Bill Howell

             Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates

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

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Mar 13

Announcing our re-election campaign

Today, I filed paperwork and submitted the required petition signatures to run for re-election. It has been an honor serving the people of Virginia’s 28th District over the last 26 years. I value the trust the people of Fredericksburg and Stafford County have placed in me. I look forward to continuing serve our community in the years ahead.

Under my leadership, the House of Delegates has compiled a record of results. On job creation, government spending and reform, K-12 education and transportation, we have worked to move the Commonwealth forward.

We have made targeted investments in economic development and sought to improve Virginia’s business climate by keeping taxes low, reducing unnecessary regulation and building a stronger workforce. As a result of our efforts, Virginia has a 5.5 percent unemployment rate, is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s top states for business and has a regulatory climate ranked number one in the nation.

We have worked to cut spending and reform government. Since 2007, we have cut $7 billion in spending and balanced the budget every year without raising taxes. In 2012, we reformed the state pension system and reorganized state government. We are one of only 12 states with a triple-A bond rating and Virginia is consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best managed states.

Our K-12 education system is ranked fourth in the nation and we have worked to improve the education we provide our young people through focused reforms. We have raised teacher salaries, implemented a merit pay program, eliminated bureaucratic red-tape, and stressed innovation and flexibility in the classroom.

I have personally worked to address our transportation challenges. I have sponsored every major transportation initiative for the last six years. This year, we passed a comprehensive transportation funding plan to reduce congestion for busy commuters and create jobs all across the Commonwealth. This was the first complete overhaul to Virginia’s transportation system in 27 years.

I am proud of what I have worked to accomplish in the House of Delegates and look forward to continuing to represent the people of our region.

 

Feb 23

House & Senate Pass Budget Changes

Today, the House of Delegates adopted the conference committee report making changes to the two-year state budget. This budget makes key investments in Virginia's savings accounts and K-12 education, two of our top priorities. It also guarantees that Medicaid reforms will be fully implemented in Virginia. Once again, Virginia shows that smart, common-sense governing based on results is the right way to lead.

The final budget sets aside a total of $ 125 million for the state's various savings accounts, including $95 million for the rainy day fund and $30 million for a contingency fund to be used in the event of federal cuts that may harm Virginia's economy.  

The House today has taken important steps to invest in the future of the Commonwealth. The money set aside today represents almost one-third of our required deposit in the rainy day fund for the next budget biennium. This is an investment in Virginia's future.

The conference report also makes a sizable investment in K-12 education, including funding for teacher pay raises, the implementation of a strategic compensation model in local school divisions and the establishment of the Opportunity Educational Institution.  

The budget today will recognize and reward Virginia's great teachers, allow local school leaders to implement innovative compensation models and provides a mean for ensuring that all children have the opportunity to succeed in strong schools. This is a conservative and responsible budget that makes key investments in our top priorities - our children and our future.

 

Feb 23

House & Senate Pass Historic Transportation Plan

The House and Senate passage of House Bill 2313 represents a truly historic moment for the Commonwealth. We have crafted a compromise plan that addresses Virginia's critical transportation needs, provides a long-term, sustainable source of revenue for transportation, and makes Virginia the best state in the nation for business and job creation.  

Thanks to the leadership of Governor Bob McDonnell and the hard work of House and Senate members on both sides of the aisle, Virginia has once again demonstrated its commitment to results-oriented governing based on the best interest of the people. We have chosen to put politics aside and instead crafted a bipartisan solution to one of the most complicated and vexing public policy challenges the Commonwealth has ever seen.  

This legislation paves the way to addressing our maintenance funding shortfall, generates hundreds of millions of dollars for new road, highway and rail construction, will alleviate congestion in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads and puts transportation funding on a stable and secure foundation for the future.

Make no mistake - this is a compromise piece of legislation. Neither Republicans nor Democrats achieved exactly the kind of solution that they wanted. But this moment shows why Virginia is so fundamentally different from the rest of the country - in a time of crisis and need, we came together and worked in a bipartisan fashion to find a solution. We did not stick our heads in the sand. We did not duck the tough decisions. At the end of the day, regardless of how you feel about this bill, that I think we can all be proud of that."

 

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