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Governor Kaine, Lt. Governor Bolling to Work to Advance Common Legislative Agenda
– State’s top two elected officials meet, discuss shared priorities –

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine and Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling met today to discuss plans to work together in a productive, bipartisan way during the 2006 General Assembly session to advance a broad array of shared legislative priorities. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor met with news reporters after a meeting in the Governor’s Office in Richmond today.

“Six weeks ago, I had a great meeting with the Lieutenant Governor, and today we are demonstrating tangible steps to further our cooperative and bipartisan working relationship,” Governor Kaine said. “On many issues -- from education to healthcare to transportation -- we stand on common ground in seeking common-sense solutions for Virginians.”

“While we may be from different political parties, and while we will not agree on every issue, Governor Kaine and I are both committed to building a better Virginia,” Lieutenant Governor Bolling said. “At the end of the day, the people of Virginia don’t care much about political labels, but they do care about results that make our schools better, our streets safer and improve our quality of life.”

Here are some of the initiatives in the 2006 Assembly that the Governor and Lieutenant Governor are supporting:

Education

• Support a budget amendment to begin the process of moving teacher pay to the national average and provide for regular professional evaluations of teachers.
• Support the expansion of needs-based financial aid and increases in Tuition Assistance Grants for students at our independent colleges and universities.

Transportation

• Support passage of a Constitutional Amendment to make certain that money intended for highway construction cannot be diverted to other government programs.
• Support dedicating insurance premium taxes to the Transportation Trust Fund on an ongoing basis.
• Support legislation to allow the transfer of development rights within a locality to protect the rights of property owners and encourage development near existing transportation, schools and public safety infrastructure.
• Support legislation to make abusive drivers that cause congestion to pay their share of road costs.

"We both recognize the need for protecting our transportation funds, for planning in a more efficient way, and for making new investments in transportation,” Governor Kaine said. “Although we do not fully agree on how to make these critical investments, we are committed to working together, and with the Senate and House, to find the funds to get transportation moving again."

Economic Development

• Support putting into law the Economic Strike Force previously established by Executive order to help people in areas hit hard by job losses to get back on their feet and back to work.
• Support creating the New College Institute in Martinsville.

Health Care

• Support legislation allowing small businesses to join together in order to obtain less expensive insurance for their employees.
• Support developing a blueprint for developing an integrated, acute and long term care delivery system for elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients.

Veterans

• Support the Governor’s budget amendment to provide a treasury loan for operating funds to open the new Sitter-Barefoot Veterans Care Center.

Property Taxes

• Support legislation to require local governments to provide homeowners with additional information so they are aware of the impact of assessment increases and how to participate in the setting of tax rates by their local government.
• Support legislation to enable local governments to provide a homestead exemption of up to 20% of the value of an owner occupied home from the real estate tax bill.

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