James E Edmunds II
The 2013 session of the Virginia General Assembly has officially begun, and what a beginning it was! This marks my fourth year of representing the 60th District, which consists of Halifax, Charlotte and Prince Edward counties and three precincts in Campbell County – the Brookneal, Gladys and Morris Church precincts. I still maintain an open-door policy and welcome visits and calls from the good people of the 60th District.
My committee assignments have remained the same as last year: Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources; Counties, Cities and Towns; and Militia, Police and Public Safety
Last week began with a press conference on Jan. 7 presented by a new organization of business, health and community professionals, CommonHealth, to show bipartisan, regional support for keeping the ban on uranium mining and milling in Virginia.
Unfortunately, the Virginia Coal and Energy Commission voted the next day to recommend that the state draft uranium mining regulations. Sen. John Watkins of Powhatan will introduce a bill to do just that. In addition, he has also introduced a bill (Senate Bill 919) that would require Virginia Uranium to contribute a “3 percent severance tax on the gross receipts of any uranium severed from the earth” – 1-1/2 percent of that money would go to the state and 1-1/2 percent to Pittsylvania County only! That leaves those of us down wind and down stream holding the bag!
Almost my entire focus and energy this session will go towards working with my fellow legislators to convince them to vote to keep the ban.
Over 160 statewide organizations and municipalities, as well as the majority of the state of North Carolina, have passed resolutions against lifting the ban.
I encourage you to contact me any time you have a concern by phone at 804-698-1060, by email at deljedmunds@house.virginia.gov, by mail at P.O. Box 406, Richmond, Va. 23218 or through my website at www.friendsofjamesedmunds.com.
I will be in Richmond until Feb. 23. If you visit the city, please come by my office in Room 805 of the General Assembly building. I look forward to hearing from you.
William M. Stanley Jr. (does not mention uranium mining)
The Virginia General Assembly kicked off its 2013 session Jan. 9, beginning 46 days when legislators will be at the Capitol to consider hundreds of bills and resolutions. This session, we will be tackling a number of issues important to both our region and the state, such as public education reform, workforce development and transportation funding.
Frank M. Ruff Jr.
The 2013 session began Jan. 9 at noon, but the preparation for this year’s session took far more planning. Requests from citizens, groups and local government were numerous and because of the size of the district far flung. It was a relief when we finally kicked off with the Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast before the session opened.
Additionally, we will be dealing with the issue of uranium mining and milling in our region. Many question the rewards versus the risks for those that live in the region and that rely on the Roanoke River and its tributaries for water in not only Southern Virginia, but also Tidewater and eastern North Carolina.
I want to thank the newspapers that have agreed to carry my reports from Richmond. I believe that you are doing a service to your readers and my constituents. It is important for the people in our region to hear about legislation that will affect our area.
Your input is important for me to properly represent you. We may not agree on every issue, but without your communication with our office, I cannot know of your concerns.
We are now set up in our offices in Richmond. My legislative assistant, Cindy Hosmer, is staffing our office here, located in Room 328 of the General Assembly building. You can contact us by email at District15@senate.virginia.gov or by sending a letter to me at Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond Va. 23218-0396. You can also call us at 804-698-7515.
The Journal has generously agreed to print these columns during the General Assembly session. This is a public service on their part, one for which I am very grateful.
Matt Fariss (what is his stand on u mining)
The 2013 session of the Virginia General Assembly has officially begun. It began Jan. 9 with the swearing in of the 100 members of the House of Delegates which, due to the resignations of two members, included two new members, Daun Sessions Hunter of the 89th District and Robert K. Krupicka Jr. of the 45th District. I am truly honored and excited to once again join this historical legislative body and represent the fine folks of the 59th District.
I will continue to serve on the Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee and the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee. I believe that serving on these committees will enable me to directly address the majority of my constituents’ concerns and, hopefully, have a positive impact on the issues involving the 59th District. While I will have more direct influence on the outcome of bills that are referred to these two committees, I will gladly address any concerns regarding any legislation I am contacted about
have also emailed a newsletter to those who have subscribed, which contains my 2013 Legislative Issues Survey. I urge you to take a few minutes and go to my website, www.mattfariss.com, and fill out this short survey. It will help me to better represent your interests. You can sign up for my weekly email newsletter at my website. I look forward to hearing from you.
For general information regarding any bills being introduced, you can go to the Virginia General Assembly legislation website at http://legis.virginia.gov.
I will be here in Richmond until Feb. 23 and will keep my constituents updated weekly about legislation being presented and discussed, my actions on behalf of the people of the 59th District and issues that have been brought to my attention during the week. If you have any concerns, questions or comments about pending legislation, please call me or one of my aides, Cindy Blanks or Aaron Tilton, in Richmond at 804-698-1059 or email delmfariss@house.virginia.gov. If you prefer to write me, the address is P. O. Box 406, Richmond, Va. 23218.
In the district, call Al Wright at 434-821-5929 or email him at friendsofmattfariss@gmail.com. The district office is at 243 Livestock Road, Rustburg, Va. 24588.
Don Merricks (just a little mention but no comments on support????)
The short session of the Virginia General Assembly began Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 12 noon. The General Assembly meets 60 days in the even years and 45 days in the odd years, thus making this the short session. I made my trip to Richmond earlier in the week to attend tobacco commission meetings and the meeting of the Coal and Energy Commission. The rat race started early for me, and I believe they’ve added a few more rats.
There are numerous issues we will be considering during this session, including transportation, K-12 education, budget amendments and uranium, just to mention a few.
I will be addressing other issues in the weeks ahead. Please know that I do welcome your input and encourage your phone calls and emails. I try very hard to respond to each and every one, but sometimes my schedule doesn’t permit an immediate response. While we may not always agree, I do respect and appreciate your input.
While in session, I can be reached at 804-698-1016 or by email at deldmerricks@house.virginia.gov.
http://www.wpcva.com/altavista/opinion/
Southside legislators support uranium ban
- Editor’s note: Southside legislators Sen. Bill Stanley, Sen. Frank Ruff, Del. Danny Marshall, Del. Don Merricks, Del. Tommy Wright, and Del. James Edmunds sent the following letter to colleagues in the Virginia General Assembly and Gov. Bob McDonnell in early December urging them to keep the state’s 30-year moratorium on uranium mining.
