Many members of the House of Delegates will co-sponsor a bill, or agree to support legislation only to have the caucus leadership decide they don’t want the bill to pass, and dictate how the Delegate should vote on the issue. Members are threatened with being removed from committees or even having primary opponents in the next primary if they don’t cast their vote as directed.. In many cases votes are not even taken on bills. They are simply left to die without as much as a committee hearing.

As a member of the House of Delegates would you support changing the rules to require a formal recorded vote for all introduced bills?

Statement 2:

Question 2:  As a member of the Virginia General Assembly, would you sponsor and\or support legislation to improve funding of the Department of Fire Programs?

Statement 3:

In the history of Virginia there has never been funds dedicated for Virginias fire service. Aid to Localities (599 funds) provide over 200 hundred million dollars to law enforcement. Our occupation, firefighting and providing emergency medical services, is no less challenging than law enforcement, therefore it is time to have a dedicated source of revenue in the State's General Fund.

Question 3:  Do you support a permanent line of dedicated funds for the DFP Aid to Localities program in the State's biennial budget.?

Statement 4:

In 1996, two firefighters were killed protecting the citizens of the city of Chesapeake. Weeks after their deaths the city of Chesapeake notified their families they would no longer be provided health insurance coverage. The Virginia Professional Fire Fighters worked with the General Assembly to create the Line of Duty Act. The legislation provides a death benefit, and in 2000 was improved to guarantee health insurance coverage to state and local law enforcement officers, firefighters and their families that are killed or permanently disabled while performing their duties for the citizens of the Commonwealth. All benefits are funded through the Line of Duty Act Fund which is administered by the State Comptroller’s Office.

Please answer the following three questions, with the questions and your responses standing alone and of their own weight and importance.

4a.  As a member of the Virginia General Assembly, would you support keeping the present program in place without shifting the burden of funding to the localities?

4b.  In 2005, the health insurance benefit was extended to state law enforcement officers (and their families) who were killed or permanently disabled since April 1966. As a member of the Virginia General Assembly, would you support guarantying the same benefit to local law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency medical service personnel (and their families), without shifting the burden of funding to the localities?

4c.  As a member of the Virginia General Assembly, would you work with the Virginia Professional Fire Fighters to develop a mechanism for funding the improvements in the Line of Duty Act

.

Statement 5:

In Virginia, $4.25 of the cost of renewing a license plate for a vehicle goes to the Office of EMS to be distributed to localities. This money is used by rescue squads and EMS providers for training, and to purchase equipment. Many EMS agencies across the Commonwealth have been able to purchase new defibrillators, and other advanced life support equipment that they may not have otherwise been able to purchase. $.25 of this fund can be used for training of paramedics. This is very important to localities to provide better service in rural areas of the Commonwealth.

As a member of the House of Delegates how would you work to ensure these funds are not diverted for other use and dedicated for EMS purposes?

Statement 6:

Faced with reduced revenue sources many cities in the Commonwealth have reduced staffing in their Fire/EMS Departments to cut costs. This practice puts both firefighters and the citizens of Virginia at increased risk. There is a nationally recognized standard for staffing in which all departments in the Commonwealth fail to meet. The National Fire Protection Association provides standards for every aspect of the Fire Service. It is the recognized industry leader and most departments in the Commonwealth and the Nation use its standards. The standard "NFPA 1710" sets staffing minimum levels for departments to operate at safer levels.

Following September 11, 2001, International Association of Fire Fifghters asked congress to provide resources that would provide staffing for our nations fire departments. With the help of former Senator John Warner congress created a bill called Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response known as SAFER. SAFER provides funding on a matching grant type basis with the locality picking up the cost after 4 years. During former Governor Mark Warner's term, his approved bi-ennial budget included providing two years of funding to localities in order to provide safe staffing of fire departments. 

Question 6:  Would you support the inclusion of matching funds in the general fund for SAFER in the next biennial budget?

Statement 7:

The Virginia Retirement System and the other local public pension systems in Virginia provide pension benefits to retired Virginia public servants and their beneficiaries. The Virginia public pension funds have well over $52 billion under management and are well positioned for sustained growth and continued good funding status.

Virginia pensions are cost effective; allow localities and the state to attract and retain qualified employees; and are estimated to add about $3.8 billion of economic stimulus to the Virginia economy annually.

Question 1:

Statement 1: