Dear Friends, Virginians, citizens of Fairfax:

I am writing this first newsletter from my new office on the third floor of the General Assembly building.

This Assembly session kicked off on January 9th with Governor Kaine's State of the Commonwealth speech. Having dispensed with the formalities, we are now dividing into Committees and getting down to business.

I have been assigned to the Senate committees on Transportation, General Laws, Natural Resources, and Privileges and Elections. In the next few weeks, I will be furiously studying all these subjects, as well as the state budget.

I've also prefiled seventeen bills and resolutions which will be heard in the coming weeks. You can review the details at legis.state.va.us. Here are some of the highlights:

• SB 443: Repeal of the abuser fee law. This law has been a total failure. It's time for repeal.
• SB 445: Dedicating a cent on our gas tax to research and development of biofuels in Virginia.
• SB 446: Clean Energy Future Act. Requiring the use of renewable energies in Virginia to fight global warming.
• SB 447:Mandating energy efficientLEED standardsin newstate buildings.
• SB 448:Mandating competitive bidding in large state projects covered by the public-private partnership law.
• SB 450: Reforming the slayer statute to prohibit killers from economically benefitting from their crime.
• SB 510: Student loan reform. Outlawing unfair lending practices such as exclusive relationships with our universities.

Nearly all of my bills fall into the broad categories of "transportation/environment," "government efficiency" or "legal reform." While I see a lot of areas that need change, my personalfocus in 2008 will be within these categories. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.

We will be in session til mid-March. For more information, please see my new, improved constitutent website at www.fairfaxsenator.com or my Assembly blog at www.oxroadsouth.com. You can contact me here in Richmond via email at chap@fairfaxsenator.com or at 804-698-7934. Or just visit us here in Room 323 of the Assembly Building. I work for you, so don't be shy.

Let us know how we can represent you better.

Sincerely,

Chap Petersen

Visit us at www.fairfaxsenator.com