Thursday, February 28, 2013
Medicaid expansion would provide for more than 400,000 Virginians to have health care and provide some 30,000 jobs.
The Virginia State Senate passed a transportation plan after Governor Robert McDonnell agreed to sign off on a Medicaid expansion conference committee to come up “with a concept to ensure that significant reforms are attained prior to any potential expansion of Medicaid.” The committee will be made up of five members of the House of Delegates who serve on the House Appropriations Committee and five members of the Senate Finance Committee as well as the Secretaries of Finance and Health and Human Resources. At least three members of the House and three of the Senate members on the Committee must vote to approve the recommendations. The two secretaries will be ex-officio, non-voting members. Medicaid expansion would provide for more than …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Members of the Virginia General Assembly returned home to Mount Vernon on Saturday to discuss the latest from Richmond.
Del. Scott Surovell (D-44th) and State Senators Adam Ebbin (D-30th) and Toddy Puller (D-36th) relayed the progress of their bills to constituents on Saturday at the Mount Vernon Governmental Center, and briefly discussed pending legislation before the 2013 session comes to a close Feb. 23. Surovell has been working to get a statewide ban on texting while driving. "Personally, I don't think the bill goes far enough," he said. "Right now, if the bill carries, you're still allowed to browse the Internet while driving, play music and look at your phone and play 'Angry Birds' while driving. It's also a lot harder to enforce, I think. I think it ought to be hands-free….But at least it's the first step." For the latest on bills in the 2013 …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
An update from Virginia State Senator Linda "Toddy" Puller.
The Virginia General Assembly convened in Richmond last Wednesday. So far one of the major issues is whether or not to lift the moratorium on mining uranium. The bill before us is one that would go forward to set up regulations should the ban be lifted. Many people have contacted me regarding this issue sharing studies and concerns pro and con. Another issue gaining a lot of attention is Governor Robert McDonnell’s reappointment of Helen Dragas to the University of Virginia Board of Visitors. Her reappointment must be confirmed by the General Assembly. After meeting with Ms. Dragas and considering the damage that has been done to our stellar, flagship public university, I have decided that I cannot vote for her confirmation and have …
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Transportation is popular discussion topic
Transportation and transit issues took center stage Saturday morning at a Mount Vernon town hall hosted by state lawmakers from Northern Virginia. State Sens. Toddy Puller (36th District) and Adam Ebbin (30th District), as well as Del. Scott Surovell (44th District), all Democrats, spoke before constituents during a two-hour event at the Mount Vernon Government Center. Puller said Route 1 north of Highway 235 will be widened, but the timetable is up in the air. “You will see the funding for that, I do believe, but I don’t know whether it will be in my lifetime,” she said. Puller noted that many Fort Belvoir employees are driving to the base from the south, also causing traffic back-ups toward Prince William County. Surovell noted that …
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Plans call for widening highway to six lanes
Editor's Note: This is the first of a three-part series examining transportation, development and business along the Route 1 corridor. Part two focuses on upcoming mixed-use developments. Part three focuses on the growing area hotel industry. The Route 1 corridor in southeastern Fairfax County sees more than 60,000 vehicles per day—and it doesn't seem like any of those drivers are happy with the status quo on the 7.5-mile stretch of congested highway. Neither are the cyclists who commute through or live near the corridor, nor pedestrians who patronize the highway’s incoherent patchwork of shops and restaurants set amid sprawling, unseemly parking lots. New apartments, stores and hotels planned for Route 1, as well as expansion at Fort …
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Two seats among those Republicans hope to nab in Tuesday's election
As Election Day nears, Virginia Republicans are keeping a close eye on several tight races across the state, hoping to wrest control of the state Senate away from the Democrats. George Mason University Professor Mark Rozell told Reuters that if Republicans take the state Senate, it could spell trouble next year for President Obama, who won the state in 2008. Northern Virginia has seen visits in recent weeks from Michelle Obama, second lady Jill Biden, former President Bill Clinton and GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney. Democrats and Republicans in Virginia are duking it out down to the wire, throwing cash at campaigns across the state where they see trouble. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, last-minute contributions …
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Virginia Tea Party criticizes Puller and six Va. Democrats in new TV spots
The Virginia Tea Party Alliance’s political action committee began airing a television ad this week targeting seven incumbent Virginia Democrats in the upcoming state senate race, including state Sen. Linda "Toddy" Puller (D-36). The ad says the Democrats have ties to President Barack Obama and accuses them of supporting “Obamacare” and “in-state tuition for illegals,” according to the Washington Post. The ad is the Virginia Tea Party Committee's first TV spot, according to the Post. Democrats currently hold a slim 22 to 18 majority in the state senate. The spot praises state Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli for standing up to Obama's policies. Puller is running against Republican candidate Jeff Frederick. The election is on Nov. 8.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Virginia 36th District Senate candidate Jeff Frederick raised about $10,000 more in cash than incumbent Senator Toddy Puller. But Puller has a slight lead in total funds available.
Incumbent Senator Toddy Puller has about a $30,000 more in campaign funds than her Republican challenger, Jeff Frederick. But Frederick, who is a former state delegate, raised about $10,000 more in cash, according to the most recent finance reports for September. Frederick raised a total of $106,899, but about $37,000 was in-kind contributions mostly from the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus and the Republican State Leadership Committee. He spent about $93,000 in September. Puller raised about $62,000 in cash for September and spent about $80,000. Puller is left with $126,301 and Frederick has $86,886 left as they near the Nov. 8 election. Puller continues to get support from the Democratic Party of Virginia, which has given her more than…
Monday, October 3, 2011
Beth El Hebrew Congregation hosted a candidates' brunch.
Candidates in three state senate races fielded questions from constituents at a candidates’ brunch at Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria on Sunday. The brunch was hosted by the Brotherhood of Beth El Congregation. 36th District candidates Jeff Frederick and Sen. Toddy Puller, 39th District candidates Miller Baker and Sen. George Barker, and 31st District candidate Barbara Favola. Favola’s opponent, Caren Merrick, was not present. Immigration, transportation, HOT lanes, and BRAC were discussed at length. “We haven’t done anything significant for transportation funding since 1986,” said Sen. Puller. “We did get the formula changed a little bit for Northern Virginia. It’s just outrageous what we have not done for our citizens as far as…
Friday, September 30, 2011
Sen. Jim Webb, Sen. Mark Warner and former Governor Kaine announced their endorsement of Senator Puller for reelection
Sen. Jim Webb and Sen. Mark Warner, as well as former Gov. Tim Kaine announced their endorsement of state Sen. Linda "Toddy" Puller for re-election this week. Puller is running against Republican challenger Jeff Frederick for the 36th District seat. Webb said in a press release: “Toddy Puller is an exceptional public servant. Thanks to her hard work and skill, Toddy has helped tackle some of the toughest challenges facing Northern Virginia—improving the Route 1 corridor, strengthening public education and safeguarding our quality of life. As her friend for many years, I know Toddy to be a fierce advocate for Virginia’s veterans and military families. She’s earned our trust.” “I have known Toddy Puller for more than 20 years and she is …
Lee
5:45 pm on Monday, April 22, 2013
I'd support you on that. more ›