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Stop the Obamacare Exhanges

 

Dear Fellow Virginians,

Please urge Governor McDonnell to keep his promise and reject any legislation that seeks to accommodate “Obamanocare.” The “Affordable Care Act” does not require States to run their own Health Care Exchanges. At least 26 states have refused to set up exchanges which are website marketplaces of health insurance plans meeting federal criteria. (Google: “Virginia Health Care Exchange.” Several private marketplaces already operate).

If states refuse to set up their own exchanges, it will probably take longer for the federal government to deform healthcare and perhaps postpone enforcement of mandates requiring abortion pills and “medical” inquiries regarding which homes have guns.

In 2010, Governor McDonnell’s Secretary of Health set up a Commission to study health care “reform” with a $1 Million grant. I asked Secretary Hazel why Virginia was proceeding with government-run health care while we were challenging the law in federal court. I was told Virginia must be “prepared.”

Governor McDonnell has publicly stated he would not set up a Virginia exchange. Now he appears willing to sign bills which authorize state involvement while purporting to provide state “oversight” of a federal exchange. In reality the bills commit Virginia resources, including personnel from several state agencies, claiming (without guaranty) that Virginia will be reimbursed by the federal government (still our tax money). If this is not a state insurance exchange then what is it?

Instead of Virginia exercising its right to refuse to set up a state exchange as other states are doing, Virginia will use its authority, resources and personnel to grease the Obamanocare skids and objectionable mandates.

Several bills have already passed the General Assembly. Senate Bill 922, introduced February 11, 2013, passed the House of Delegates. It states in part:

Section 32.1-16 (b): “The Department shall be compensated for expenses incurred in providing such services. “ Does this mean compensation by state agencies or Washington? In either case, it involves additional tax money.

Section 38.2-326 (A)(i) states in part: “full funding is available.” Funding from where?

Section 38.2-326 (A) (ii) states in part: “technology infrastructure, including integration with federal, state, and other necessary entities, is made available to the commission by or through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources…” Will funding come from the feds or the state? What are the costs? Undersand that “made available,” does not mean “provided free of charge.” If the feds “provide,” what will they charge Virginia taxpayers?

Section 38.2-326 (B) states in part: “the Commission may contract with and enter into a memoranda of understanding to carry out its plan management functions with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or any other state or federal agency…” A MOU with another state agency simply would obligate more Virginia tax money and resources from the other state agency to pay for costs associated with the plan.

Section 38.2-326 (C) states in part: “the Commission’s obligation to perform plan management functions described in subsection A is contingent upon receiving federal funding sufficient to pay the operating expenses necessary to carry out the plan management of functions. The Commission shall seek full reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for such expenses. “Seeking full reimbursement does not mean obtaining full reimbursement. Without wording which states, “The SCC shall not perform plan management functions unless all Virginia expenses are paid in full by the Federal government” this section does not assure plan management functions will be paid for by the feds (still our money). Even if the Commission has no obligation to perform plan management functions, there is no prohibition on their performing plan functions.

Section 32.2-326 (E) states in part that “Technology resources provided by the Commission in carrying out the plan management functions shall be limited to existing commission technology support functions…” How much will this cost Virginia taxpayers?

Section 32.2-326 (F) states in part that “The Commission shall make available to the public on its website a written report on the implementation and performance of its plan management functions during the preceding fiscal year, including, at a minimum, the manner in which all funds utilized for its plan management functions were expended.” How much will this cost the State to carry out this function? How many state employees will be needed? Will others need to be hired?

If you do not want Virginia to speed up compliance with “Obamanocare” please call (804) 786-2211or email the Governor here: http://www.governor.virginia.gov/aboutthegovernor/contactgovernor.cfm Ask him to veto any legislation that accomodates “Obamanocare.”

Thank you for your help!

Delegate Bob Marshall

P.S. I thank Dr. Mark Berg for his help and insights on this bill.

Marshall Money Study Advances – Vote Tomorrow (Monday)

 

Dear Virginians,

My HJ Res. 590 has already passed the full House of Delegates and the Senate Rules Committee. It sets up a General Assembly study of ways to protect Virginians from cyber security threats and Federal Reserve policies which adversely affect our economy.

The full Senate vote is expected on Monday, February 18.

The Chair of the Senate Rules Committee announced that Forbes Magazine editor, Steve Forbes, wrote in support of my study. Despite a few critics at the Washington Post, the study is a serious one, necessitated by cyber security breaches and devaluation of the dollar.

CYBER SECURITY BREACHES:
How long would your family “survive” without a working credit or debit card due to banks’ computers being disabled or losing records? In mid-October, 2012 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta gave a speech in New York in which he recounted serious threats to our computer dependent economy:

“In recent weeks…large U.S. financial institutions were hit by…attacks [which] delayed or disrupted services on customer websites…the scale and speed with which it happened was unprecedented. But even more alarming is an attack that…infected computers in the Saudi Arabian State Oil Company Aramco…This routine replaced crucial systems files with an image of a burning U.S. flag.

But it also put additional garbage data that overwrote all the real data on the machine. More than 30,000 computers … had to be replaced … foreign cyber actors are probing America‘s critical infrastructure networks…chemical, electricity and water plants and those that guide transportation throughout this country…intruders have successfully gained access to these control systems.

The collective result of these kinds of attacks could be a cyber-Pearl Harbor: an attack that would cause physical destruction and the loss of life.”

FIAT MONEY, DEVALUED DOLLARS AND ECONOMIC INSTABILITY:
Federal Reserve policies have hurt Virginia’s Retirement system and budget and are producing disincentives for families to save as bank accounts now provide near zero interest. At the same time, the Fed is providing perverse incentives for self-indulgence by Wall Street and runaway spending by Congress. Congress needs an “intervention” which only a state study by experts can provide.

Please contact your own State Senator by 3:00 pm on Monday, February 18 and ask him to support HJ Res. 590. Click here to find out your state senator’s contact information.

Thank you,

Delegate Bob Marshall

Support Sound Money Policy Study

 

Dear Friends,

My HJ 590 to study what to do in case of terrorist cyber-attacks on Virginia banks or other situations of economic collapse will be heard by the Senate Rules Committee Thursday afternoon, February 14, 2013. Please contact the members of the Senate Rules Committee and ask them to support HJ 590.

Contrary to what has been purported in some mainstream media the purpose of the HJ 590 is NOT to reinvent money. And it is NOT for Virginia to establish gold and silver coins as legal tender as payment for debt even though the Founders provided for that in 1789 (Const., Art 1, Sect. 10) and Utah is already doing it.

The main purpose of HJ 590 is to examine ways to restore the integrity of America’s money and call attention to the need to establish a stable monetary foundation for a self-governing nation devoted to free markets and free people. Our money should provide a reliable unit of account and a dependable store of value, in keeping with the intent of our Founders.

Virginia banks and financial institutions recently sought help from the Pentagon to deal with foreign threats to their computers. In December 2012 the US Comptroller of the Currency alerted banks nationwide of the possibility of serious commerce-halting cyber-attacks on US banks. As recently as today the Washington Post reported that there is an ongoing problem with Chinese hacking of U.S. business websites.

Virginia needs to have a plan in place to deal with a serious economic breakdown whatever the cause and HJ 590 will give us the means to have that plan at the ready.

This bill is endorsed by Lewis Lehrman of the Lehrman Report; Dr. Ralph Benko, weekly columnist for Forbes (who wrote the article endorsing the bill here); George Melloan, contributor to the Wall Street Journal (who wrote the article here -accessible if you have a WSJ subscription); James Grant of Grant’s Interest Rate Observer; Charles Kadlec, contributor to Forbes who wrote the Op-Ed here; Dr. Thomas Rustici of George Mason School of Economics; Dr. Lawrence White of George Mason University School of Economics; Dr. Edwin Vieira, author and expert on monetary policy; and Dr. Judy Shelton of the Atlas Sound Money Project, author of several books on the subject and contributor to the Wall Street Journal. There are also supportive pieces in the Roanoke Times, Weekly Standard and the New York Sun.

Senate Rules Committee

Chairman Ryan McDougle / district04@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7504
Senator Walter Stosch / district12@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7512
Senator Tommy Norment / district03@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7503
Senator Steve Martin / district11@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7511
Senator Emmett Hanger / district24@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7524
Senator Steve Newman / district23@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7523
Senator John Watkins / district10@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7510
Senator Frank Ruff / district15@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7515
Senator Frank Wagner / district07@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7507
Senator Mark Obenshain / district26@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7526
Senator Ralph Smith / district19@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7519
Senator Jill Holtzman-Vogel / district27@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7527
Senator Chuck Colgan / district29@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7529
Senator Dick Saslaw / district35@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7535
Senator Janet Howell / district32@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7532
Senator Louise Lucas / district18@senate.virginia.gov / 804-698-7518
Thank you.

Delegate Bob Marshall

Helping Wall Street or Main Street?

 

Dear Fellow Patriots,

The integrity of our financial system is at risk both from cyber-attacks on US Banks and the policies of the Federal Reserve. My HJRes 590 which proposes a General Assembly study of these concerns has passed the House of Delegates and is now before the Virginia Senate Rules Committee.

I urge you to contact Senate Rules Committee members in the next day or two in support of HJRes 590. Virginia banks and financial institutions recently sought help from the Pentagon to deal with foreign threats to their computers. In December, 2012 the US Comptroller of the Currency alerted banks nationwide of the possibility of serious commerce-halting cyber attacks on US banks.

The other major threat to American financial stability is a product of the policies of the US Federal Reserve which institution was the 1913 legislative creation of former Virginal Congressman Carter Glass. The Federal Reserve’s easy money policies act as an enabler to Congress’ addiction to runaway federal deficit spending as much as a drug dealer is a corrupter of his clients.

Congress has declined to examine its own deficit spending so they need an “intervention” which only a state government study can provide at this point, hence the need for HJRes 590.

Federal Reserve policy is producing disincentives for self-sacrifice and savings with family bank accounts at near zero interest return. At the same time the Fed is providing perverse incentives for self-indulgence by Wall Street, and runaway spending by Congress.

The Assembly study proposes to examine the consequences of the Fed suppressing interest rates because with Virginian families seeing their net worth decrease in recent years, planning for retirement is difficult with low returns on their savings or investments. Also, state and local governments are also experiencing unanticipated fiscal pressures due to public sector employee pensions earning very low to near-zero returns.

Because of America’s foundational principle of equal worth of all natural persons as affirmed in the Declaration of Independence, no agency or institution established by Congress should play favorites with regard to the soundness of the U.S. money unit; in short, the dollar should work the same way for rich and poor alike. Money should serve all individuals as an honest measure of value; the Fed’s current actions do not achieve this goal.

The purpose of our Virginia initiative is NOT to reinvent money. And it is NOT for Virginia to establish gold and silver coins as legal tender as payment for debt even though the Founders provided for that in 1789 (Const., Art 1, Sect. 10).

The main purpose of the HJRes 590 is to examine ways to restore the integrity of America’s money and call attention to the need to establish a stable monetary foundation for a self-governing nation devoted to free markets and free people. Our money should provide a reliable unit of account and a dependable store of value, in keeping with the intent of our Founders.

Gold backed money has done that in America’s past with two significant departures, one from democrat President Franklin Roosevelt in 1933 when he: forbade banks to pay out gold or to export it; required persons holding gold coins, bullion and gold certificates in amounts of more than $100 to turn them in to the Federal Reserve for “other money;” convinced Congress to abolish the previous right of creditors to demand payment in Gold as part of business contracts.

The other departure came in 1971 from Republican President Richard Nixon who ended the last link between the dollar and Gold when he announced that the US Treasury would stop converting dollars to gold at the fixed value of $35 per ounce [now $1,667 per ounce].

Before 1933, and certainly 1971, the Fed could not simply order the US Government’s printing presses at the the Bureau of Engraving to circulate more money at the press of a button. Now they can and they do. Yet, Americans of all backgrounds sense the need for real standards. For example, a 2011 Rasmussen survey found that traditional democrat constituencies, blacks and labor unions, favored sound money policies with metallic backing like Gold.

The Federal Reserve’s no questions asked easy money policy in buying federal debt from a Congress which cannot say NO, acts as an enabler for decades of continued Congressional deficits with no end in sight.

This policy cannot be good for America.

While the Obama Administration and its supporting economists claim inflation is low, everyone who buys food, gas, oil or any energy commodity otherwise. The Federal Reserve asserts it “provides the nation with a safe, flexible, and stable monetary and financial system,” as stated on the Fed’s website. Countries that experienced hyper inflation in the late 80′s through the mid 90′s eventually were able to pull out because there was a back-up currency, the U.S. dollar. In the U.S., there is no back-up currency.

American novelist, Ernest Hemingway, wrote in the September, 1935 edition of Esquire that: “The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.”
In this post-2008 lackluster recovery, Virginia needs to set up an expert commission to study ways to develop “insurance” against the continued erosion of the US Dollar. Please write your state senator TODAY urging that they pass HJRes 590.

If you do not know who your state senator is, please find out here now and take action!

Thank you.

Delegate Bob Marshall

Your Taxes are Going Up… Unless You Stop it.

 

Dear Friends,

The General Assembly is set to increase the state sales tax from 5% to 5.8%, a 16% increase as part of the Governor’s Transportation Plan unless citizens contact their representatives and urge them to vote NO. The plan ends the gas tax for car, jet and heating fuel (not diesel). In the second year it projects to raise an additional $85 million from the sales tax alone, and $3.1 billion over five years from increased taxes and fees. That’s money from you and me! It’s hardly revenue, there’s no guarantee gas prices will drop, and any future Administration could reinstate the gas tax.

Virginia has serious transportation problems mostly in Northern Virginia and Tidewater. Over the years, Administrations have proposed various “fixes.” In 2010, $3 billion in road bonds were authorized. Incredibly, Virginia has yet to lock up its transportation fund so it can’t be spent for other purposes. I believe transportation is a core function of government, and we should cut one penny of every dollar in the budget (excluding salaries) and devote that savings to transportation.

When Democrats propose tax hikes, Republicans are not happy. When Republicans raise taxes we are supposed to go along. I cannot. A tax hike is a tax hike no matter which party proposes it and for this reason I voted against the Governor’s plan in Committee and will do so again on the floor of the House of Delegates. In this fragile economy, we must not go to the ATM (American Taxpayers’ Money). We must lock up the Transportation Trust Fund, and use existing revenue, instead of raising more through tax hikes.

The Republican Party used to oppose tax increases. Now Republican leaders want Republicans to vote for a tax increase and in an election year no less!

If you do not want the sales tax increase, please contact your Delegate and Senator and urge them to vote against the Governor’s Transportation Plan.

Just like their Washington colleagues, House of Delegates Republicans in Richmond are proposing tax increases to fund road projects instead of shifting existing funds to pay for new construction and maintenance.

And remember when we all were shocked that Former Democrat Speaker of the House of Representatives said that Congress had to pass Obamacare to find out what is in it?

Well, House of Delegates Republicans are voting for the Governor’s tax increase bill with a promise of more unspecified taxes to be added at regional levels on top of other statewide taxes.

Again, I urge you to contact your Delegate and Senator to stop this tax increase.

Thank you for your vigilence.

Sincerely,

Delegate Bob Marshall

Republican Leaders Ignore HHS Mandate Opposition

 

Dear Fellow Patriots,

The Virginia House of Delegates under Republican leadership has refused to allow my anti-HHS Mandate bills to be heard in Committee, declining to listen to citizens concerned about the Obama Administration mandating abortion pills and birth control (even for ten year olds without parental notice or consent) as well as sterilization operations in every health insurance program!

The Republican leadership of the House of Delegates is content to let stand this trampling of our First Amendment rights of conscience and the coercion of business owners to supply morally objectionable “services.”

HB 1314 protects employers from being forced to comply with the HHS mandate.
HB 1315 protects individuals who buy their own health insurance, from being forced to buy a HHS-mandate compliant policy.
HB 1417 provides that Virginia is not obligated to provide abortion pills, sterilizations, and birth control drugs and devices to its employees.

House Commerce and Labor Committee Chairman, Terry Kilgore (R-Wise County) told me this past Wednesday that he would not call up my bills for a hearing because he did not have to. I informed him that such a decision, which could only be made with the agreement of the leadership, would disturb many Virginians. I have collected nearly 5,000 names on petitions (online and paper) in support of these bills. I am not aware of any other legislation with such widespread support.

The following bills were heard in committee, voted on and passed by the House of Delegates are apparently more important to Republican leaders than protecting our conscience rights:
HB 1473 exempts youth athletics food sales from restaurant regulations;
HB 1474, 1536 and 2226 authorizes certain localities to require grass and weed cutting;
HB 1514 says the Town of Wachapreague may regulate golf carts on its public roads;
HN 1825 changes the time period for obtaining a duck blind;
HB 2069 authorizes the state Forrester to sell seedlings to private entities;
HB 2105 defines Virginia junkyards to comply with federal regulations;
HB 2220 designates Bannister River as part of the Virginia Scenic River System.

In the face of the most widespread, systematic, religious persecution of believers in United States history by federal authorities, the legislatures of Arizona and Missouri in 2012 enacted laws similar to my bills challenging Obamacare’s HHS Mandate to shield its citizens and businesses from the abortion pill, sterilization and birth control mandate. Missouri’s legislature even overrode a governor’s veto.

President Obama’s actions threaten to shut religious charities, adoption agencies, schools, universities and hospitals because of massive and unprecedented fines to force compliance with an unjust policy which Congress never directly voted on. Yet, Republican leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates will speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil of Obama’s policy, or even allow lawmakers to present legislation to counter The Obama Administration in the General Assembly’s hearing rooms because of fear of raising “Social Issues.”

If you are dissatisfied with this treatment, please contact the following members of the Republican Leadership to express your concern and ask them to protect the conscience rights of Virginians just as Arizona and Missouri have done:
Speaker Bill Howell (804) 698-1028 / DelWHowell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Kirk Cox [Majority Leader] / (804) 698-1055 / DelJCox@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tim Hugo (804) 698-1040 / DelTHugo@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Todd Gilbert (co-patroned my bills) / (804) 698-1015 / DelTGilbert@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jackson Miller / (804)-698-1050 / deljmiller@house.virginia.gov

Click here to find your Delegate or Senator.

TALKING POINTS FOR CALLS AND EMAILS:
President Obama’s HHS mandate forces businesses and individuals to provide and purchase birth control, early abortion pills and sterilizations or face fines of $100 per day, or $2000 per year per employee, even if against one’s conscience.
The Founders proclaimed our First Amendment recognizing religious freedom as a natural right that cannot be infringed upon by government. The HHS mandate violates religious liberty.
Arizona and Missouri already passed laws in 2012 countering the HHS Mandate. Missouri’s legislature overrode their Governor .
A Dean at Catholic University Law School, and former U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner under Reagan, and another attorney who beat Barack Obama in a First Amendment Case in the U.S. Supreme Court were among those who helped draft the bills. Dean Mathew Staver of Liberty University Law School in Lynchburg supports my bills.

CEO David Green of Hobby Lobby has 500+ craft stores (4 in Virginia) and 22,000 employees. He faces fines of $1.3 million per day for refusing to comply with the HHS Mandate. Forty-plus lawsuits have been filed to challenge this mandate, yet Congress has not passed a law to defund or stop it. States must step up, in the protection of the 10th Amendment, to protect its citizens.

Few people take the time to communicate with their elected representatives at the state level, so your effort will make an impact. Please ask a friend or two to join this effort! Click here to find your Delegate or Senator.

If your delegate is on the Commerce and Labor Committee, (see below) please urge them to support passage of these bills to the House floor.
Chairman Terry Kilgore / 804-698-1001 / deltkilgore@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Harry Purkey / 804-698-1082 / delbpurkey@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Kathy Byron / 804-698-1022 / delkbyron@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Lee Ware / 804-698-1065 / dellware@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tim Hugo / 804-698-1040 / delthugo@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tom Rust / 804-698-1086 / deltrust@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Danny Marshall / 804-698-1014 / deldmarshall@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Ben Cline / 804-698-1024 / delbcline@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jackson Miller / 804-698-1050 / deljmiller@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Don Merricks / 804-698-1016 / deldmerricks@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Manoli Loupassi / 804-698-1068 / delmloupassi@house.virginia.gov
Delegate John Cosgrove / 804-698-1078 / deljcosgrove@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Rob Bell / 804-698-1058 / delrbell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Barbara Comstock / 804-698-1034 / delbcomstock@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Gregory Habeeb / 804-698-1008 / delghabeeb@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Joe Johnson / 804-698-1004 / deljjohnson@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Johnny Joannou / 804-698-1079 / none
Delegate Kenny Alexander / 804-698-1089 / delkalexander@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jennifer McClellan / 804-698-1071 / deljmcclellan@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jeion Ward / 804-698-1092 / deljward@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Lynwood Lewis / 804-698-1000 / delllewis@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Roslyn Tyler / 804-698-1075 / delrtyler@house.virginia.gov
Thank you for your dilgence and help in protecting our religious freedom.

Sincerely,

Delegate Bob Marshall

Forbe’s Does Story in Support of Del. Marshall’s Currency Study

A great article in Forbes in support of Delegate Marshall’s HJ590 to study the possibility of a return to the gold standard in monetary policy. The bill has passed the House Rules Committee and should be heard today (Feb 4, 2012) on the House floor.

“Last week, the Virginia House of Delegates Rules Committee passed, by an 11 – 1 bipartisan majority, a bill to establish “a joint subcommittee to study the feasibility of a United States monetary unit based on a metallic standard, in keeping with the constitutional precepts and our nation’s founding principles….” Such a study could prove to be a very big deal indeed.”

…

Read the full article here: Forbe’s Magazine

Your 2nd Amendment Rights are on the Line!

 

Dear Fellow Patriots,

My HB 2340, which says Virginia law enforcement and the National Guard will not enforce any new federal gun control efforts, was to be voted on by the full House of Delegates today. However, the House of Delegates shamefully voted to send my HB 2340 to the Appropriations Committee with a non-recorded vote to look into “concerns” that Virginia might lose federal grant money for Joint Task Forces as a result of this bill. This is simply not true!

HB 2340 will not prevent a state or local official from participating in such task forces or from aiding a federal official in an investigation related to a federal crime such as kidnapping across state lines, or a drug operation just because the person being investigated happened to be in possession of a firearm made illegal through new Federal gun controls. As such there should be no reason for the Federal government to withhold funding for such Task Forces. What HB 2340 WILL DO is give Virginia a leg to stand on in opposing new Federal gun control legislation.

On the floor today I equated failing to protect the Second Amendment rights of our citizens to accepting 30 pieces of silver from the Federal Government in exchange for a fundamental right.

Delegate Kirk Cox (R-66) raised the objection about losing Federal funding but when questioned could not point to any funding that has been lost as a result of HB 1160 which became law July 1, 2012.

HB 1160 was very similar to HB 2340 with regard to the method used to stand against the Federal Government’s intrusion into the Constitutional rights of Virginia citizens. In that case the bill was to keep Virginia from assisting the Federal Government in detaining citizens with no trial and no charges filed under the NDAA. To my knowledge no funding has been withheld by the Federal Government as a result of HB 1160 becoming law and none would be withheld as a result of HB 2340.

I requested a record vote on the motion to refer the bill to Appropriations, but could not even find the necessary 20 members willing to second my demand for a record vote. I asked for a division which resulted in an overwhelming number of Republicans raising their hands (in addition to the Democrats, of course) to send the bill to the Appropriations Committee. I could only identify 4 other members who voted not to send the bill to Appropriations, Delegates Mark Cole, Todd Gilbert, Scott Lingamfelter and Tony Wilt. If the Appropriations Committee fails to take the bill up or make a motion on the bill, every member must be held accountable because silence on HB 2340 is consent to an agreement with federal efforts to abridge our Second Amendment rights.

PLEASE CONTACT THE MEMBERS OF THE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE BELOW AND URGE THEM TO ACT WITHOUT DELAY TO SEND HB 2340 TO THE FULL HOUSE OF DELEGATES FOR A VOTE BEFORE CROSSOVER, OR HB 2340 WILL BE KILLED AND VIRGINIA WILL BE LEFT WITH NOTHING TO PROTECT IT’S CITIZENS FROM NEW FEDERAL GUN CONTROL LAWS!

Chairman Lacey Putney / dellputney@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1019
Delegate Robert Tata / delbtata@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1085
Delegate Riley Ingram / delringram@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1062
Delegate Joe May / deljmay@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1033
Delegate Bev Sherwood / delbsherwood@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1029
Delegate Kirk Cox / delkcox@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1055
Delegate Steve Landes / delslandes@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1025
Delegate Chris Jones / delcjones@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1076
Delegate John O’Bannon / deljobannon@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1073
Delegate Scott Lingamfelter / delslingamfelter@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1031
Delegate Charles Poindexter / delcpoindexter@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1009
Delegate Jimmie Massie / deljmassie@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1072
Delegate Ed Scott / delescott@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1030
Delegate Chris Peace / delcpeace@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1097
Delegate Tag Greason / deltgreason@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1032
Delegate Jim Scott / deljscott@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1053
Delegate Johnny Joannou / deljjoannou@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1079
Delegate Bob Brink / delbbrink@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1048
Delegate Onzlee Ware / deloware@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1011
Delegate Algie Howell / delahowell@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1090
Delegate Mamye BaCote / delmbacote@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1095
Delegate Rosalyn Dance / delrdance@house.virginia.gov / 804-698-1063

Thank you.

Delegate Bob Marshall

Help Pass Sex Offender Bus Stop Parental Alert

 

Dear Friends,

The vote was delayed after the subcommittee heard opposition testimony from an organization that advocates for sex offenders, the Fairfax and Loudoun school boards, as well as the Virginia School Board Association.

Reading between the lines, it appeared the school boards would rather not deal with parents learning the facts and then subsequently asking for bus stop changes. One committee member thought the process would be costly and another called it an unfunded mandate. There are numerous “unfunded mandates” imposed on the school system by the state. The VEA and School Board association characterize almost any change in policy as an “unfunded mandate.” I found on the Albemarle County website some examples they cited:

“The Standards of Quality specifies required staffing for K-12 public schools but the state only partially funds its share of the costs for these staff. Examples of SOQ-required staffing include:
·17 full-time equivalent (FTE) instructional positions for each 1,000 students identified as having limited English proficiency
·1 full-time reading specialist in each elementary school
·5 FTEs per 1,000 students in grades K-5 to serve as resource teachers in art, music and physical education
·Two FTE per 1,000 students in grades K-12 with one FTE to provide technology support and one to serve as an instructional technology resource teacher”

One opponent said it was less likely a sex offender would commit another crime than anyone in the committee room at that time. The School Board Association lobbyist stated that they already explain to parents how to access the sex offender registry. However, not all families have computer access. School boards fear having to change bus stop locations, in response to parents’ concerns, but what would be the harm in determining whether the current locations would violate the policy? The reality is HB 1369 will require an internet search and a nominal cost associated with contacting parents either by paper memo or electronic means consistent with the way those parents have chosen to be contacted on other school issues. I don’t think this is too much to ask.

Education
Chairman Bob Tata / 804-698-1085 / delbtata@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Steve Landes / 804-698-1025 / delslandes@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Scott Lingamfelter / 804-698-1031 / delslingamfelter@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tom Rust / 804-698-1086 / deltrust@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Mark Cole / 804-698-1088 / delmcole@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Brenda Pogge / 804-698-1096 / delbpogge@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jimmie Massie / 804-698-1072 / deljmassie@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tag Greason / 804-698-1032 / deltgreason@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Dickie Bell / 804-698-1020 / deldbell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Chris Stolle / 804-698-1083 / delcstolle@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jim LeMunyon / 804-698-1067 / deljlemunyon@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Roxann Robinson / 804-698-1027 / delrrobinson@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Joseph Yost / 804-698-1012 / deljyost@house.virginia.gov
Delegate David Yancey / 804-698-1094 / deldyancey@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Mark Dudenhefer / 804-698-1002 / delmdudenhefer@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Onzlee Ware / 804-698-1011 / deloware@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jennifer McClellan / 804-698-1071 / deljmcclellan@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Roslyn Tyler / 804-698-1021 / delrtyler@house.virginia.gov
Delegate David Bulova / 804-698-1037 / deldbulova@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Joe Morrissey / 804-698-1074 / deljmorrissey@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Mark Keam / 804-698-1035 / deljkeam@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Daun Hester / 804-698-1089 / deldhester@house.virginia.gov

Thank you.

Delegate Bob Marshall

Oppose the HHS Mandate, Support HB 1314, 1315 & 1417!

Dear Friends,

If you object to Obamacare requiring you to pay for a health insurance plan that covers birth control, abortion pills (even for ten year olds without parental notice or consent) and sterilization operations, then please contact the members of the Commerce and Labor Committee (list below) immediately!

HB 1314: Protects employers from being forced to comply with the HHS mandate.
HB 1315: Protects individuals who buy their own health insurance, from being forced to buy a HHS-mandate compliant policy.
HB 1417: Provides that Virginia is not obligated to provide abortion pills, sterilizations, and birth control drugs and devices to its employees.

Chairman Terry Kilgore / 804-698-1001 / deltkilgore@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Harry Purkey / 804-698-1082 / delbpurkey@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Kathy Byron / 804-698-1022 / delkbyron@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Lee Ware / 804-698-1065 / dellware@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tim Hugo / 804-698-1040 / delthugo@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Tom Rust / 804-698-1086 / deltrust@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Danny Marshall / 804-698-1014 / deldmarshall@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Ben Cline / 804-698-1024 / delbcline@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jackson Miller / 804-698-1050 / deljmiller@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Don Merricks / 804-698-1016 / deldmerricks@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Manoli Loupassi / 804-698-1068 / delmloupassi@house.virginia.gov
Delegate John Cosgrove / 804-698-1078 / deljcosgrove@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Rob Bell / 804-698-1058 / delrbell@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Barbara Comstock / 804-698-1034 / delbcomstock@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Gregory Habeeb / 804-698-1008 / delghabeeb@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Joe Johnson / 804-698-1004 / deljjohnson@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Johnny Joannou / 804-698-1079 / none
Delegate Kenny Alexander / 804-698-1089 / delkalexander@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jennifer McClellan / 804-698-1071 / deljmcclellan@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Jeion Ward / 804-698-1092 / deljward@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Lynwood Lewis / 804-698-1000 / delllewis@house.virginia.gov
Delegate Roslyn Tyler / 804-698-1075 / delrtyler@house.virginia.gov

Talking Points for Calls and Emails
–President Obama’s HHS mandate forces businesses and individuals to provide and purchase birth control, early abortion pills and sterilizations or face fines of $100 per day, or $2000 per year per employee.
–The Founders proclaimed our First Amendment recognizing religious freedom as a natural right. The HHS mandate violates religious liberty.
–Arizona and Missouri already passed laws in 2012 countering the HHS Mandate. Missouri’s legislature overrode their Governor .
–A Dean at Catholic University Law School, and former U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner under Reagan, and another attorney who beat Barack Obama in a First Amendment Case in the U.S. Supreme Court were among those who helped draft the bills.

CEO David Green of Hobby Lobby has 500+ craft stores (4 in Virginia) and 22,000 employees. He faces fines of $1.3 million per day for refusing to comply with the HHS Mandate. Forty-plus lawsuits have been filed to challenge this mandate, yet Congress has not passed a law to defund or stop it. States must step up, in the spirit of the 10th Amendment, to protect its citizens.

Two recent news stories indicate that Republican leaders want to kill “social issue” bills to avoid media controversy, so I need your help more than ever to protect our religious liberty and rights of conscience!

Few people take the time to communicate with their elected representatives at the state level, so your effort will make an impact. Please ask a friend or two to join this effort! To learn who represents you, click here.

Thank you for your time and diligence in protecting our religious liberty!

Sincerely,

Delegate Bob Marshall