Lewis, Northam begin session

BY JESSICA PORTER • CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE • JANUARY 20, 2010

RICHMOND -- Sen. Ralph Northam and Delegate Lynwood Lewis, the state legislators who represent the Eastern Shore, say they will try to protect public services while the General Assembly makes billion-dollar budget cuts during its 2010 session.

Virginia state government already has cut about $7 billion. This session, lawmakers must close an additional budget shortfall of $4 billion. Minimizing the harm of budget cuts will be first and foremost on legislators' minds, Lewis said.

"We've made so many cuts as far as state employees cutting back on services for education,health care, law enforcement and others. We're making even tougher choices; it hasn't really been determined yet," said Matt Strickler, Northam's
legislative assistant.

Northam, a Democrat from Norfolk, represents Senate District 6, which includes both Accomack and Northampton counties.

Lewis, a Democrat from Accomac, represents House District 100. He said he will try to get relief for volunteer fire and rescue companies to help them raise money. He also wants to recalculate how Virginia distributes money for 911 services.

Northam will try to protect law enforcement and health care.

"As a doctor himself, he sees firsthand the difficulties of not only hospitals and doctors, but also the trouble low-income folks have now. Those are the kind of things they want to watch out for and make sure the services are protected," Strickler said.

Environmental protection also is on the agenda for both lawmakers.

Northam hopes to keep the Atlantic's menhaden fishery managed and sustainable because it is a critically important part of the Chesapeake Bay, Strickler said. Lewis will call for a study of the Eastern Shore's seaside to determine its best productivity and use.

Both legislators also have plans to strengthen the local economy. Lewis will try to expand the nutrient trading program to be better used by Eastern Shore companies. That program works this way:

"If an entity or company has sewage treatment discharge into the bay and are exceeding the guidelines, they can purchase credits from entities that are below their requirements," Lewis said. Since the Eastern Shore is sparsely populated, there is limited opportunity for the area to participate in the program. He will push to expand that opportunity so local companies can buy from other locations.

Northam is pushing to extend a state law regarding liability and immunity for the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility. As of now, the law is set to expire in mid-2013; that would make it hard for the Wallops facility to compete with programs elsewhere -- and this would hurt the economy on the Eastern
Shore, Strickler said.

He said Northam also wants to address Virginia's transportation problems.

"We have a transportation crisis in Virginia, and we have had to cut back a lot of transportation funding, so coming up with a way to finance transportation will be a big issue," Strickler said. However, Northam will not introduce his own transportation bill.

Read the whole story in the Eastern Shore News