TOSCANO CAMPAIGN UPDATE - October 25, 2007
This fall, all 100 seats in the Virginia House of Delegates and all 40 seats in the Virginia Senate are up for reelection. This includes mine. Yes, there is a campaign this fall, and it culminates in two short weeks, on November 6, 2007. I appreciate the support you have given me in the past, and I again ask for your support and vote this fall. If you would like to help, please contact me at david@davidtoscano.com. And if you would like to DONATE, (I continue to send mail pieces to inform my constituents about my positions and to solicit theirs), you can do so by sending a check to Toscano for Delegate, P.O. Box 283, Charlottesville, VA 22902 or by doing so on this website.
Most of my time this summer has been spent helping candidates throughout the state get their messages to the public. There are ten very close House races statewide which could swing either way on election day, and the results will make a real difference in whether the proposals we support have a reasonable chance of being enacted in the next session. If you would like to designate a donation to go toward this effort, please so indicate.
Above, David joins the UDems for their 5k race (10/20)
We are gathering many good ideas for possible legislation for the next session and I hope to narrow these to ten or so in the weeks following the election. Much of the next session will focus on budgetary challenges. As you know, we have a budget shortfall, and there will be critical debates on priorities this year. This is the year when we are scheduled to "rebenchmark" for the K-12 Standards of Quality. "Rebenchmarking" is the term used to describe how the state funds the basic requirements of education with monies distributed to the localities, much of which is designated for the state's share of increasing teacher salaries. Both Charlottesville and Albemarle contribute substantial local money over and above that which is provided by the state, but it is clear that without maintaining the state's commitment, we could easily lose ground in our efforts to provide the best quality education for our children. There will likely be an effort, primarily from Republican lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee, to reduce monies allocated for rebenchmarking. I will fight to provide these funds to education.
Another item that will generate substantial debate is mental health. Many bills will be introduced to address ways to better provide treatment to those in need, including making revisions in our civil commitment statutes to make it easier for judges to force treatment upon those who constitute a danger to themselves or others. And there will be budgetary issues. Recent studies indicate that Virginia ranks 30th among the states in mental health funding per capita, even though we are 10th in per capita income. I would appreciate your views on this issue.
Finally, I will likely be introducing and/or cosponsoring bills designed to:
- Limit interest rates on payday and motor vehicle title loans.
- Provide tax breaks for homeowners who purchase homes that meet rigorous energy conservation standards.
- Assist foster care children to achieve greater family permanency and educational opportunities through the community college system.
- Grant authority to local governments to regulate the engine idling of buses, trucks, and large vehicles, thereby reducing emissions that cause climate change and threaten health.
- Provide greater flexibility to promoters of affordable housing by allowing builders to contribute to local housing trust funds in exchange for the ability to build with greater density, and by eliminating certain recordation fees for builders of these units.
Please contact me with any concerns or ideas about what I should be doing. As always, your input and advice is greatly appreciated. Please pass this update along to others who might be interested and encourage them to sign up to receive mailings. I would like to build a better list so I can stay in touch with constituents during session.
