During the 60 days of the legislative session in Richmond, you can find me somewhere between the Capitol and the General Assembly Building. For up to 12 hours a day (with most weekends off for good behavior), my office in Room 711 of the GAB is where the progress of legislation is planned and tracked, advocates for and against bills are heard out, visitors from Arlington and McLean are greeted, and floor statements and position papers are drafted.  Room 711 is also where I record my weekly report from Richmond (Richmond Report #3).   Because a big chunk of my time is spent on the floor or in committee meetings, my two staff people are the ones who keep the wheels turning.

Daniel Broder is serving as my Legislative Assistant for this year’s session. He was born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut and is a 2011 graduate of the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio with a B.A. in Communication Studies and a double minor in English and Political Science. Since moving to Arlington last year, Daniel has become heavily involved in the Arlington County Democratic Committee.

Paul Tindall is my Legislative Analyst for the session. Paul is currently a senior at Virginia Commonwealth University here in Richmond, where he is earning a degree in Political Science. He is part of the Virginia Capital Semester program run by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at VCU, and I chose him from a pool of highly qualified applicants to intern in my office this session. He helps me put out my weekly Report from Richmond, which can be found on YouTube every Friday, and assists Dan in the daily tasks around the General Assembly building.

My GAB neighbors are Arlington colleague Patrick Hope and Charnielle Herring of Alexandria. Our corner of the 7th floor has been brightened this session by a display of artwork from Yorktown High School students:

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In this third week of the General Assembly Session, the issues that will dominate are coming into focus.  A lot of my effort in the session will be devoted to analyzing budget proposals with the Arlington and Fairfax staff to ascertain their potential impacts, positive and negative, on our communities.  Much of the action will take place on the Appropriations and Transportation Committees, to which I was reappointed on the first day of the session.

One of the most serious issues affecting Northern Virginia this session to date is the proposal in the Governor’s Budget to substantially reduce the “Cost of Competing” factor – differential funding for salaries for support staff in Northern Virginia schools including Arlington and Fairfax County. This differential allows schools in the area to hire and retain quality support staff (librarians, technology staff etc.) in the competitive employment market of Northern Virginia.  There is a strong bi-partisan support in the Northern Virginia delegation to turn back this budget reduction.  Our schools have to be able to attract and retain the best employees, teachers and support staff, in order to maintain the quality of our K-12 education.  I have recorded a short video to give more details on what such a reduction would mean to Northern Virginia schools.

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This Wednesday at noon the House and Senate convened for the General Assembly’s 2012 session. This is our 60-day “Long Session.” Between now and the projected adjournment date of March 10, our main order of business will be to craft a state budget for the next two years.

Governor McDonnell presented his budget proposal last month and touched on its highlights in his State of the Commonwealth Address Wednesday night. Now the House and Senate will analyze and rework the Governor’s proposal and come up with a final product. On the House side, this will be the job of the Appropriations Committee, to which I was reappointed this week.

You can follow the session’s highlights (and occasional “lowlights”) from my perspective in a variety of ways:

– Blog posts here.
– My “Delegate Bob Brink” Facebook page
– @delbrink on Twitter
– A weekly YouTube Report from Richmond (you can see the first one here)

Most important, I want to know what you think about the issues we’re tackling in Richmond. Let me hear from you by email at delegatebrink@gmail.com or by phone at 804-698-1048.

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Best wishes for a happy holiday season with your family and friends. As you look back on the past year, I hope that, along with the challenges posed by the current economy and job market, the months were filled with memorable events and pleasurable occasions.

The 2012 session of the Virginia General Assembly will start at noon on Wednesday, January 11 and will run through the beginning of March. As the session progresses, I’m planning to produce a weekly email newsletter, giving the highlights (and occasional “lowlights”) of the week’s events in Richmond. Through this forum, I will keep you informed about legislative matters affecting our region and Virginia.  I hope you will sign up to receive the newsletter!

While the Federal government’s presence in the area has spared us the harshest effects of the national economic downturn, the continuing effects of the Great Recession, along with the uncertain future of Federal spending, will dominate the 2012 Session as we tackle the main item on our agenda – writing a budget for the Commonwealth’s next two fiscal years.

Once again, have a great holiday. I look forward to staying in touch!

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Yesterday the House Democratic Caucus called for greater openness and effectiveness in the way our state government operates. Among the proposals was a constitutional amendment to let Virginia’s Governor serve more than one consecutive term, as is the case in every other state.

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