It was the most miserable General Assembly session in memory, but it could have been worse.

That sums up the feelings of Hampton Roads lawmakers at the end of a 61-day legislative session marked by deep spending cuts to offset a $4 billion revenue shortfall. The goal of the session was to limit losses and, in that regard, the local delegation had some success. A few thoughts:

1. Public education was cut deeply cut under the two-year state budget the General Assembly sent to Gov. Bob McDonnell.  Hampton Roads school districts – and most across Virginia – would see at least a 10 percent reduction in state funding. Hampton Roads would lose about $270 million over the next two years.

But local lawmakers fought off another $87 million in losses by leading an almost statewide outcry against the imposition of a scheduled change to the state’s school funding formula.
The formula measures the wealth of localities and determines the amount of state aid each school system receives. It is calibrated biennially and this year’s reset would have helped Northern Virginia, which suffered sharp declines in real estate values, at the expense of most of the rest of the state. The General Assembly softened the blow by allowing Northern Virginia the benefits of the new formula while holding losing localities harmless next budget year and reducing their formula cuts by half the year after.

2. The General Assembly reluctantly agreed to allocate – for one last year – $7.5 million to help Virginia Beach buy properties around Oceana Air Station. The Senate originally passed a budget that eliminated the program. Local delegates pushed hard for its reinstatement.

The money, matched by Virginia Beach, has formed a $15 million state and local commitment to acquire private properties near Oceana and thwart a 2005 federal recommendation to close the jet base because of surrounding over development.

3. The General Assembly unanimously passed legislation that would establish the Virginia Offshore Wind Development Authority. This is an important first step in the dreams of Hampton Roads officials to power millions of homes with wind and establish the region as a hub for manufacturing 400-foot high steel windmills and caissons that would be implanted 15 miles out in the ocean.
The 11-member panel, appointed by the governor, will coordinate public-private efforts to establish the industry and apply for federal grants, permits and loan guarantees.  It’s first goal is to raise $3 million to build meteorological towers in the ocean to collect wind data that could give investors confidence in the offshore plan.

4. The appointment of Del. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, as a budget negotiator eased concerns that Hampton Roads was losing clout on state spending matters.  He filled a vacancy created by the scandal-tainted election defeat last fall of another regional delegate, Republican Phil Hamilton of Newport News.

Jones, a behind-the-scenes workhorse, fell out with Speaker Bill Howell and other House Republican leaders six years ago when he voted for a tax increase. No doubt, he is close to Howell now. Last year Jones convinced the Speaker to embrace public smoking restrictions. And this year, it was Howell who appointed Jones as a budget negotiator.

Hampton Roads did lose budget sway in the Senate, however. Republican Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, failed to get the seat on the Senate Finance Committee vacated by former Sen. Ken. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach.  Stolle was elected Virginia Beach sheriff last fall. He was the region’s go-to guy in the Senate and his presence was missed.

5. Next to the loss of education money, the biggest downer to the congested Hampton Roads lawmakers was the lack of any progress on transportation.

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