Progress|VA Blog

The following was written and shared with the permission of Tara Louise Casey. It can also be found at RVAmag.com.

During the recent debate on the judicial nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland for appointment to the General District Court bench, social conservative members of the House of Delegates repeatedly claimed that Mr. Thorne-Begland was unfit to serve as a judge because he had violated his duty to his country when he chose to declare his sexual orientation while in active military service.  They likewise claimed that he betrayed his oath as a commissioned officer, thus calling into question his integrity and faithfulness to his mission.  These Delegates sought to vote down Mr. Thorne-Begland's nomination, extolling the sanctity of an oath and a duty that he allegedly broke.

For the moment, put aside the fact that the Virginia General Assembly chose to let ignorance prevail in its consideration of a learned individual for judicial appointment. Put aside the fact that the nomination of a decorated former Navy pilot, career prosecutor, loving father, and highly respected member of the community was derailed due to the fear-mongering of a coalition seduced by the McCarthyistic power of the bully pulpit. Put all of that aside and contemplate how our representatives in the House of Delegates regarded their own oath of office, their own duty of service, when it came time to vote on Mr. Thorne-Begland's nomination.

In the early hours of the morning, the Virginia House of Delegates, led by far-right activists, refused to confirm the judicial nomination of Tracy Thorne-Begland, simply because he is gay. Here is how each voted: 

Nays - 31

Anderson, Bell R.P., Bell R.B., Byron, Cline, Cole, Cosgrove, Cox J.A., Dudenhefer, Edmunds, Fariss, Garrett, Greason, Helsel, Hodges, Hugo, Iaquinto, Knight, Lingamfelter, Marshall D.W., Marshall R.G., Massie, Merricks, Morefield, Pogge, Poindexter, Ramadan, Robinson Villanueva, Watson, Wilt

Abstentions under Rule 69 - 10

Cox M.K., Crockett-Stark, Ingram, Landes, O'Quinn, Putney, Rush, Scott E.T., Sherwood, Stolle

Not Voting - 26, Yeas - 33

This sort of intolerance is unacceptable in Virginia. All residents of our Commonwealth should be treated fairly and equally. Homophobia is not an acceptable reason to reject qualified judicial nominees. Tell the 41 Delegates who rejected Thorne-Begland's nomination that Virginians won't stand for this blatant intolerance.

Virginia has the sixth highest student load debt in the country, with the average student carrying $31,700 of debt upon graduation. Considering what students could be spending this money on, this is a very serious issue. Graduates could be jump starting the economy and giving the housing market a boost by using that money to put a down payment on their first homes. Or they could use that money instead to purchase fuel-efficient cars. Responsible graduates could also invest the money or put it aside to have a plan in case disaster strikes. The options for spending this money are almost limitless, but I can guarantee that no student would choose to graduate with such an enormous amount of debt. Rather, they feel like they have no choice.

ProgressVA today released a new video highlighting the record Gov. McDonnell is hoping Virginians (and Mitt Romney's VP selection committee) will forget. Virginians are intimately familiar with his support for extreme, out-of-touch social legislation and failure to adequately invest in public education and transportation solutions. As McDonnell attempts to whitewash his record and reclaim his struggling VP bid with a $400,000 tv ad blitz, ProgressVA is setting the record straight.

"Bob McDonnell may think he can buy his way back into Virginians' good graces, but we don't fool that easily," said ProgressVA Executive Director Anna Scholl. "Virginians can't forget Bob McDonnell's support for forced, mandatory ultrasounds, his repeal of common sense public safety protections, his lack of adequate investment in public education, and his absolute failure to address our transportation crisis."

Yesterday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new and exciting data about the impressive savings for Americans because of the Affordable Care Act. According to CMS' Office of the Actuary, through 2016, the ACA will help the Medicare program save more than $200 billion by implementing anti-fraud measures, changing providers policies to improve productivity and ending excessive payment to insurers who offer Medicare Advantage plans. For seniors and those with disabilities in the traditional Medicare program, the ACA will help them realize a savings of $59.4 billion through 2016 and $208 billion through 2021 by lower cost-sharing and premiums.

This latest data further proves the that the ACA is good for America and good for Virginians. Since the law was enacted in 2012, Virginians have saved millions and gotten the health care that they need to live healthier lives.

Check below for an important list of the facts:

Via MSNBC: "Candy company Mars is the latest corporation to abandon the right-wing agenda group ALEC. Some ALEC-associated lawmakers are feeling the heat. Director of Progress VA Anna Scholl tells Ed Schultz about her confrontation with the Virginia Speaker of the House over his party's ties to ALEC."

This morning ProgressVA joined with national advocacy organizations from across the country to urge companies to quit ALEC. In the past week, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods, Intuit and the Gates Foundation have all renounced their participation in ALEC. Last week, ProgressVA called for Virginia legislators to do the same. In January, ProgressVA released a report detailing the influence of ALEC on Virginia's legislature, including over 50 bills introduced in the General Assembly and over $230,000 of taxpayer dollars spent to subside legislative membership in the organization. Today's release reports:

"A coalition of civil rights and government watchdog groups with members in all 50 states elevated the ongoing campaign to pressure corporations to withdraw from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) by calling today on three prominent companies to join the list of firms departing ALEC.

Color of Change, Common Cause,  People for the American Way, Progress Now, the Center for Media and Democracy, and CREDO said their members will be petitioning State Farm Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, McDonald's - all of whom play a prominent leadership role in ALEC to leave the organization immediately...

'ALEC's companies and lobbyists wine-and-dine our elected officials at expense-paid "seminars," write legislation for them and then fade quietly into the background as that legislation is introduced and passed in statehouses across the country,' said Anna Scholl of Progress Virginia. 'People we elect to represent all of us end up representing just a few, driven by their pursuit of profit and/or a radical ideological agenda.' Progress Virginia recently released a report detailing ALEC's undue influence in the Commonwealth."

(Please find the rest of the release here.)

BREAKING: McDonalds has now joined the growing list of companies dumping ALEC.

Sen. Dick Lugar (R-McLean, VA) has delivered for Virginia families

ProgressVA today wished US Senator Dick Lugar a very happy birthday and thanked him for all his work on behalf of Virginia families. A resident of McLean, VA, Senator Lugar has delivered results for Virginia voters.

We at ProgressVA so pleased he has chosen to call our fair Commonwealth home and for the numerous earmarks he's delivered for Virginia families. While Senator Lugar may live in Northern Virginia, his record demonstrates his concern for every corner of the Commonwealth. Our slogan may be "Virginia is for lovers" but the truth is that Virginians love their 3^rd Senator, Dick Lugar.

Senator Lugar has voted to approve projects of importance to regions across the Commonwealth, including:

• $100,000 to Bedford County, Virginia for construction of the National D-Day Memorial;
• $400,000 to Northampton County, Virginia for construction of a community center;
• $200,000 to the Alexandria Redevelopment Housing Authority in Alexandria, Virginia for renovations of the Family Resource Learning Center;
• $250,000 to the City of Chesapeake, Virginia for improvements to the Poindexter streetscape;
• $100,000 to the City of Martinsville, Virginia for the expansion of the West Piedmont Business Development Center;
• $300,000 to the City of Richmond, Virginia for the construction of the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation Education Center;
• $250,000 to the City of Roanoke, Virginia for renovations to the Southwestern Virginia Food Bank;
• $150,000 to the City of Staunton, Virginia for building renovations and improvements to downtown buildings;
• $500,000 for the Christopher Newport News University Real Estate Foundation for the Warwick Boulevard Commercial Corridor Redevelopment Project in Newport News, Virginia;

[Sources: Senate.gov, The Library of Congress]

As the home of such illustrious patriots as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, and Patrick Henry, it's no wonder Dick Lugar would like to join their company. On behalf of all Virginians, we're proud to wish Dick Lugar a happy 80th birthday and thank him for his service as our 3rd Senator.

Tomorrow, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) turns 2 years old. Even though it's only partially implemented, it's already helping families save health care costs and making it possible for small business owners to more easily provide health insurance to employees.

Small businesses benefit from:

• The ACA ends the "Job Lock." Starting a business can be risky for those with families to support.  On top of everything else involved, if you or a family member has a pre-existing medical condition, then currently leaving your job (and losing the health insurance that comes with it) to start a businesses is often a non-starter. The ACA will end this job lock and makes it possible for new entrepreneurs to start new businesses without worrying about whether their next health care policy will cover their pre-existing conditions.
• Small Business Tax Credits.  Because of the ACA, 4 million small businesses now have access to tax credits to help with the cost of health insurance premiums.  These lower premiums mean more coverage for employees and more flexibility for employers to grow their business and hire more workers.
• Small businesses can band together to lower their costs. When fully implemented in 2014, small businesses will be able to purchase health insurance for employees through state run exchanges.  These exchanges will give small businesses the advantages that big business has today -- more choices and lower rates for covering their employees.

Small businesses aren't the only ones saving. Individuals and families are also seeing the health care costs controlled because of the ACA:

• Insurance companies will be held accountable for how they spend you health insurance premiums.  If insurance companies don't spend at least 80% of your premium dollar on medical care and quality improvements instead of advertising, overhead and profits, then they'll have to provide you a rebate.
• No more co-pays or deductibles for preventative services.  Whether it's flu shots, cancer screenings or well-child visits, preventative services will be free as part of your health insurance.  This means better care and more money in your pocket.
• Insurance companies will no longer be able to raise rates without accountability or transparency.  If insurance companies must now justify rate increases of 10% or more.  This has already led insurance companies slowing their premium increases.

The Affordable Care Act is nearly two years old.  Make your voice heard to your legislators, neighbors and friends to ensure it continues to make health care work for all Americans.

Health care works for seniors, health care works for Women, and Health care works for Young Adults and Children

The great recession has been a challenging time for all Virginians, but especially those entering the workforce for the first time.  Whether getting a job after high school, college or  graduate school, there has been more competition for fewer jobs.  What is usually an exciting time for young people starting their adult lives has become scary and challenging.  Even more so for those who have health issues - whether new or or ongoing.

Thankfully the Affordable Care Act became law two years ago this week and it is already working for young people.

More below the fold.

Continuing our week long celebration of the 2nd anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, let's look at a few of the things the the Affordable Care Act does for women's health:

• The ACA ends lifetime limits on healthcare and bans annual limits beginning in 2014.  For those who are most sick, this means that their care won't stop when they need it most.


• Women can no longer be charged 150 times more than men.  Before the ACA passed, Caesarean sections and domestic violence were considered pre-existing conditions and used to deny women healthcare.  Thanks to the ACA, that is no longer the case.


• Since passage, more than 20 million women have received preventative services without a co-pay.  The ACA has made it possible for women to access recommended services such as mammograms, pap smears, contraception, new baby care and well-child visits without any out of pocket expenses.


• Under the ACA, all new health plans will be required to offer essential benefits for women including maternity care, newborn care and prescription drug benefits.

In Virginia, we've seen the war on women's health up close and personal.   The very same folks who brought you the outrageous legislation this session are behind attempts to fight the Affordable Care Act and its benefits for Virginia's women.   We must protect women's care.

This Thursday, March 23, the Affordable Care Act will celebrate its two-year anniversary.  To mark the occasion, advocates across the Commonwealth will host events to highlight how the ACA has worked for Virginia.  These activities include a tweet chat on Twitter, campus speak-outs, community conversations and others where Virginians will share their personal stories about how the ACA has changed their lives.

The ACA's benefits have been profound for our seniors, young adults, children, women, small businesses, consumers and communities.  Here are examples of how the ACA has helped Virginians get better health care, save millions of dollars and live healthier:

• Virginia's seniors on Medicare have saved nearly $80 million on brand-name prescription drugs because of the ACA and more than 800,000 have received free preventative care services
• More than 1.5 million Virginians, including 410,000 children, can now get preventative care services without a co-pay
• Nearly 3,000,000 Virginians are now free of fear from lifetime caps on insurance coverage
• More than 60,000 of Virginia's young adults now have health care coverage though their parents' employer-provided health insurance
• More than 2,000,000 Virginians are better informed about the percentage of their premium dollars insurance companies actually spend on health care costs
• Virginians most in need have received critical health care through public health services and community-based clinics supported by more than $64.5 million in federal funding.

More below the fold.

This week is Sunshine week, where we celebrate the Freedom of Information Act and transparent government. But it began with the disturbing news that the study of uranium mining in Pittsylvania will not be subject to public scrutiny and "many of its papers [will be kept] secret". This study will be used to determine how to regulate potential uranium mining. The outcome will have serious consequences for landowners, farmers, businesses, and water quality in the area. It is of vital importance that this study and the decisions that come from it are completely transparent. Without that transparency, the study will be difficult to trust and it will be impossible to understand how they made their decisions.

Yesterday we lost a difficult fight. Late in the afternoon, Governor McDonnell signed HB 462, which forces women to undergo intrusive, medically unnecessary ultrasounds as a precursor to receiving legal medical care. In so doing, Governor McDonnell demonstrated his dedication to a right wing agenda and his personal political aspirations over the women of Virginia and their families. He imposed his extreme agenda--over your voice and the voice of Virginia's women and men.

The media loves to make claims about the Affordable Care Act being unpopular. The latest USA/Gallup poll doesn't tell the whole truth about Americans' attitudes about the Affordable Care Act and in fact, shows the health care reform law is unpopular because its been politicized. In fact, when people learn the truth about the law, they have a more favorable opinion about it; even, Susan Page, author of the USA Today article discussing the recent poll acknowledged this fact on Twitter earlier today.

Here are the facts:

Americans wanted health care reform:
Pollingshows that prior to health care reform, a majority of Americans thought that the old health care system was broken and needed to be fixed.

Americans wanted health care reform to fix critical problems:
Polling shows that a majority of Americans wanted reform to target costs (make insurers keep premium costs down), keep insurance companies honest (prevent insurers from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions) make reform fair (require everyone to share the burden and get health care coverage.)

Americans support an individual mandate:
Polling shows that Americans have a positive opinion about the individual responsibility provision, when they learn that the mandate and tax won't apply to them, since they'll be covered under their employer's health care plan.

Americans like the ACA:
Polling shows that a majority of Americans think that Congress should "expand or keep the ACA as is."

The ACA has given Americans what they wanted. Need more facts? Visit www.protectyourcare.org.

Today for Valentine's Day, the Young Invincibles, an organization focused on expanding health care coverage for younger Americans, launched their #FriendsWithBenefits campaign to help educate young people about their new health care options. The campaign includes incredibly detailed, state-specific health care toolkits that are available to download for free.

Through the use of social networking the #FriendsWithBenefits is helping spread the word to Americans ages 18 to 35--a group that is often at risk of being uncovered by health care or unaware of their options that are available to them. To help us get the word out to this frequently uninsured group, please share the #FriendsWithBenefits campaign on Facebook, on Twitter, and email the link http://www.gettingcovered.org/Toolkit/ to any young people you know.

This morning the New York Times Editorial page profiled ProgressVA's report on the influence of a "little-known conservative organization financed by millions of corporate dollars" on Virginia's legislature. The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, is responsible for over 50 bills introduced in the General Assembly in recent years.

The editorial concluded, "ALEC's work...further demonstrates the pervasive influence of corporate money and right-wing groups on the state legislative process. There is no group with any comparable influence on the left. Lawmakers who eagerly do ALEC's bidding have much to answer for. Voters have a right to know whether the representatives they elect are actually writing the laws, or whether the job has been outsourced to big corporate interests."

For a copy of the full report, visit www.progressva.org/alec and check out the full New York Times editorial below the fold.

While appearing on a Sunday morning news show with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley, Governor Bob McDonnell stated, "I'm glad the economy is starting to recover, but I think it's because of what Republican governors are doing in their states, not because of the president." However, the Washington Examiner reports, "Maryland created eight times more private-sector jobs than Virginia last year," and the January job report released on Friday shows that nationally we're on the right track. 243,000 jobs were created in January, capping off 23 straight months of private sector job growth, thanks to President Obama's investment in the Recovery Act.

In direct conflict with his months of criticizing the stimulus, George Allen spent the last two weeks touring and touting the economic successes of two Virginia firms that received millions in stimulus grants. One of them, Ennis Electric Company, Allen visited last week and left out of his praise for the company was the fact the firm has benefitted from nearly $14 million in stimulus funding.

As the Virginia General Assembly discusses the budget for this year, it is clearer than ever that Governor McDonnell's cuts-only approach to Virginia's enormous budget shortfall is unrealistic and impossible. More than 90% of the proposed $880 million in cuts are to education and healthcare. We cannot rob the citizens of Virginia of such vital services because the Governor and lawmakers in Richmond refuse to consider any other options.

Last night in his State of the Union address, the President spoke of a better America and better government.  Guided by the belief that government "should do for people only what they cannot do better by themselves, and no more," the President has led our government to govern better, implementing historic initiatives such as the Affordable Care Act and leading the government to reform the health insurance market place instead of creating a government-run program.  But by design, implementation of health care reform, in part, requires state action.  Our Virginia legislature has only 60 days to act and lay the foundation for our health benefits exchanges.  These exchanges will be the free-market systems where citizens and businesses will acquire the health care insurance that they need, at a price that they can pay.  Simply put, by creating health benefits exchanges, our legislature is only "doing for people what they cannot do better by themselves."  It's time that the Virginia legislature pass legislation creating our health benefits exchanges--for the benefit of all Virginians and for a better Virginia.

Conservative lawmakers in Virginia's House and Senate are so eager to attack working Virginians, they're throwing smart business protections for taxpayer dollars out the window--and they're doing it with the help of the national, pro-corporate greed group ALEC. Legislation that has been approved by House and Senate committees seeks to prohibit Project Labor Agreements (PLAs), which are actually extremely beneficial to Virginia. Project labor agreements are a market-based tool that sets rules and expectations for management and workers and as a result, projects with PLAs come in on-time and on-budget.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of an attempt by U.S. House Republicans, including those representing Virginians, to repeal the Affordable Care Act.  The ACA's benefits are substantive, extensive and more than impressive.

A few of the ACA benefits by the numbers...

• 45,000 Americans with pre-existing conditions have health insurance


• 2.5 million of America's young adults now have health insurance


• 2.65 million American seniors have saved $1.5 billion on prescription drugs

Voting is a fundamental American freedom. Conservatives in the General Assembly are trying to erode that freedom by passing legislation that essentially amounts to a poll tax--requiring specific forms off ID in order to cast a vote. Though Republicans claim they are trying to prevent voter fraud, they are trying to rectify a problem that doesn't exist. More people get struck by lightning a year than commit voter fraud. Even the sponsor of these bills, Delegate Mark Cole, admits "he knows of no cases in which ineligible people impersonating registered voters have been allowed to vote.

State Senator Steve Martin told CBS 6 yesterday that the requirement in his bill, SB 1 (the very first bill prefiled in the Senate), that voter registration cards no longer be an acceptable form of identification when voting was a "mistake." That's quite a mistake considering this is the 3^rd year in a row he has introduced this language. Kent Willis, the executive director of the ACLU of Virginia, called Martin's bill "a clear violation of voter rights," and "any kind of restrictions you impose on ID disproportionately affect the elderly, low-income residents and racial minorities."

Sen. Martin introduced virtually identical language in 2010 and 2011. He also, coincidentally, pulled a lot of the legislative language from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). He's one of ALEC's two Virginia state chairmen and has spent over $22,000 dollars in taxpayer money traveling around to their conferences to meet with corporate lobbyists behind closed doors (View his ALEC profile here).

Attempting to pass legislation that would disenfranchise many Virginia voters once would indeed be quite a "mistake". File your "mistaken" legislation three years in a row and people might start to think your campaign for voter disenfranchisement was intentional.

The Better Choices for Virginia Coalition, of which ProgressVA is a member, gathered in Richmond today to tell Governor McDonnell that Virginians need a budget plan with a balanced approach that cuts tax loopholes and not jobs. Their release reports,

"With the Governor preparing to unveil his plan for the upcoming budget next week, the more than 40 organizations that comprise the growing Better Choices coalition want him to protect and create jobs instead of making deep cuts to schools, health care, public safety and other key building blocks for a strong economy."

Better Choices not only presented the Governor today with an enlarged petition, signed by today's rally's attendees, but also with more than 1,300 petitions signed by Virginians from across the Commonwealth calling for a balanced approach to the budget. McDonnell's cuts-only mentality threatens Virginia families and hurts our economic recovery.

Opposition to a blatantly anti-labor bill is beginning to build in Virginia, and State Senators Dave Marsden and Chap Petersen and Delegate David Englin are among those voicing criticism. House Bill No. 2, introduced by Delegate Bob Marshall, would prohibit Virginia from providing funding for Phase 2 of the Dulles Corridor Metro Project if it is subject to a project labor agreement (PLA).

PLAs don't actually require projects to only hire union workers--they are a tool for taxpayer accountability. PLAs require the use of trained workers and safety standards for contractors, and worked great on Phase 1 of the project, as we pointed out previously. State Senator Dave Marsden said in a statement this week,

"What concerns me is that this bill appears to stem from an anti-union mindset that places ideology over public good and job creation. It could lead to experienced workers who performed well on Phase I being excluded from Phase II, and create the need for the expense of training new workers. Just as importantly, the PLA will create local jobs for a largely local workforce... A PLA is not always necessary on public projects, but I would ask my good friend Delegate Marshall, 'what problem are you trying to solve with this legislation?' It seems that continuing the PLA during Phase II is in keeping with good public policy. Let's not remove what has proven to be successful tool from consideration."

(More below the fold.)

George Allen's latest campaign ad, released yesterday, included three blatantly false statements, and Protect Your Care's statement in response does a great job in correcting them. The statement shares:

Wrong fact #1:  The Affordable Care Act is "hurting Virginia's families and small businesses."

Correction #1:  The ACA benefits small business and Virginia's families - According to a recent study by Virginia's Commonwealth Institute, the "ACA provides a number of provisions and coverage options that will benefit small businesses and could jump-start an increase in coverage opportunities for workers at businesses with fewer than 50 employees...two new health insurance marketplaces will be critical to making health insurance more affordable to businesses and providing workers and other consumers with new affordable and quality health insurance options."

• The Facts:

• Last year, more than 100,000 Virginian small businesses were for eligible for the premium tax credit under the ACA.¹
• More than 500,000 people will be gain health care coverage under the ACA and the state-implemented health benefits exchange.²

When you're a Republican lawmaker, and even the ultra-conservative, anti-immigrant blogger Black Velvet Bruce Lee says your legislation is a contender to be "dumbest bill of the year," you know you're in trouble. But that's just what he said about Del. Terry Kilgore's bill to provide up to $8,000 in tax credits for those who want to launch their cremated remains into space, and I'm inclined to agree.

Julian Walker at the Virginian-Pilot reports, "In a brief interview Thursday, Kilgore, R-Scott County, said he submitted the bill on behalf of commercial space flight advocates." The astronomical idea to incentivize wealthy individuals who want to launch their cremated remains into the cosmos via a commercial space flight not only sounds outlandish, it's also coming at a time when Virginia is facing a $1 billion budget shortfall. 

Yesterday, ProgressVA reported on how Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli will even further politicize his office by refusing to step down while running for in the Republican primary for Governor of Virginia. Today there is a prime example of how he has been doing it already.

The Virginia Coalition to Protect Women's Health, which ProgressVA supports, called out Cuccinelli for using the office of the Attorney General to influence the regulatory process of women's health clinics in order to, in effect, end a woman's right to choose and access to safe and legal abortion services in the Commonwealth. The Coalition states,

"As a coalition of women's health providers and advocates, we are shocked at the degree to which the McDonnell administration has chosen to ignore the recommendations of medical experts to push its own politicized agenda.

"Politics - not public health - is the driving force behind the regulations, which are clearly part of an unprecedented political campaign at the state and federal levels to undermine women's access to safe, legal reproductive health care services.

"We are truly dismayed to learn of the state's hypocrisy in convening a panel of medical professionals, and then rejecting their advice when it didn't advance the state's goal of shutting down abortion providers. Not only does this demonstrate that the Attorney General's office has no regard for women's constitutional right to reproductive choice, but it also shows disdain for the rulemaking process and disrespect for medical professionals who volunteered their time and expertise to uphold patient health."

The Coalition is speaking out against the regulations today at a State Board of Health meeting in Richmond. As a result of Cuccinelli politicizing the process that resulted in the restrictive regulations, the Coalition is calling on Governor McDonnell to reject them. Virginians deserve regulations that genuinely prioritized the health of Virginia's women, and that are not influenced by the ideological beliefs of Ken Cuccinelli.

Today in Washington DC, the 99% converged on Capitol Hill and ProgressVA is participating in the effort to tell Congress to stop catering to the 1%. Thousands of unemployeed, underemployed, union members, students, and many other activists from across the country have come here to occupy Congress - and are delivering their message to over 99 Members.

ProgressVA is here today with them at House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office along with several local unemployeed from Washington DC hoping to deliver our message to the Congressman directly.

We will continue posting updates on our Twitter account @ProgressVA, so please stay tuned.

First, the Richmond Times Dispatch busted George Allen for making up his list of Tea Party endorsements (and some Tea Party organizations!)

Now, American Bridge passes along that those photos of "supporters" on his website are fake too. Here's a stock photo of random people (click on the image for a larger version):

And here's George Allen's website (click on the image for a larger version):

What a "true grassroots" organization!

Over the weekend, the Washington Post took a hard look at the virtual school company K12 Inc., which is based in Virginia. Popular with conservatives, their controversial virtual classrooms allow students to take lessons at home without physically going to a school. The firm is controversial because their students don't perform as well as those enrolled in public schools even though the company receives the same amount from the state, per pupil, as brick and mortar schools.

While the entire article is worth reading, near the end the piece shares how the politically savvy company got things done in Virginia: they gave a lot of money to Bob McDonnell. The Post reports, "McDonnell has received $55,000 in campaign contributions from K12 or its executives since 2009, including a $15,000 payment to his political action committee this month." For that he, "successfully promoted legislation to authorize full-time virtual schools in 2010. K12 was the only private company present during talks to craft that legislation." That legislation is based off templates written by the conservative, corporate-front group ALEC. A full list of K12's campaign contributions can be found here on VPAP.org.

Conservative lawmakers did not waste any time in getting partisan legislative proposals started for the next session that starts in January. Some controversial proposals are already public, just two weeks since the election, and they include:

• "Personhood" Anti-Abortion Legislation - Similar to legislation recently rejected in Mississippi, Del. Bob Marshall has already filed a "Personhood" bill for the upcoming session. (Washington Post, Virginia's Legislative Information System)


• Ending Criminal Background Checks for Gun Purchases - The Virginian-Pilot reports, "Gun-rights advocates have lobbied Gov. Bob McDonnell to scrap the program... Efforts to cancel the state's 22-year-old background check system... could be debated in the upcoming General Assembly session." This will likely be just one of many pro-gun proposals from conservatives.


• Undoing Compromise Redistricting - Conservatives led by Republican Leader Tommy Norment would redo this year's Virginia State Senate and House redistricting to be more favorable to Republicans. (Virginia Gazette) Conservatives are also trying to stall Congressional redistricting until January, in order to pass a map that will protect their 8 - 3 Republican Congressional majority and eliminate the creation of a second minority seat. (Washington Post)


• Conservative Immigration Policy - New legislation, and legislation copied from other states, will have significant anti-immigrant impacts on Virginia law enforcement, businesses, social and medical services, education, and housing. (Change Servant)


• Anti-Union Legislation - Del. Marshall has filed a bill to prohibit state revenue for the Dulles metro project if there is a project labor agreement. (VA Legislative Information System) Senate candidate George Allen also recently voiced opposition to Project Labor Agreements. (Progressive Point)


• Removing a Ban on Uranium Mining - Conservative lawmakers will likely help the uranium industry remove Virginia's 30-year ban on uranium mining in the Commonwealth. (Keep the Ban)


• Exempting VA Coal Companies from the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and All Federal Regulations - Last year, conservatives passed legislation in the House of Delegates that would exempt any products mined, manufactured, or produced in any other way and sold in Virginia from all federal regulations. That means coal companies would be exempt from the Clean Water Act and utilities would be exempt from the Clean Air Act if they were burning coal mined in Virginia. (Virginia Chapter Sierra Club) This will very likely be put forward again in January.


• Major Budget Cuts and Layoffs - Gov. McDonnell will soon submit a budget that will likely include layoffs and cuts of up to 6% for Virginia agencies, as well as many changes disingenuously labeled "reforms" from McDonnell's commission that excluded Democratic members. (Richmond Times Dispatch Oct. 28, 2011; Richmond Times Dispatch Nov. 20, 2011)

Also likely to return is a proposal to change pension plans from defined-benefit to defined-contribution--a conservative plan to hand over teachers and firefighters' retirement accounts to Wall Street for them to gamble away. (Virginian-Pilot) We can expect many other conservative legislative proposals, such as school vouchers, anti-transparency measures, and a right-to-work constitutional amendment.

Following Republican gains in Virginia's State Senate and House, conservative lawmakers believe they will be able to force through ideological and controversial bills that had previously been stopped by the State Senate. These proposals are not in the best interest of Virginians and we cannot allow them to become law because we weren't paying attention.

ProgressVA will continue to keep this list updated as new conservative legislative proposals surface.

The Richmond Times Dispatch reports that Virginia's localities are bracing for more budget cuts and even less support from the state government.  With Governor McDonnell still unable to find funding, he is continuing to shirk responsibility and pass the burden from the state down to the local level.  Chesterfield is one such locality:

That's the headline of a new report released yesterday by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Institute, revealing the income gap in Virginia has grown dramatically, reaching a 30-year high. Virginia now boasts a bigger disparity between rich and poor than all but one other state.

The news likely isn't that surprising to the vast swaths of Americans who have been struggling to make ends meet while the top 1% do better than ever. While our economy actually grew the last couple of years, working people didn't feel the gains because nearly all of the economic growth went to pad corporate profits instead of increasing American workers' incomes. While the rich get richer, the American Dream seems further away to middle-class Americans who work harder than ever to get nowhere.

The Founding Fathers understood the danger to democracy posed by concentrating great wealth in the hands of just a few. James Madison said "the day will come when our Republic will be an impossibility because wealth will be concentrated in the hands of a few." Republican President Abraham Lincoln decried the influence of the "money powers" and "Bankers" who "endeavor to prolong [their] reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in the hands of a few, and the Republic is destroyed."

GOP Presidential candidate Herman Cain is stopping in Lynchburg and Richmond this weekend, and has proposed scrapping the current federal tax system and replacing it with a 9% flat tax on personal and corporate income and a 9% national sales tax. ProgressVA has assembled a fact sheet on his economic proposals, highlighting impacts that have been largely overlooked as he has surged in the GOP nomination field:

Economists agree: Cain's plan constitutes a regressive tax policy that would hit the poor and the middle class significantly harder than the rich.

According to Politifact, "Most economists agree that a national sales tax would raise the relative tax burden on low- and middle-income earning taxpayers." William Gale, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, explains that's because lower earners spend more of their income than high-income households, who retain more disposable income for savings. (Source: Politifact)

Furthermore, top individual earners would see a reduction in their federal tax rate from 35% to just 9%, as well as an elimination of taxes on investment income, like capital gains. "It would be the biggest tax shift from the wealthy to the middle-class in the history of taxation, ever, anywhere, and it would bankrupt the country," said Center for American Progress Vice President for Economic Policy Michael Ettlinger. (Source: ThinkProgress)

Yesterday, Senate candidate George Allen solidified his attacks on middle-class families, releasing his "Freedom To Work For Less" agenda that would roll back protections for workers. While targeting struggling workers, the Allen campaign did not release any plans to hold accountable the CEOs and big banks responsible for tanking our economy. (Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, The Roanoke Times)  Even Ronald Reagan, the man who inspired Allen to enter politics, believed that it is important for the wealthy to pay their fair share - while Allen would keep the burden on working Virginians. 

Not many Virginians are millionaires. But, a whole lot of our congress members are - and they shouldn't be paying taxes at a lower rate than the rest of us.  They shouldn't be making average Virginians pay more so that they can pay less:

Its been weeks since President Obama sent his Jobs Plan to Hill, along with a plan to pay for it by closing tax loopholes and making sure millionaires pay their fair share. But (surprise, surprise), Congress is dragging its feet. Every day Congress refuses to pass the President's tax cut and jobs plan costs small businesses and working Americans.

Tell Congress to stop dragging their feet and pass the President's proposal to put Americans back to work.

The National Education Association has released a great ad in support of President Obama's American Jobs Act, highlighting the investments the legislation would make in education. If you live in the Richmond or DC media markets, this ad is coming to a tv near you:

As we told you last week, the jobs plan would provide over $425M to Virginia to improve classrooms and upgrade schools, creating up to 5,500 Virginia jobs. That in addition to tax cuts for workers and small businesses, upgrades to our crumbling transportation infrastructure, and jobs created.

This is too important for Congress to keep delaying. Join ProgressVA and the NEA in telling Congress: Pass This Bill Now!

Guest post from the Virginia Education Association

Virginia has a long tradition of providing little state support for public education - making the quality of public education highly dependent on local taxes, primarily the real estate tax.  This arrangement makes the quality of education highly dependent on the wealth of the locality.  Arlington makes a $20,543 per-pupil investment, while Tazewell's investment is $8,945.  Weak state support engenders a disparate educational opportunity for our children.  And now...

From the Virginia Coalition to Protect Women's Health:

Governor McDonnell and Attorney General Cuccinelli think they're about to get away with restricting choice under the radar.

Despite hearing strong testimony from young men and women, medical professionals, and pro-choice advocates, the Virginia Board of Health, under pressure from the Attorney General's office, advanced the most onerous anti-choice regulations in the country.

On October 15, we need pro-choice supporters like you to show up in person in Richmond for our Rally for Women's Health. You will carry a simple message: the War on Virginia Women ends now.

RSVP today for our pro-choice rally in Richmond on Saturday, October 15.

We're arranging buses from several regions and we'll give you all the training and materials you need. You'll meet other pro-choice activists from around Virginia and be able to make a direct impact. 

Be sure to RSVP by the end of the day on Monday, September 26 to guarantee a free bus seat for travel to the rally. Starting on Tuesday, September 27, bus seats will cost $15 for adults and $10 for young people and students. Kids accompanied by the paying adult are free. Inability to pay should not deter you; scholarships are available on the RSVP page starting Tuesday, September 27 as well.

It's hard to know where to start with the problems raised in David Sherfinski's piece in today's Washington Times on Attorney General Cuccinelli's push to expand the authority of his office. But we'll give it the old college try anyways.

Cuccinelli is seeking authority for members of his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to serve subpoenas, wear a badge, and carry a gun. Legislation to approve this expansion has previously died in the House Court of Justice Committee because Chair Dave Albo (R-Fairfax) thinks that state employees carrying guns should probably have some sort of firearms training. Cuccinelli, however, disagrees. He told the Washington Times that "those concerns" weren't necessary. He didn't include any explanation of why investigating poor people is so dangerous that it might require (untrained) state employees to carry a gun. 

President Obama's American Jobs Act is commonsense legislation that will put Americans back to work and get our economy moving again. Both Republicans and Democrats have supported nearly all the proposals. The plan is simple: put people back to work and put more money in the pockets of working Americans.

Tell Congress: pass this bill right away to get our economy moving again!

Here's what it means for Virginia:

150,000: The number of Virginia firms that would receive a payroll tax cut under the American Jobs Act. The President's plan would cut the payroll tax in half for employers on the first $5 million in wage, providing broad tax relief.

10,500: The minimum number of local jobs that would be created by infrastructure investments under the American Jobs Act.

$809,000,000: The amount of immediate investments to be made in Virginia's infrastructure under the American Jobs Act. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, 26% of Virginia's bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete, 23% of Virginia's roads are in poor or mediocre condition and 33% of Virginia's major urban highways are congested.

Many of you have already helped stand up for women's health in Virginia by signing the petition to help save Virginia's women's health centers. These centers provide vital health care services like STD screenings, cancer screenings and family planning services, in addition to providing legal and safe abortions. Lending your voice is incredibly important to fighting back against these burdensome and medically unnecessary regulations. But, we still need your help.

Photo via the Washington Post

In the classic baseball poem Casey at the Bat, the main character blows the game in the bottom of the ninth inning for his hometown due to his overconfidence in his own abilities.  Virginia's Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is also striking out for his home team - the people of Virginia.  Casey's arrogance allows the first two strikes to fly bye, and is followed by a whiff on the final pitch, causing a strike out and him losing the game.  But Cuccinelli is striking out with self-indulgent partisan legal pursuits, and in an inverse fashion from Casey - with two whiffs followed by a final passed ball third strike. 

Cuccinelli's first strike came in the form of a frivolous demand for documents from the University of Virginia regarding a former professor's work on climate change.  Despite regular indicators that he should drop the purely ideological inquiry, such as last week's judicial halt, the Attorney General continues to press on with an issue that couldn't be lower on a priority list for the people of Virginia. 

His second strike was quite similar - another philosophical crusade, and this one on another favorite partisan topic: attacking health care reform.   The 4^th Circuit Court of Appeals called this second strike just last Thursday, throwing out his lawsuit ruling that Virginia lacks the standing to sue.  Not only has Cuccinelli been wasting his office's resources and time to go after meaningful health care reform, he's been doing it solo and independent of the similar legal challenge from 13 states who are working together, basically replicating each other's work.

You may have heard Bob McDonnell telling national news anchors and others that Virginia has a $544.8 million budget surplus.  You may have also heard that his numbers are disingenuous.  But you probably don't have a clear explanation to give as to why if a friend or family member were to ask you about it.  Well, allow us to help. 

Simply, this "surplus" was achieved through budget gimmicks and accounting games. The combination of heavy borrowing, substantial cuts to services, federal stimulus, creative accounting, and not paying our bills has resulted in the commonwealth having a few dollars left in the bank at the end of the budget cycle. When I have $50 in my bank account at the end of the month, but thousands of dollars in late bill payments, credit card debt, and student loans, I don't crow about my stellar financial management. And neither should McDonnell.

Wednesday evening, over 200 folks showed up at the Holiday Inn in Midlothian, hoping to speak with Eric Cantor about our country's job crisis at his closed "Advisory Council" campaign event. Instead, hotel management evicted the group from the premises and called the Chesterfield Police Department to ensure none of the group returned to the premises.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Today is Primary Day in Virginia. Put your address into the map below, and you can find a list of candidates at the Virginia State Board of Elections website here.

ProgressVA today responded to Governor McDonnell's announcement of a larger than anticipated end of year surplus, reminding Virginians that accounting gimmicks and conservative revenue projections won't solve the state's true fiscal problems.

"This 'surplus' is the result heavy borrowing, substantial cuts to services, federal stimulus, creative accounting, and not paying our bills," said Anna Scholl, Executive Director of ProgressVA. "It's time for long term solutions. It's time for a balanced approach."

"While we appreciate the governor's attempt to boost his resume for a Vice Presidential bid, Virginia taxpayers deserve facts, not gimmicks. The truth is that Virginia faces an $800 million budget shortfall for the 2012 budget cycle, over $17B in unfunded liabilities for the state pension fund, and a quickly growing balance on the state's credit card."

Virginia is constitutionally bound to balance its budget. Revenue surpluses at the end of a biennial budget cycle are simply the result of tax collections out-­‐pacing conservative revenue projections. Furthermore, the majority of excess funds at the end of the budget cycle are already statutorily committed to a variety of programs, including the state's rainy day fund and Chesapeake Bay cleanup, leaving few discretionary dollars to apply to underfunded programs.

ProgressVA supports a balanced approach to the state budget championed by the Better Choices for VA coalition that combines sensible cuts with increased revenue through closing wasteful tax loopholes, ending irresponsible corporate giveaways and modernizing our tax code.

Click here for a PDF version of the press release.

Women's access to comprehensive reproductive health care is under attack in Virginia. Anti-choice politicians are working to impose medically unnecessary and burdensome regulations on women's health care centers to restrict access to safe and legal abortions. These regulations, which single out abortion providers among outpatient clinics, could also have the effect of eliminating access to cancer and STD screenings, family planning services, and comprehensive reproductive care for numerous minority and low-income women. 

The newly launched Virginia Coalition to Protect Women's Health is helping lead the fight against this new TRAP (Targeted Legislation of Abortion Providers) and ProgressVA is excited to be joining them on this extremely important issue.  From their website:

"The Virginia Coalition to Protect Women's Health formed in 2011 as a response to the attack on women's health and safety prompted by Senate Bill 924. The Virginia Coalition to Protect Women's Health strives to protect and ensure access for all women in all regions of Virginia to safe first-trimester abortion and comprehensive reproductive healthcare services. The Coalition is committed to ensuring any regulations are based solely on medical and public health considerations. The Coalition is opposed to excessive, burdensome or unneeded regulations that undermine patient access to medical care for political or ideological purposes."

We will keep you updated, but also be sure to follow them on Facebook and Twitter for their latest actions and news on the fight against Virginia TRAP.

Virginia's Speaker of the House, Bill Howell, wasn't too happy about an August 5^th Roanoke Times editorial titled, "Who Writes Virginia's Laws," exposing how ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Council, writes laws and influences legislators across the country, including here in VA. Howell is a former national chairman this business-backed group that allows corporations to sponsor their organization and write their model legislation. Firing back in the Roanoke Times today, Howell defended ALEC's pay-to-play process. Howell decried the description of ALEC by the Roanoke Times, stating its nothing more than a venue for legislators to talk "with the business community when writing legislation that affects businesses."

You haven't heard of the American Legislative Exchange Council?  Well, not very surprisingly, that's what they want, but please continue reading and I will share what they don't want you to know.

The Communicaton Workers of America have gone on strike against Verizon to save bargaining rights and middle-class jobs for over 45,000 families - many of whom are right here in Virginia.  Despite the recession and how hard these union families are hurting, Verizon is trying to force $20,000 in pay and benefits cuts per worker--while the execs and shareholders are pocketing increased profits.  

On Monday, August 15, you can stand with them as they rally across Virginia.  Via their website, here is a map of CWA picket lines in Virginia.  Click on the markers for times:

You can find out more at the CWA's website, and be sure to sign their petition: Tell Verizon: Stop Attacking the Middle Class.

UPDATE: Here are some additional actions from the CWA:

• "Like" the strikers on Facebook here and change your Facebook and/or Twitter profile picture in solidarity here.
• Click here to demand that Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam value employees' work and share his corporation's success with those who make it possible. 
• Click here to sign and Tweet an act.ly petition demanding Verizon drop its outrageous concessionary demands.
• To Tweet about the strike, use the hashtag #verizonstrike and feel free to direct to @VZLaborfacts.
• Drop off water and snacks to strikers at the locations listed or by calling the Locals in your area for special events that they might need. 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for our emails to join us in our fight to protect progressive values from this type of ideology that puts corporations above real people, with real needs.  

Bill Bolling recently emailed his supports, letting them know that last week he had been named Chairman of Mitt Romney's campaign in Virginia - as he was in 2008.  

Just today at the Iowa State Fair, Bolling's buddy Mitt Romney told a crowd that "Corporations are people," defending them against increased taxes in favor of cuts to Social Security and Medicare - much to the chagrin of those in attendence.  Here is video via Talking Points Memo: 

Is this the type of thinking that Bill Bolling thinks we need in Virginia?  Is the out-of-touch mentality that the Lieutenant Governor is supporting going to help average Virginian's who are already struggling?  

Real families are hurting in Virginia right now.  We need solutions and passion - we don't need our elected officials to protect corporate profits, or to promote politicians who do. 

Join us on Facebook and Twitter and sign up for our emails to join us in our fight to protect progressive values from this type of ideology that puts corporations above real people, with real needs.  

A pro-uranium mining group, the Virginia Energy Independence Alliance, that has just begun airing ads in Virginia, is calling itself a "grass-roots coalition of more than 1,500 citizen members."

But just how many lobbyists do you think this 1,500 member grass-roots coalition has looking out for it in Richmond?

The 2,000 members of the Virginia State Police Association are represented by one lobbyist according to VPAP.  The Virginia Tech Foundation that represents the school and arguably the 30,000 plus full-time students who go there has two.

But after just a quick look at VPAP this afternoon, the sponsors of this 1,500 grass-roots coalition have over 20 lobbyists working on their behalf.  That's right, if we round down to 20 - while Virginia Tech has conservatively 1 lobbyist for every 15,000 students, the Virginia Energy Independence Alliance has 1 lobbyist for every 75 members. 

For a full breakdown of some of the Virginia Energy Independence Alliance's sponsors listed in the Members section of their website, please continue reading.

Two days ago, the Washington Post highlighted the large amount of money that groups have already donated to the Virginia elected officials they lobby.  The nonchalant attitude these groups have towards the hundreds of thousands of dollars they spend to buy access and influence in the Commonwealth is emblematic of the severe lack of accountability that exists amongst these high donor special interests groups. 

Washington Post: Washington loses more jobs than it gained, June report shows

Richmond Times Dispatch: Richmond area unemployment rate rises to 7.1%

Virginian-Pilot: Jobless rate in Hampton Roads climbs to 7%

Daily Progress: Area jobless rates all rise

News Leader: Area unemployment rose in June

Register Bee: Danville area unemployment ticks up

Martinsville Bulletin: Jobless rates go up

Today's Roanoke Times editorial lays out the consequences of partisan gerrymandering redistricting. Simply put, when legislators choose their own constituents, they "carve the country into a collection of safe congressional districts ruled by extremists." One need only look to the current game playing in Washington to see the results of this rule by extremists: Eric Cantor continues to risk our economy and the livlihood of millions of Americans by playing a dangerous game of brinkmanship with raising the debt ceiling. In comparison, Senator Mark Warner, who represents Virginians of all political stripes, has worked hard for compromise, helping to broker the "Gang of 6" proposal that seeks to find common, bipartisan ground.

George Allen continues to risk Virginia's credit rating and economic security for thousands of his constituents, even as GOP Governor Bob McDonnell joins the chorus telling Republicans in Congress to compromise:

"There's got to be a compromise, I'm not going to tell them how to do it. I'd suggest they try spending cuts - everybody knows they're spending too much," McDonnell said on MSNBC. "But they've got to get this done immediately or the uncertainty for the business community is going to be just devastating to our country." [...]

"It's not going to get done without some compromise and when it's affecting states now, it's creating great uncertainty, there's massive unhappiness with the federal government generally over its inability to do the basic things that government needs to do."

Virginia has a surplus, so why are we cutting funds from public safety and public health programs? According to Governor McDonnell's most recent estimate, the state's surplus this year is estimated to be $200 million. But, as a story in today's Lynchburg News & Advance illustrates, localities aren't benefitting from the boost in state coffers. In fact, state budget cuts are costing localities up to $60 million in aid this year. 

George Allen continued his "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" campaign tour on Wednesday, speaking with a military parent about properly equipping our men and women in the armed forces. Allen said it was "deplorable" that this soldier's family had to provide him with necessary equipment the government refused to pay for.

That would be a laudable position, if it wasn't for the fact that Allen himself cast the "deplorable" votes that refused to fund equipment for soldiers. It seems Allen is at odds with himself on the issue. According to video footage taken by American Bridge 21st Century, Allen told this parent "any man or woman that's serving in our military shouldn't be having to ask for their parents to provide them with the clothing, in this case their gloves. That is what we expect our federal government to do."

We're only halfway through the year, and already Governor McDonnell has accepted over $350,000 from the coal industry. 

Medicare turns 45 today. Unfortunately, the anniversary has been marked by politicians who want to gut the program to pay for more tax breaks for millionaires and big corporations.

Governor Bob McDonnell is in Vail, CO today, attending a secret conservative conference hosted by two of the biggest right-wing money men in America, the Koch Brothers.