Lightbulb bill to be voted on TODAY in VA General Assembly

Note from Del Bob Marshall

[Gopher Broke]

Friends,

I've got two major legislative updates below. Both bills are very important and we need to contact our delegates on the committees listed below to make sure these bills become a reality. Thank you for taking the time to read through! - Bob

VA Light Bulb Manufacturer and VA vs. EPA/Corp of Engineers

My HB 66 would allow Virginia companies to manufacture and sell incandescent light bulbs only within Virginia despite the Federal ban on incandescent bulbs which will take effect next year. The federal ban was enacted on grounds that fluorescent lights were more cost effective. Under conditions of normal use the fluorescent lights wear out much faster than incandescent ones which are not affected by constant on and off use. (See http://freedomlightbulb.blogspot.com for problems with CFL bulbs.)

HB 66 will be heard in subcommittee Thursday afternoon, January 26, 2012. Please contact the members of the Labor and Commerce Committee (See below.)

HB 66 will help protect Virginia citizens from possible mercury contamination from incorrect disposal of Compact Fluorescent Bulbs or home accidents which require near hazardous materials treatment. Two hundred and twenty families lost their breadwinner in Winchester, VA when the last American GE plant making Thomas Edison’s incandescent light bulbs was shut down in 2010 as a result of the Congressional ban.

These jobs were lost when GE shifted manufacture of the CFL's out of the country. Lastly, the Federal ban is a 10th amendment issue. Congress should not be telling Virginians what type of light bulbs they should purchase and use. The people of Virginia should be able to choose when it comes to issues such as safety and jobs.

Thanks.

- Delegate Bob Marshall

Commerce & Labor Subcommittee #2

•Chairman Tim Hugo 804-698-1040 delthugo@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Harry Purkey 804-698-1082 delhpurkey@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Tom Rust 804-698-1086 deltrust@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Danny Marshall 804-698-1014 deldmarshall@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Ben Cline 804-698-1024 delbcline@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Jackson Miller 804-698-1050 deljmiller@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Manoli Loupassi 804-698-1068 delmloupassi@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Barbara Comstock 804-698-1034 delbcomstock@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Joe Johnson 804-698-1004 deljjohnson@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Kenny Alexander 804-698-1089 delkalexander@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Jennifer McClellan 804-698-1071 deljmcclellan@house.virginia.gov

Commerce & Labor Other Members

•Chairman Terry Kilgore 804-698-1001 deltkilgore@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Kathy Byron 804-698-1022 delkbyron@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Lee Ware 804-698-1065 dellware@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Don Merricks 804-698-1016 deldmerricks@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate John Cosgrove 804-698-1078 deljcosgrove@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Rob Bell 804-698-1058 delrbell@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Gregory Habeeb 804-698-1008 delghabeeb@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Johnny Joannou 804-698-1079 none

•Delegate Jeion Ward 804-698-1092 deljward@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Lynwood Lewis 804-698-1000 delllewis@house.virginia.gov

•Delegate Roslyn Tyler 804-698-1075 delrtyler@house.virginia.gov

Virginia vs. EPA Clean Water Act Controls

My HB 67 will ensure that Virginia controls and regulates its non-navigable waters. The bill will be heard Thursday, January 26, 2012, in the 7-West Conference Room of the General Assembly Building. This legislation is to help prevent cases where farmers and other property owners have been buried under EPA or Corps of Engineers regulations as a result of a large puddle or very small normally dry pond on their property because of the Migratory Bird Rule (also known as the” glancing goose test”) which in essence says if your property gets wet enough at any time of the year for a migratory bird to see its reflection, then the EPA can regulate that property as a wetland.

Passage of my HB 67 will ensure that this sort of Federal Government micro management does not occur. Please ask members of the Subcommittee (below) to support HB 67.

Thanks.

- Delegate Bob Marshall

House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Chesapeake Subcommittee

•Chairman Ed Scott delescott@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1030

•Delegate Lee Ware dellware@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1065

•Delegate Brenda Pogge delbpogge@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1096

•Delegate Michael Webert delmwebert@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1018

•Delegate Margaret Ransone delmransone@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1099

•Delegate Lynwood Lewis delllewis@house.virginia.gov 804-698-1000

•Delegate Luke Torian delltorian@house.virginia.gov

[cripplecreek]

One little problem with these light bulb bills.

No company is going to be able or willing to manufacture for sale only within a state. Its a pretty extensive manufacturing process that costs a great deal to run on a small scale.

We had a similar bill come up for discussion in Michigan and basically it came down to whether the taxpayers wanted to fund a state industry that couldn’t survive strictly inside the state lines.

[matginzac]

Thanx for this - will contact my rep pronto...
Finally got a conservative pub in for us, Rick Morris...
hope he goes on to bigger and better things if he votes conservative as he promised.

[Buckeye McFrog]

Michigan has 9 million people. Most of them I’m willing to bet use incandescent bulbs in various parts of their home or business. I suspect a small operator could make a nice piece of change supplying such a market in states with larger populations. (plus you know, cross-border smuggling runs would become rampant)

[Nickname]

That’s two recent pieces of GOP-delivered legislation that the states are working to overcome.

First, the bulb ban, and now VA’s working to fight the McCain-authored NDAA.

Bob Marshall rocks. Wish someone like him would step up to challenge the RINO Frank Wolf who voted for both.