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District Office
Post Office Box 143
Mount Vernon, Virginia 22121
Phone: 703-619-0444
Fax: 703-360-8446

Richmond Office
Post Office Box 406
General Assembly Building
Richmond, VA 23218
Phone: 804-698-1044
Fax: 804-698-1844

Kris Amundson reveals her legislative priorities for 2007 session

Prior to the Kings Crossing discussion, Virginia State Delegate Kristen J. Amundson (D-44) addressed the group concerning the January 10 commencement of the Virginia General Assembly and her priorities. "Although, this is not a budget year there will be some very critical budgetary issues," she stated.

"There is approximately $1 billion in revenue to be allocated to specific projects. However, this is one-time money not money that is allocated to items that create ongoing expenses such as salaries," Amundson explained.

She further emphasized that transportation, most particularly in Northern Virginia, continues to command center stage in legislative debates. "The bulk of that billion dollars will go to transportation issues. But, can we find long term solutions to our transportation problems?" she asked rhetorically.

Amundson implored the audience to encourage legislators to return to the days of bi-partisan cooperation in reaching solutions for area problems. "Northern Virginia has had a tradition of working together to solve common problems regardless of party label. That has become fractured. You can encourage bipartisan support for legislation you believe in," she stressed.

She encouraged them to be proactive through email, phone calls, their district supervisor, their Senator, herself, and the County Board of Supervisors. "If you see a bill you like encourage support by both Democrats and Republicans." she said.

As for her legislative initiatives in the upcoming session, Amundson outlined the following:

• To provide money for shelter kitchens and to exempt them from Health Department regulations requiring that they be comparable to commercial kitchens in order to provide food for the homeless. "We accomplished this before for food provided at sports events. If they got an exemption why shouldn.t shelters which are providing a very necessary service to protect the homeless," she said.
• A bill to provide training for people to gain basic workforce skills.
• Legislation to encourage savings plan for long term care. This would be based on the model that allows individuals and families to save for higher education expenses. "As our population ages, long term care is becoming increasingly critical and increasingly expensive," she said.
• "One of the things I have been asked to do is look into creating a separate celebration for George Washington.s actual birthday, Feb. 22," she said. "Virginia needs to recognize the actual day. I.ve been working with Mount Vernon on this."

Shelter Win 'Food Fight' But Is Short of Volunteers

The "food fight" over bringing home-cooked meals to the Ventures in the Community's hypothermia shelter (VIC-HOP) caused consternation throughout the local church communities which provide the meals for the program.

Fairfax County's health department instead, according to regulations, that meals provided to the shelters be cooked in certified kitchens. Home kitchens and most church kitchens don't meet that standard.

Fortunately, before the hypothermia shelters opened, Gerry Connolly, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, lifted the ban on home-cooked meals.

However, VIC-HOP did not open on Dec. 1 as planned because their Saturday and Sunday operations do not have volunteers.

This is a more serious complication than the food. If the goal is to prevent deaths from cold among the homeless, the shelter has to be reliably open from the start of cold weather until the spring.

The weather over the first weekend in December was not bitter and perhaps the delayed opening will give VIC and New Hope Housing the opportunity to "tack some people together" to keep the program running through the weekends.

February and March are covered for every day by various churches and organizations but December and January are not.

Christmas Eve, according to Keary Kincannon, pastor of Rising Hope, is covered but help is needed on other Saturday and Sunday nights.

This year's program is a more ambitious one for VIC than the very successful one last year which was new and ran for 60 days. This year they are hoping to run one that is twice as long.

Paid for and authorized by Kristen J. Amundson