Published: January 11, 2009 09:22 pm      

Area’s legislators ready for start of General Assembly

TAZEWELL, Va. — State Senator Phillip P. Puckett, D-Russell attended the Tazewell Rotary Club meeting on Friday, a day after hearing the concerns of people from all walks of life who are watching Richmond to see what the General Assembly will do.

“I attended the joint public hearing of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations committees in Abingdon, Va., Thursday, and I think it highlighted the needs of the people in Southwest Virginia,” Puckett said. “Generally speaking, I think the people here know that we’re feeling the effects of what has been happening to the economy nationally.

“We talked about looking at each situation individually,” Puckett said. “For example, a 7 percent across-the-board cut in a sheriff’s office in an urban area might not have the same impact as it will in a rural part of the state. We need to look at those things.”

Southwest Virginia is represented on the finance/appropriations committees in both chambers of the General Assembly. Senator William C. Wampler Jr., R-Bristol is on the Senate Finance Committee and both Delegates Clarence E. “Bud” Phillips, D-Russell and Dan Bowling, D-Tazewell, serve on the House Appropriations Committee.

“It’s good for us to be out and to see what the people are thinking about,” Bowling said. “About 100 people spoke at the budget hearing. All of them have concerns. The governor has already presented a budget, and the House and Senate will each present their own version of the budget. We will have to come to an agreement before the end of the session.

“The people in Abingdon were saying: ‘We realize you guys have to cut the budget, but look at everything first.’ There’s a $14 million facility the state plans to close in southeastern Virginia, but we only put in about a half-million of that,” Bowling said. “Most of it is federal funding. We have to look at things like that.”

The General Assembly will convene on Wednesday, but Bowling said the appropriations committee members have been working. “We have to have a balanced budget at the end of the biennium. We’re doing a trailing budget or a trailer to finish the year, and the rest will be to have a budget for the new biennium. It’s something we have to do. We are not going to please everyone, but we need a balanced budget.”

Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark, R-Wythe said she will still present some bills aimed at helping the citizens of her district and the region. “Really, I have been in prayer about it every night,” Crockett-Stark said of her personal concerns over the state budget. I am for the people and I may have to disagree with the leadership at times. I will try to support my people first.”

Crockett-Stark expressed optimism about the state’s financial condition. “Our state is in better financial condition than some other states because we have been fiscally conservative,” she said. “I listen to the governor and listen to the leadership in the House. Creating a budget is a process, but we need to remain fiscally responsible.”

Crockett-Stark said she plans to approach the session with a positive attitude. “I’m not all gloom and doom about it,” she said. “I think we’ll have to set priorities just like we do when we examine our personal household expenses. We set priorities and live within our means.”

The session will convene on Jan. 14, and Gov. Tim Kaine will deliver his State of the Commonwealth Address later that evening at 7 p.m.

– Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com