Bill Howell

             Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates

  • primary-slider
  • legislator-year-slider
  • leadership-slider

Welcome to the website of William J. Howell, Speaker of the House of Delegates.

houseGOP button
generalassembly button
contact button
legislative agenda button

facebooktwitter

Jan 16

House Leadership backs Governor Bob McDonnell's transportation plan

RICHMOND, VA – Today, Republican legislative leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates put their support behind Governor Bob McDonnell’s plan to invest $3.1 billion in transportation over the next five years. The Speaker of the House of Delegates, William J. Howell (R-Stafford), House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights), Majority Caucus Chairman Timothy Hugo (R-Fairfax) and Majority Whip Jackson Miller (R-Manassas) issued the following statement in support of the proposal:

“The plan outlined by Governor Bob McDonnell is the right plan at the right time. By investing over $3.1 billion into our transportation system over the next five years, we can finally fix transportation in Virginia once and for all. We fully support this proposal and will work hard for its passage in the House of Delegates.

“Virginia has a math problem. Right now, there simply is not enough revenue to meet our state’s transportation needs. Every year we are forced to divert money from construction to maintenance. Instead of building roads, we’re patching potholes. And that means Virginia is losing ground when it comes to businesses and jobs.

“We have worked closely with Governor McDonnell as he has crafted a plan that will generate real money for transportation. By replacing the gas tax with a comprehensive funding proposal that includes a sales tax increase, new federal money from the Market Place Equity Act and a prioritization of current resources, we can cover our maintenance funding shortfall by 2018 and begin to generate additional money for new construction. This plan will finally solve our transportation funding crisis and allow us to repair and rebuild our aging infrastructure.

“This is about jobs and quality of life. A strong and reliable transportation infrastructure will help grow our economy and ease frustrations for millions of Virginians. If we want to remain a great state for business and continue to grow our economy, we have to invest in a 21st century transportation network. We look forward to working with Governor McDonnell and our colleagues in the House of Delegates to pass this plan.”

 # # #

 

Jan 09

House convenes for 2013 session

Today we return to Richmond as part-time legislators conducting the business of the people of Virginia. I want to welcome all members of the House of Delegates back to Richmond and look forward to working with each one of them to improve our Commonwealth.

We have a responsibility as elected officials to work on the issues that are facing our state and important to the people we serve. The most important among them is creating good jobs and growing our economy. This is and will continue to be the top focus of the House of Delegates this year. Transportation, education and public safety are just a few more of the many important issues we will work on this year. I urge all legislators, whether Democrat or Republican, to renew their focus on the core issues facing our Commonwealth.

It is an honor to serve as Speaker of this distinguished body. Many great individuals have come before us. They have left a legacy of accomplishment. It is up to us to continue that tradition. I am confident we can accomplish a great deal for the people of Virginia.

Jan 08

A long-term solution on transportation

Today, I am proud to stand with Governor Bob McDonnell to propose a bold and comprehensive long-term solution to Virginia's transportation funding needs.

This package dedicates $3.1 billion in additional funding over the next five years and eliminates the need for crossover funding.

This is not a patchwork solution. This plan allows us to make the critical investments in our infrastructure that will keep Virginia competitive in a global 21st century economy.

Without a solid infrastructure, customers can not get to businesses, employees cannot get to work and businesses cannot transport their goods. By investing in transportation, we are renewing our commitment to creating jobs and making our state the most attractive place for business in the world. Simply, this is about jobs.

I enthusiastically support this plan and am looking forward to working with the Governor and Senate leaders on its passage.

 

 

More Articles...

Follow Speaker Howell

facebooktwitteryoutube