11/12/15: What comes next in Richmond

This op-ed appeared in The Virginian-Pilot on the date shown.

WITH THE ELECTION over comes the task of governing. At the top of the list when the General Assembly convenes in January is the passage of the biennial budget; that work is already well under way.

The legislature will begin its 60-day session on the second Wednesday in January; the session is scheduled for Jan. 13 to March 12. Starting next Monday, though, legislators can prefile bills.

This allows the legislature to get to work as soon as the session convenes. The prefiling period begins 60 days before even-numbered year sessions and 180 days before odd-numbered year sessions.

On Dec. 17, the governor will present his budget to a meeting of the Joint Money Committees — Senate Finance and House Appropriations. A governor in Virginia gets to present only one full budget. Ours is a quirky system — alone in the nation with a single, 4-year gubernatorial term, the governor inherits the budget introduced by his predecessor and similarly handicaps his own successor. Attempts to change the budget cycle always fail in the black hole known as the House of Delegates.

So there’s a lot going on right now, much of it outside of the view of most voters. One place where citizens can be heard, though, is in each municipality’s legislative agenda. All have one, although some are easier to locate than others. The one endorsed by the city councils in Norfolk and Virginia Beach were the easiest to find.

A legislative agenda provides, in writing, priorities that the locality deems important.

Sometimes, it’s just a restatement of a previous position. For example, both Norfolk and Virginia Beach restate their positions opposing uranium mining and endorsing Medicaid expansion. I particularly like the way Virginia Beach presented these: the document includes resolutions adopted by the City Council.

The documents also give a sense of the shared priorities of the region as well a window into the concerns of localities across the commonwealth.

Both Virginia Beach and Norfolk ask for a change to the Hampton Roads Transportation Accountability Commission that would allow the attendance of a designee to the meetings should the mayor or chair be unable to attend.

Both mention public education funding, although Virginia Beach seems to be resigned to what appears to be a permanent decrease in funding for K-12. Norfolk’s request that local governments’ authority be preserved — in the areas of business regulation, local business taxation, and red-light camera programs — is representative of similar concerns statewide.

The agendas are, in most cases, pretty close to being in final form. That doesn’t, however, preclude citizen participation.

Norfolk’s agenda is still in draft. The council will vote on the final package at its Dec. 8 meeting. The public is encouraged to review the agenda and comment. Opinions will be accepted through 5 p.m. Dec. 7. Visit http://www.norfolk.gov/NorfolkPriorities for more information.

If you live in any of the other localities in Hampton Roads, check with the city manager’s office. Nearly all of them have an intergovermental relations department that puts together the legislative agenda.

What our local governments pursue on our behalf is always important. Making sure the legislative agenda reflects our priorities is just another one of our civic duties.