Archive for February, 2009
Alexandria - Delegate David Englin today announced the winners of his 1st Annual Youth Art Contest, held in partnership with members of the local arts community.
“There were many terrific entries, and it was very difficult to select the winning submissions,” said Englin. “The arts are an important part of the economy of the 45th District, and this was a fun way to engage students, let them show off their creativity, and give them a chance to enjoy tangible rewards from their artistic expression.”
Englin partnered with A Show of Hands in Del Ray to administer the contest, and Convoy Skateboards and Burke and Herbert Bank and Trust Company generously provided prizes.
Here are the winners:
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Richmond – The General Assembly today passed legislation sponsored by Delegate David Englin (D-45) intended to make it easier for election officials to staff the polls so that Election Day may go more smoothly, especially in larger precincts and during high-turnout elections. House Bill 1643 will give local registrars and election boards more flexibility over when they may administer required oaths to election workers, allowing them better arrange shifts to staff polls. The bill also includes a provision requested by the City of Alexandria to allow more poll watchers inside larger polling places.
“As a member of the Elections Subcommittee, I work closely with local and state officials trying to identify ways to improve our election system to make it easier for people to exercise their right to vote,” said Englin. “These are not monumental changes, but they are adjustments that will help make elections go more smoothly.”
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Richmond – The General Assembly yesterday passed legislation sponsored by Delegate David Englin (D-45) requiring the State Board of Education to develop guidance to help Virginia schools address the troubling new phenomenon of cyberbullying. While House Bill 1624 began as a more broad effort to strengthen Virginia’s existing anti-bullying law, Englin amended the legislation to target cyberbullying in response to students, parents, and school officials.
“As the legislation moved forward, a number of middle school and high school students explained to me that the real problem they face in our schools is the growing use of new technologies like camera phones, text messaging, blogs, and MySpace for bullying, harassment, and intimidation,” said Englin. “I also heard from parents, teachers, and administrators that they are ill equipped to deal with this new phenomenon and would appreciate some expert guidance.”
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Richmond – The General Assembly today passed legislation sponsored by Delegate David Englin (D-45) that will free local school divisions from an expensive unfunded mandate by creating a one-year moratorium on a particular test some education experts consider to be ineffective and potentially redundant. House Bill 2589 allows school divisions to select a test other than the current state-required test to assess English proficiency among students for whom English is a second language.
“By giving local school divisions some flexibility, we can improve services to these students — ultimately helping them learn English better and faster — and make sure we’re spending our education dollars more efficiently,” said Englin. “This is the only state-required test that the state refuses to pay for, and many education experts don’t even consider it to be the most effective way to measure progress for these kids.”
Continue reading ‘General Assembly passes Englin bill freeing schools from unfunded testing mandate’
Richmond - With a 60 to 39 vote in the House and a 27 to 13 vote in the Senate, the Virginia General Assembly today passed a bill that will ban smoking in nearly all restaurants and bars across the Commonwealth beginning Dec. 1, making history in a state where tobacco was once king and where tobacco giant Philip Morris USA is headquartered.
“This is a major step forward for public health in Virginia,” said Delegate David Englin (D-Alexandria), who introduced the House version of a statewide smoke-free restaurants bill. “Today’s historic legislation is the result of years of hard work by public health advocates and a painstaking bipartisan effort this year in the House of Delegates.”
Englin noted that today’s victory for public health would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of Delegate Chris Jones (R-Suffolk), the new chairman of the House Committee on General Laws, who shepherded the bill through the House of Delegates despite opposition from the majority of House Republicans.
Continue reading ‘General Assembly passes historic ban on smoking in restaurants and bars’
