Sunday, April 14, 2013
"No officer, I was just typing directions into my GPS…"
Texting while driving is dangerous, but some people do it anyway. This year, Virginia's General Assembly passed a measure that increased the fine to $125 (it was $20) for the first infraction and $250 for the second. But Virginia legislators did not pass a hands-free measure like they have in the District, and as such enforcing the law could prove difficult. The problem: Using cell phones to dial a number or setting the phone GPS is legal. “Distracted driving is a big problem, but it’s bigger than just phone use,” said Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, to the Washington Post. “Even if a law were successful in stopping phone use and texting, it wouldn’t eliminate distracted driving.” Northern Virginia Del. Scott …
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
The General Assembly ended with two major policy changes.
This week, the General Assembly ended with a budget and two major policy changes — a historic transportation bill and a Medicaid expansion process that I will discuss next week. The budget reported and now on the Governor’s desk contained a $2 million line item to pay for a Tier I Study of U.S. 1 pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act that I’ve been fighting to secure for four years. This is the next legally required step towards laying the groundwork for actual major improvements to U.S. 1 between Woodlawn and I-495. The transportation bill (HB2313) has statewide and local components. The statewide component repeals the $0.175 gas tax at the pump and replaces it with a 3.5% unleaded tax and 6.0% diesel tax on wholesalers …
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Grappling with the state budget, trying to ban texting while driving and more.
In less than a month, Virginia Del. Scott Surovell (D-44) will be working 12-14 hour days in the 2013 Virginia General Assembly session, and sleeping in the Richmond basement of a friend. Surovell, an attorney by day, will present 15 bills this session, and a number of constitutional and budget amendments. "The funnest part down there is when you're on the floor and it's time for you to get up and not just cast a vote, but to get up and speak and fight it out on behalf of your constituents. That's the part of the job I like the most," Surovell, who was elected in 2009, told Patch. "It's not easy to get 99 other people to stand with you on an issue, especially when 68 are from another political party. It's a real challenge, but the bigger …
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Del. Surovell takes a look back at the DNC.
I would like to share with the community some of my reflections on the recent Democratic Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina at which delegates nominated President Barack Obama for re-election. The Mount Vernon and Lee areas were well represented. Ginny Peters and I were elected national delegates from our area along with Virginia Senator Adam Ebbin. Delegate Mark Sickles spent most of the week in Charlotte along with Chris Ambrose and Ronald England from Lorton. I ran into Peter Appel and Robert Nealon, and John Arundel who was covering it as a reporter all week long from Belle Haven along with Robert Powers from Waynewood. Several Northern Virginians addressed the convention including a Vietnam veteran from Great Falls and a …
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Del. Surovell's take on his second day in Charlotte, N.C.
Editor's note: Virginia Del. Scott Surovell, who represents the state's 44th District, is sending Patch updates of his experiences in Charlotte, N.C. at the Democratic National Convention. The following is from Surovell. Day #2 at the Democratic National Convention was an inspiring day. As usual, we started off the day with breakfast. Our speakers for the morning included Jessie Jackson, Cong. James Clyburn, former Gov. Tim Kaine and Donna Brazile. Jessie Jackson focused on voter ID laws and attempts to disenfranchise voters. Cong. Clyburn and Brazile focused on President Obama’s successes: Saving the American auto industry, ending "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell," finding Osama Bin Laden, reforming student loans and diverting savings to Pell Grants…
Monday, September 3, 2012
Convention takes place this week in Charlotte.
Editor's note: Virginia Del. Scott Surovell, who represents the state's 44th District, is sending Patch updates of his experiences in Charlotte, N.C. at the Democratic National Convention. The following is from Surovell. -- CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012, I arrived in Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention. This is my second convention and my first as a National Delegate. Being selected as a delegate is typically regarded as being an honor within the party. There are several types of delegates to the convention. First, some Delegates are selected by each congressional district at district-level conventions. These positions typically go to grassroots volunteers and local party activists. Then additional delegates are …
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Del. Surovell shares five lessons learned from this weekend's storm.
The storm of June 29, 2012 will go down as one of the more memorable moments of Mother Nature in the Lee-Mount Vernon area. I pulled into my driveway around 9:30 p.m. while listening to WTOP. There was no mention of a pending storm. Within an hour, the trees in my yard were wildly swinging around. After we lost power and my natural gas generator didn’t automatically come on, I ventured outside to turn it on manually and the battery exploded. Lesson #1 – Stay inside the house during a Derecho. While everyone in the 44th District will probably not be fully restored by the time this newspaper is delivered, substantial progress has been made on restoration of service. If you continue to have difficulty getting service restored, please …
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Del. Scott Surovell paid tribute to Addie in his 'The Dixie Pig' blog named after a favorite restaurant of his grandmother's.
Hayfield Farms resident and entrepreneur Adelaide 'Addie' Arthur died on Thursday, March 22, 2012. She was 73. Addie's family was the owner and operator of many businesses, opening the Dixie Pig BBQ restaurants, according to the Legacy obituary in The Washington Post. "People from all across the country have raved about the Dixie Pig, including weatherman Willard Scott," the Legacy obituary reads. "The restaurant was also featured on an episode of CSI." According to The Washington Post, the first Dixie Pig opened in 1924 on Powhatan Street in Alexandria. Now it's Vaso's Kitchen, but the old Dixie Pig signage still sits atop the restaurant. The second Dixie Pig location opened on Route 1 in 1946. Although the location at Beacon Hill Road …
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Monday, February 27, 2012
Things could get a little bumpy.
Although this winter hasn't been nearly as hard on area roadways as winters past, many residents are dodging potholes on secondary roads in their neighborhoods. Clearly, Northern Virginia's secondary roadways need ongoing maintenance, but Virginia Department of Transportation maintenance funds have run dry. Local lawmakers are frustrated over the problem, and some are wrestling with the ramifications of taking the responsibility from the state. "Some secondary roads in [Fairfax] County haven't gotten attention in 15 years, and we have a huge system of roadways," said Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D). "When are those people in Richmond going to adequately fund transportation funding in Northern Virginia before it's …
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Del. Scott Surovell, Sen. Adam Ebbin join various other Virginia Democrats to stump for President across 2012 battleground state
Mount Vernon Democrats Del. Scott Surovell and Sen. Adam Ebbin were appointed to the Obama reelecton campaign's 'Virginia Truth Team' on Monday and will join Rep. Jim Moran, Rep. Gerry Connolly, and a host of other Democrats to aid in spreading Obama's campaign message and responding to attacks from his opponents. After narrowly carrying Virginia in 2008, the Obama campaign expects a tough race this year, especially after Republicans took control of the General Assembly last year. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is also often mentioned as a potential running mate for Mitt Romney. "President Obama’s record should speak for itself," Surovell said in a press release. "[B]etween the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, preventing a …
T Ailshire
8:30 am on Thursday, April 18, 2013
Obviously, you've operated under two assumptions I believe are flawed. First, I have personally observed police officers - not "glancing" at their laptops, but head turned toward it and 6-10 seconds when AT BEST they had peripheral eyes on the road. I have been the vehicle immediately behind said officers on more than one occasion. It follows if I have observed it on more than one occasion this … more ›