For a state with the motto "Sic Semper Tyrannis," the Commonwealth of Virginia places a surprising level of budgetary discretion in the hands of its governor.

Progress Virginia – an avowedly liberal ... I mean, progressive ... advocacy group promoting higher taxes, subversion of the free market and the gradual erosion of individual liberty – issued a report last week challenging the role of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in directing the legislative agenda of Virginia's Republican ... that is, conservative ...

We live in a world awash in comparative rankings for just about every conceivable human activity, including governance.

Many ranking lists are not particularly relevant to our quality of life or revealing of our values; but some are very revealing. Here are few of Virginia's numbers in newly published national state rankings:

#7 in per capita personal income;

#4 in most state corruption (State Integrity Investigation); overall grade of "F" in (state government) integrity;

#1 in best state to earn a living (MoneyRates.com)--this is up from #4 last year;

Last night, Bonnie, who was arrested at the Women's Rights Rally on Saturday and held handcuffed for nearly nine hours, spoke to the Virginia New Majority Central VA Chapter. She called the recent wave of legislation restricting access to women's health services rolling over the General Assembly a "war on women."

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Pausing from the hectic legislative calendar to draft this report, I suppose we should not be surprised that our legislative agenda is filled with relentless attacks on women's reproductive health, on voter rights, immigrants and public education, as well as the promotion of gun rights, including one bill that affirmed the right to carry handguns in airports. We know these issues have reliably energized the conservative base for years. Still, it is appalling to reflect on the impact that the recent redistricting and subsequent 2011 elections have had on the politics of our Commonwealth.

The Virginia General Assembly convened the 2012 Legislative Session on Wednesday, January 11. This year's 60-day long session is scheduled to conclude on Saturday, March 10. I have three committee assignments this year, up from two in my first term. I will continue serving on the Science and Technology Committee and this year I have also been assigned to the Militia, Police and Public Safety Committee. Finally, I have been selected as the Minority Whip for the Cities, Towns and Counties Committee.

Next week the 2012 legislative assembly convenes in Richmond, and the Governor will deliver his State of the Commonwealth Address. His themes will include the laudable economic performance of the Commonwealth as compared to other states, as well as the responsible fiscal policy and pragmatic management accomplishments of his administration. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, though.

Water Supply Concerns Continued--my serious concerns about the Governor's proposal to withdraw Virginia from the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin (ICPRB) have been reinforced upon reading the letter that Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources wrote to me in order to calm my fears.

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The good news is that Virginia may be one step closer to improving the traffic flow on I-95. The Federal Highway Administration has granted Virginia preliminary authority to charge tolls on vehicles entering Virginia from North Carolina and presumably at other points along the route. The bad news is that there is a formidable set of questions to be answered and steps that must be taken before preliminary approval can become permission and the process can move forward.    Read more...

Most newly-enacted legislation becomes law in July of each year, unless categorized as "Emergency", which becomes law immediately upon passage by the General Assembly and subsequently being signed by the Governor.  Read more...