Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Delegate Freitas: 2018 General Assembly Session Legislative Agenda


 

 

February 20, 2018

 

2018 General Assembly Session Legislative Agenda  For Delegate Nick Freitas

 

  • RICHMOND, VA — Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper) is very encouraged about the progress his bills are making in this year's session.  "He is very proud to serve the people from his community." The Delegate is focusing on a multitude of issue that are of great concern to his constituents, as well as all Virginians.  A few of his Bills that he would like Highlighted are :
  • HB 900 Protects the liberty and property of all Virginians and places 4th Amendment protections back into the Code by requiring a criminal conviction before the government can sell your property. 
  • HB 901 Allows for an expedited permit process for highspeed internet and other communication providers, so that we can expand broadband into rural areas.
  • HB 543 Places special emphasis on the leasing of surplus government property to charitable organization providing addiction recovery services.
  • HB 533 Requires our state agencies to better inform our veterans as to the benefits and job opportunities they have in the Commonwealth as they transition out of the military.
  • HB 544 Provides a path to establish more High School Apprenticeship programs
  • HB 532 Drastically reduces the current restrictions on the cultivation and sale of industrial hemp, which would give rural Virginia access to a new cash crop that could economically revive the central and southern regions of the Commonwealth.
  • HB 883 (Co Patron with Mike Webert) Establishes a pilot program whereby we can drastically reduce onerous and outdated regulatory burdens on our entrepreneurs and business owners. 
  • HB 532 Significantly reduces the onerous tax burden placed on our distillers who currently pay 54% of every in-store sale to the government.

 

As a member of the Finance Committee, my focus remains on keeping taxes low and making sure that taxpayer dollars are expended only for legitimate functions of the government.  This year alone dozens of Democratic tax increase proposals that would have raised taxes on hardworking Virginians by over $770 million has been voted down. We loudly voiced our opposition against a tax on Uber and Lyft that Democrats in the senate purposed. We also opposed House Bill 1051 introduced by Democrat Delegate Watts which would have instituted a tax on Streaming video services such as Netflix, Hulu and Pandora.

 Regulatory reform, too often regulations imposed by Washington or Richmond end up restricting the ability of free people to enter the marketplace and provide for their families and communities. The regulatory reform pilot program (HB 883 Webert) This legislation establishes a regulatory reform program with a goal to reduce or streamline regulatory requirements by 25% over the next 3 years. sincerely believe that Americans are through with government interference in every aspect of our lives. As your Delegate, my mission has been to take power out of the hands of politicians and bureaucrats and place it back into the hands of the people. I am happy to report that this session, much progress has been made on that front.

 

Combating the Opioid Crisis during this session, the house Republican Caucus carried and passed seven pieces of legislation to help end the Opioid Crisis. Substance-exposed infants (HB1157 Pillion) This legislation builds on the creation of the substance-exposed infants workgroup last year, which held regional town halls across the commonwealth to receive input from local stakeholders. The plan adds a trauma-informed approach to Identify and treat of substance-exposed infants and improves screening and Identification of substance-using pregnant women.

 

 

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Gina M. Staufenberg

Legislative Assistant

Delegate Nick Freitas

30th District, Virginia House of Delegates

Phone: (540) 222-7706

Email: Gina@nickjfreitas.com

 

Thursday, February 22, 2018

Representative Dave Brat: Tragedy in Florida

21 Feb 2018

"The attack that occurred last Wednesday is an unspeakable tragedy and an act that can only be described as evil. I am praying for the victims and their families and am grieving with the Parkland community. It is clear that this young man was mentally unstable and struggling with some serious issues. When tragic events like this occur it is easy to want to pick one thing as the cause of this hurt but many variables were at play and law enforcement officials are still gathering the full facts in this case. Undoubtedly, the national conversation about preventing violence should continue. It is essential that we as a society address the root cause of the problem—not just the symptoms. The mental health of the shooter, the potential missteps of the FBI, and enforcing laws already on the books, including thorough background checks so potentially violent individuals never have access to weapons; all are steps that need to be considered as we determine how we can prevent senseless violence in our communities."

CNN's Ambush, The Assault On Faith

Thursday, February 22, 2018

By Gary Bauer

  CNN's Ambush
 
Last night, under the guise of a town hall debate on gun policy and school safety, CNN ambushed Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and National Rifle Association spokesperson Dana Loesch.  The crowd was obviously packed with gun control activists and the questions were scripted. 
 
Rubio and Loesch were repeatedly harangued by the questioners.  They were called bad parents and compared to the murderer, Nikolas Cruz.  Jake Tapper, the so-called "moderator," did little to rein in the mob.
 
One of the survivors of the Parkland school shooting, Colton Haab, refused to attend the town hall.  That was a real shame because that audience could have learned a lot from him. 
 
As we previously reported, Haab is a member of the Junior ROTC program at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.  His training and quick thinking helped to save the lives of dozens of students.  But Haab backed out of last night's event when CNN insisted he ask a scripted question instead of his own.
 
For Americans tuning in at home, there was something to be learned from that sorry spectacle.  It was a demonstration of the left's true character, which is anything but tolerant. 
 
Whenever the left says it wants a "national conversation" on issues like race and guns, it doesn't mean a real conversation.  The left wants a national lecture where conservatives are told to sit down and shut up. 
 
Sadly, what America witnessed last night on CNN is just a small example of what is happening in school classrooms and on college campuses every day. 
 
One source of frustration in this debate is the left's intentional use of false facts.  The much maligned AR-15 is not an "assault weapon" or an automatic weapon.  The federal government began heavily regulating automatic weapons, or what we think of as machine guns, in the 1930s.  The production of machine guns was banned in 1986.
 
An AR-15 is a semi-automatic weapon.  It fires only one round when you pull the trigger.  If you ban that, the next step is to ban most hunting rifles or firearms used for self-defense.
 
The most logical solution is greater security at our schools.  Limit the number of entry points and post armed guards.  Have you tried to walk into an airport or virtually any government building lately?  You can't help but notice the obvious presence of metal detectors and security guards.
 
Yet, it is striking that the most logical solution is most vociferously opposed by the left.  Why is that?  Because it doesn't advance the left's agenda of repealing the Second Amendment and banning civilian fire arms.
 
In spite of CNN's attempt to stack the deck at last night's town hall, there is no national consensus on gun control.  The latest Rasmussen poll finds that Americans are not clamoring for more limits to our Second Amendment rights. 
 
Asked what they thought the impact of stricter gun control laws would be, 39% of adults said that stricter gun control laws would decrease violent crime, 39% said they would make no difference, while 15% said they would increase violent crime.  Moreover, 58% of those surveyed expressed doubts about the government's ability to fairly enforce gun laws. 
 
 
 
The Assault On Faith
 
One of the most disturbing reactions to the Parkland school shooting has been the left's intolerant and ugly assault on faith.  Sincere people who offered their prayers after this tragedy have been harassed and insulted. 
 
It is no coincidence that so-called "progressives" are combining their attack on the Second Amendment with an attack on the First Amendment -- two central pillars of American exceptionalism. 
 
I watched one of the big student protests this week.  When one of the leaders yelled out, "Prayers don't do anything to stop school shootings," the kids roared their approval. 
 
Of course, the teenagers buying into this sound bite sentimentality are wise 15 and 16 year-olds who really know how the world works.  Seriously, someone needs to tell that young man that he has no idea whether prayer works or not. 
 
How could he possibly know how many school shootings have been prevented because millions of people are praying for the safety of our children?  How could he possibly know if any lives were spared last week because people were praying? 
 
And does he really want to tell the parents who are burying their children now that their prayers are worthless? 
 
Christians understand that we have free will and that we live in a fallen world.  Some people might use their free will to kill fellow students.  Some people will use their free will to save their fellow students during a school shooting. 
 
Prayer cannot repeal free will.  God allows man to follow his own desires.  But I believe prayer works in ways that we do not fully comprehend on this Earth.  It also comforts and heals. 
 
It is sad but telling that so many on the left feel it is necessary to attack the faith of millions of Americans after such tragedies. 
 
Celebrity physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson mocked Christians with this tweet: "Evidence collected over many years, obtained from many locations, indicates that the power of Prayer is insufficient to stop bullets from killing school children."
 
For those who worship at the altar of science, here is a fairly easy study to do:  Look at the shooters who have attacked American schools in recent decades.  Identify how many of them were Bible-believing Christians who prayed and how many were into dark, anti-religious secular, humanist philosophies. 
 
I believe any fair study will find that what we ought to be asking is how we can get more of our children to believe in a loving God and spend more time praying.  I guarantee that the more our children embrace faith the fewer school shootings there will be.


Bishop Jackson's statement on potential Medicaid Expansion in VA

Thu, 22 Feb 2018

EW Jackson's Response to the Virginia House's Expansion of Medicaid and Obamacare
 
Chesapeake, VA - EW Jackson, Virginia Republican US Senate candidate responded to the Virginia House of Delegates' vote Sunday to expand Medicaid, and therefore Obamacare, in the Commonwealth:

"As voters have said repeatedly and resoundingly, culminating in President Trump's election, Obamacare has been a disaster for Virginia and the country.  The Virginia Senate has rightly rejected this path, and I commend it for standing its ground for fiscal responsibility and better healthcare for our state.  Families across our Commonwealth are paying too much for healthcare, and the product they are receiving is a nightmare. It's time to repeal every single word of Obamacare– a promise career politicians have been failing to deliver on for years.  Tim Kaine is a rubber-stamp for Obamacare and the Schumer-Pelosi agenda, and it's time for him to GO!"


EW Jackson's Statement on the Passing of Reverend Billy Graham


Chesapeake, VA - ​EW Jackson, Virginia Republican US Senate candidate issued the following statement in reaction to news of the passing of the Reverend Billy Graham:

"Reverend Billy Graham was a giant and pioneer of American evangelism.  His steadfast devotion to the Word of God, his fearlessness in carrying it literally to every corner of the world, and a lifetime in the public eye (while ministering to and advising every American president since Harry Truman), provided his fellow Americans and the world a shining example of a life well-lived for Jesus Christ.  God bless Reverend Graham and his family in their time of loss."

Candidate for Senate, Delegate Nick Freitas (R-Culpeper)


Source: http://thebullelephant.com/delegate-nick-freitas-on-expansion-of-medicaid-in-virginia/

Monday, February 19, 2018

Progressives Fail "Dreamers"

By Gary Bauer

After shutting down the government and demanding a fair deal for the so-called "Dreamers," Senate progressives got their chance this week.  And they botched it.
 
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised an open debate this week, but for days liberals repeatedly objected to holding any votes, even though nearly 100 ideas could have been considered. 
 
In the end, it came down to just four bills on various proposals, but none received the necessary 60 votes needed to pass. 
 
Of course, the left and its media allies are trying to make it sound as if this is the Republicans' fault, and just more evidence that Trump can't get anything done. 
 
But it was progressives who demanded this debate.  They insisted that protecting the "Dreamers" was their biggest priority -- so much so that they shut down the government to demonstrate their commitment to illegal immigrants.
 
Let's be clear about this:  President Trump offered a very generous deal -- a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young illegal immigrants (which some Senate conservatives and I opposed), even though only 800,000 were part of Obama's DACA program. 
 
The president also rightly insisted that we address fundamental problems at the same time. 
 
He wanted border security measures to end illegal immigration and these idiotic amnesty debates.  He also demanded commonsense reforms to our legal immigration system to address security concerns in an age of global terrorism and rapidly changing economic conditions.
 
The president's immigration policies have overwhelming public support.  A recent Harvard poll found that Americans supported Trump's approach by a margin of 65% to 35%. 
 
But the liberals sided with the 35%.  They would rather see the "Dreamers" face deportation than compromise on their radical open borders agenda.


March 17: Senate Debate & Tea Party Summit



Senate Debate & Tea Party Summit - March 17

THE VIRGINIA TEA PARTY PRESENTS:

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2018 SPRING CONFERENCE AND
Our Spring Conference, featuring the first Senate candidate debate of 2018, will be held on
March 17th, from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

Location: Delta by Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
555 E. Canal Street, Richmond, VA.

Tickets are limited - claim yours now:
REGISTER TODAY!

Preview Agenda:

THE GREAT DEBATE 2018


Annual Business Meeting


General Session:

Congressman ROB WITTMAN (VA-01)

American Foreign Policy & The Threat of North Korea

KEN CUCCINELLI (Fmr. VA Attorney General)

2018 U.S. Senate Roadmap: Insight & Evaluation
TBA
Presented by the Heritage Foundation

Breakout Sessions:

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION:
What the Left Doesn't Want You to Hear

Presented by Susan Tully, Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)
GENERAL ASSEMBLY / BUDGET UPDATE
Presented by:
Carol Stopps (Director, CoLA)
Delegate Ben Klein
Supervisor Ken Peterson
GRASSROOTS BOOTCAMP
Presented by Americans for Prosperity
CONSERVATISM #ONLINE:
Politics in the Social Media Era

Presented by Emily Stack, FreedomWorks
HANDS OFF MY FOOD:
Free-Market Solutions to Food Safety

Presented by Dr. Sina McCullough
FIGHTING LIBERALISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
Presented by Cabot Phillips, CampusReform
TBA
Presented by the Virginia First Foundation
Breakout sessions subject to change to accommodate speakers!
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Tickets:
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(Includes VATP Discount - Book by 3/1/2018)

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