Dear Friends, Virginians, citizens of Fairfax:

The gavel came down Wednesday in Richmond as the General Assembly kicked off its 60-day session, keeping an annual tradition dating back to 1619.  And, yes, that's a world record for legislatures (the English "Long Parliament" took a nine-year break).  
 
The bulk of my bills are now available at the state legislative website.  Here are the highlights:
 
Group One:  These bills encourage energy efficiency in state government and private business.  They also promote clean energy projects to bring jobs and research dollars to Virginia.  
 
SB 109 (“Green Public Buildings Act”) – requires all state buildings to be built according to LEED Silver or other approved efficiency standard.  My goal is to cut down on utility usage, preserve the environment and save taxpayer money.  It is endorsed by the League of Conservation Voters.  
 
SB 110 (clean energy financing) – permits localities to loan money for clean energy projects such as solar or geothermal and then place a lien against the property benefited.  This bill will create jobs by securing investments in one of the fastest-growing industries in the U.S. today.  
 
SB 111 (electric rate structures) – allows the State Corporation Commission to modify electric rate structures used by private utilities, e.g. by requiring “dynamic rates” or “inclining block rates,” for the purpose of conserving energy.  This bill is recommended by the state Energy & Environment Commission.  
 
SB 112 (SAVE Act) – permits natural gas utilities to petition the SCC for a rider that will support infrastructure upgrades and ultimately save a million tons in annual carbon emissions.  This bill continues the "decoupling" of the natural gas industry and is recommended by the state Energy & Environment Commission and League of Conservation Voters.
 
Group Two:  These bills are specifically targeted at the transportation issue in northern Virginia.   
 
SB 114 (Fuel Efficiency Index) – adjusts the state gas tax rate every year based upon certain vehicle travel statistics.  Essentially it "indexes" the tax so that it matches up with the actual usage of our roadways.  We should have done this years ago.  
 
SB 115 (Local surcharge) – allows Counties to add a one cent local gas tax to pay for secondary road funding or other specified projects in their Counties.  This would give localities a reserve fund for transportation when state funding collapses.  
 
SB 401 (sales tax retention) -- permits Fairfax County to retain the sales tax it remits to the Commonwealth and use it for funding its own road network.  This bill is essentially an alternative to SB 115.  Again, it's a reaction to the total collapse of state funding for local roads.
 
Group Three:  These bills protect churches which are taking up the slack for governmental social services:
 
SB 116 (fraud protection) – gives churches standing to sue for fraud under the Virginia Consumer Protection Act.  I filed it in reaction to the widespread fraud cases involving African-American churches in the D.C. area.  This bill gives our Attorney General the power to fight these dishonest practices. It is endorsed by the Virginia Interfaith Coalition.  
 
SB 117 (helping the homeless) – exempts churches from rigorous restaurant standards for purposes of serving on-site meals to members or invited guests.   This legislation protects churches that serve the homeless as part of their religious mission.
 
Group Four:  My final set of featured bills involves our system of elections of Virginia.  It's a great system.  It can also be better.  
 
SB 118 (conflict of interest) – requires that conflict of interest forms filed by Assembly members shall be posted on-line. That way every voter knows who employs their lawmaker and what gifts he or she receives.  This should be public information.  
 
SB 119 (contribution limits) – forbids "super-size" contributions by limiting individual donations per candidate to $20,000 per campaign, which is still a lot. This limits the influence of one donor over a candidate.  It also protects donors by allowing them to "max out" (and stop those annoying phone calls from candidates!)
 
These bills will be considered by Senate Committees over the next 30 days.  If you are not a resident of the 34th district and support my legislation, please contact your Senator and let them know.
 
JCP Notes:  We have a town hall scheduled for Saturday, January 23rd at 10:00 a.m. at American Legion Post 180 in Vienna.  This is open to everyone.  There will be a separate town hall in Fairfax City on February 6th.  Please attend one if you can and spread the word to others interested.  
 
Come and visit us in Richmond during the session.  I'm in Room 323 in the Assembly Building.  Just look for the "Viva Vienna!" mural.  You can reach us by phone at (804) 698-7534 or by email at kathy@fairfaxsenator.com.   Finally, you can check my Assembly blog at www.oxroadsouth.com for news and events.  Feel free to leave comments, either positive or negative.
 
Finally -- I want to publicly acknowledge the great work of Fairfax County's Urban Search and Rescue team dealing with the massive tragedy in Haiti.  These men and women are the best of our community and we are honored to have them represent us.

Let us know how we can represent you better.

Sincerely,

Chap Petersen