DIVISION OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
VIRGINIA LEGISLATIVE ISSUE BRIEF
Number 26 December 2001

2002 SESSION: General Assembly Issues

Business - Campaigns/Elections - Constitutional Amendments - Courts -
Education - Finance/Taxation - Health - Local Government -
Mental Health - Natural Resources - Transportation - Virginians with Disabilities

Local Government

Rural Virginia Prosperity Commission

The Rural Virginia Prosperity Commission (SJR 140/HJR 129) was established by the 2000 General Assembly to address the social and economic problems confronting rural Virginia. The commission will issue its final report and recommendations to the 2002 Session of the General Assembly. The commission has concluded that no single recommendation alone is likely to solve the complex problems faced by Virginia's rural areas. Accordingly, the commission will offer a series of recommendations dealing with issues such as capital access for rural entrepreneurs, workforce training and adult education, digital telecommunications infrastructure in underserved areas, tax incentives for economic development in disadvantaged areas, creation of a Center for Rural Virginia to support local grassroots leadership in rural Virginia, and creation of a cabinet-level Secretary of Agriculture. More information on the commission can be found on the web at www.rvpc.vt.edu.

Commission on Growth and Economic Development

The Commission on Growth and Economic Development (HJR 671) was established by the 2001 General Assembly to examine (i) the adequacy of current revenue resources to meet existing and future infrastructure needs, (ii) the revitalization of inner-city areas and older suburbs, (iii) the development of abandoned or unused brownfield sites and (iv) the preservation of open space and individual property rights. It is anticipated that the commission will make several recommendations in each of these areas. More information on the commission can be found on the web at http://dls.state.va.us/hjr671.htm.

Jeffrey F. Sharp

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