COMMENTARY
Hall: State government at work
"Five years ago, VDOT completed 20 percent of projects on time. Now, projects are completed on time 86 percent of the time."
By Frank P. Hall (D- 69th) VIRGINIA HOUSE OF DELEGATES
For the last five years, Governor Mark Warner, Governor Tim Kaine and Democratic legislators have been determined to lead our commonwealth forward and make government work smarter for Virginia families. We've worked across party lines to streamline government, make sure that agencies most efficiently use your tax dollars, and make record investments in your local schools, colleges and universities, and in providing health care to the elderly and children in need.

Hall

We have also been successful in reforming Virginia's tax code giving thousands of hard-working Virginians much needed relief. We've eliminated the estate tax to help family farmers and small business owners. And, we provided a sales tax holiday for school supplies to help parents provide their children with the best tools to succeed in the classroom.

We passed legislation to provide more access to quality health care by allowing small businesses to form purchasing pools that can buy health insurance on the same terms that large companies use. We increased teacher salaries to give our children the best education possible. And, we made record-breaking investments in cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay and preserved over 400,000 acres of open space across Virginia.

We have streamlined government agencies to reduce waste, fraud and abuse of your tax dollars. And for the first time in a generation, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is conducting business on time and on budget. Five years ago, VDOT completed 20 percent of projects on time. Now, projects are completed on time 86 percent of the time.

We have worked together across party lines to do the right thing for Virginia, to make record investments and to make government work smarter and more efficiently for your families.

Now as we enter a new legislative session, it is critical that we can maintain that progress so we can forge a real solution on transportation that has an adequate revenue source to create a 21st century transportation system for Virginia. By making the investment in transportation on the front end, we will be reaping the rewards for years to come in better jobs, better schools and a better quality of life for the people of Virginia.

We will pass a raise in the minimum wage for the working poor of Virginia to make sure that in our economic prosperity no one who works full-time is subjected to a life of poverty. We should raise the minimum wage as a matter of fairness to hard-working men and women across Virginia to show that we, as a society, value hard work.

We also will work to continue to make government more efficient and work smarter by passing bills to streamline the legislative process, catch tax cheaters and make sure our state buildings are more energy efficient.

In addition, we have the obligation to protect Virginia families from the crime of identity theft, which is the fastest growing crime in the nation. Democrats will put forward proposals to make sure you have the right to know if your information is lost or stolen. It's common sense and will help you protect yourself against identity fraud.

Democrats have worked across party lines to make sure that government is working smarter for your family. As we enter the 2007 legislative session, we will continue to make sure it is our highest priority.