During this session of the General Assembly Dave LaRock has done just what he promised to do during his campaign. He has introduced bills that would reduce the tolls on the Dulles toll road by imposing tolls on the Dulles Access road, here and here. He has also introduce bills to help gun owners and tax breaks for parents who choose to send their children to private school or home school. Those parents save the taxpayer $12,000 for each child they keep out of public schools. Unfortunately the bill didn’t pass, but that doesn’t mean LaRock won’t bring it up again during the next session.
Dave also supported a bill that would limit transportation funds spent on rail, transit, and other public transportation. That would give us more money for what we all use everyday, and desperately need, roads!
One of Dave’s goals in Richmond was to find a way ensure that our transportation dollars are wisely spent with a method for prioritizing transportation projects. Last year the General Assembly passed a massive transportation tax increase with no way to prioritize transportation spending. On Friday the House of Delegates passed unanimously House Bill 2 which will provide for a uniform assessment of transportation projects. Dave LaRock was a co-sponsor on this bill. He said,
Last session we put the cart before the horse – the legislature raised taxes before we reformed the way we spend money on transportation and transit projects. This bill is a significant step towards correcting a fundamental flaw in our spending process, and will help ensure that the projects we buy into actually generate a return on our investment.
This issue has tremendous economic ramifications for Virginia. It isn’t just about commute times, either. If we can ensure our tax dollars are spent wisely, we can see jobs created as good projects and, ideally, subsequently lower taxes feed back into the economy.
The bill has now been passed to the Senate for consideration.
