Barbara Comstock, The 98%er

You may recall my  earlier post about the media attention given the 2% of the bills this General Assembly session dealing with divisive social issues and how the media effectively ignored the achievements  in that other 98%.  While I asked for examples of the achievements in that 98%, the discussion really didn't get too far.  Well, now that the legislative session is over and the governor has signed pretty much all the bills he's going to sign, it is a bit clearer who in Richmond is really doing the work to revive the Virginia economy.

It sure is not worthless, Loudoun-hating  liberal Barbara Favola.  Talk about social agendas.  Favola was the chief patron of bills to increase the gas tax, increase gun regulation and make it easier for convicted drug dealers to get public assistance.  Not surprisingly, they all failed.  In fact, only one of her bills made it through at all (an uncontroversial bill allowing towns to acquire property through a voluntary sale).

Extremists at the other end of the political spectrum didn’t do much to help the economy either.  Dick Black, for example, was chief patron of  a variety of politically-popular-but-economically-irrelevant bills such as immigration inquiry upon arrest, homeschooling, Sunday hunting and the pandemic of the week, Lyme disease.  Like Favola, he did absolutely nothing to move the economy, create job opportunities or bring businesses to the state.

Then there’s Barbara Comstock, a true unsung hero of this legislative session.  She quietly did the (boring) stuff that must be done to keep Virginia competitive.  As just a few examples, she sponsored, and more importantly got through to the governor’s desk, bills that cut taxes on data centers making Virginia more attractive for employers with high-density jobs; limited union control of public works projects; streamlined government agency reporting; and extended the telework tax credit.  That betters our economy.  That makes good jobs possible.  That keeps Virginia competitive.

That is what a legislator is supposed to do.