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Caught in the Grips VV IRGINIAIRGINIA Q UARTERLY MAGAZINE H TION IG C H U W R A T Y S M N A O I N C Caught TE N E Y ANC A in the Grips: HIGHW The Squeeze TY N P K M ANSIT FE IO UBLIC TR is On SA T – E C M 1 BLI A N U C 2 T P E A U D E E D L D H R E E I U A H C C LT IG A H H A T I I O D N 8 ’0 II SI JW INSIDE Transportation—pages 2–7 Education—pages 10–15 Spring–Summer 2008 Nestled amid the beautiful mountains of southwest Virginia is a premier Christ-centered liberal arts college, 7*3(*/*"µ4 #MVFGJFME$PMMFHF UÊ ÀiV}âi`ÊvÀÊÌÃʵÕ>ÌÞÊ>V>`iVÃÊ>`ÊVÕÌÌ}i`}iÊV>ÃÃÀÊÌiV }Þ UÊ ÜÊPREPARINGINNOVATIVELEARNERSANDPREPARINGINNOVATIVELEARNERSANDvÀÊÌÃÊVÌiÌÊÌÊÌ iÊÌi}À>ÌÊvÊv>Ì Ê>`Êi>À} UÊ ÌÕÌi`ÊTRANSFORMATIONALLEADERSTOIMPACTTHEWORLDvÀTRANSFORMATIONALLEADERSTOIMPACTTHEWORLDÊÌÃÊÃ>ÊV>ÃÃÊÃâiÃ]ÊV>À}Êv>VÕÌÞÊ>`Ê«iÀÃ>Ê>ÌÌiÌÊÌÊÃÌÕ`iÌà UÊ vviÀ}ÊÓÓÊ>ÀÃÊvÊÃÌÕ`Þ]ÊVÕ`}ÊvÀiÃVÊÃViVi]Ê}À>« VÊVÕV>Ì]ÊÌi>V iÀÊi`ÕV>Ì] business, and exercise science. 7 iÌ iÀÊ̽ÃÊÌ iÊLÀi>Ì Ì>}ÊÛiÜÃÊÀÊÌ iÊ ÀÃÌ>ÊÜÀ`ÛiÜ] ÞÕ½ÊÜÊÌ iÀiÊÃÊÃiÌ }Ê`vviÀiÌÊ>LÕÌÊ Õiwi`Ê i}i° `ÊÕÌÊÀi°Ê >Ênää°nÇÓ°ä£ÇxÊÀÊÛÃÌÊÜÜÜ°LÕiwi`°i`Õ° T V IRGINIAIRGINIA R A N S QUARTERLY MAGAZINEMAGAZINE P SPRING –SUMMER 2008 ISSUE Governor Tim Kaine O Brian Moran TRANSPOR T A T ION R Governor Kaine’s Proposed Transportation Funding Package/Bill . 2. T 2 Transportation Concessions: A A Different Transportation Funding Option . 2. T Transportation Proposals to Get Virginia Moving A 1-cent sales tax increase can pay for investments in our roads, I mass transit and rail . 3. O Fuzzy Math Won’t Help Virginia Meet the Transportation Challenge . 3 N Virginia Transportation Facts . 4. Transportation: Special Legislative Session . 6. Phillip Hamilton H. Morgan Griffith What Ever Happened to that Bridge to the 21st Century? . 7. Bolling Announces Decision to Run for Reelection in 2009 . 8. VA Tech—One Year Later . 8. Continued Progress Needed on Land Use Reforms . 9. EDUCA T ION The Standards Of Quality—An Oral History . 10. The Leaders During The Standards Of Quality Development . 11. Virginia’s Unique System of Public Schools . 11. Is It Time For the Commonwealth to Cut Education Funding? . 12. SOQ Study . 12. SOQs: Local Impact Goes Beyond Funding . 13. 9 Preparing Professional Educators to Ensure Safe Speaker William J. Howell and Secure Schools . 14. 10 2008 GA Corrects Sales Tax Inequity . 15. Charles Todd Primary Vote Totals . 15. The 96th House of Delegates District–Women Only Please . 16. On The Scene . 17. Conflicts of Interest? Legislators At Bar . 18. Virginia: on (or falling off of) the cutting edge of political reform? . 19 In Memoriam–Four Former Legislators . 20. Commending Resolutions . 23. Celebrating FOIA’s 40th Birthday . 24. The Help End Family Violence—Purchase Kids First License Plates . 24 Shirley Fields Cooper Politics, religion a bad mix . 25. Women Jo Ann Davis New Market Tax Credits: Successful Development of the Funding in Virginia . 27. Association and Business Directory . 28. 96th On The Web District www.dbava.com/qmsum.html Volume 14 Number 2 Editor-in-Chief–Tom Hyland; Managing Editor–Kristen Bailey-Hardy; Assistant Editor–Christian Rickers; Art Director–John Sours, Publisher–David Bailey; 16 School Distribution–Kristen Bailey-Hardy; Advertising–[email protected] Printer–Worth Higgins & Associates, Inc. Virginia Capitol Connections Quarterly Magazine (ISSN 1076-4577) is published by: David Bailey Associates • 1001 East Broad Street • Suite 215 Melanie Rapp Brenda Pogge Richmond, Virginia 23219 • (804) 643-5554 Published for: Virginians For Integrity In Government, Inc. Copyright 2008, David Bailey Associates. All rights reserved. VIRGINIA CAPITOL CONNE C TIONS , SPRING –SUMMER 2008 1 Governor Kaine’s Proposed T TransportationT Funding Package/Bill The transportation plan Governor Timo- for the first time since the advent of drunk driving laws, more than R thy M.R Kaine laid out on May 12th is simple, 1,000 people died on Virginia’s roads. Our existing roads are getting statewide, sustainable and provides funding old and they require more attention to keep them safe; most of our to advance meaningful solutions to the trans- bridges are more than 45 years old, and 8% are in need of replace- A portationA problems we all are facing. ment. Emergency vehicles are slowed down by traffic gridlock. In the • It relies on revenue sources that are event of a hurricane, it will take more than a full 24 hours to evacuate sustainable—that will exist for years to the low-lying areas of Hampton Roads, Norfolk and Virginia Beach. N come—andN will grow as needs grow. It And this is assuming everything runs smoothly – that no crashes dis- also meets three major transportation goals: rupt the evacuation routes. The problem is maintenance. We have a S • It addressesS safety concerns with a state- maintenance deficit – the dollars taxpayers have been paying to fix wide component that will provide revenue traffic or to help bring jobs to their communities have been going to to safely maintain our state and local roads. patch the potholes and repave the road. This trend will worsen unless P • It includesP substantial funds to combat congestion and ex- we address the deficit directly. In fact, eventually, we’ll lose our ability pand transit and highway capacity in Northern Virginia and to match federal dollars, and the taxes we pay to the federal govern- to build key transportation connections in Hampton Roads, ment on transportation will start to go to other states. By addressing O whileO also increasing funding for local roads statewide. the maintenance deficit, we will stabilize the funding to keep our roads • And it takes a new approach to investing in transporta- and bridges safe and free up construction dollars that will help ease R tion,R both increasing our commitment to transit, rail, and congestion. innovative congestion relief, as well as funding transpor- The Governor’s plan includes a 1 percent increase in the motor tation projects that support economic development. vehicle sales tax, and a $10 increase in the annual car registration fee, T TheT plan includes a 1% statewide increase in the sales tax on cars both to be dedicated to maintenance. and the dedication of all revenue from sales tax on cars to road main- The Governor’s plan also reallocates 1% of the existing statewide tenance. It also includes a $10 statewide increase in the annual car motor vehicle sales tax to maintenance. The other existing 2% already A registrationA fee, a 25 cent statewide increase in the grantor’s tax and a go to maintenance. This part of the Governor’s plan is really truth in 1% regional retail sales tax increase, excluding food and medicine, in budgeting. It ends the shell game, the major raids on highway con- T NorthernT Virginia and Hampton Roads. struction funds by dedicating revenue streams to maintenance. All funds the Governor proposes for transportation will include a That means the money that is intended for construction will actu- lockbox mechanism, specifying that the fund shall expire if it is used ally go for construction. In addition, the Governor’s plan dedicates I for any Ipurpose other than transportation. other sources of revenue—statewide and regional—to new transporta- The Governor’s plan keeps safety as the first priority. Last year, tion projects. O O See Governor Kaine’s Proposed, continued on page 5 N TransportationN Concessions: A Different Transportation Funding Option BY PHILLIP HAMILTON If you continue operate highways, bridges, and tunnels in the first privatization of an existing toll road to do what you have exchange for the toll revenues generated on anywhere in the United States. always done, you will such transportation facilities. Recently, the concession concept was put continue to get what This funding concept has been utilized forward for the long-term lease of the Penn- you have always internationally for years and is just beginning sylvania Turnpike. It has been reported that gotten. This age-old to be utilized in the United States to con- a financing consortium has considered offer- adage is more than struct, maintain or operate major roadways. ing the state of Pennsylvania $18 billion for relevant today as Vir- The Chicago Skyway Bridge, a 7.8-mile toll a seventy-five year toll concession on this ginia elected repre- road built in 1958 to connect the Dan Ryan transportation facility. sentatives once again Expressway to the Indiana Toll Way, was the Even though these examples involve ex- consider a plan to ad- first major transportation concession project isting toll roads, such a concession agreement dress its ever-growing in the United States. might have applicability for new, expanded, transportation needs. For almost 50 years, this transportation or improved roads, bridges, and tunnels With overwhelming citizen opposition to facility had been operated and maintained throughout the congested, population regions sales or gas tax increases and transportation by the City of Chicago Department of of Virginia. congestion and gridlock continuing to wors- Streets and Sanitation. In January 2005, Expansions and improvements of the en in the more populated areas of the Com- the Skyway Concession Company (SCC) bridges and tunnels in Hampton Roads, con- monwealth, Virginia must consider different paid $1.83 billion dollars to the City of version of HOV lanes to HOT lanes in North- options to address the on-going deadlock on Chicago in order to assume operations of the ern Virginia and Hampton Roads, and the how to address new funding for transporta- Skyway through a 99-year operating lease.
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