Jan19

Delegate Sickles Announces 2012 Legislative Agenda

Richmond, VA - Delegate Mark Sickles (D-Franconia), recently elected chair of the House Democratic Caucus, unveiled his legislative agenda for the 2012 General Assembly Session last week.  In addition to protecting funding for classroom education from Pre-K to PhD, and opposing proposed cuts to basic human services to pave roads, Delegate Sickles has introduced a variety of bills, including a bill to increase sanctions on those who financially exploit senior citizens, to enhance identity protection for law enforcement officers, to conserve the shark population, to promote renewable energy conservation, and to use year-end surpluses to refund the recent raids on the Virginia Retirement System.

Dec1

Winter Weather

Winters in Virginia can mean snow or subfreezing temperatures, as well as strong winds or even ice or heavy rain storms. Winter weather can knock out heat, power and communications services to your home or office, sometimes for days at a time.

Click 'Winter Weather' above for more information

Nov21

Breaking News

I want to give you some exciting news ­­­ — Saturday morning I was elected Caucus Chair by my colleagues in the House Democratic Caucus.  Our new elected leadership team is headed up by a very talented former Mayor and close friend, Delegate David Toscano of Charlottesville.  As our new Minority Leader, David heads up a strong cadre of Delegates that are ready to build a team for the future.  The Washington Post has more about this here.  I am so proud to be serving the Democratic Party in this new role, and I look forward to working with you to meet the challenges ahead. 

Sep12

Wounded Warrior Program coming to Fort Belvoir

The U.S. Army’s Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. is closing as part of the latest BRAC round of consolidations and relocations.  In addition to the new Fort Belvoir Community Hospital for acute care, the Wounded Warrior rehabilitation program is being split between Bethesda Naval Hospital and Fort Belvoir.  With these needed changes comes a shuffle of resources among both the Armed Forces and the key non-profit charities that support their efforts.  I recently visited the new Wounded Warrior barracks and facilities with Base Commander Col. Strycula and key command officials to find out what the local community can do to assist them.

Aug26

Backyard BBQ with Terry McAuliffe

Please Join….

Terry

Terry McAuliffe
Former Chairman of the DNC, Chairman of GreenTech Automotive, and former candidate for Governor

For a Labor Day Weekend Barbeque
in support of
Delegate Mark Sickles

Jul29

Sales Tax Holiday

Virginia's sixth annual back-to-school sales tax holiday will take place Aug. 5-7. During this three-day period, many school supplies and clothing items will be exempt from the state and local sales tax, easing the financial burden of families as they prepare to send their children back to school.

Jun6

Woodrow Wilson Bridge Project Heads for Finish

By Robert Thomson, Published: June 4

As the D.C. region’s leaders struggle over financing the Dulles Metrorail extension, they might find some comfort in reviewing a nine-year-old headline about threats to another important transportation project: “Rising Cost Jeopardizing New Bridge.”

That’s the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge, the one that now carries several hundred thousand vehicles a day over the Potomac River. In 2002, an unacceptably high construction bid was just the latest in a string of political and financial threats to one of the region’s top transportation priorities.

Mar8

Virginia legislature approves tech-friendly measures

Delegate Sickles has been working on these issues since 2008 and is happy that the Governor has seen fit to fund these programs. Delegate Sickles carried the legislation in the 2009 session that created the Commonwealth Research and Commercialization Fund.

Mar8

Governor McDonnell Announces the 2011 Pothole Blitz

Governor Bob McDonnell today directed the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) to immediately start a coordinated campaign to patch the thousands of potholes that formed this winter across the Commonwealth. VDOT will use state and contractor resources to quickly identify and repair potholes on Virginia’s highway system. Citizens are encouraged to assist this effort and report potholes to VDOT’s Customer Service Center at 1-800-FOR-ROAD.

Mar7

End of Session Report

The 2011 General Assembly session ended on the 47th day.  Upon adjournment, we entered a special session strictly for the purpose of redrawing legislative districts to reflect the 2010 census.  We will return to Richmond on April 4th to consider new legislative boundaries.  A draft map of the new 43d District will be posted online by late-March for public comment.  I am hopeful that our district will not change drastically because the 43d is only 1,922 people short of the 80,000 target, well within the five percent one-person, one-vote legal requirement.  Nevertheless, the boundaries are likely to change due to electoral considerations.  By the way, Virginia’s 40 State Senate seats will have 200,000, and our 11 U.S. House of Representatives seats will have approximately 717,000 people each.

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