From the Senator Scott Surovell:

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Several of my bills are moving quickly in the General Assembly’s “short,” 45-day.

First, the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee passed my bill to require the city of Alexandria to expedite its cleanup of its primary raw sewage discharges into the Potomac River after consolidating my bill with Committee Chairman Senator Richard Stuart’s bill. Many legislators agree that we cannot tolerate 70 million gallons of untreated sewage pouring into the Potomac River for the next 30 years while the city addresses the rest of what’s called a “combined sewer overflow” system dating from the 1800s. Water quality is a nonpartisan issue. I will continue to expedite this legislation with Senator Stuart and Delegate Dave Albo who is carrying similar legislation in the House of Delegates.

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Occoquan VFW Post Inducts Woodbridge Community Veterans
On January 3 at the Post’s General Membership Meeting in the Posts second floor Community Room, Tony Ahnn USMC (Ret), Janette Blea USN (Ret), Joel Blea USN (Ret) , Jim Caputo USAF (Ret), Tom Cox USAF (Ret), JD Gibson USA (Ret), and Kerry Kachejian USA (Ret) took their their membership oath in front of an enthusiastic crowd of members and their spouses.
The inspiring ceremony reflects over 117 years of VFW history, tradition and accomplishment. Post 7916 Commander Chuck Wilson administered the oath of the Veteran of Foreign Wars and then said:
“My comrades: You have been admitted to this great order because you have served our country in the face of hazard and danger. But our country deserves your highest devotion at all times, in peace as well as in war. In this organization you are now privileged to mingle with comrades who have gone to the far lands of the earth when duty called. They, better than anyone else, can understand your language as a veteran.

Henceforth you are privileged to wear this beautiful Cross of Malta which will distinguish you as a member of America’s true knighthood, bound together by ties of comradeship formed through a century of campaigning in foreign lands and waters—the golden age of American chivalry.
Into this great fraternity we now welcome you. Here you will find true comradeship. And so, as you go about your daily duties, I admonish you to cherish the beautiful emblem you are now privileged to wear. Look upon it as an inspiration to noble citizenship. Treasure it as a symbol of all that is best in our national life, resting assured that if you will practice the principles for which it stands comrades will come to you in the hour of need even as you will go to them when duty calls.
We trust that what you have experienced here will not soon pass from your mind, but that its impression will remain with you through a long and prosperous life.
Comrades, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.
May you find pleasure in the comradeship of this great order and help perpetuate the hallowed memories of service so dear to all of us. And now, with my best wishes for your future success, I commend you to your new comrades. Comrades, extend to our new comrade a hearty welcome.”
In 1913 the VFW modeled its organization, terminology and ritual on the Grand Army of the Republic—an organization for veterans of all ranks who had served in the American Civil War. The VFW grew rapidly after the WW I with hundreds of thousands eligible veterans returning from the war. Between the two world wars the VFW focused on advocating for benefits for veterans. After the Second World War, millions more veterans were eligible to join the VFW. Membership steadily grew after the war peaking at about 2.5 million in 1993 with over 10,000 posts nationwide. During the turbulent 1960s era, the VFW supported the American involvement in the Vietnam War and condemned the counterculture trends of the era. For the last decade, the VFW has faced declining membership due to the aging of WWII, Korea, and Viet Nam veterans and the reduced enrollment from veterans of South West Asia conflicts. Also reflecting the precipitous reduction in serving U.S. military (.4% of Americans), today there are 1.7 million VFW members and 6,700 posts world wide.

On Saturday, January 7th, Prince William County elected representatives will host a Prince William County 2017 General Assembly Session Public Hearing. Details are as follows:

Prince William County 2017 General Assembly Public Hearing
Saturday, January 7, 2017
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Board of Supervisors Chamber Room
James J. McCoart Administrative Building
1 County Complex Court
Woodbridge, VA 22192

Prince William County State Senators and Delegates will listen the concerns and important topics of Prince William County citizens, such as the appropriation of funds in the $100 billion state budget, transportation policy, education policy, human services, public safety, and the environment. 

Senator Scott Surovell (D-36) stated, “Public comment and input is vital to our roles as elected officials.  All of us value our accessibility to Prince William County’s residents and want to make sure they have every opportunity to make us aware of their concerns before the General Assembly Session begins.”

Delegate Richard Anderson (R-51) stated, “I look forward to joining with my fellow legislators to discuss the forthcoming legislative session of the General Assembly—and to receiving citizen input on the business that will come before us in Richmond. This is a time-honored tradition in Prince William County and we urge as many of our neighbors as possible to participate.”

Rules of the forum are as follows:

— All speakers will have three minutes to speak

— Organizations are limited to three speakers per organization

— Speakers can sign up to speak online in advance at: https://bit.ly/2017PWCsignup

— Speakers will be called in the order they sign up.

— Attendees who have not signed up may sign up at the hearing and speak after registered speakers have addressed the delegation. 

— All speakers should bring 15 copies of printed materials to distribute to the members. 

The forum is for the public to address the delegation.  General Assembly members will not address participant comments to preserve time.  Press is invited to attend. 

For nearly 35 years, Keep Prince William Beautiful has served the communities and citizens of Prince William County by inspiring individual responsibility and collective action to keep our beloved neighborhoods clean, green, and vibrant places to live, work, and conduct business. As we begin a new year, our organization renews our commitment to the communities we serve and pledge to inspire greater action in the year ahead.

I like to tell folks in discussing the services Keep Prince William Beautiful provides that we clean up not just for the sake of keeping things beautiful, but rather so our people can do beautiful things. When the park is clean, more kids will go. Home values are higher in clean neighborhoods; new businesses open on vibrant and clean streets; when we take pride and keep it beautiful, our communities are safer and stronger.

Keep Prince William Beautiful is a grassroots service organization that leads programs on litter prevention, protecting the Chesapeake Bay, recycling education, among others. But we are also a catalyst for economically vibrant and healthy communities. We are thought leaders and committed to environmental action and economic vitality taking root together.

In 2016, hundreds of volunteers for Keep Prince William Beautiful logged over 5,000 hours picking up nearly 100,000 pounds of trash from our roadways and streams. Over 70 spots were adopted by friends and neighbors. Hundreds of kids took part in fun, educational activities to promote recycling and environmental stewardship. These things enable our communities to be great places to do beautiful things – to start new businesses, buy a house, visit, live healthy, and have fun.

Join us in the new year and help us continue our vision of Prince William County being a place to ‘do beautiful things’ in 2017– adopt a spot on your street to keep it clean; volunteer for a community clean-up; donate to help us beautify communities by planting, painting, and developing parks and green spaces. Recycle and reuse items. Dispose of your trash. Keep pollutants out of our storm drains and help protect the Chesapeake Bay. Most importantly, take pride in our community and let’s become the nation’s leader in keeping our communities beautiful so we all can do beautiful things in the community we love.

To learn more, volunteer, or donate please visit kpwb.org.

As another cold winter approaches, the Prince William County Republican Committee and Congressman Rob Wittman (VA-01) collected and donated cold-weather supplies for the homeless in Woodbridge this week. On Wednesday, the Committee donated a dozen large bags of clothes, coats and blankets, as well as six large propane tanks, to Streetlight Ministries, a charity that serves the unsheltered homeless in Prince William County. This end-of-the-year service project concludes the 2016 Prince William County GOP Community Service Initiative that included ten service projects throughout the year.

The Prince William Republican Committee has served the community through projects like this collection for several years. During the last three years, the Committee has engaged in approximately ten service opportunities per year. Service projects have included projects like: a fashion show to benefit the B.A.R.N Transitional Housing charity in Bristow, led by the Bull Run Republican Women’s Club; a back-to-school supply drive for schools with high populations of economically disadvantaged students; and a meal for residents of the ACTS Homeless Shelter in Dumfries, just to name a few. Any Prince William County resident, regardless of political affiliation, can participate in the Republican’s community service activities by contacting the Committee at 703-680-7388.

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Delegate Richard L. Anderson (R-51^st) and his legislative staff have put the finishing touches on the 51^st House District “Future Delegate Program” at the Virginia state capitol in Richmond.

Now in its fifth year, the program brings public, private, and home-schooled students from grades 7 through 12 to Capitol Square in Richmond for a day-long immersion in the legislative processes of the Virginia General Assembly. The Future Delegate Program focuses on the policy process and exposes students and families to legislative life in Richmond. The goal is for students to return home with a greater appreciation for the business of the Virginia House of Delegates, where Del. Anderson has served for seven years since retiring from the US Air Force as a colonel after a 30-year military career.  Anderson’s aim is to convince students why they should enter public service as their life’s calling.

Anderson was motivated to provide this civics opportunity by his service as chair of the Virginia Commission on Civics Education. The delegate stated that “a well-rounded civics education is being crowded out by other disciplines, so we need to be watchful that students are exposed to ways in which they can engage in the civic life of their communities across Virginia. Civics is the discipline that leads to trust, civility, and respect in government and politics.”

Students will be exposed to a wide range of activity while in Richmond, and they will have an opportunity to see first-hand the business of the House Science and Technology Committee that Anderson chairs. Additionally, the delegate co-chairs the General Assembly Military and Veterans Caucus with Sen. Bryce Reeves, meaning that students will learn more about the work of Anderson, Reeves, and their colleagues on behalf of 800,000 Virginia military veterans. Because only one student will participate each day, they experience quality one-on-one time with Anderson, who often has the student sit with him in committee and subcommittee meetings and takes them to meetings with other delegates and senators, the leadership of the House, and other senior officials. They also participate in Senate hearings that might be scheduled and assist Anderson with press conferences if one is scheduled during their visit to the Capitol.

The program has proven to be immensely popular and has graduated some 200 students over the last five years. Anderson’s program is the first-ever at the Capitol and touches a large number of Prince William County students. The delegate considers it “my most important outreach to young people in our community who wish to serve our Commonwealth at the state level and our Constitutional Republic at the federal level.”

Now that students have completed their applications, dates are being assigned to specific students and their families who will accompany them to Richmond. Anderson looks forward to the arrival of the first Future Delegate Program student in January and says that “each will have a ring-side seat on how we make policy and make life better for eight million Virginians.”

Virginia is represented by Democrats in all five statewide offices, has voted for a Democratic president three times, yet the Virginia House of Delegates has 66 Republicans and 34 Democrats.

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on the legality and constitutionality of the last redistricting of Virginia House of Delegates’ districts. The court’s decision could be monumental for all Virginia voters.

If I could fix one thing to make our government work better at every level, I would reform redistricting. Partisan redistricting abuse has been around since the beginning of American democracy. The term “gerrymander” originates from an 1812 attempt to draw districts favoring Massachusetts Governor Eldridge Gerry. To be clear, both parties do it, but in the last two decades, gerrymandering has become especially powerful for a few reasons.

First, America is more partisan. Due to multiple and growing sources of information available in today’s world, voters are able to self-select their news sources and are exposed to fewer alternative perspectives. This has driven up partisan identification and led to fewer voters who are willing to split their votes between political parties.
Second, and more importantly, computer-enabled mapping software has made it possible to draw districts that are finely crafted. When redistricting was done with index cards shifting precincts days because of ancillary effects and the need to recalculate and balance district populations.

Today, computing technology analyzes data by census block and in a few seconds can draw a comprehensive set of districts to elect a predicted number from a specific political party while maximizing majority-minority districts.

Over the last thirty years, these political considerations have caused district lines to constantly shift. Many areas constantly move between congressmen, senators and delegates every redistricting cycle. Changed lines leave people confused about their representatives. Census level analysis leaves precincts split requiring local governments to redraw precinct lines to avoid polling places with multiple ballots. This costs taxpayers money and leaves voters confused about their polling place.

Resulting districts are not communities of interest. The 36th Senate district that I represent stretches 60 miles across three counties and two area codes. The 1st Congressional District crosses the 36th District and stretches from Manassas to near Norfolk. Districts should minimize jurisdictional splits, use natural geographical boundaries like rivers and be truly compact and contiguous.

Together, this creates a series of hyper-partisan districts, both Republican and Democratic, which are so safe in general elections that they incentivize incumbents to focus on galvanizing primary voters’ support and not the broader electorate. This distorts public policy and increases partisanship when it is time to legislate.

There are two solutions to this problem. First, the legislature could give up redistricting power and transfer it to a bipartisan or nonpartisan commission. Incumbent legislators should not pick their voters. I have always supported nonpartisan redistricting and the Virginia State Senate has passed it several times, but it always dies in the hyper-gerrymandered House of Delegates. A legislative solution is highly unlikely.

The real opportunity to remedy this situation lies in the courts. Some courts have thrown out hyper gerrymandered seats using Voting Rights Act provisions. While valuable, this law is not a comprehensive tool because it is limited to preventing racial discrimination and does not address other problems with partisan redistricting. A Wisconsin federal court recently used an analysis based on the 1st and 14th Amendments to invalidate partisan redistricting by focusing on “wasted votes,” but did not recommend a remedy.

Courts can often better resolve issues that legislatures cannot. For example, in 1962, numerous legislatures, including Virginia’s, refused to redraw districts recognizing the booming suburban populations. The U.S. Supreme Court required Virginia and other states to draw districts based on actual population by adopting the “one man, one vote” rule of the Baker v. Carr case.

Today, it is similarly time for the Courts to restore democracy to our country and our Commonwealth. Hopefully, they will use the Virginia House of Delegates case argued this week to restore democracy to America.

It is an honor to serve as your state senator. If you have any feedback, you can always contact me at [email protected].