Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Terry McAuliffe said he disagreed with parts of bill but thought supporting the compromise that passed the Senate on Saturday was crucial.
The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee came to Arlington on Tuesday to praise the work of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell. Terry McAuliffe, the Democrat hoping to succeed McDonnell, said he spent hours on the phone calling members of both parties urging them to support a transportation compromise, which ultimately passed this weekend in the hours before the 2013 General Assembly session ended. "When you work on these major projects, it's not about a partisan agenda," McAuliffe told about a half-dozen reporters at a news conference on the 15th floor of the Sheraton Pentagon City. "This was a big deal. Was this a legacy item for Governor McDonnell? You bet it was." The event was designed to paint Republican Attorney General …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Patch welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity. Links added by Patch.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, February 7
Dear Editor, This year Del. Alfonso Lopez and Sen. Adam Ebbin patroned similar bills designed to extend in-state college tuition to Virginia youth that qualify for residency under the new federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Currently, these students must pay out-of-state tuition for Virginia colleges even if they have lived, and their parents have paid taxes, in the commonwealth for decades. Without in-state tuition to help them afford higher education, many — if not most — of these young people will unable to advance their education and will be relegated to a second-class existence. By letting them pay in-state tuition, Virginia would invest in its future workforce and enhance the ability of these young people to …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Supporters 'optimistic' about bill becoming law next year.
The Virginia DREAM Act — legislation that would have allowed children of illegal immigrants to receive in-state college tuition — has died in Richmond, but supporters are optimistic the bill will pass next year. "I was encouraged," said Del. Tom Rust, R-Herndon. "The bill has never gotten this far before. In fact, it's never gotten anywhere. I was encouraged by the response. It got a lot of support. I will be introducing it again next year, and I will be working on it between now and then." For the past seven years, similar legislation has died in a House subcommittee. This year, though, the measure enjoyed bipartisan, unanimous support on the subcommittee level, and it then passed the full House Education Committee with a 17-4 vote. It …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Arlington delegate's legislation, modeled after federal DREAM Act, moved forward Tuesday night.
A bill that would allow certain undocumented students to receive in-state college tuition in Virginia cleared a key legislative hurdle Tuesday night and could see further consideration Wednesday morning. "This has been a very good day for this issue," state Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, told Patch late Tuesday. "I'm overjoyed that it's gotten this far. But the fact is that we've got a lot of work to do still. And I'm going to continue working with Republicans and Democrats to hopefully bring this home." Lopez introduced legislation modeled after the federal DREAM Act. Lawmakers on Tuesday combined it with a similar bill put forth by Del. Tom Rust, a Herndon Republican and chairman of the House Higher Education Subcommittee, and …
Monday, January 7, 2013
County's legislative delegation heads to Richmond as 'underdogs' in Virginia General Assembly.
Virginia lawmakers who represent Arlington in Richmond have another tough year ahead of them. The county's seven-member legislative delegation — Sens. Janet Howell, Barbara Favola and Adam Ebbin, plus Dels. Bob Brink, Patrick Hope, Alfonso Lopez and freshman Rob Krupicka, all Democrats — spent three hours Friday night listening to a long list of concerns and requests from individuals and organizations. Overwhelmingly, people asked legislators to bolster funding for social safety net programs, particularly in the realms of mental health, substance abuse, developmental disabilities and brain injuries. They asked, too, that the delegation work to expand Medicaid and implement the Affordable Care Act in Virginia, including establishing an …
Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Virginia General Assembly convenes next week.
Arlington County's seven-member legislative delegation will hear public comments Friday evening ahead of the new General Assembly session, which starts next week. The delegation — state Sens. Adam Ebbin, Barbara Favola and Janet Howell, plus state Dels. Patrick Hope, Bob Brink, Alfonso Lopez and freshman Rob Krupicka — is composed entirely of Democrats. The annual legislative hearing begins at 6 p.m. Friday in the Arlington County Board Room, which is on the third floor of the county administration building at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. Individuals may speak for up to three minutes. Anyone who wishes to speak may register beginning at 5:30 p.m. outside of the board room. Last month, the Arlington County Board finalized its list of legislative …
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Arlington County administration building
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Lopez presented award in Arlington.
The Virginia Education Association honored state Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, this week, naming him 2012 Legislative Rookie of the Year. Jaim L. Foster, president of the Arlington Education Association, presented Lopez with the award on Monday "for his stellar legislative efforts on behalf of public education," according to a news release. “I am honored to receive this award from the VEA, especially here in Arlington where my mother served as a teacher and guidance counselor for over 20 years,” Lopez said in a statement. “I hope to honor her memory and her service to our community by continuing to be a champion for our public schools and our hard working, dedicated teachers.” Lopez earned 100 percent on the Virginia Education …
Friday, November 2, 2012
Local Latino elected officials and the Center for American Progress Action Fund called on immigrants to vote on Election Day.
Lizzette Arias arrived in Arlington when she was 2 months old. She came with her family, who had immigrated here from Bolivia. They settled into an apartment near an elementary school. "I used to watch out the window, the kids marching out to school. I was not allowed to go to school — for no good reason, I thought," Arias said. "The truth was that my parents were afraid to enroll me because of our immigration status. I asked Santa Claus and prayed to God that one day I would go to school." Arias considers herself lucky to have been able to eventually enroll in the third grade. In 2007, she graduated from Wakefield High School as a valedictorian. She later found a small college in Pennsylvania that accepted her as an undocumented student …
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Hope, Lopez: Proposed cuts to free clinics, other health care services could cost Virginia more in the long-term.
Local legislators say Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed cuts to the state’s health care safety net – a long list of providers that includes the Arlington Free Clinic – could end up costing Virginia more in the long run. McDonnell, a Republican, has proposed a two-year, $85 billion spending plan that moves millions from public education and health care over to three areas his administration considers priorities: transportation, higher education and the state’s pension system. It withholds $300 million in inflationary increases from Medicaid and several million more from various safety net agencies. Among the latter cuts is about $1.6 million to the Virginia Association of Free Clinics. Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington, called the safety net cuts…
Friday, July 15, 2011
Absentee ballots can be cast through 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20.
Absentee voting for the Aug. 23 primary is now under way at the Arlington County Office of Voter Registration on the third floor of the county office complex at 2100 Clarendon Blvd. So far, the office mailed out 265 ballots, mostly overseas, and about 30 people have voted in person. Two voting machines are set up. Absentee voting requires a person give a reason for voting early – which can be as general as “business” or “pregnancy” – and can be done at the county office through 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 20. That is the only Saturday between now and the election that the office will be open. It will be open regular hours Mondays through Fridays. Mail-in ballots must be postmarked by Aug. 23 to count. They can be hand-delivered through 7 p.m. …
Rob Krupicka
9:27 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
I want to echo Jamie's comments. Both Delegate Lopez and Senator Ebbin put in amazing work on this issue. It was impressive to watch them. They put incredible time into meeting with people and working to convince them. The DREAM act got further than it ever has before. And I am optimistic for its future. more ›