Delegate Joe McNamara (R-Roanoke), in one of his biggest legislative accomplishments of the 2021 session, led the way to reach a bipartisan deal that will provide a deduction cap of up to $100,000 for businesses who received PPP Loan Forgiveness. This will provide full PPP Loan forgiveness for 81% of businesses in Virginia.
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) – Two Republican lawmakers from western Virginia say they plan to be in Richmond when the General Assembly reconvenes. And they are calling for the House of Delegates to hold in-person meetings.
The House started the recent special session in Richmond, but quickly went online for virtual meetings.
Republican Delegates Chris Head and Joe McNamara say remote meetings limited public involvement, and lawmakers’ interaction with constituents.
“It’s very difficult to do the people’s business through a computer screen, and unfortunately the people I think that lose out the most are the very citizens we’re elcted to represent,” McNamara said.
“When you’ve got other legislatures across the country including California who’ve been able to meet in person, we’ve got to be able to figure out a way to get that done safely,” Head told WDBJ7.
The regular session of the General Assembly begins in mid-January.
Copyright 2020 WDBJ. All rights reserved.
Tomorrow, August 18, 2020, The Virginia General Assembly will convene for a Special Session. It will mark nearly five months since the legislature has met. During this time, Virginia has weathered the worst pandemic in a century, a severe economic recession, and mounting civil unrest.
People are unemployed, public schools face uncertainty as they attempt to bring students back, and many citizens feel helpless as rioters destroy their property and ravage their communities.
Schools are starved of the funding and face whiplash from the schizophrenic guidance that they are receiving as they attempt to bring students back safely. Rather than help our public education system, Democrats seem more concerned with using public funds to take down inanimate statues to further a cultural revolution that is popular with their base.
As of this writing, five days before the Special Session, there are no publicly available bills patroned by Democratic members of the House of Delegates. They issue talking points and press releases rather than work collaboratively with Republicans to form sound, effective solutions for the Commonwealth. Issuing bullet points instead of bills is not governance, nor is it leadership. Waiting until the last minute to present consequential legislation just to avoid extended scrutiny from the public is a disservice to the citizens of Virginia.
This vacuum of leadership has enabled the Governor to rule by decree and without the advice and consent of the legislature. The majority party remains silent in spite of their power being usurped.
While I am glad that the General Assembly will finally convene tomorrow, we are five months too late.
I do not expect Democrats to govern like Republicans. That would be unrealistic given that they have a unified Democratic government. I simply ask that they govern.
Written by: Joe McNamara
Taken from: https://roanoke.com/opinion/columnists/mcnamara-virginia-democrats-continue-to-leave-leadership-vacuum/article_bae4b661-c963-58cb-af5c-14f221c2e5e2.html
ROANOKE, Va. – An increase in Virginia’s minimum wage could be coming soon, as Democrats say the change is a priority — and they have control of all facets of government in Richmond.
Multiple bills end the week in committees in both chambers. Democrats and the bills’ supporters tout the positive impact it will have on families all across the commonwealth and opponents say it’ll do more harm than good.
Jesse Luke greeted customers on Friday at her job at Rosie’s Gaming Emporium in Vinton.
She’s an attendant, helping people at the machines that are set up in rows throughout the location.
She said she’s an example of someone who is benefiting from an hourly increase. Her pay went up this month, as the company that owns Rosie’s decided to increase its lowest wages. It has set its own minimum wage at $15 an hour, $9 for employees who get tips.
“That means now I can save for my future. I’m able to pay off bills in the past that I’ve just put to the side. I’m able to save up for trips. I’m able to help out family members when need be,” Luke said.
Large corporations like Amazon and Walmart have also voluntarily upped their lowest hourly rate.
“I think that they realize that their company is running so well because of their employees and it’s nice to actually feel appreciated and getting a pay increase definitely shows their appreciation,” Luke said.
Supporters rallied at Virginia’s Capitol earlier this week for bills that would raise the minimum wage.
One proposal would steadily increase the amount. It would go up from $7.25 to $9 an hour this year and then incrementally rise to reach $15 an hour in 2023.
But many oppose the increase, including most Virginia Republicans, who are arguing against the bills.
Republican Del. Joe McNamara, who represents Roanoke County, owns an ice cream shop in Salem and said an increase would mean he would have to make significant changes to his business.
“Arlington is not Abington or Danville or Roanoke and many of us are concerned that a broad brush intended panacea that we’re using is going to negatively impact the very people we’re trying to help,” he said.
He said forcing small businesses like his to pay its employees more squeezes them too tight, leading to fewer total jobs and hurting teenagers the most.
“A doubling of the minimum wage may not be crippling to Alexandria but it will undoubtedly result in job contraction through most of the state,” McNamara said. “The data is pretty alarming.”
McNamara points out that pay already tends to be higher in northern Virginia, meaning businesses in southwest Virginia would face more of an impact.
Bills that clear a committee then have to be passed by both chambers and signed by Gov. Ralph Northam during the ongoing 60-day legislative session.
Copyright 2020 by WSLS 10 – All rights reserved.
“NORFOLK — To help lawmakers tackle a bipartisan goal of raising teacher pay, state budget staff tried to untangle for them exactly what the average teacher’s pay is in the state.
The takeaway: There are different ways to calculate that number, but it’s clear some districts fall far below any of those averages while others easily exceed those estimations.
Lawmakers realized reaching a uniform average likely can’t be a one-size-fits-all approach.
‘I think to look at an average for the state is going to be very misleading,’ Del. Joe McNamara, R-Roanoke County, said at the House Appropriations Committee retreat Wednesday.
‘In concept, as Virginians, we want to compensate our teachers, but what might make sense in Northern Virginia might not make sense in middle Virginia,’ McNamara said…”
Read the rest of the article HERE
Taken from: Virginia Mecury
Radio Interview:
8th district Republican delegate Joe McNamara earned his first full 2-year term to the General Assembly tonight after winning a special election last November. McNamara topped Democrat challenger Darlene Lewis. Before the General Assembly session reconvenes in January, Before it was confirmed that Democrats had flipped both the House of Delegates and State Senate – with the Governor’s mansion they now control all three branches of state government for the first tie since 1993 – McNamara looked ahead to that possibility
Listen HERE
Taken from WFIR – Roanoke
“Del. Joe McNamara kept the 8th House of Delegates District in Republican hands Tuesday, winning a convincing victory over Democrat Darlene Lewis.
McNamara, R-Roanoke County, will return to Richmond for his first full two-year term in the House. He won a special election a year ago to serve out the remainder of Greg Habeeb’s term because he left to oversee a new Richmond office of Roanoke-based legal firm Gentry Locke.
‘It’s really a true honor to go back to Richmond and represent you,’ McNamara said at an election night event for Republicans at the Holiday Inn at Tanglewood in Roanoke County.
Lewis, 66, got onto the ballot at the last minute so Democrats had someone to challenge McNamara. She’s a retired small business owner. She most recently co-founded The Hope Center, a small nonprofit in Roanoke that helps youth and impoverished people.
Lewis did not return a request for comment Tuesday night.
The House of Delegates’ 8th District consists of Salem, Craig County and parts of Roanoke and Montgomery counties. The district hasn’t been represented by a Democrat since 1981, when the state did away with multiple delegates representing a district.
It was Lewis’ first run for elected office, whereas McNamara has gotten used to the competition. Previously a Roanoke County supervisor, McNamara, 56, has run in five elections in the past seven years.
He served for nearly two decades on the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors before moving to the House.
McNamara owns two ice cream shops and is a certified public accountant. A staunch fiscal conservative, he has established himself as someone experienced with working on budgets.
‘I’m looking forward to going back to Richmond, putting more money back in your pocket, keeping Virginia in the right direction as the number one state to do business,’ McNamara said.
He said he looks forward to returning to Richmond to work on tax policy.
‘Do you all need more money in your pockets?’ McNamara asked the audience at the hotel, which cheered in response.”
Taken from the Roanoke Times
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ House Speaker Kirk Cox has set a November date for a special election for a vacant state House seat. Cox announced Wednesday that the election to fill the spot in the Roanoke-area district will be held Nov. 6. That’s the same date as congressional elections. Republican Del. Greg Habeeb recently announced his decision to resign at the end of this month. His departure could imperil the GOP’s slim 51-49 majority in the House, but the district leans heavily Republican. President Donald Trump won the district by 30 percentage points. Political parties have until Aug. 17 to nominate candidates.
News release: Virginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox issued a writ of election Wednesday, setting November 6th, 2018 as the date for the Special Election in the 8th House District. The Special Election will coincide with the 2018 General Election. A copy of the writ can be found here. “With Delegate Habeeb’s resignation effective August 31, it is imperative that the citizens of the 8th House District have the earliest reasonable opportunity to elect a new Delegate,” said Speaker Cox. “Setting the Special Election to coincide with the upcoming General Election makes the most sense.” Cox added, “I want to thank Delegates Toscano and Herring for suggesting and working with us on selecting the date for this Special Election.”
Pursuant to § 24.2-510 of the Code of Virginia, the deadline for political parties to nominate candidates is Friday, August 17 at 5:00 p.m. All questions should be directed to the Virginia State Board of Elections at 1-800-552-9745. Ask for “special election information.”
(Picture Credit Amy Friedenberger Roanoke Times)
SALEM, Va. (Roanoke Times) Roanoke County Supervisor Joe McNamara became the first person to announce he will seek the House of Delegates seat being vacated by Del. Greg Habeeb.
The longtime supervisor declared his candidacy for the 8th District House of Delegates seat Monday morning at one of the two ice cream shops he owns, Salem Ice Cream Parlor on West Main Street.
Surrounded by numerous prominent local Republicans, McNamara touted his history on the board of abiding by a conservative budget plan and lowering taxes for county residents as well as his conservative positions of opposing abortion and defending the Second Amendment. He said he’ll carry those values to Richmond.
SALEM, Va. (WDBJ7) Salem Delegate Greg Habeeb is stepping aside, and the race to replace him is now on.
Monday morning, longtime Roanoke County Supervisor Joe McNamara became the first candidate to say he’s running for the 8th district seat.
Local Republican leaders joined McNamara for the announcement at his ice cream shop in Salem.
McNamara said he believes his extensive local experience and conservative voice will serve the region in Richmond.
“It is critically important that a good solid proven conservative goes to Richmond,” McNamara told WDBJ7, “and furthers our objectives that so many of our voters are demanding and expecting from our delegates today.”