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DELEGATE WARD ARMSTRONG ANNOUNCES 2010 LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday January 18, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth Hooper
804-698-1710DELEGATE WARD ARMSTRONG ANNOUNCES 2010 LEGISLATIVE PACKAGE
Delegate Armstrong announced his legislative package for the 2010 General Assembly Session today. There are four main focuses of this year’s legislation.
Economic Development
Armstrong has worked with local leaders to craft legislation promoting job creation in localities with unemployment rates 1.5 percentage points or more above the state average. These bills would decrease both capital investment and minimum wage threshold requirements for new businesses seeking Governor’s Opportunity Fund or Enterprise Zone funding. Appalachian power and other eligible utilities will also be required to provide an economic incentive for qualified companies that expand or move into the region.
In addition, Armstrong will reintroduce legislation to expand eligibility for unemployment benefits to take advantage of Federal Stimulus funds that the House of Delegates turned down last year.
“Southside and Southwest Virginia have been suffering economically for years,” said Armstrong. “With the increased attention economic development has received due to the recession it is my hope that the General Assembly will take these steps to create new jobs and put people back to work.”
Appalachian Power
To address the concerns of citizens over excessive rate increases from Appalachian Power (APCo), Armstrong has introduced four pieces of legislation to reign in the electric utility. This legislation will: return APCo to regulatory standards in effect before deregulation ten years ago, prevent electric utilities from charging customers increased rates prior to approval by the State Corporation Commission (SCC), and require electric utilities to bundle rate increase requests so that SCC approval of increases does not occur in a vacuum.
“This package of legislation is intended to protect consumers,” Armstrong stated. “Times are tough and everyone must tighten their belts, including Appalachian Power. Enough is enough.”
Ethics reform
Rising concerns over abuses of power have led Armstrong to introduce several reform bills. Armstrong’s legislation would revise current code to create a General Assembly Ethics Review Panel. Key components of the legislation include: requiring the panel to hold all proceedings in public, defining a legislator as in violation if he or she knew or should have known that his or her actions were in violation of ethical standards (current law requires proof that the legislator knew that he or she was violating ethical standards), and ensure that ethics panel investigations continue even if a legislator resigns office.
In addition, Armstrong’s bills would establish a bipartisan redistricting commission and require legislators to track usage of their legislative expense accounts.
“When government officials fail to hold ourselves to high standards or conduct our business in the light of day, the public ceases to have faith in us,” remarked Armstrong.
Armstrong will also introduce additional legislation. A complete list of Delegate Armstrong’s legislation, along with descriptions, can be found on the Virginia General Assembly website at http://leg1.state.va.us/
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