During my short time as Delegate of the 26th District, I’ve
worked hard to do what’s right and to truly listen to my constituents, no
matter the issue. In fact, over the last Four years, I have visited every
town council, provided updates at nearly every civic organization, formed new citizen
advisory panels, and addressed every constituent concern that was brought to my
attention. Below contains my strong beliefs on important issues for the Shenandoah
Valley.
LOW TAXES, RESTRAINED SPENDING, QUALITY JOBS & THE ECONOMY
Our families and businesses already pay enough in taxes. That’s why I am proud
to oppose raising taxes. At the same time I seek to reduce wasteful spending
by looking to make our government more efficient and effective. As a small business
owner and operator I know we need an environment where we can create quality jobs.
I am enthusiastic about creating incentives which will attract more businesses to
Virginia which includes keeping taxes low and protecting our right to work laws.
I am strongly opposed to Card Check which would only dampen our business friendly
atmosphere here in the Commonwealth.
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BETTER EDUCATION FOR OUR CHILDREN
My experience on the Rockingham County School Board and as a middle school teacher
has taught me that local parents and teachers -- not Richmond bureaucrats -- know
what’s best for our children’s education. And as the father of
two children I have a personal interest in improving public education. I am
committed to high academic standards and the fundamentals of education like reading
and math, and I am dedicated to making sure that Richmond fully funds the Standards
of Quality. Over the last four years I have worked closely to see that all
Virginian’s have access to higher educational opportunities. I have
supported lower tuition for members of the military in Virginia, supported a community
college transfer grant program, and promoted an increase in technical educational
programs across Virginia. During the 2009 session, I successfully introduced legislation
that would freeze increasing the Standards of Accreditation for one year while schools
in Virginia face tough budget cuts. In addition, I successfully proposed a budget
amendment in 2009 that gives school divisions flexibility in deciding how money,
originally intended for textbooks, would be spent. When re-elected, I will continue
to make investing in our childrens future through education one of my highest priorities.
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CURBING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Together with my Hispanic Advisory Council I seek innovative solutions to the illegal
immigrant problem in Virginia and to support those legal immigrants who have decided
to make Virginia their home. We must study both the impact of illegal immigrants
to better understand the issue and to pass laws to curb the incentive for illegal
immigrants to come to Virginia. This is why I voted to create a joint subcommittee
to study the impact of illegal immigrants on Virginia’s economy and governmental
services. I also fought for laws to get tougher on illegal immigrants who
commit crimes while in the Commonwealth. We must work to provide disincentives
to those who enter our country illegally while welcoming the legal immigrants into
the great American melting pot.
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2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS & KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE
I firmly believe in the people’s right to keep and bear arms as originally intended
by our founders. It is one of the most important rights that we have, and I will
fight to protect that right for all of Virginia's law-abiding citizens. I also support
Governor Kaine’s common sense Executive Order restricting the sale of guns to mentally
ill patients in court-ordered programs. I spearheaded legislation to put teeth into
the protective order laws to make sure repeat offenders spend real time in jail.
I have also supported legislation to make sure Virginia’s sexual criminal laws are
as tough as they can be. I pledge to continue making the Commonwealth a safer place.
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TRADITIONAL FAMILY VALUES
I guarantee to all families in the 26th district and across the Commonwealth that
I am and will remain, committed to the families of Virginia. I have supported pro-life
laws such as protecting the lives of unborn humans and requiring as a component
of informed consent to an abortion, every pregnant female shall be given the opportunity
to view an ultrasound image of her unborn child prior to the abortion. I have
also defended traditional marriage and supported legislation to protect our children
and our families from pornography. When it comes time to vote, I will not
back away from my personal convictions. Instead, my convictions will continue to
guide me in my public service.
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PROMOTING AGRICULTURE
Agriculture plays a vital role in Virginia’s economy, traditions, and quality of
life. As a life long farmer I pledge to promote the agricultural heritage of the
Shenandoah Valley. The sound practices on my farm that won us a national award for
environmental land use management are the same that guide my strong convictions
for the future of agriculture in Virginia. To help the future of this important
business I voted to end the estate tax. This was an important victory for farmers
in Rockingham County whose land prices are escalating. This legislation will protect
our Valley farms and ensure the continuation of family farming. In 2008, I chaired
a joint-committee study that developed a statewide Transfer of Development program.
This creative approach to preserving farmland without relying on taxpayer dollars
successfully passed the general assembly during the 2009 session.
I also championed a bill to promote the use of small scale biofuels on farmland.
This bill passed in 2009 states that if farmers meet certain criteria, they do not
need a special use permit from their local government. Small scale biofuel production
offers great promise and opportunity for the agricultural industry.
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TRANSPORTATION
With the recent I-81 rest stop area closings, citizens in the Valley have been largely
affected by the failures of VDOT bureaucrats in Richmond. I, along with my Republican
colleagues in the General Assembly have advocated for the re-opening of these areas
since it is a safety issue for most travelers. We have also proposed numerous ideas
that Governor Kaine could employ in order to keep the rest areas open. The Commonwealth
has many different options at her disposal which could be used to fund transportation
without raising taxes. Here are just a few ideas by which we could reach our transportation
goals:
- A full outside audit of VDOT. We must first look at where proper cuts can be made
before we risk the safety of our travelers.
- I support setting aside a certain percentage of new revenue growth toward transportation
funding.
- In addition we must insure, through legislation that gas tax revenues transferred
to the Transportation Trust Fund are actually used for transportation needs and
not for any other purpose.
- Using revenues generated from offshore drilling to be used to fund transportation
projects
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GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY & REFORM
We must restore trust in our government and hold our officials accountable. Government
agencies should be reviewed at all levels to prevent further waste. Other states
have established Government Performance Commissions which have been proven to improve
government performance and ensured more savings to the state. There are many government
agencies that need overhaul. Some of these in particular include VDOT, Social Services,
and Medicaid to ensure better services to the citizenry.
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ENERGY & THE ENVIRONMENT
Virginia is home to an abundant variety of energy resources. Coal-Fire energy, predominately
in southwest Virginia, is our most generate energy resource followed by nuclear,
natural-gas and petroleum. It is absurd and unnecessary that our Commonwealth imports
the second highest amount of electricity, only lagging behind California. We must
continue to support our coal and nuclear industries while simultaneously investing
in green jobs & renewable energy resources. A huge piece of energy independence
puzzle will be the exploration of oil and natural gas off of Virginia’s coast.
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