized and stay at least 30 feet away. Call Dominion Energy immediately at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357) to report any downed wires.
If using a portable generator, ensure it is fueled and tested, and carefully review its operating instructions. Note that generators should only be operated outdoors with good ventilation.
As in any outage situation, it is imperative for customers to notify Dominion Energy if they lose power. They can do so either online or by phone at 1-866-DOM-HELP (1-866-366-4357). The more information we have about outages, the faster we can diagnose the problem and make needed repairs.
More useful information on steps customers can take to prepare for the storm can be found on our website. Rest assured that Dominion Energy is remaining vigilant and will be prepared to safely and quickly respond for our customers when the need arises.
***ADDITIONAL UPDATES WILL BE POSTED***
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August 14, 2019
Legislation I supported and secured amendments to during the 2019 General Assembly directed CTB to initiate a data-driven study to develop the I-95 Corridor Plan to identify key problem areas, identify potential solutions and areas for additional review and study including investments in transit. Here is the bill:SJR 276 - Interstate 95 Corridor Improvement Plan Study
In just the last four years, we have:
Invested $80 million in Virginia Railway Express
Enacted a floor on the local gas tax that provides ongoing funding to Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford transit
Funded the widening of the I-95 southbound Occoquan bottleneck
Enacted $39.2 million dedicated to I-95 improvements
Negotiated the extension of the HOT lanes to Fredericksburg and secured $277 million of funding for additional projects in the I-95 Corridor.
Also, due to the taxes enacted pursuant to the 2013 transportation funding bill, we implemented a regional tax to fund the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA). In their FY 2018-2023 budget, NVTA and Commonwealth Transportation Board has funded a several large investments for our community including:
$127 million to widen U.S. 1
$250 million and build Bus Rapid Transit from Huntington Metro to Fort Belvoir
$45 million to widen and realign U.S. 1 in Dumfries
$12 million of a $65 million CSX Bridge reconstruction and widening at U.S. 1 and I-95
$11 million to reconstruct the intersection of Old Bridge Road and Occoquan
You can read more about these investments here: https://thenovaauthority.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/SYP-recommendations-FY2020.pdfI fought for these investments and more. You can see my speech and read about my efforts here:
The Dixie Pig: Demanding Investments from NVTA for our community (May 14, 2018)
Provide Comments to VDOT Below!
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August 13, 2019
Picture of River Towers After Collapse
The well-publicized partial collapse of River Towers Condominium in Belleview brought to my attention the lack of attention to property maintenance and inadequate capital reserve funds in homeowners associations. Last year, the General Assembly passed one bill requiring homeowners associations and condo associations to publish their budgets to their members and provide more transparency about the status of reserve funds.Here are the bill we passed:SB1538 - Annual HOA Budget and Capital Component Reserves
The Virginia Common Interest Community Board is currently collecting comments to create guidance to all associations in Virginia pursuant to legislation. I have created an online survey that you can use to provide comments that I will then transmit to the Board so they can be considered before they finalize their guidance. You can also provide me with general feedback about whether any other reforms are needed for homeowner and condo associations in Virginia.
Here is the survey:
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July 29, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of July 20, 2019.
400 Years of Democracy and Its ScarsOn July 30, 1619, 22 men met in Jamestown for what eventually would become the longest, continuing, democratically-elected legislative body in the western hemisphere. They were originally called burgesses and their meeting was an experiment in representative democracy that changed the world. This week, the nation importantly celebrates the 400th anniversary of that historic gathering.
First House of Burgesses' Meeting - July 30, 1619 by Sidney King
While the experiment of democracy in the New World ultimately led to some incredible results, Virginia’s democracy was far from perfect. Some of the most egregious scars were Virginia’s laws that codified, encouraged, tolerated and forced enslavement on African people, forcibly first brought to Point Comfort in today’s Hampton a few weeks after the House of Burgesses’ first meeting.
When Reconstruction Era constitutional reforms pushed voter participation to new levels, white backlash brought state-sanctioned discrimination openly directed at African and Native Americans resulting in voting policies designed to reduce turnout to only the “right” voters -- wealthy white people. Voter turnout dropped from 264,000 voters in the 1900 presidential election to 130,000 four years later thanks to the poll tax, literacy test and felon voter disenfranchisement.
Like many other states, Virginia’s laws also barred women from voting until the 19th Amendment became law on August 18, 1920, 301 years after the founding of democracy in the western hemisphere that we celebrate. Virginia refused to even ratify the 19th Amendment until 1952. With women voting, Virginia voter turnout jumped from 232,000 in 1920 to 305,000 by 1928.
Virginia also has a long history of abusive gerrymandering. In the first 300 years, the legislature periodically refused to redraw legislative districts to perpetuate the power of wealthy landowners in the Tidewater. By 1960, fear of minority, lower-income whites and ultimately progressive Democrats meant districts had little relation to population and some congressional districts had 50 percent more residents than others. In 1962, Fairfax County was given one state senator after seeing 179% population growth between 1950-60. The U.S. Supreme Court ended this with “one man, one vote” in Baker v. Carr in 1962.
Entrenched power worked to keep minority influence down in other ways. For example, Virginia cities often annexed neighboring county land as “white flight” gave rise to more minority voting in cities, particularly in Richmond. After many counties converted into cities (cities could not annex land from other cities), the General Assembly enacted an annexation moratorium in 1987.
Virginia’s blemished history is one reason many Virginians object to efforts to restrictive measures like voter identification laws. When the current majority of the House of Delegates was decided by the flip of a film cannister, one cannot help but think that these policies make a difference in maintaining power.
Last month, I was in Greece where democracy was invented. As I travelled the country and saw many old statues, I wondered how many were hated by subsequent generations, torn down and replaced. I also wondered how a society that achieved so much, ruled the western world and created much of the foundational elements of western culture could come crashing down but exists today with a population smaller than Virginia and an economy smaller than the states of Oregon or Tennessee.
Our current national political environment has demonstrated that many basic, norms that Americans thought were permanent can be shattered. The last two millenia and Virginia’s last four centuries show that democracy can be a fickle thing if we do not protect it.
So while we honor the 400th anniversary of democracy in Virginia on July 30, 2019, please remember our scarred history. It has been an honor for me to serve you as part of this experiment started 400 years ago and I will continue to do my best to make Virginia’s democracy as strong and participatory as it can be.
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July 22, 2019
Stone Bridge on G.W. Parkway carrying Alexandria Avenue
The letter below was my initial public comments on improving traffic safety on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. I will provide supplemental comments on completion of my constituent survey - 450 comments and counting!You can complete my survey by using this link!
Senator Scott Surovell Init... by Scott A. Surovell on Scribd
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July 15, 2019
Stone Bridge on G.W. Parkway at Alexandria Avenue
All who live in Mt. Vernon understand how unsafe conditions have become on the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Violent collisions occur on a regular basis. Cyclists and pedestrians risk their lives to get on the bike trail or catch the 11-Y bus. Many collisions are even fatal. You can read more about my thoughts about why this is happening here:
The Dixie Pig: Time to Speak Up to Fix the Parkway! (July 15, 2019)The Dixie Pig: Thoughts on Changes to the George Washington Parkway (May 2, 2019)Mt. Vernon Gazette: Parkway Problems Will Get Worse (May 24, 2017)
Thanks to Congressman Don Beyer, the National Park Service is now taking official public comments on safety solutions for the George Washington Memorial Parkway from July 11 to August, 21, 2019.I have designed a survey that also includes areas for open ended comments to collect feedback from the Mt. Vernon Community. At the conclusion of the comment period, I will aggregate all of the comments and provide them to the National Park Service to ensure that your voice is heard.You can find information regarding the study on the NPS official website here:National Park Service - George Washington Parkway Safety Study
Please complete my survey and provide your comments below!
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July 15, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of July 15, 2019.
On July 11, over 150 people attended a National Park Service (NPS) meeting to share comments on NPS’s safety study and the future of the southern section of the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Delegate Paul Krizek, Congressman Don Beyer and I have been asking for a safety study for four years and so far NPS has produced excellent information.
I have lived about two blocks from the Parkway most of my life and significant changes have occurred. The Defense Department moved 15,000 new employees to Fort Belvoir after 2005 has proven to be a real tipping point. More specifically, many people who live in Maryland and worked at Walter Reed Medical Center now come across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and take the Parkway south to the Walker Gate. In the evening rush hour, they race north and switch to Fort Hunt Road to access I-495 gridlocking Fort Hunt Road.
New traffic navigation applications such as Google Maps and Waze have highlighted to drivers what many of us have known for years – the Parkway is a quick (and scenic) substitute for U.S. 1. Just look at the cut-through traffic and backups on Sherwood Hall Lane through Gum Springs.
From my perspective, most of the Parkway’s problems are caused by increased traffic volumes, excessive speeds and left turns that are especially dangerous. The Park Service’s initial statistics support this view.
According to their studies, almost everyone speeds. A shocking 70-80% of drivers speed and NPS did not even measure speeds at the 35-mph stretch between Belle Haven Road and Belleview Boulevard. Three of nine major intersections generate about 50% of crashes -- Belleview Boulevard, Morningside Lane and Belle Haven Road.
Limit traffic gaps contributes to collisions. Drivers need about an eight-second gap in traffic to safely execute a turn. The NPS data shows, for example, at Collingwood Road, there are gaps greater than eight seconds about 25% of the time in the morning and about 40% of the time in the afternoon. However, at Belleview, in the morning, an eight-second gap exists about 5% of the time and 25% of the time in afternoons. Traffic builds during the rushes and creates collisions.
NPS found maximum morning traffic queues of 21 cars at Belle Haven Road and nine cars at Collingwood Road while evening maximum queues were only about 13 and three cars.
The big question now is, what will we do? First, it is very important to understand that the Parkway, which opened in 1932, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was intended as a scenic drive that integrated natural areas and preserved scenic vistas. Congress created it explicitly as a memorial to George Washington, part of Washington, D.C.’s monumental core and a grand gateway to Mount Vernon Estate as a memorial to the nation’s first president. It was never intended to be a commuter thoroughfare or to accommodate high speeds.
The National Historic Preservation Act imposes significant legal protections that restrict major structural changes to the road to preserve its historic integrity as directed by Congress. Many will recall that the Federal Highway Administration was forced to reroute U.S. 1 100 yards to the south because of Woodlawn Mansion’s federally-protected, historic status. Given these legal constraints, changes like adding lanes, traffic circles, new bridges and guardrails are unlikely options.
However, NPS is considering “traffic diets” – restriping intersections to narrow the road to one lane in each direction to provide turn lanes. They are also examining speed cameras, turn restrictions, and maybe a stoplight or two.
People move to our area to enjoy the Potomac River, the Mount Vernon Trail and the Parkway. Many consider it a privilege to live to Mount Vernon. The Parkway is a road within a national park, an important natural and national resource. We must now all work together to come up with sensible solutions.
NPS will accept comments through August 21. I have created a survey and a comment form to capture feedback. I will forward all comments that I receive on to NPS. Please complete it on my blog – The Dixie Pig – at scottsurovell.blogspot.com or at http://bit.ly/GWPkwyStudy.
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July 8, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of July 8, 2019.
Working to Stop Gun Violence
Virginia Governor Ralph Northam has called the state legislature to Richmond this week for a special session to focus on measures to reduce firearm violence in the state. Addressing this problem is long overdue.
Last year, guns killed more people than car accidents in Virginia. The majority of those deaths were people committing suicide.
Just last week, three people were shot in the Fairfax County portion of the 36th District in Gum Springs and Rose Hill. The week before that, two people were found shot to death in the woods off Featherstone Road in Woodbridge.
Over the last ten years I have served in the General Assembly, we have passed one bill that represents progress on this problem. In 2016, Attorney General Mark Herring issued an opinion that ended the state’s practice of recognizing out-of-state concealed weapons permits from states with protections that are not as robust Virginia’s. This also meant that Virginia concealed weapon permit holders could not carry concealed weapons in those other states.
This was so alarming to firearm advocates that they were willing to allow the Commonwealth to pass a statute requiring the subjects of protective orders – necessitated by domestic violence – to surrender their weapons while the order was in place in return for restoration of concealed weapon reciprocity rules. That is it.
During my ten years in elective office, Virginia repealed the one-gun-a-month rule that had curtailed Virginia’s prominent role in gun trafficking. General Assembly committees have routinely killed bills to address gun violence that I cosponsored, One example: A bill to ban magazine extensions like those used to kill 10 people in Virginia Beach last month or wound Congressman Gabby Giffords, 13 others and killed six people. A committee killed Senator Adam Ebbin’s effort to ban the type of bump stocks used to kill 59 people and shoot 422 others in Las Vegas.
I have carried legislation to require background checks on all firearm sales which would end the gun show loophole, a current law that allows sales without background checks. 90 percent of Virginians support this, polls show, but legislative committees kill these bills every year.
Governor Northam has also asked us to consider a ban on assault weapons such as the AR-15 that the D.C. Snipers used to kill 17 people and wound 10 more all over the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area in 2002. That same weapon was used in Las Vegas, Newtown, Aurora, Orlando, Sandy Hook, Texas Church, San Bernadino, Waffle House and Santa Fe High School.
I am also cosponsoring legislation to create so-called “red flag” orders which would allow an individual to petition a judge to issue a temporary order requiring a suicidal individual to surrender their weapons. This concept is even supported by the President, but it is opposed by firearms rights advocates.
The current U.S. Supreme Court has reinterpreted 200 years of jurisprudence to hold that the Constitution provides some protections for purchasing and owning firearms, but as with all constitutional rights, there are limits. We have Constitutional protections for free speech, for example, but no one can maliciously defame someone with false speech, threaten physical harm or shout fire in a crowded movie theatre. Each of the measures that I have described in this column is a reasonable limitation that will not curb anyone’s ability to hunt or defend themselves person or their family.
I will try to make progress this week, but when one of my colleagues claims guns prevent rape and the state senator whose district saw ten people murdered last week will not even consider changing his opposition to measures like this, I am not optimistic.
Please email me at scott@scottsurovell.org if you have any feedback.
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June 24, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of June 23, 2019.
Decision Helps Keep Drinking Water Safe
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a decision that has major significance for Virginia and especially for Northern Virginia, in addition to their decision on redistricting.
Few realize that Virginia has a series of uranium lodes that run along the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The largest lode is in Pittsylvania County on the North Carolina border, but a major series of lodes are in Madison, Culpeper and Fauquier Counties at the headwaters of the Occoquan River. The Occoquan is a major source of drinking water for Fairfax and Prince William Counties.
After Pennsylvania’s Three Mile Island near disaster in 1979, a partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor, the Virginia General Assembly in 1982 enacted a moratorium on uranium mining. While some federal permits are required for uranium mining, most thought that the states were allowed to adopt more stringent environmental protections as they are for any other mining or environmental requirements.
Shortly after I was elected to the House of Delegates, the worldwide prices of uranium spiked after the supply of uranium recycled from Russian nuclear warheads was exhausted. The estimates of the value of the 119-million-pound Pittsylvania County lode rose to $7 billion. There is still significant demand for uranium inside and outside of Virginia. Over 30 percent of electricity generated by Dominion Virginia Power comes from nuclear reactors on Lake Anna near Fredericksburg and the James River in Surry County. Also, uranium is imported from abroad and west of the Mississippi River.
In 2012, a team of international investors was assembled and their first step was to try to lobby the state legislature to lift the ban. They spread around campaign contributions and before the post-McDonnell gift ban went into effect, state legislators were offered trips to France to see a uranium mine and from the proponents' point of view, to show how uranium mining can be done safely. About 20 elected officials took the trip. I did not.
Ultimately, the legislature left the mining moratorium in place. Many of us were concerned about the environmental risk posed by mining and we respected the members who represented the affected areas who were strongly opposed, in part due to strong local opposition, even though, they argued, they were in dire need for jobs in Southside and Southwest Virginia.
I opposed lifting the ban largely because of the potential impacts on Northern Virginia drinking water. Over one million people depend on the Occoquan River for drinking water and any threats to that water must be taken seriously.
However, the mining advocates were not done. Two years ago, they filed suit seeking to overturn the Virginia uranium mining moratorium arguing that federal law pre-empted or prohibited any regulation by the state. The Trump Administration supported the pro-mining position.
Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed in a 6-3 ruling. The gist of the court’s decision was that Congress did not intend to take away states’ discretion to regulate this activity.
The Occoquan River is still under threat. Prince William County is currently re-evaluating its rural crescent zoning policy. Earlier this year, we discovered that Micron’s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Manassas was discharging water with elevated salt levels that was adversely affecting water quality in the Occoquan Reservoir. Fortunately, we were able to secure language in the state budget to require the Department of Environmental Quality to re-examine its permitting.
Last week’s Supreme Court opinion was an important victory for clean drinking water. Uranium mining could pose a long-term pollution threat in Virginia and especially in Northern Virginia. Drinking water is a fragile resource and once mines start to leak, remediation is very difficult. Letting the ban stand is an important victory.
Please email me at scott@scottsurovell.org if you have any feedback.
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June 18, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of June 16, 2019.
More Work Needed to Stop Unrepresentative Districts
This week, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its long-awaited decision in Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill, a gerrymandering case. Justice Ginsberg essentially wrote that the Virginia House of Delegates was not allowed to bring the appeal.
Here is some background. The General Assembly is required by the Constitution of Virginia and the U.S. Constitution’s Fifth Amendment to redraw congressional and state legislative districts after each census. In 2011, the General Assembly held a special session. Republicans held the majority in the House of Delegates, Democrats controlled the state Senate and Republican Governor Bob McDonnell was in office.
Each chamber drew their own maps and incumbent members of Congress recommended the congressional maps. Governor McDonnell vetoed the first map drawn by the Democratic State Senate who then proposed a compromise map. The Governor then approved all three plans.
Over the last ten years, the case law on voting rights issues has changed as the composition of the Supreme Court has changed. In the case of Shelby County v. Holder in 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court held that “pre-review” of all voting actions required by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was no longer required in jurisdictions with a history of racial discrimination – such as Virginia - ostensibly because racial discrimination was no longer an issue. This opened the door to voter identification laws, precinct changes, voter roll purges and other actions by state and local governments, largely in the South over the last six years.
However, the flip side of Shelby County was that because racial discrimination was “not as pervasive” and that Voting Rights Act of 1965 had “solved” most of the problems it had sought to address, race could no longer be a predominant factor in drawing district lines. Following this new line of thinking, a three-judge panel threw out Virginia’s congressional district map in 2016 and Congressman Donald McEachin was elected to represent the new Fourth Congressional district.
More litigation ensued over the House of Delegates and a three-judge panel ultimately found that eleven districts were improperly drawn to achieve an impermissible 55 percent Black voting age population threshold. This required over 30 seats to be redrawn in Hampton Roads, Southside Virginia and around Richmond and the Virginia “House of Delegates” appealed the decision.
On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to consider the merits of the lower three-judge panel’s ruling and held that the Attorney General can represent the interests of Virginians in a redistricting case, but not one chamber of a bicameral legislative body. Ginsberg also wrote that possible partisan control of a legislative body is not the kind of “harm” that gives standing to bring a lawsuit, that it is a basic outcome of democracy. That basically ends the litigation.
However, the decision really ducked the important and most pressing issue – when does gerrymandering become so problematic that it denies voters their right to representation? Virginia’s congressional, legislative and local government districts are rife with partisan gerrymandering. The power of computers made this one of the most fundamental problems in American Democracy.
There are numerous scholars who have developed mathematical models to objectively measure the distortive effect of district maps, but the U.S. Supreme Court remains divided on whether such formulas can find support in Constitutional text such as the U.S. Constitution’s due process cause or the first amendment. So while this decision will make most Democrats happy, the fundamental problem remains unresolved.
The 2020 General Assembly will take a second vote on an amendment to the Constitution of Virginia to create a form of nonpartisan redistricting. If approved, voter approval will still be necessary and there are some statutory details that still require negotiation. I continue to have concerns about giving the Supreme Court of Virginia ultimate authority if stalemate occurs in the General Assembly given that that court has become dominated by Republican appointees in the last twenty years, could be dominated by another party in the future and more importantly, is not truly representative of Virginia ideologically and regionally. Northern Virginians are largely excluded today from Virginia’s appellate courts, a troubling development.
The conversation continues. If you have any questions or feedback, please email me at scott@scottsurovell.org.
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May 22, 2019
This summer, Metro will shut down all six stations south of DCA. This work is the result of dedicated funding I supported in the 2019 budget. Metro will be providing shuttle bus services. Please find information below from Metro, VDOT, and the Washington Area Bicycling Association about transportation alternatives including bicycle and bus services.2019 Platform Improvement Project Activities
Metro's contractor will work concurrently at all six stations south of National Airport in summer 2019 to expedite construction and ensure the stations are ready to reopen for customers after September 8.
Based on the contract, one side of the platform at Van Dorn St Station may remain under construction through October 4, requiring single tracking after September 8. In addition, one side of the platform may remain under construction at Huntington and Franconia-Springfield stations through early December; however, service impacts can be minimized at these end-of-the-line stations. Metro’s contract includes incentives for additional work completed by September 8, so any service impacts post-shutdown will be determined as work progresses at each station.
The Metro system has 45 outdoor rail stations constructed with concrete platforms. The affected platforms were opened in 1983 to safely accommodate customers waiting for trains and boarding Metro railcars. Over the years, many of the platforms have begun to deteriorate due to routine wear and tear combined with exposure to weather and de-icing agents. An example of the deterioration at King St. station is pictured to the right.
Shuttle Services
For riders heading to or from the Pentagon or destined for points north like Rosslyn or the District, three express shuttle buses are planned. and two free local routes are planned.CLICK HERE TO PLAN YOUR TRIP
To accommodate additional bus traffic, VDOT will open the shoulders of I-495 as a bus-only travel lane on the Outer Loop (heading east) between the Eisenhower Avenue and Telegraph Road ramps.
The temporary bus-on-shoulder lane will help shuttles and other buses get to exits more quickly. On weekdays from 3 p.m.-8 p.m., the shoulder will be available for Metro and DASH buses only. Although it will serve as a bus-only travel lane, it will continue to be an emergency pull-off location for all vehicles.
VDOT also announced changes at the Huntington Metro station. The right turn lane of eastbound Huntington Avenue between Metroview Parkway and Fenwick Drive will accommodate four temporary bus bays. Metroview Parkway, which is usually open to traffic going to the Huntington North Kiss-and-Ride, will be closed to all traffic but buses.Changes to HOV lanes in Alexandria
The City of Alexandria recently made changes to their HOV lanes on Washington Street (George Washington Parkway). Take note and be aware of increased enforcement:• Change Washington Street high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes from HOV 2 to HOV 3.• Extend northbound Washington Street HOV lane hours from 7AM- 9AM to 6AM-10AM.• Extend southbound Washington Street HOV lane hours from 4PM- 6PM to 3PM-7PM.• Change East and West Abingdon Drive high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes from HOV 2 to HOV 3.• Extend northbound East Abingdon Drive HOV lane hours from 7AM- 9AM to 6AM-10AM• Extend southbound West Abingdon Drive HOV lane hours from 4PM- 6PM to 3PM-7PM.
Biking during the Metro Shutdown
Commuters may elect to bike during the shutdown to avoid increased traffic. According to the Washington Area Bicycling Association, the City of Alexandria will be posting bike routes from popular Metro stations in the city. The Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee has a Bike Mentor program for people looking for a coach. The mentor will help guide new commuters and even make sure your bike is ready to ride -- Learn more and sign up here: https://alexandriabpac.wordpress.com/bike-mentoring/WABA is hosting rides and classes in Alexandria to help familiarize commuters with bike paths in the area. All are posted here: https://www.waba.org/goodness/events/?filter=Virginia
Construction Strategy Designed to Minimize Impact
After extensive internal planning and consultation with construction experts, Metro developed a strategy that reduces the length of the project by up to 94%. Instead of overnight work or single tracking and weekend outages that stretch on for years, Metro will fully close stations, allowing contractors to have 24-hour access to the work sites instead of limited, sporadic hours. When platforms are rebuilt, the tracks must be taken out of service to allow for demolition of existing structures, access to the construction areas, and concrete pouring. By temporarily closing these stations while construction is underway, Metro can ensure safety for riders and construction staff and greatly reduce the project duration and cost. Additionally, this strategy minimizes rail service disruptions elsewhere on the system.
Funding that Makes this Project Possible
Metro is investing in system safety, reliability and the region's economy through its 10-year, $15 billion capital program. Virginia was the first of three partner jurisdictions to come forward and fully fund the Metro capital program. For the first time in Metro's history, the capital program is bolstered by dedicated funding from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. The capital program will improve the customer experience and keep the region's infrastructure in a state of good repair by investing in new railcars and buses, improving stations and platforms, upgrading fire-suppression and emergency response systems, replacing and repairing tracks, tunnels, bridges, signals, and communications systems, rebuilding decades-old bus garages and providing modern customer amenities such as passenger information systems. In spending local taxpayer dollars for capital projects, Metro is seeking to reinvest in our hometown economy, creating jobs and encouraging participation from disadvantaged, minority-owned, and small businesses in the region.
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May 2, 2019
Due to last week's fatal collision, there has been renewed discussion in safety on the George Washington Parkway (GWP) in the last week.Delegate Paul Krizek and I have been working with Congressman Don Beyer to do something about this for some time. Michael K. Bohn, "Parkrway Problems Will Get Worse," Mt. Vernon Gazette (May 24, 2017)
Two years ago, the National Park Service stated they intended to conduct a traffic safety study. That has not occurred yet.In the meantime, as we move forward with a discussion about dealing with safety deficiencies on the road, we have been hearing lots of ideas about how to reconfigure the road including major changes to intersections, lanes, or stoplights.However, it is important to understand the legal restrictions that we are operating within. First, the GWP is a National Park controlled by the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior. State government and the Virginia Department of Transportation have nothing to do with the road or its configuration.Next, please keep in mind that the GWP was opened in 1932 as a memorial to George Washington (like the Lincoln/Jefferson Memorial or the Jamestown-Williamsburg-York Parkway). It is also designated as a National Historic Landmark - the highest protection that an historic asset can enjoy.
GW Parkway National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form (Apr. 24, 1995)
Origins of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, WETA (Mar. 11, 2015)
The GWP was the first modern highway in America. Had several unique design features incorporating vistas, pulloffs, picnic areas, etc. It was designed to be a pleasurable drive through the then-Virginia countryside down to Mt. Vernon and was originally conceived as part of Washington, D.C.'s monumental core back when our area was nothing but farms when my grandparents moved and built Tauxemont with nineteen other families back in 1940-41.Due to the National Landmark status, there are significant legal restrictions on any modifications to the road pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act - the same act that forced us to redirect U.S. 1 away from the Woodlawn Mansion instead of widening it in place. While entrances have been added over time that were not original (e.g. Tulane Drive, Belleview, Morningside Lane, Waynewood, Vernon View, Stratford Landing were all added later), stop lights, major reconfiguration of lanes or intersections are very unlikely and would probably be met with litigation from the preservation community. That is why I have focused on speed cameras which are minimally intrusive and I think would go a long way towards getting the speeds down and perhaps dissuade some of the commuters from using the road. The continued collisions, deaths, injuries, and danger posed also underscores why we need to hurry up and move along bus rapid transit to Fort Belvoir to get commuters onto transit.Congressman Beyer has renewed his call for the safety study and we have been advised there will be some kind of public meeting in June. In the meantime, keep coming up with ideas about how we can make this community treasure a safe place for everyone. |
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April 29, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of April 29, 2019.
Northern Virginia’s Public Schools Are Not “Fully Funded”
As election year heats up, some candidates use terms like “fully funded” schools. Here’s my perspective on the subject.
First, Virginia’s median family income is ninth in the United States. It is largely driven by Northern Virginia counties: Fairfax County (3rd - $106,690), Stafford County (5th - $95,927), and Prince William County (6th – $93,011). Fairfax, Stafford and Prince William Counties rank in the top 1% of all American jurisdictions - 3rd, 19th and 20th in the entire USA.
However, per pupil investment in elementary-secondary education ranks orders of magnitude lower. Virginia is 22nd in the country in per pupil spending, averaging around $11,432. Arlington County leads Virginia at $19,348 per student even with a lower median income than Fairfax County. Fairfax County “fully funds” FCPS by spending 21% less than Arlington or $15,293 per student, Prince William spends $12,427 and Stafford spends $11,319.
In Virginia, public education is a shared state and local government obligation. After the General Assembly was captured by the “no new taxes” craze of the 1990s, state elementary-secondary education funding has lagged. The “Great Recession” of 2009 inflicted significant cuts and while the state appropriations have recovered to pre-2009 levels, they still lag on an inflation-adjusted, per pupil basis and increasing education appropriations continues to be a priority for the House and Senate Democratic Caucuses, but we need more votes to make needed changes.
Notwithstanding, the counties in my Senate district have done very well. Since 2010, Direct Aid to Education from Virginia to Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) has risen by around $270 million or 63.49%. However, local funding from Fairfax County has only increased 26%. Given that that Fairfax County provides 80% of FCPS’ budget, this shortfall has severely limited the School Board’s ability to address many needs.
Likewise, Virginia’s Direct Aid to Prince William County Public Schools (PWCPS) has risen by $194 million per year or 51%, but local funds from the Prince William County Board of Supervisors has increased only 37%. In Prince William, the County provides approximately 45% of PWCPS’ budget.
The most glaring result of this under-funding is teacher salaries. In 2018, Virginia’s $51,994 average teacher salaries were $8,483 behind the national average and 32nd in the country – twenty spots below our relative income ranking.
When I was an FCPS student, Fairfax County had the highest paid teachers in Virginia and all wanted to teach for FCPS. Today, Arlington County leads with average teacher salaries of $81,044.
Teacher salaries remain far too low. Fairfax County averages $73,228, Prince William County averages $60,227 and Stafford County averages $53,152. Across the Potomac, the average salary in Montgomery County is $82,316 and Prince George’s County, $71,110. These salaries lure the best teachers away from the 36th District.
This also plays out in services. Today’s economy requires digital literacy and learning skills. Henrico and Albemarle Counties deployed one-to-one computer programs over a decade ago. Arlington County did the same five years ago. Fairfax County is finally rolling out one-to-one computer programs 12 years behind Henrico County. Prince William and Stafford Counties are barely discussing it.
School construction is a local responsibility. Fairfax County has over 700 temporary classrooms; Prince William, over 200. Fairfax, Prince William and Stafford Counties all require free and reduced lunch children to pay for AP tests and online classes.
Most disturbingly, these three counties leave $9 million of state matching dollars on the table every year for free preschool. Prince William County is the worst, leaving over $6 million.
The next time you hear someone claim that our schools are “fully funded,” ask questions. Class sizes remain too large. Teacher vacancy and retention rates are growing and English proficiency continues to lag. Northern Virginians have more resources than nearly everyone in the rest of the United States, but we are often told to settle for less.
As your state senator, I will continue to work to make Virginia’s public schools the best in the country and I will never tolerate low expectations given our area’s relative ability to invest in our future.
Please email me at scott@scottsurovell.org if you have any questions.
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April 1, 2019
VDOT is finalizing plans to widen U.S. 1. One of the important decisions they still need to make is whether to install an underpass below the highway at Little Hunting Creek and another at Dogue Creek. Over the last public hearing, they have received mixed feedback over whether meeting attendees would "use" the underpass, but the meetings were largely attended by people who do not live near the crossings.
The underpass would provide many benefits:
Improved pedestrian access for residents on the west side of US 1 to the community center on the east side of US 1 - better walkability.
Fewer pedestrians crossing US 1 – fewer fatalities on the deadliest road in Fairfax County.
Increased residential and commercial property values and associated increased tax revenue.
Connectivity between Mt. Vernon Trail and Trail networks throughout Fairfax County.
Allow children from Audubon to safely cross U.S. 1 to access Gum Springs Community Center, Martin Luther King Jr. Park and free pool in Gum Springs, and George Washington Recretation Center.
Allow children from Gum Springs to safely access Huntley Meadows Park
Allow Gum Springs Residents to safely access Costco and Wal-Mart on foot
Allow residents in 22309 to safely access pedestrian trails, biking trails, park resources on West side of U.S. 1 including Jackson M. Abbitt Wetland Refuge
Little Hunting Creek proposed trail will connect residents and amenities
Dogue Creek trail would connect communities around Woodlawn
According to the DMV, this is the deadliest road for pedestrians in Fairfax County. Providing this underpass will save lives.Please click the image below to sign the petition for VDOT to install an underpass below US 1 to allow pedestrians to safely cross the road:
I'm going out to canvass in the neighborhoods near the proposed underpass to collect more signatures.
WHAT: Canvassing for Petition Signatures with Senator SurovellWHEN: Sunday, April 7, 2019, 9 a.m.WHERE: Spring Garden ApartmentsCANVASS OPPORTUNITY #2WHO: Volunteers and Delegate KrizekWHEN: Sunday, April 7, 12 p.m.WHERE: Janna Lee Avenue bridge over Little Hunting Creek
Can you join me? Please sign up through the petition link above if you want to help other residents to support this important pedestrian and bike infrastructure!
P.S. I'm also collecting comments on other important decisions VDOT needs to make. If you haven't filled out my US 1 comments survey, please do so here:
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March 26, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of March 26, 2019.
The 2019 General Assembly Session ended on February 28. In the last two columns I covered my personal legislative agenda and the state budget. In this column, I will highlight some other important bills that passed.
We enacted two significant economic development packages. While I am generally skeptical of using taxpayer dollars for economic development incentives such as movie production tax credits, I am supportive to projects that can generate long-term jobs.
The Amazon project is projected to create between 25,000 and 37,500 jobs with average wages of $150,000 or more. The Commonwealth has committed to fund $22,000 per job for the first 25,000 jobs and $15,564 per job for the second 12,500 jobs after they are created. Tax revenue will pay for each commitment within a few years of creation and will have a 6:1 lifetime return on investment for taxpayers over $1.2 billion of new tax revenue overall. The Commonwealth has also committed to $295 million of transportation investments into Metro, National Airport, and U.S. 1 which will make the community truly multimodal. Virginia Tech has also committed to build a $1 billion Innovation Campus next door.
This project will also generate significant returns to the 36th District. The Amazon campus is designed for transit users and many employees will chose to live south of Alexandria along the U.S. 1 Corridor or use the Virginia Railway Express and live in Woodbridge, Dumfries, Stafford and even Fredericksburg. I am hopeful this project will create pressure to create robust transit options including extensions of the Yellow and Blue Lines and funding to expand the Long Bridge over the Potomac.
The Commonwealth also committed to invest $50 million in the Micron microchip plant in Manassas in exchange for Micron’s pledge to invest $3 billion dollars plant expansion. Microchips are actually Virginia’s second largest export and this project will likewise create jobs.
We passed long overdue legislation allowing for no-excuse early voting 10 days before each election starting in 2020.
The General Assembly enacted numerous measures to reduce Virginia’s eviction rates. The bills require a written lease, more time before an eviction is allowed and more time for a tenant to pay rent after commencement of an eviction. The bills passed unanimously.
We removed the age cap on health insurance for autistic adults. This long-sought change will help families continue to provide quality services for adult children.
Due to legislation I co-sponsored, cooperative preschools such as Tauxemont and Fort Hunt Cooperative Preschools got a legislative reprieve from administrative rules that would have required volunteer parents to obtain dozens of hours of training before volunteering to watch children during preschool classes.
Starting July 1, Virginians will be required to keep tethered dogs on ropes at least 10 feet long (or three times the length of the dog) and provide the animal adequate shelter in cold weather – instead of just leaving the animal outside.
We passed legislation prohibiting drivers from having a phone in-hand in a work zone. We increased penalties for drivers who fail to move over for vehicles with illuminated emergency lights parked on a shoulder.
We raised the purchase age for tobacco products to 21. The Kings Dominion Law – prohibiting a pre-Labor Day school start was repealed, and we passed legislation setting up a process to begin the legalization of casinos in three jurisdictions Central, Southwest and Hampton Roads.
While the session had many positives, we also left doing absolutely nothing about firearm violence prevention. Ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment was blocked in the House of Delegates once again leaving 160 million American Women without equal rights.
Virginia still has the lowest minimum wage in the nation. Criminal justice reform saw virtually no victories and if anything, some backsliding. Bills to prohibit discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgendered Virginians went nowhere. Our attempts to backfill $300 million of transportation funds monies lost to Metro last year were killed.
We are poised in the verge of some very important elections this November where control of both chambers will be determined. Republicans hold the majority in both chambers by one vote. A change in control will bring significant change to the Commonwealth.
Please send me any feedback at scott@scottsurovell.org.
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March 25, 2019
Next week, VDOT will host public information sessions on the future of U.S. 1 widening in Fairfax County. This is your opportunity to learn about the project and make your voice heard before the final design is established. The event will be at Mount Vernon High School from 6:30-8:30 p.m. on March 26.I am collecting comments and will share them with VDOT. Please complete my survey here: http://bit.ly/Rt1CommentFormVDOT has several important decisions to make and your feedback is very important.First VDOT needs to determine whether to install pedestrian underpasses below U.S. 1 at Little Hunting Creek and Dogue Creek (visualization to the right). These underpasses would connect to crucial trail networks and provide connectivity between Gum Springs Community Center and several residential neighborhoods on the west side of the highway.You can also express your support for adding trash collectors under U.S. 1 to stem the tide of trash flowing into the Potomac River from our community. VDOT is also considering several street realignments adjacent to U.S. 1. One of those will be Cooper Road and Sacremento Drive. Please share your thoughts on that proposal in my survey.Finally and most importantly, Fairfax County needs to hear from you if you believe utilities should be undergrounded along U.S. 1. In the most recent legislative session, I passed legislation which will allow Fairfax County to pass a small levy of up to $1/month to fund underground electric lines on U.S. 1. We can get this done!As always, it is an honor to serve you in the Senate of Virginia.
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March 19, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of March 19, 2019.
The 2019 General Assembly session adjourned on February 24 after a few hiccups. Two weeks ago, I discussed the legislation that I passed. In this column, I will explain various budget actions we took.
First, unlike the Federal Government, our budget is balanced as required by the Constitution of Virginia. Next, the General Assembly needed to address modifications to our tax code to bring it up to speed with changes made by Congress with the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2018. This is usually labelled “conformity.” “Straight conformity” would cause an additional $600 million of state revenue largely due to the interplay between the new increased federal standard deduction and the $10,000 cap on state and local taxes and mortgage interest (“SALT”).
We addressed this in two phases. First, for the 2018 tax year, every taxpayer receives $110 refund if tax returns are filed before June 30.
For tax years 2020 through 2026, the state standard deduction is raised by $1,500 for individuals and $3,000 for joint filers. This is worth about $86 per year for individuals or $172 per couple. The budget also removes the $10,000 cap on SALT for state income taxes. However, due to our low 5.75% state income tax rate, that is only worth roughly about $575 if you pay $20,000 of combined income taxes and mortgage interest or $1100 if you pay over $30,000 per year.
These combined actions took about $450 million out of our annual revenues on an annual basis or $2.7 billion over six years and limited our ability to fund multiple priorities.
Notwithstanding, we were able to fund a few things. First, we increased secondary funds to secondary education by $50 million. This included pushing the teacher pay increase from 3% to 5%, $12 million in new school counselors statewide, and $24.9 million in new dollars for At-Risk students.
Virginia’s state-supported universities received a $57.5 million increase in funds conditioned on a tuition freeze for 2019 and $168 million to build the new Virginia Tech Innovation Campus at Potomac Yards in connection with the Amazon project. We also added $5 million in support for our community colleges, $16.6 million to increase computer science degrees, and $4 million towards Virginia’s New Economy Workforce Credential Grant Program (AKA “FastForward”).
We increased Virginia’s contribution to the Housing Trust Fund by $3 million per year to a total of $14 million per year.
The money committees also included my proposal to hire staff at prisons and study the Commonwealth’s ability to provide earlier reparative therapy to sex offenders in state prisons instead of waiting until they have completed their jail sentence. Historically, providing these services in post-jail secure inpatient facility have cost nearly twice as much as prison. Starting earlier and shortening civil commitment will save taxpayers millions.
We finally started the process of investing in rural broadband with a $15 million investment along with $1 million in Enterprise Zone grants to encourage solar.
Virginia’s cash reserves will stand at $1.45 billion at the end of the biennium which is a strong hedge against a downturn in the economy.
While the budget makes some progress, I also felt like it was a missed opportunity to make progress on long standing funding priorities because there are many priorities the General Assembly could have funded if we had not cut taxes. First, our secondary education funding continues to lag behind our re-Great Recession historic commitment. Virginia’s teachers remain some of the lowest paid in the nation. Virginia’s higher education system remains a crown jewel, but our college tuitions are some of the highest in the nation. We not only need to freeze tuition but roll it back.
Virginia also has thousands of families waiting for childcare subsidies so parents (mainly mothers) can go back to work. We still have 12,000 families waiting for Medicaid services for mentally and developmentally disabled children. Virginia’s public employees remain significantly behind private sector wages which hurts retention and proficiency. The construction backlog and staffing needs at Virginia’s State Parks is over $100 million while demand for parks skyrockets.
Please email me at scott@scottsurovell.orgif you have any feedback!
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February 26, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of February 25, 2019.
16 Bills on the Governor’s Desk!
The 2019 Session is now in the books. Notwithstanding the controversy generated by our statewide officials, it was one of the most personally successful sessions in the 10 years I have served in the General Assembly. This column focuses on my personal legislative agenda.
First, Governor Northam announced a deal to widen I-95 southbound between VA-123 and the Prince William County Parkway in three years using no taxpayer funds and no penalty payment to Transurban. I have been urging this solution for three years and it will save millions of drivers millions of hours per month when implemented.
Sixteen of my bills are on the Governor’s desk. The most significant was my bipartisan bill to address Virginia’s coal ash crisis. The legislation we ultimate passed will result in a $3 billion plan to cleanup Dominion’s 27 million cubic yards of coal ash in Virginia in an environmentally responsible way and represents the first time Virginia has exceeded EPA standards on environmental protection.
Late last week, the House of Delegates passed my legislation giving Fairfax County the ability to pass a $1/mo. utility tax to raise $30 million over 20 years to pay for electrical line undergrounding on U.S. 1 between Woodlawn and Hybla Valley. I also secured Verizon’s commitment to place their wires underground at no cost if a duct bank is constructed large enough to handle their wires saving millions. Coupled with a $15 million contribution from VDOT and legislation I passed last session making two additional funding streams available, there is now no excuse for Fairfax County to hold back on placing utilities underground on U.S. 1 and I am urging them to take action immediately.
My legislation to facilitate a legal pathway for undocumented abandoned, abused and neglected immigrant children passed the House and Senate nearly unanimously and will help thousands of children escape tragic circumstances.
I also passed legislation requiring homeowner and condo association to publish their budgets and capital reserve shortfalls, and limited their ability to prohibit homebased childcare which is a critical need.
My legislation to create fines for government officials who destroy public records to avoid disclosing them in citizen requests passed long with a remedy to punish local governments who violate closed meeting rules while their counsel is present. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.
We passed my legislation requiring the Commonwealth to create model memorandum of understanding for school resource officers to be templated across the Commonwealth. Virginia leads the nation in student criminal referrals and this will help to stop the School to Prison Pipeline.
Elections for Dumfries Town Council will now occur in November saving taxpayer dollars and increasing voter participation.
I passed legislation allowing restricted driver’s licenses for out-of-state drug offenses to prevent Virginians from losing their jobs passed, along with better due process for protective order proceedings, streamlining no-default divorce procedures and filing fee waivers for indigent divorcing parties.
My bill to allow parents to recover damages for wrongfully killed children who provide family support passed unanimously, along with legislation to make it easier for LGBT couples to become parents through surrogate mothers.
The failure of the House of Delegates to once again ratify the Equal Rights Amendment was a major disappointment to me and 160 million American Women. Also, the hand’s free (texting while driving) bill died in the House after passing the Senate. Governor Northam has a bill on his desk he could amend to achieve the same result and I am urging him to do so.
My predatory lending reform legislation died in the Senate even after passing last year 38-2. Loan sharks rejoiced, but I will be back next year. I was also disappointed that my bill to close a wage withholding loophole for child support deadbeats failed after passing the Senate and making it on to the House Floor, along with my bill to create a temporary driver’s privilege card for taxpaying undocumented immigrants.
Next week, I will discuss the state budget. The following week I will discuss other major pieces of legislation that passed including redistricting reforms, early voting, Amazon and Micron incentives.
Please email me at scott@scottsurovell.orgif you have any feedback. It is an honor to serve as your state senator.
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February 18, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of February 18 2019.
It is hard to believe, but the last week of the General Assembly has arrived and we hope to gavel out by this coming Saturday. This past week was very busy as we tried to complete work on bills from opposite chamber and negotiated amendments to the budget.
First, the Governor and the money committees announced an agreement regarding tax conformity and the revenue side of the budget. The compromise provides a $110 refund for each tax return (individual or joint) this year. From 2020 to 2026, it increases the standard deduction at the state level by $1,500 for individuals and $3,000 for joint filers – resulting in $86 in savings for individuals and $172 for couples. The bill also removes the $10,000 cap on itemized deductions for state taxes. Given the state income tax is only 5.75%, the tax relief afforded is about $57.50 for every $1,000 of additional mortgage interest, state or local property taxes paid over and above $10,000.
I was not happy with this proposal for several reasons. First, it takes about $450 million per year out of the state budget which could fund desperately underfunded General Fund (non-transportation) priorities such as secondary education, higher education, childcare, healthcare, safety net, environmental protection, parks, and public safety. Second, most of the people receiving the bulk of these cuts are already receiving big federal tax cuts while we run the biggest deficits in United States history instead of following the Governor’s proposal to target modest tax relief targeted to low wage working Virginia families. This week, negotiators will attempt to finalize the expenditure side of the budget.
Next, my legislation to modernize child support collection continued to move through the process. There is over $2.4 billion of delinquent child support in Virginia. When child support goes unpaid with low income families, it is often paid by taxpayers through the state’s Temporary Aid for Needy Families (TANF) and it is recovered through the Commonwealth’s Department of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE). In the last five years, child support deadbeats have begun to seek employment with “gig economy” companies as independent contractors such as Uber and Lyft who are exempt from child support withholding. My legislation would change that and passed the Courts Civil Subcommittee by one vote.
My legislation to change the Town of Dumfries Town Charter to move elections from May to November passed the full House and Senate. There is no need for taxpayers to fund separate elections, especially when they result in much lower turnouts.
The legislation I introduced to create a pilot project to provide Fairfax County with an additional tool to fund underground utilities on U.S. 1 passed the House Commerce and Labor Committee and should be up for a final vote this Tuesday.
Next, my bill to give Fairfax County authority to fine retailers for rogue shopping carts after refusing to pick them up for 10 days failed in a House subcommittee on a tie vote. Several Mount Vernon and Springfield residents testified about the disruption loose carts cause in neighborhoods, sidewalks, and the environment – I have now removed over 250 shopping carts from Little Hunting Creek alone. We will try again next year.
Also, my bill to enhance prohibit cars from illegally passed other cars by using bike lanes and creating a new serious traffic offense for seriously injuring a cyclist or pedestrian while distracted passed the House Transportation Committee, but was killed by the House Courts of Justice Committee. Many rural members do not understand the need for better cycling safety rules.
My legislation to creates consequences for destroying public records to avoid a Freedom of Information Act passed, but only after fines for violating the state’s public meetings law were removed. I am moving the bill into a conference committee to negotiate a compromise because the closed meeting rule is routinely abused.
Finally, on Wednesday, I held my annual Facebook Townhall. Over 56 constituents posted questions and about 1,500 have viewed the 90-minute town hall. You can watch the recorded version on my official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/surovell.
Please contact me at scott@scottsurovell.orgif you have any questions. It is an honor to represent you in the Senate of Virginia.
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February 11, 2019
The following is my column that will appear in the Mt. Vernon Gazette, Springfield Connection, The Prince William Times, The Fort Hunt Herald, and Potomac Local in the week of February 11, 2019.
Passing Bills, Serving the Public
Last week in the General Assembly was a week of accomplishments, revelations and stress.
The Senate approved and sent to the House of Delegates 20 of my 25 bills and added several of my budget amendments to the Senate budget.
The Senate agreed to $2 million to study extending Metro’s Blue Line to Lorton, Woodbridge and Potomac Mills, along with enhanced transit on U.S. 1 in Prince William County. I have been fighting for this for three years and with Senator George Barker’s help, we got it included in the Senate budget. Additionally, my proposal to fund additional treatment services and a study for incarcerated, sexually-violent predators was included so that they can receive treatment before they are committed to a post-incarceration civil treatment facility, an approach that costs taxpayers significantly more per day than a standard jail. There is no reason to delay therapy until they have completed their sentence. This will save taxpayers millions of dollars if it works.
The Senate, on a 37-2-1 vote, passed my bill to create a framework to clean up Virginia’s coal ash repositories. The bill requires at least 6.8 million cubic yards of the 27 million cubic yards to be recycled into “encapsulated” products like bricks, cinderblocks or cement. The bill also requires Dominion to work with localities to minimize transportation impacts; to give priority to local workers; and to continually seek proposals to recycle ash as technology evolves so that we can minimize coal ash landfill storage. While the bill is not everything I want, it achieves my primary objectives to prohibit “cap in place” or using old leaky ash ponds to store ash forever and to promote recycling.
On a vote of 29-11, the Senate passed my legislation to give Fairfax County an additional tool to pay for underground utilities on U.S. 1. The bill allows the County to pay for underground utilities and then recover the cost by levying a utility fee that will cost about $0.80-0.90 per month. I have heard loud and clear from my constituents that they want underground utilities on U.S. 1. Prince William County’s government funded it for all 10 miles of U.S. 1. If Prince William can afford it, so can Fairfax County, and I am hoping to provide County officials with a method to do it.
On a vote of 34-6, the Senate passed my bill to create penalties for government officials who intentionally try to avoid our sunshine laws. The bill creates penalties for destroying public records to avoid the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and penalties for officials who incorrectly vote to certify that they only discussed specifically exempted and previously-announced matters in closed public meetings.
I also passed legislation clarifying that cars cannot use bike lanes to pass other vehicles and making it easier to convict drivers for seriously injuring cyclists and pedestrians. U.S. 1 is the deadliest road in Virginia for pedestrians and pedestrian deaths are up by 50 percent in the last five years in Virginia. Most injured cyclists and pedestrians cannot remember what happened or are killed when struck. This will help balance the playing field on the criminal side of justice.
Finally, this was another rough week as the Governor’s situation continued to percolate, the Attorney General admitted to using blackface at age 19 in college and two different women accused our Lieutenant Governor of sexual assault. We were initially willing to wait for time and information after one accusation was made, but when a second woman 4,000 miles away made a very serious allegation, it was clear to some of us that this was becoming an issue that could distract from his duties. The Senate Democratic, House Democratic and Legislative Black Caucuses and called for his resignation. I am continuing to assess my position on the situations and welcome your input.
Please weigh in on my constituent survey at http://bit.ly/sd362019survey and email me at scott@scottsurovell.org with your feedback. I will host a town hall meeting on Facebook on February 13, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. I hope you will watch and participate online at www.facebook.com/surovell. It is an honor to serve as your state senator.
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