2012 General Assembly Session
Delegate Ron Villanueva’s Legislative Survey
For Residents of the 21st District



1. Do you support additional ways to establish new public charter schools in Virginia? (A charter school receives public funding and may receive private donations, but is not subject to some of the rules, regulations, and statutes that apply to other public schools in exchange for some type of accountability for producing certain results, as set forth by the school’s charter.)

2. Should the Commonwealth require that a certain percentage of local education funding be used for classroom instruction, which includes classroom supplies and teacher pay, as compared to non-instructional services?

3. Do you support giving school boards greater autonomy to set the yearly school calendar (i.e. the ability to start classes before Labor Day)?

4. To expand access to higher education opportunities throughout the Commonwealth, would you support making it easier to complete and earn a bachelor’s degree in three years?

5. Should the children of illegal immigrants who are born in Virginia be eligible for in-state tuition at Virginia’s public universities?

6. Do you support ending automatic teacher tenure, which generally guarantees a permanent contract for veteran teachers, for public K-12 teachers in Virginia?

7. Should Virginia broaden its tax base by eliminating certain tax exemptions and exceptions, which would in turn allow the Commonwealth to lower the overall tax rate?

8. Is it appropriate for state government to provide tax incentives to job-creating businesses?

9. E-Verify is a program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security, which allows prospective employers to check the legal status of a job applicant. Currently, E-Verify is required for all Federal employees, Federal contractors, subcontractors and Virginia’s public sector employees. Should the Commonwealth require private sector employers, as well as government contractors and subcontractors, to use the E-Verify system to help combat hiring of illegal aliens?

10. Should employers be penalized for hiring illegal immigrants

11. Are you willing to fund more wellness and prevention programs in order to help reduce long-term costs of acute health care treatment and emergency care?

12. Do you support dedicating a portion of future tax revenues from economic growth in Virginia’s most congested regions for transportation projects in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads?

13. Do you support the privatization of Virginia’s system of Alcoholic Beverage Control and dedicating the proceeds to transportation?

14. Currently, the Commonwealth is responsible for the maintenance of roads at the state level. Other states transfer the power and responsibility to maintain secondary roads to localities. Do you support the transferring this authority, as it pertains to transportation, to localities?

15. Do you support extending Light Rail from Newtown Road to Town Center to help reduce highway use?

16. Do you support implementing sunset procedures in all state agencies and programs that would require the Governor and General Assembly to periodically review their performance and usefulness?

17. Should Virginia’s “Right to Work” law be made part of the State Constitution?

18. Should the Commonwealth forbid Project Labor Agreements and Prevailing Wage Laws, which respectively require construction workers doing public construction to join a union and forbid states from contracting with the lowest bidder if such bidder does not pay a “prevailing wage” based on union pay scales?

19. Do you support the exploration of natural gas/oil off the coastline of Virginia?

20. Large Uranium deposits have been identified in Virginia, which has had a mining ban for many years. Do you think the ban should be lifted?

21. Do you support providing state funding for research on alternative energy sources such as wind, solar and biomass?

22. Virginia currently derives 20% of its electrical power from nuclear power. Do you support expanding the sources of nuclear power in Virginia?

23. Do you support repealing Virginia’s Constitutional Amendment that defines marriage as between one man and one woman?

24. Should abortion clinics be considered hospitals for health standards regulation?

25. Do you support awarding Virginia’s many good teachers with “merit” or “bonus” pay when the students they teach consistently score above the state average on standardized tests rather or award pay based on how long a teacher has taught?

26. Virginia continues to face budget constraints due to the lingering effects of the nationwide recession. How do you believe the General Assembly should address such budgetary constraints?
Please rank your responses. 1 = First Course of Action, and 5 = Last Resort.
 
First Course of Action
 
 
Last Resort
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Raise general or statewide taxes (sales, income, gas, and/or personal property)
Increase certain fees to cover the actual cost of providing certain governmental services
Cut needless government spending and eliminate earmarks
Streamline, consolidate and/or eliminate state agencies and bureaucracy
Cut outdated, duplicative and unnecessary boards and commissions
27. What core services provided by state government are most important to you?
Please rank your responses. 1 = Highest Priority, and 6 = Lowest Priority.
 
Highest Priority
 
 
Lowest Priority
123456
Fostering Jobs and Economic Development
SupportingK-12 Schools and Higher Education
Keeping Virginians Safe from Crime
Providing Health Care and Other Services for Those in Need
Strengthening Virginia’s Transportation System
Protecting the Environment
28. Regarding Virginia’s laws on firearms, which is closest to your view?


29. Assuming that key parts of the federal health care reform legislation are not found unconstitutional, do you support a Virginia Health Benefits Exchange – the entity that would serve as an insurance clearinghouse for uninsured and Medicare recipients - run by a public body (e.g. the State Corporation Commission) or a Virginia Health Benefits Exchange run by a private, not-for-profit entity?

30. If you believe transportation requires additional funding, are you willing to:
Please rank your responses. 1 = Strongly Agree, and 4 = Strongly Disagree.
 
Strongly Agree
Strongly disagree
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Create tolls on high volume roads to increase transportation revenues
Pay higher state gas taxes, the primary means of funding the current system
Reprioritize current state funding from other government areas to transportation
Build roads with more partnerships between government and the private sector
31. The Virginia Retirement System (VRS) administers retirement programs for state workers, public school teachers and various local workers and constitutional officers. At present, the VRS is underfunded. Which of the following alternatives would you support to help reform the current Virginia Retirement System?
Please check all that apply.


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