All results / Stories / Delegate Kenneth R. “Ken” Plum
Column: Legislative Resolutions
Legislation that is proposed for consideration by the General Assembly is called a bill. A bill that has passed the House of Delegates and the Senate and has been signed by the Governor in identical form becomes a law on July 1 after the adjournment of the legislative session and is included in the Code of Virginia. To know what the laws of the Commonwealth are, go to the Code at http://leg1.state.va.us/000/src.htm. Bills that will be voted on at the legislative session beginning on Jan. 9 can be reviewed at the same website.
Commentary
Five Million Dollars a Day
Virginia taxpayer dollars not returned to them has amounted to five million dollars each day since Jan. 1, and will continue at that rate each day that Virginia refuses to expand its Medicaid program. In addition, at least 400,000 working Virginians will continue to be uninsured.
Sustaining Virginia’s Future
Of all the sources of information I cite in my weekly columns, none is quoted as frequently as The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis (www.thecommonwealthinstitute.org). The institute is an independent staff of professionals who do analyses of state public policies with particular attention to the impacts on low and moderate income persons. Their July 2012 report, Frozen in Time: Virginia’s Revenue System Can’t Pull its Weight, provides the documentation for this column.
Commentary:Paving the Way
The Reconvened Session of the General Assembly that met last week concluded work for this year on the most significant funding program for transportation infrastructure approved by the legislature since the historic special session in 1986.
Commentary: A Faithful Budget
This column is being written before the results of the election are known. Regardless of the outcome, however, the winners will face tough challenges. Growing numbers of persons unemployed and in poverty require consideration and response even as budgets get more difficult to balance.
Commentary: Too Good to Pass Up
In 2001, over 900,000 Virginians were living below the poverty line with an annual household income for a family of four under $23,050. Over 416,000 of these Virginians were living in deep poverty with a family of four having an annual household income under $11,525. Of the total, 270,000 were children, the highest number of children living in poverty in Virginia since 1998.
Commentary: The Politics of Fear
Fear can be a powerful influence in our lives. A healthy fear of something that is harmful may keep us safe. Fear of the unknown can cause helpful caution or limit our perspective. Too often fear can be misused to manipulate the actions of others. In Richmond, as elsewhere, fear is evident and at work in many aspects of the legislative process.
Column: The Other Bills
By the time it adjourns in early March the General Assembly will have considered more than 2,500 bills and resolutions. About half will have passed.
Commentary: Classrooms to Courtrooms
A report of the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) released last year included some eye-opening findings for Virginia: The Commonwealth leads the nation in student referrals to law enforcement, and minority students and students with disabilities are more likely to be suspended, expelled, or referred to law enforcement.
Commentary: Time to Catch Up on School Funding
According to the General Assembly’s own watch-dogs, the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), Virginia’s local school divisions shoulder the highest share of total K-12 spending in the Southeast region.
Column: Tradition of Keeping Voters Informed
Virginians can access state government programs and services through a single internet portal, www.virginia.gov that is nationally recognized as one of the best among the states.
Column: Not Up to the Challenge
It is not easy to admit that you are not up to a challenge that hundreds of your constituents face each day, but that’s what happened to me last week. ProgressVA sponsored the “Live the Wage Challenge” asking elected officials, community leaders, advocates and everyday citizens to walk in the shoes of a minimum wage worker by living on a minimum wage budget for one week.
Commentary: Two Civil Rights Heroes
About a week ago there was a memorial service for Reston’s founder and namesake, Robert E. Simon, Jr., who passed away on Sept. 21, 2015.
Commentary: Reconvened Session—2016
The Library of Virginia has an informative new exhibit “First Freedom” that includes documents on the passage of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom penned by Thomas Jefferson and passed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1786.
Commentary: Restoring Rights
Governor Terry McAuliffe issued an executive order recently restoring civil rights of voting, serving on a jury, running for office, or being a notary public for persons who had been convicted of any and all felonies in the past and who have completed the terms of incarceration and who have completed any period of supervised release of probation and parole.
Commentary: Balancing the Budget
One of the responsibilities of the Governor of Virginia dictated by the State Constitution is to propose a budget for a biennium.
Commentary: Redesigning Our Schools
My first experience in Fairfax County came as a result of being placed as an intern teacher by the University of Virginia in Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
Commentary: Election Outcomes Do Matter
I know it is a safe assumption that readers of this column are regular voters. There is no need for me to carry on about the importance of voting, outcomes matter, etc.
Commentary: The Chicken and the Egg
A chicken or egg kind of debate has been going on in Virginia recently as a result of a report from the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC).
Commentary: Medicaid in Perspective
A recent newspaper headline proclaimed that “Audit finds waste, inefficiencies in Virginia’s Medicaid program.” As often is the case, the real story is beyond the headline.