Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Rep. Jim Moran introduced the measure on Earth Day, saying the fee would reduce littering and encourage use of reusable bags.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) on Monday introduced a measure that would impose a 5-cent fee on plastic and paper bags at grocery and retail stores in the commonwealth. The fees would go toward supporting the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Trash Reduction Act of 2013 is modeled after a policy implemented in 2009 in Washington, DC. Montgomery County, Md., also has a similar policy. The number of single-use plastic bags in DC dropped from the 2009 monthly average of 22.5 million to just 3 million per month by the end of 2010, according to a news release from the lawmaker's office. The Land and Water Conservation Fund Program provides matching grants to states and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor …
Friday, February 8, 2013
Rep. Gerry Connolly writes letter to Postmaster General, asking for legal justification for stopping Saturday service.
Stopping the mail on Saturdays? Not so fast, say two members of the Northern Virginia Congressional delegation. U.S. Rep. James P. Moran (D-8th) and U.S. Rep Gerald Connolly (D-11th) expressed concern about the U.S. Postal Service's announcement that it plans to suspend delivery of first-class mail service on Saturdays beginning in August. “I have great concerns about eliminating Saturday mail delivery," Moran wrote in an email to Patch. "The Postal Service is grappling with major forces outside of its control: an economy increasingly relying on email and the Internet for communication, and a Congress that refuses to address the redundant pension pre-funding requirement." The USPS said on Wednesday that for nearly three decades, Congress …
Monday, December 24, 2012
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said.
In an Friday morning press conference, the Fairfax-based National Rifle Association broke its weeklong silence following the horrific shooting of 26 people at a school in Newtown, Conn., and called for a surge of gun-carrying "good guys" around American schools. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, arguing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." "We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents," LaPierre said. "Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by Capitol Police officers. Yet, when it comes to our most beloved, innocent, and vulnerable members of the American …
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Asian American Northern Virginia Candidate forum included candidates (or their representatives) from the 8th, 10th and 11th congressional districts.
Health care, immigration and the economy were hot-button issues at the Asian American Northern Virginia Candidate forum on Friday night that featured political candidates running in Virginia’s congressional and Senate races. The event was hosted by several Virginia Asian-American organizations and focused specifically on issues that affect the Asian-American community. Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-11th), who has received some criticism for not participating in enough debates this election season, was present, but challenger Col. Chris Perkins was absent because he was out of town for a wedding. For the 8th district, incumbent Jim Moran (D-8th) sent a representative, Austin Durr, in his place to face off against challenger Col. Patrick …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
"Feds Feed Families" will help Reston Interfaith, other food pantries.
In the wake of the recent derecho, Northern Virginia's congressmen are helping feed needy families with its program, Feds Feed Families. Feds Feed Families kicked off this year's drive at the U.S. Geological Survey headquarters in Reston last week. Congressmen Gerry Connolly, Frank Wolf and Jim Moran attended the event and pointed out that in its three years, Feds Feed Families has collected more than 8 million pounds of food for area food banks. All food collected at USGS through August will go to Reston Interfaith. Food collected at other sites will go to various other pantries. Many of the food banks, including the one operated by Reston Interfaith, have a lower inventory following the power outages and increased need following the …
Friday, July 13, 2012
Moran, Connolly, Wolf want the FCC to reconsider a regulation concerning backup power that the commission proposed in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Northern Virginia's three congressmen called on the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday to take action that will prevent future outages to the region's 911 systems. In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, U.S. Reps. Jim Moran, Gerry Connolly and Frank Wolf asked that the commission dust off a post-Hurricane Katrina regulation that would have required all telecommunications companies to provide at least eight hours of backup power for all cell phone towers. The regulation was subsequently struck down on a technicality related to how the commission handled public comments, according to a news release. “In the event of an emergency situation, whether it be a natural disaster or man-made threat, the public needs confidence …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
High Court ruled 5-4 today to uphold what some call 'Obamacare.'
Area leaders were quick to react today to the news that the Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health reform law. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R): "Today's Supreme Court ruling is extremely disappointing for Virginia and for America. The PPACA will create a costly and cumbersome system that will impair our country's ability to recover from these challenging economic times, infringes on our citizen's liberties, will harm small businesses, and will impose dramatic unfunded mandates on Virginia and all states. Simply put, this is a blow to freedom. America needs market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less." (For the governor's full statement, visit his Web site.) On his Twitter feed, the governor wrote: "Simply …
Sunday, June 3, 2012
State party convention drew more than 2,000 to the city of Fairfax this weekend.
FAIRFAX — Perhaps U.S. Sen. Mark Warner put it best: "In 2008, we changed the guard. In 2012, we need to guard the change." More than 2,000 Democrats from across the commonwealth descended on George Mason University this weekend for the Democratic Party of Virginia's State Convention. The gathering served as part pep rally, part organizational meeting as activists mobilize for November. Party leaders had similar messages, previewing what they will try to hammer home while Virginia is in the national spotlight as a battleground state for the U.S. presidency. That message, they say, is that the right-wing takeover of the Republican Party has made this country, and this state, unrecognizable and infringes on the rights of gays, women and …
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Political newcomer making bid in Virginia's 8th Congressional District.
Jason Howell has no previous government experience, but that hasn’t stopped him from aiming high in his political aspirations. Howell, who is running as an independent for Virginia’s 8th Congressional District, the seat currently held by Democrat Jim Moran, said Congress is where the problem lies. “When there’s a fire in the kitchen, you don’t go to the bedroom to put it out,” Howell said. “That’s where the biggest challenge is. There are zero independents right now in the House of Representatives, and that’s part and parcel [to] that sort of gridlock that we have. ... In the mix, the issues that are really important, the ones that matter, kind of get lost, and the people that you’re supposed to be representing aren’t represented as much …
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Democrat throws support behind challenger Bruce Shuttleworth.
Franconia Democrat Will Radle has ended his bid for a congressional seat and thrown his support behind former competitor Bruce Shuttleworth. Radle was running in the Democratic primary for the seat currently held by Democrat Rep. Jim Moran in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District. In a telephone interview Wednesday, he said he was putting the needs of the community ahead of his personal ambitions. “I don’t want to divide the opposition to the incumbent,” Radle said. Radle commended Shuttleworth, a Democrat, on his “commitment to service, past and present.” He also said he admired his “approach to listening to people (and) his general interest in helping to create solutions to challenges.” Radle said in an email Wednesday announcing his …
Doug
3:59 pm on Friday, April 26, 2013
Hi Virginia, the reusable bags go in the wash with the rest of my laundry, so no bacteria there. Not sure where your fact finding is on the litter of the bags, can you show that, I'd like to know where that's coming from? "The number of single-use plastic bags in DC dropped from the 2009 monthly average of 22.5 million to just 3 million per month by the end of 2010, according to a news release … more ›