
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, March 29, 1994                   TAG: 9403290141
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-4   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Jim Shuler
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT THIS ASSEMBLY SESSION DID FOR THE NEW RIVER VALLEY

In the 1994 session of the General Assembly, legislators worked together to enact major initiatives in education, economic development, welfare reform, drunken driving and criminal justice issues. In addition, they adopted a two-year budget that restores funding for higher education, adds $103 million to public education and provides pay raises for state employees and teachers.

Below is a brief summary of key actions that affect the New River Valley:

Economic Development: Appropriated $1 million for rural economic development. Out of this fund the New River Valley Economic Development Alliance will receive approximately $350,000.

State Employees: Approved merit pay increases ranging from 2.3 percent to 6.9 percent. Most employees will receive raises averaging 4 percent.

Education: Added $103 million in spending to address disparity issues. This money will help reduce class sizes, increase programs for at-risk children and expand education technology. Accompanying legislation also expands parental involvement in schools. This was legislation that I co-sponsored. We also approved teacher pay raises of 3.25 percent.

Higher Education: Increased spending by $2.3 million. This is the first year since 1989 that the budget for higher education is not reduced. We set tuition increases at no more than 3 percent and restored the Water Resources Center, the Center for Coal and Energy Research and the Wood Science Center at Virginia Tech. Restored money for the Extension programs at Virginia Tech was $1.1 million and faculty received a 3.4 percent salary increase.

State Aid to Localities: $310,000 allotted for the Museum of Natural History.

The actions of this year's General Assembly reflect the traditional pro-business attitude in state government. Once again, we enacted no new taxes and Virginia continues to have one of the lowest tax rates in the country.

I was particularly pleased with our initiatives in economic development and education. I would like to see a greater commitment to higher education, but we were able to "stop the bleeding" that has been occurring for the last four years.

Although Virginia has a low violent crime rate and one of the highest incarceration rates in the country, we enacted tougher laws on drunken driving and reduced parole consideration for violent criminals. But prisons and jails alone are not the answer to crime. I was pleased to support additional spending for work programs and job training in our prisons. If our prisons are allowed to become "failure factories," we will continue to build more prisons that take needed resources from our schools and colleges.

Providing hope and opportunity for all people must be a priority for government. This year's General Assembly made notable progress in that direction while meeting our essential needs. We have seen our state economy beginning to grow, partly as a result of holding the line on tax increases over the last eight years. This growth will hopefully allow us to restore funding for higher education in the next budget. Legislators will also have to find funds to address transportation issues in the near future.

If you have questions about any of the actions of the 1994 General Assembly, please do not hesitate to call my office in Blacksburg at 953-1103.

Jim Shuler,|D-Blacksburg, represents parts of Montgomery and Giles counties in the Virginia House of Delegates. Now that the session is over, he can be reached at his Blacksburg office at 480 S. Main St., or by calling 953-1103.

by CNB