Dear Friends, Virginians, citizens of Fairfax:
Our "south of 66" Town Hall set for Saturday, February 6 at Fairfax City Hall is CANCELED due to the snow storm. Stay tuned to this channel for rescheduling. In lieu of a town hall, you are invited to join my family in sledding at Van Dyck Park at noon on Saturday.
The General Assembly is nearing the halfway point. While we have yet to deal with the budget shortfall, we are settling into our usual rhythm of meetings, speeches and receptions. With that in mind, here is my schedule from yesterday.
5:45 a.m. Wake up at my row house in the Fan District. Go for a 4-mile run along Monument Ave. Very dark and chilly. Get back and do a quick series of pull-ups and sit-ups while watching SportsCenter. (shout out to all you P90X'ers)
7:15 a.m. Dressed and driving from my "home" to the General Assembly.
7:30 a.m. Park next to GA Building. Walk in and present bill to the subcommittee on Criminal Justice in Senate Room B. Testimony lasts for nearly 45 minutes. Bill is "passed by indefinitely" (which is not good). Grab a cup of coffee.
8:30 a.m. Walk across the hall to Senate Room A. Present two bills to Senate Education Committee, including a bill to establish a branch campus for George Mason in South Korea via a partnership with a Korean university. Each is "reported" by the Committee (that is good). Get another cup of coffee.
9 - 10 a.m. Meet in my GA office with various visitors to the Capitol, including a group of podiatrists from Fairfax County. Wonder briefly about the status of my own feet.
10-11 a.m. Review emails from work. Phone calls to legal staff back home. (You can't just cancel your day job).
11 a.m. Run downstairs to the TV recording studio. Tape a 30-minute news show on state issues for Cox Cable. Will run next week on the Fairfax County cable channel (or so they tell me).
11:40 a.m. Walk to the State Capitol, which is next door. Meeting of the Democratic Caucus in Senate Room 1.
Noon. Session begins. There are several contested votes on "third read" (which is final). After hearing the presentations, we cast our votes "on the board." I also have two bills on "second read" which pass on a voice vote. After the votes, there are several "morning hour" speeches regarding the state budget and the Governor (and his failure to propose any budget amendments). After the usual slow start, the session is starting to heat up. This is what we do.
2:45 p.m. Walk back to the GA Building. Then head down to Transportation Committee. Present bill permitting hydrogen-powered cars to qualify for "clean special fuels" plates. That is reported.
3-5 pm. Back in my GA office. Reviewing various materials re the "LCI freeze" and legal options available to Fairfax County. Return several phone calls back home. Check my emails. Read the Post sports section.
5 pm. Civil Laws Subcommittee meets. We spend a long time reviewing proposed changes to our civil code. The most involved is a bill to increase filing fees for civil suits and dedicate the money to Sheriffs and Commonwealth Attorneys (who are facing huge budget cuts). I propose a couple major amendments and we pass the bill on a 4-3 vote. It is one of the few potential revenue increases in the budget.
7:30 pm. Subcommittee is finally over. So is the work day.
7:45 pm. Stop by the Jefferson Hotel. There is a well-attended birthday party for the Majority Leader, Dick Saslaw, who has just turned 70. But he doesn't look a day over 68! All kidding aside, Dick is the heart and soul of the Senate and a great leader.
9:00 p.m. Get home in time to watch the Caps beat the Rangers, 6-5, while enjoying a Totino's pizza and a Rolling Rock. This team (and this meal) is a winner.
10:00 pm. Lights out.
JCP Notes: Cross-over for the session is approaching, and the Senate is finalizing the work on its own bills. The votes are coming fast and furious. I'll try to keep you updated at www.oxroadsouth.com on my legislation and voting. (Note that I'm getting both positive and negative comments -- which is good!)
We closed our office today (Friday) for the snow storm. We will be back in action on Monday. You can reach us at (804) 698-7534 or kathy@fairfaxsenator.com. Or come visit us in Richmond in Room 323 of the General Assembly Building.
Let us know how we can represent you better.
Sincerely,
Chap Petersen
