Ken Plum Kicks Off 2013 Re-Election Run

If re-elected, delegate will be longest-serving Virginia House member.

Supporters of Del. Ken Plum (D-36th) gathered at Midtown on Tuesday as Plum kicked off his run for re-election to the Virginia House of Delegates. Plum, a Reston resident, has served in the Virginia House since 1982, and if he is re-elected will be the longest-serving delegate. The current longest-serving delegate, Lacey Putney, has been in office since 1962 but is not running again in 2013. So far, Plum has no challenger in the Novermber, 2013 election. Plum talked to his constituents about gun laws, mental health, education reform (including de-emphasizing standardized testing), same-sex marriage (he would like to eliminate the constitutional amendment that states marriage is between one man and one woman) and immigration reform. Read …

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Plum to Appeal to Governor on Hybrid Tax

$100 fee part of Gov. Bob McDonnell's transportation plan, but several legislators would like to see that point repealed.

Reston has a large number of hybrid vehicles - and likely a large number of hybrid owners who are likely not pleased with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell's $100 hybrid tax. Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston) is one of them. Plum, who owns two Priuses, says he is writing to the governor to try and get him to back away from the hybrid tax. The hybrid tax was part of the large transportation plan that passed in the Virginia General Assembly last week. The reasoning: Since hybrid cars don't pay as much in gas tax, they need to pay up somewhere. Hybrid vehicles currently make up only 1.3 percent of Virginia's vehicle fleet. With Virginia gas taxes being reduced to approximately $0.10-0.12/gallon, the typical hybrid owner will avoid less than $40 per year in …

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Talk With Del. Plum Saturday

Ken Plum will hold "Conversations with Delegate Plum" events in Reston and Herndon.

Want to know what is going on at the onging General Assembly session in Richmond? Have an issue you would like to discuss with your 36th District delegate? Ken Plum will be holding two events on Saturday for constituents to share with him their thoughts and concerns. McNair Elementary School in Herndon 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Jo Ann Rose Gallery in the Reston Community Centerat Lake Anne 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.  Can't make it Saturday? You can always reach Plum at kenplum@aol.com. Stay in step with local issues. Subscribe to Reston Patch's free daily newsletter.  

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VA House Speaker Stops Redistricting Bill

Republican-sponsored Senate bill proposed redrawing many districts for GOP edge.

Virginia Speaker of the House William J. Howell (R-Stafford) broke with his own party on Wednesday, using a procedural ruling to stop the Republican-sponsored redistricting plan. The plan might have had a chance of passing the Virginia House if it made it to the floor for a vote, but Howell quashed the bill, clearing the way for the House to concentrate on Gov. Bob McDonnell's transportation plan, The Washington Post reported. “I am committed to upholding the honor and traditions of both the office of Speaker, the institution as a whole and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” Howell said in a statement. The Senate had made changes to the House measure, so it had to return to the House of Delegates for approval. Howell said the amended bill was…

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McDonnell's Transportation Bill Moves Forward

The amended package would eliminate Virginia's gas tax and hike sales taxes to raise $3 billion over five years.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell’s controversial transportation bill passed the House of Delegates Finance Committee on Wednesday, moving past its first hurdle in the state's 2013 General Assembly session. In a 14-8 vote along party lines, the committee passed McDonnell’s package, which calls for eliminating the state’s 17.5 cents per gallon gas tax and raising the state sales tax from 5 percent to 5.8 percent. The plan would also keep the 17.5 tax on diesel fuel and increase vehicle registration fees. It would also raise the amount of the state’s sales tax that goes to transportation from 5 to 75 cents over a five-year period. McDonnell said the bill would raise approximately $3 billion in that time, including $1.8 billion for new construction…

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Plum Urges Transportation Compromise

Virginia Democratic Caucus says there is no magic bullet for tolls, traffic solutions.

Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston) was among a group of house delegates who spoke out in Richmond about Virginia traffic on Monday. Plum called "some of the worst transportation gridlock in the country" and offered bipartisan support to solutions to the problem. "From the north end of the urban crescent in Northern Virginia - with the third- worst commute in the nation - to the southern end at Virginia Beach with the 18th-worst commute, Virginians pay dearly with the lost time, money, and quality of life because of traffic congestion," Plum said at a news conference held by the House Democratic Caucus. Among the goals for the House Democrats: To see a 5-percent wholesale gas tax; urban areas having the ability to raise their own transportation money…

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Bob

5:55 pm on Saturday, February 2, 2013

One problem not being fully brought out is that many types of mass transit are plainly VERY expensive to the point that paying for it is problematic. Instead of blindly bashing the Republicans, consider that the gasoline tax - and especially raising it - is a regressive tax, hitting those with the lowest incomes the most. 'Rich' people don't necessarily drive further than 'poor' people and buy …   more ›

Plum Holding Telephone Town Hall Thursday

Stay on the line to talk to your state delegate about issues important to you.

When your phone rings at 8 p.m. on Thursday, it could be Del. Ken Plum calling. Plum, who has represented Reston for more than 30 years, is hosting a conference call with constituents, so stay on the line to discuss the current Virginia General Assembly session. Plum said as the session got underway on Jan. 9 that his priorities would be public funding — and restoring funding cut during the recession — for K-12 and higher education; meeting and funding the mental health recommendations that were made after the Virginia Tech shootings; closing the gun show loophole that allows gun purchases without criminal or mental health background checks; obtaining additional state cash to go to Phase 2 of the Silver Line that will help keep tolls down…

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Howell, Plum Look Toward 2013 Session

Residents talk Silver Line, gun laws and other issues as legislators prepare for Virginia General Assembly Session.

Gun control was on the minds of residents - as well as Sen. Janet Howell (D-Reston)  - as Howell and Del. Ken Plum (D-Reston) held their annual public meeting in advance of the Virginia General Assembly session that begins next week. In the wake of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Howell told constituents she will work at the 46-day session to close the gun show loophole in Virginia: a law that allows people to easily purchase a gun at a show without a background check. "Virginia is deplorable in what we do," in regards to gun purchases, Howell said at the meeting Thursday evening at Reston Community Center. She added the lack of funding for mental health services is also a problem. After the mass shooting at…

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Tell Howell and Plum What's On Your Mind

Reston's legislators hosting annual pre-session forum on Thursday.

It is nearly time for the Virginia's 2013 General Assembly to begin, and Reston-area legislators want to know what is on your mind. Del. Ken Plum and Sen. Janet Howell will hold their annual pre-session public meeting at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Reston Community Center at Hunters Woods. Come with your questions and comments for Plum and Howell. The legislative session begins on Jan. 9. Plum is the co-sponsor of pre-filed house legislation that prohibits discrimination of any state employee for race, gender, medical conditions and sexual orientation. Howell is the chief sponsor of senate bills that loosen restrictions for absentee voting could factor in child support calculations. She is also a co-sponsor of the senate bill barring …

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The Gift of the Silver Line

A Metrorail stop in Reston is a long-awaited gift, says Del. Ken Plum.