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I am honored to have represented
the people of Colonial Heights and
Chesterfield County* in the General
Assembly since 1990. The continued
support of voters in the 66th district
has given me increased responsibilities
and opportunities to improve the
lives of the citizens of the Commonwealth
and our district.
2008 General Assembly
I continue to serve on the Appropriations
Committee and Chair the Committee’s
Subcommittee on Commerce, Agriculture
and Natural Resources, and I will
serve on the Agriculture, Chesapeake
and Natural Resources Committee
(AC&NR). I will also be focusing
my efforts on my House leadership
responsibilities as the House Majority
Whip. Please use the link below
- Committees, Boards, and Commissions
- to see my other responsibilities.
2008 Legislative Survey
There will be several major issues
that will come before the General
Assembly this year. On January
2, 2008, I mailed a Legislative
Issues Survey flyer to some 14,000
households in the 66th
District to get the views of the
people that I represent. There
were 17 questions with mostly yes
and no answers and two questions
that asked respondents to list what
they consider the most important
state and local issues they would
like to see addressed in the 2008
Session. The other questions
addressed budget priorities, tax
policy, illegal immigration, education,
health, public safety, payday lending
and abuser driver fees.
There will be many tough issues
coming before the 2008 General Assembly.
We will have to find a way to close
the budget deficit, refine transportation
plans, address public safety concerns
and help our fellow citizens with
severe health challenges and mental
disabilities to name a few.
I will be using the survey input
from the citizens I represent to
help guide me as I vote on the important
issues in this session.
Legislation
I will introduce some 22 pieces
of legislation in the 2008 Session
that address the concerns of my
constituents, support our military
and veterans, and fund projects
that impact our area. While my website
has the link to “Virginia Online
Legislature” where you can get the
full text and current status of
all my bills and resolutions, I
want to highlight a few items for
you.
Support For Our Military, Veterans & First Responders
With forty-seven percent of the
households in the 66th District
having a family member serving in
the military or a veteran in the
family, I continue to work on their
issues. I am pleased to carry
two of the top five legislative
priorities for the Commonwealth’s
23 veterans' services organizations.
The Wounded Warrior legislation
will put in place a system to help
Virginia veterans and members of
the National Guard and Virginia
residents in the Armed Forces Reserves
who have returned home from combat
with stress related injuries and
brain disorders. The program
will also support family members
affected by covered military members
service and deployments. We
owe this support to our fellow Virginians
who are serving in harms way to
keep us safe and secure at home.
The second item is additional funding
for the Virginia War Memorial Foundation
to build an Education Center.
This funding will supplement the
private funds being raised by the
Foundation, address increased costs
due to inflation, and add a shrine
to recognize Virginians who have
given their lives in the War on
Terror. The Education Center will
play an important role in educating
our young people regarding the sacrifices
made by Virginians to keep our nation
free and secure. This is a
very important effort that needs
our support. I have another
bill that also helps our service
members recovering from wounds.
This bill will ensure that service
members recovering from combat wounds
in hospitals in Virginia and adjacent
states, can fly fish in Virginia
waters at in-state rates.
This bill was requested by members
of various Virginia fly fishing
organizations. Based on a
pilot Walter Reed Program, fly fishing
and tying have proven to be a significant
benefit to service members recovering
from brain, hand and eye injuries.
It is great that our Virginia fly
fishermen are working with our wounded.
This low cost effort can have a
big positive impact. Another bill
will address measures to improve
the Veterans Services Foundation.
One of the main charges for the
Foundation was to raise private
funds to support programs that will
benefit veterans. Little
has been accomplished in some four
years. My legislation will
give the Foundation the tools required
to carry out their charter so they
can play an important role in our
efforts to support the 720,000 veterans
living in Virginia.
Our first responders are also doing
a superb job of keeping our communities
safe and secure, and we must do
our part to make their jobs easier
and safer and to support them when
they are injured. We have
a shortage of State Police that
is exacerbated by current policies
that have sworn personnel take compensatory
leave and overtime leave rather
then being paid for overtime service.
I have a budget amendment that would
fund the overtime service thus helping
us extend our State Police coverage
within current manpower restraints.
This legislation is the top priority
for the Virginia State Police Association.
Other Legislation
&Commending and Memorial Resolutions
I have proposed several other pieces
of legislation that address a variety
of issues to include fire inspections
in schools, Child Day Care Council
membership, chaplain services in
prisons, medical research, and support
for citizens with major disabilities.
In regard to the last item, there
is a need for community based brain
injury services. Many areas
of the Commonwealth lack available
local services or there are extensive
waiting times for service.
This community based service is
much more cost effective and offers
greater benefits than institutional
care. Another budget
amendment would increase the care
available to our fellow citizens
that are mentally retarded.
Presently, Virginia has a crisis
system with very extended waiting
periods. With passage
of my legislation, we can significantly
reduce the extended waiting periods.
I have also proposed legislation
to fund local projects, and to recognize
the achievements of our fellow citizens
in the 66th District.
Constituent Support
I hope you find this update informative.
During the General Assembly Sessions,
I can be reached at 804-698-1066.
My mailing address for the session
is PO Box 406, Richmond, VA 23218;
email address is
delkcox@house.state.va.us.
An easy way to give me your views
during General Assembly sessions
is to use the Constituent Hot Line
– 1-800-889-0229. When not in Session,
I am in my home office and can be
reached at 804-526-5135; email address
remains the same. Mail should be
sent to Del. Kirk Cox, PO Box 1205,
Colonial Heights, VA 23834.
As we move forward, I pledge to
continue my efforts to make Virginia
a better and safer place to work
and live. I thank you for your interest
and continued support.
Kirk Cox
Republican Delegate – 66th District
- House Majority Whip
*66th District includes the following
Chesterfield County precincts: South
Chester, North Chester, Harrowgate,
Wells, Ecoff, Dutch Gap, Iron Bridge,
Winfree’s Store, Beach, Winterpock,
Bailey Bridge and Nash.
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