*Nothing on energy
*Nothing on the environment
*Nothing on providing health care to all Virginians

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Jefferson's Vision in Jefferson's Capitol

These halls have witnessed Virginians of every city and county, men and women, people of all races, from all walks of life, rise to the challenge of self-government.

As we see other nations in turmoil, suffering violence over claims of leadership and authority, we are reminded what a privilege it is to hold an election, pass power from one president to another, one governor to another, one legislator to another-peacefully, and with the conviction that whatever party or region our leadership hails from, they serve us all.

This accomplishment cannot be taken for granted.  It has been paid for in blood, and even today, Virginians serve in places of great danger, helping to preserve the civil society we enjoy and advance freedom in other lands.

Here at home, our society is not held together by force, or by fear, but by the continued consent of our citizens to engage in this common effort.

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We are sent here to serve.  And our service will not be measured by how it affects the few hundred people on Capitol Square.  It will be measured by how it affects the 7.5 million Virginians outside Capitol Square.

We should not ignore our political parties, our regional interests, or our personal concerns.  When our differences of opinion arise from a commitment to ideals, rather than a desire to win a political battle, they lead to our best solutions.  I believe strongly in my vision of how our government should serve.

But I pledge to you that I will hear your beliefs and those of our constituents and work with you to find solutions to these challenges that are better than those you or I could design alone.

Mental Health

To expand and improve outpatient services, we must increase funding for additional clinicians and case managers.  We must increase support for emergency services.  We also need to do a better job of keeping people with mental illness from entering the criminal justice system and to provide better treatment to individuals when they are in jail.  

We must not only correct the historic under-funding of community mental health, but also demand greater accountability in the provision of care.

Better outcomes for our mentally ill citizens demand a more uniform system of emergency response times, admission criteria, and staff requirements.

We can help provide people with the treatment they need by adjusting commitment standards, ensuring that emergency orders are long enough to allow expert examinations, and clarifying the responsibilities of all parties in diagnosis, treatment, and follow up.

If we identify people with mental illnesses and provide them with proper treatment and support, we serve them and our communities better.

Pre-K

My proposal increases state support for cities and counties offering pre-k programs, makes more at-risk students eligible and utilizes high-quality private providers so that more money can be spent on education, instead of bricks and mortar.

In addition to expanding access to preschool, we will enhance quality and accountability, build collaboration among public, private and Head Start programs, and strengthen the early childhood workforce.

This is an investment in our Commonwealth's future.  We must make it now so that our children can become the firefighters, police officers, teachers, delegates, senators, and governors who serve the next generation of Virginians.

Higher Education Bond

Making significant new investments in higher education will also help create high-tech jobs through research and innovation.  This is particularly important at a time when job growth is slowing.

That's why I have proposed a $1.6 billion bond package to continue the acceleration of our top notch higher education system.  This investment, to be phased in over the next 5 to 7 years, will provide facilities across the Commonwealth for researchers to develop new, cutting-edge technologies and turn them into commercial assets.

The bond package centers largely on engineering, science, business, and health professions.  It will support our higher education system's continuing efforts to build a more talented workforce that is fully prepared to compete in a global economy.  Beginning these needed projects now will be less costly than in future years, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.  And the bond package fits well within our conservative debt service guidelines.

Working Together

I know you will suggest ways to improve on the proposals I have put before you today.  I look forward to a civil exchange of ideas, always keeping the needs of our citizens foremost in our minds.   As Jefferson wrote to John Adams, "Truth between candid minds can never do harm."

You will also offer many proposals of your own, and I pledge to engage with you in good faith about your visions for Virginia's future.

We have much to look forward to this year.  There is no greater honor than for each of us to play our part in continuing - and improving - the legacy of enlightened self-government that has enlivened this Capitol for 220 years.  Virginians have sent us here with high expectations.  If we work together, we will not disappoint them.

Governor Kaine put forth a vision for the legislative session this evening that will unite all Virginians. During the next 60 days our mission as public servants is to serve the people by carefully considering the legislation before us and working together to do what's best for the Commonwealth.

While we have made tremendous progress in Virginia recently, I applaud the Governor for supporting initiatives that will continue to move us forward: needed reforms to our mental health system brought to light by the tragedy at Virginia Tech; a fiscally responsible budget that recognizes the uncertainty in our economy and makes important investments in education; and, a bi-partisan redistricting process and election reforms that increase civic participation.

This year I will be carrying some legislation on behalf of the Governor to advance his agenda and I have introduced proposals of my own to continue the progress that has made Virginia one of the best states in the nation. I look forward to working with Governor Kaine and my colleagues in both houses of the legislature to continue serving the people of Virginia.

Senator Norment:

Good evening, I'm Senator Tommy Norment from James City County and the Senate Republican leader. Thank you for sharing your time with us this evening; and for caring enough about the welfare of our commonwealth to hear from your elected leaders. We, as Virginians can take enormous pride in our state's history and heritage. In fact our state legislature, the General Assembly, is the world's oldest freely elected legislative body in continuous service.

But you did not send us to Richmond to languish in the past. You sent each of us here to face the challenges of today. And throughout this past election year, the Senate and House Republicans laid out in a series of news conferences a detailed and comprehensive agenda. Republicans told you what we would do; and tonight we are here to reaffirm our commitment to you.

We addressed real issues and offered real solutions. We did not promise you what we knew we could not deliver. To lay out that positive, problem solving legislative program is my good friend, the delightful lady from Virginia Beach, Delegate Terrie Suit.

Suit:

Tonight, as we begin a new session of the Virginia General Assembly, our commonwealth is better prepared to face challenging times than any state in the union. The record we have compiled and the policies we have enacted have brought real results for our citizens and positive recognition for our state. Virginia is now widely acknowledged as America's best state for business, and we have both the awards and the strong economic foundation to prove it. We have been designated the Best Managed State and the state where children have the best opportunity to succeed in life. That's something we all can be proud of.

Over several decades, under governors and legislatures led by both parties, we have compiled a record that has garnered many accolades, and enacted innovative policies that have become a model for other states. All of these positive changes and reforms do not insulate us from the challenges facing our nation, but they do make Virginia uniquely equipped to confront uncertain times with a greater prospect for long-term prosperity than anywhere else in America.

Today marks the beginning of a new General Assembly. Just 10 weeks ago, citizens across Virginia went to the polls to elect every member of the House of Delegates and the Virginia Senate. These legislators represent every region of the commonwealth, and they bring with them to Richmond the concerns and hopes of the citizens they are entrusted to serve.

During the recent elections, Republican candidates took their agenda for change directly to the people of Virginia. We campaigned offering specific, detailed ideas on reforms to make our commonwealth stronger, bringing positive change to state government and delivering greater opportunity for all Virginians. Now, House and Senate Republicans are ready to enact that agenda, and we are actively reaching across the aisle to make those changes a reality.

For example, we are looking forward to working in a bipartisan manner with Governor Kaine in those areas where we share a common agenda. We are committed to enacting specific improvements in our mental-health-care system, and we will stand united with the governor in our insistence that those reforms and quality improvements be enacted this year, during this General Assembly session. We are committed to continuing Virginia's strong record of improvement in education, and we will appropriate the funding necessary to ensure the Standards of Quality initiative remains an effective model for ensuring Virginia's public school children receive a world-class education. And, we are committed to providing property tax relief for our homeowners, and support a package of initiatives - including a Constitutional Amendment supported by the governor - to provide that long overdue relief for Virginia's families.

Virginia is host to the largest concentration of U.S. military in the nation. I represent a district with a significant population of active duty and retired service members. My own husband recently retired from the Navy SEALs after a 27-year military career. Our service members are actively engaged in combat action both in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as supporting operations in other parts of the world. Their families, living here in Virginia, are under tremendous daily stress. We understand and share the concerns of these families and those of our veterans. We will be offering a package of legislation to better address their needs and to remind these families that their sacrifices for our freedoms are worthy of honor and respect.

There are, of course, areas where our views differ from those of the governor. We value the contribution that legal immigrants have made throughout Virginia's history - and continue to make today. But, illegal immigration not only violates our laws, it effectively penalizes those who come to our nation legally, respecting and adhering to our nation's rules and embracing our values while seeking to fulfill their dreams. Our package of reforms will make Virginia a more effective partner with the federal government in the effort to stem the tide of criminal illegal immigration, and to ensure that legal immigrants are rewarded with all the privileges of citizenship for which they have worked so hard and sacrificed so much.

These are just a portion of our priorities for this year's General Assembly. We also have ambitious plans to protect our natural resources, to promote the production of alternative energy, to improve access to quality health care and increase its affordability, and to strengthen the ability of our law enforcement and public safety professionals to protect us from crime.

This year, Virginia will enact a new budget that will serve our commonwealth for the next two years. We have a great many concerns about the Governor's proposals for that spending plan. Senator Norment, who serves as Senate Republican Leader and is a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, will detail our priorities for a fiscally responsible budget that will allow Virginia to retain its status as America's Best Managed State.

Norment:

Terrie, thank you very much for that articulate explanation of our common agenda. You left just one final, but important topic to address: money. How much money will be available under our current revenue structure and what is the very best way to spend it? Crafting a responsible two-year budget that meets legitimate needs is the biggest task ahead of us. As a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, I am proud that Virginia is ranked as the best state in the nation to raise a child and to conduct business. Those rankings were not achieved with state budgets either too stingy, or too spendthrift. We enjoy our relative good fortune to sound and responsible fiscal management. That is a legacy we must not squander.

The governor has presented us with a proposed administrative budget that, like those of every previous governor, can be improved upon by legislative oversight. It is a budget that draws down our savings account - the Rainy Day Fund - by the maximum amount allowed by law. It is a budget that borrows so much money for construction projects that we would come perilously close to our credit limit. While it assumes no outright tax increases, there are a host of new and higher fees. And, it props up spending on new programs by drawing down $180 million in funds earmarked just last year - with the governor's agreement - for transportation.

Finally, it is a budget that assumes some Pollyanna economic conditions in the second year - a year in which we as legislators will still be here, but this governor will have left office. Many state budget experts will tell you this could be a recipe for future budgetary woes. So, any new programs or projects have to meet the absolute highest standard of necessity. Our Republican consensus is that the mental-health reforms may be the only area that clearly meets this test.

Terrie and I would delight in sitting here tonight, telling you, "all is well". But, we have a higher commitment; a commitment to be honest and candid with you. Virginia is still an exceptional place to live, work, go to school, raise families or retire. Our job, as legislators, is to make certain it remains so. We can't control the national economy, but we can control our own state budget. The budget you will see in March will surely be very different from the one you heard about tonight from the governor. And, I promise you, it will be a superior budget.

In the 400 years since our founding at Jamestown, we have endured hardship, but have prospered and endured as Virginians. There are untold good years ahead for our beloved commonwealth, if we remain faithful to our heritage of prudent, responsible and responsive government. You sent 73 Republicans to Richmond to do just that, and we will.

So on behalf of our Republican caucuses; your fiscally responsible leaders, good night; and may God continue to bless this nation, this commonwealth and each of you.

Michel Zajur, president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
"He understands that Virginia has a lot to jeopardize" by proposing punitive anti-immigrant legislation. "He has taken a very sensible immigration approach."

Lulu Meese, former president of the League of Women Voters
"I was surprised by how few times he was interrupted by applause [11 times]. It was visionary and conciliatory. He touched on everything he needed to."

Mari Miles of Chesterfield
"He said everything that any of us with a mentally ill family member would want to hear him say. He agrees that we need increased funding, that commitment issues need to be readdressed. He stated that we have chronic underfunding.

"But nowhere in there does he say where the money is going to come from."

Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, D-Richmond
"The bond package is needed because higher education is the engine that drives our economic development."

Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, Republican, likely candidate for governor
Kaine would pay for new programs "by raiding the state's savings account, diverting money away from needed transportation projects, overly optimistic revenue projections and the excessive use of debt. This is a formula for disaster."

State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, likely candidate for governor
It is "a fiscally responsible budget that recognizes the uncertainty in our economy and makes important investments in education."

Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Republican, likely candidate for governor
"We all have said that what we want is to expand the number of legal immigrants into Virginia. What we can't have is a fracture of the rule of law and a fracture of the social compact so that people come here, don't pay taxes, don't do their fair share and then get the benefits of citizenship."

Del. Brian J. Moran, D-Alexandria, likely candidate for governor
"I'm very pleased on the repeal of abusive-driver fees. He's responded to the public."

Sen. R. Edward Houck, D-Spotsylvania
"His speech really captured what I hear Virginians really talking about a lot -- preschool, mental-health reform, those crazy abusive-driver fees."

Del. Phillip A. Hamilton, R-Newport News
"The one thing I appreciate about the governor is he acknowledges up front there are differences of opinion, but that's no reason not to have a discussion."

"I think we found out that's been a total flop, a big mistake. I'm glad to see he's now going to lead the effort to repeal it." -- Sen. R. Edward Houck, D-Spotsylvania, on Kaine's support for a repeal of the abusive driver fees.

"I think that was a well-intentioned effort to generate money for transportation and improve traffic safety, but the legislation really was poorly drafted. ... The right thing for us to do is to say, 'Well, it was a well-intentioned effort, it hasn't worked out the way we planned and the best thing to do is to repeal it and move on."' -- Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling on the abusive driver fees.

"I have never liked the concept of financing transportation with abusive driver fees." -- Independent Del. Lacey Putney of Bedford on the abusive driver fees.

"If a strong majority of my caucus wants to repeal it, I'm not going to stand in the way. I may vote against a repeal, though, because I think fundamentally what we did was correct. ... I'm not going to fall on my sword for a repeal." -- Republican House Speaker William Howell

"Hopes springs eternal on the first day. The time for it has come now that we have a Democratic governor, Democratic Senate and Republican House, this is exactly the time that we should act." -- House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran of Alexandria, on Kaine's call for a bipartisan system for drawing legislative district lines.