http://https://youtu.be/Ur4JL6IlB8g?t=475
Healthcare, transportation and raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour were the main topics discussed at a Woodbridge event.
Local representatives spoke about the 2020 Legislative Session at the Prince William Chamber of Commerce’s Legislative Kick-Off Breakfast.
The annual program was hosted at Old Hickory Golf Club, 11921 Chanceford Drive in Woodbridge, on Thursday morning.
Delegate-Elect Dan Helmer, and Delegates Elizabeth Guzman, Danica Roem, and Luke Torian were the panelists.
This is the transcription of the video shown above, which was done with 80 percent accuracy:
Guzman: [inaudible]
Roem: your preferred option. So let’s talk about funding for this. Number one, the one really wants introduced HB 2085 that we will get done this time around. [inaudible] store the loss in NBTA money. Don’t shift their way because tan Homer’s predecessors trued up over and say that will never happen again. You won’t never ever, ever allow something like that. Something that’s so poorly mismanaged. It can happen again into this Commonwealth where we’ve lost our ability to do hybrid over in Centerville because of this and this. And I’m going to make sure that we pass one of the largest [inaudible] secondary and by learning not interstate highway improvements specifically around intersection designs to make them safer for everyone no matter where.
Speaker 3: Absolutely. So I would start first,
Guzman: I would read it with me. See if I recognize your new [inaudible] Adam [inaudible] very own class though. So congratulations. I haven’t had that living to tell you that and I’m so proud. I’m sure. Lose it. Break on snow and I didn’t cross her face faces. So I was go back to playing 17 after I won my first election and I actually met with the IPC and I am a cosponsor of the [inaudible]. So you that first year, the money that we are using now for all of the expunction that director was talking about Aaron and Eric, some of their horrible comms. I’m glad to hear that there is no email city and if that Eastern side of the County, if they think that we could do that funding as well. We talked to the chairman right here so I’m sure he’ll be a more than that so probably not.
Guzman: That was something she saw because I have these things happen in my DC and I represent our football kit, Prince William County and I dealt, I know that our sample is working veto where we actually get rid of that Hans. So promptly unite, going nuts on her mind. Kids by [inaudible] area there we are working to get up because by back then there was some elementary school, we have a load of accidents and that happened so we mentally beat up [inaudible] and it’s so science and it speaks to being in science. Why are we getting up? We have a study that was last many years ago on the route one corridor or hit slash about every soul of that is sadly what a CPA, a box is robbing from formation system and I’m going to want to cover unfortunately that is Sadie edit and wounds. So we want to do Rick date. That conversation. I’d be able to look at more different types of transportation. They eat a fast rapid transit that will go know something but actually go to [inaudible] and with that you know that that’s a whole nother topic. Number nine number goal, but we are all on board to bring more [inaudible].
Guzman: We shouldn’t be proud, obedient, worst bottleneck in this country. I think that we [inaudible] to take that out. For instance,
Torian: good morning. I take a different perspective. I’ve seen legislation to forward and uh, [inaudible] obviously work [inaudible] what we’re going to see enrich enrichment this year we’re going to say and we’ll take those meals and we will for our daughters the number one issue in order to address transportation issues and restructured and other issues will be the levels of funding legislation, [inaudible] transportation and prioritize and assign dollars to the various cities. Obviously we’re going to be looking very closely at North Virginia and the challenges that we have. We’ll have a big, big task before us because we don’t have 100 members in a corporation and we will do our best that we can. Hopefully we will get on Metro as well for 10 years. We have the numbers now that we can at least get a study now.
Helmer: I’m so excited to be here with you guys. I’m Dan the delegate elect and uh, excited to be here. [inaudible] we also one of the few folks who runs a small business fire that getting involved in elected politics. I advise fortune companies and go South Boston consulting group in these days. I have three partners. We run a 35 person firm that works in five States right now advising a small and medium size businesses in the U S so when I come to and say I’m very interested in working with businesses in Prince William County, I come from that, from a position of a person who is deeply interested in both a large couple of us, somebody who does it every day. Um, you know, when I think about transportation here, uh, you know, I do think it’s time that we stop thinking small and starting to thinking big. Uh, the reality is that our lack of great infrastructure in multimodal transportation and gets us more quickly or places of business is, uh, the attacks on us as businesses. It drives up the cost and the difficulty in attracting great talent to our businesses. It also keeps us away from our families. And so, uh, it is going to take a new era of thinking. We made a first step revive electing a pro transportation majority is going to prioritize funding multimodal transportation. Uh, our next step is to think regional, uh, to make sure that we’re thinking about all of the impacts to provide you with creative thinking that new things like Artize teleworking, incentivize, uh, working, uh, incentivize, uh, transportation other than with your car. Uh, that doesn’t make that every single time you expand a road, you’re going to get less traffic because there’s a lot of data that shows that’s not the case. And so it’s time for us to look at the water [inaudible] solutions to look across the region and to be aggressive about how we think about funding and how that reduces our carbon footprint and increase new businesses that help us take both about transportation and energy diversification and create that kind of thing.
Speaker 3: Well, as the house appropriations committee, and congratulations
Torian: [inaudible]
Speaker 3: we understand that Senator Sasse was already in the new Senate bill seven, a piece of legislation now incrementally increase the minimum way to review from sentence 25 to $15 over the course of five years. What is your position on increasing the minimum wage? Is this a bill you have support? Should it crossover? And if so, how would you address the financial burden these doing? So may place on the back of small businesses, which are the life blood work,
Torian: [inaudible] progressive, not all at one time because they could not afford, we cannot afford the hurt our small business. But when you have a minimum wage has been at seven 25 for a number of years, for a long time. There has to be something that has to be done. And I think that, uh, I’ll take a look at the [inaudible]. It makes sense to me and I’ll support it. We need to know that you have a problem with minimal waste needs to be addressed, but not on the backs of hurting small businesses. We have been very strategic and we’re going to do this thing. We have to be very
Guzman: great. All the stakeholders, the room. So I would start, uh, like looking in the goal of Regina. What is that? If you can shut off a small business, I want to put a goal number. Diaz small business is still kind of under 50 employees. So I would like to start changing that because I think that all of these benefits and advantages that are out there for small businesses, I never been thinking of dynasty. He goes, we caught the cheap stuff. Now everybody [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] [inaudible] myself. It was probably three jobs to make ends meet. I definitely have to change because that was the soul of this is a children are suffering [inaudible] at home. I don’t have many of those in my district. It breaks my heart when I knock on books on the weekend and I see these children by themselves and I asked him to leave mom and dad are they?
Guzman: I won’t work so that tells me that we to change. Now we, I’m sure many of you, because I have spoken with many of you, I know why you use no faith, but you said a lot of somebody by says, we know it’s only past we’ll find a way to make a rice and I had a record, a Senator, sexist fields. Oh we definitely did. I will set kind of work dedicated. Gloria said, Oh, we will definitely have some checked it and cost compliant. I bought wait, who continues a nights of routines? We are going to say from wealthiest to safety that country. So we have to take care of our workforce as well. And I am saying that that Google [inaudible] we what you are talking about John Burbidge. So because if my employee is treated well, they wouldn’t say we drove out of station. So the time we’ll take a look at things nor how things are going to be earth. Uh, but actually [inaudible] thank you
Roem: just by a show of hands console here. It’s only if they go with the minimum wages in West Virginia.
Guzman: Okay.
Roem: Dollars and 35 cents an hour. We are at seven 25 the federal minimum in Virginia. Can someone here in this room completes? Tell me what part was by God. Virginia has a higher cost of living than anywhere in new Orleans opinion. How was that Constable that we’ve allowed this to happen? It’s not. The fact of the matter is we have to get this done and here’s a reality check as well. When I had my first job working right down the street or with your nursing for the total cans. At the time I was making $5 and 15 cents an hour for a 15 year old working in the year 2000 when I transitioned and I found myself one for 35 of my job search and like the thirties I took a side job for $5 an hour plus tip and this isn’t 2016 $5 an hour plus to delineate the bobs or three in Orleans and every person I worked with was an adult and the thing is a lot of those folks had an, it’s like Elizabeth.
Roem: It is why you will leave important that we are truly going to take care of our minority majority community here in Prince William County and throughout Northern Virginia that we give our current constituents the full benefits of society here. Why do I have the same time? We recognize that the fallacy because the minimum wage only somehow pay to teenagers coming up is wall. It’s not based on any bed exact whatsoever and instantly not based on the living experience I’ve had at age 32 and I’ve had that job right before I decided to run for office. Let’s just make sure that as we’re doing this, yes, you can do this incremental, you know, we don’t have immediate shock through the system overnight. At the same time, let’s make sure that when we’re posting about how Virginia is the best state for business, that we stopped being the third of the 51st state slash city Z for workers. We should also be the best state for workers as well and frankly if they’re going to be the best. Safety for business has to be the best day for your workers you want to speak to in the first place.
Helmer: Exactly. I agree with my colleagues. Look, we majority say the predicted devastating consequences of a $15 minimum wage that we through fear, mom ran out. I’m going again, I have not worn fruit in the places that have instituted $50 at a $15 minimum wage is $30,000 a year in salary. I would argue that that still put somebody in significant risk of [inaudible] red state. We operate in order Virginia. Um, and so if who are we talking about earning $50 minimum wage. You were talking about a woman I spoke to on the doors as I was running for office who was working in a preschool and had to take on multiple jobs as to someone who was taking care of our children who justice and our home had to take on multiple jobs because she was getting paid $9 an hour. We’re talking about a huge majority of our veterans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan after they leave the military.
Helmer: So by saying no, by being in transit, in transit, I guess raising the minimum wage, you’re condemning those who served in our country to live in poverty after they return from their service to our country. So it is incredibly important that we get to a $50 in wage should we index a current version. And we are responsible in our approach to ensure that we don’t impact businesses both small and large in ways that devastated our economy. But I am excited to work with a chamber of commerce that takes a new approach to thinking about the upsides of getting to a $15 minimum wage, the economic growth that we can spur a 50 element in wage and not just about potential downsides of having foreign fruit in places where we can Institute, et cetera.
Guzman: [inaudible] has some questions for you all. Basically we’ll go into the next question. You’re going to sell much advocate for [inaudible] and addressing the rising costs of healthcare. Many have called for the creation of multiple employer welfare racists or consortium health fans to see an access and healthcare benefits for small businesses similar to the larger counterparts. Banks and private universities are examples of these consortions. What’s your opinion on sexual dysfunction? I can find ways though. It’s anybody. Some people providing or a benefits. There’s a couple of things on the stuff you know about Gail care. We actually want to recognize entirely organize them. A third Nuffield care uncle. I thought that once I joins and brains that says what it was an excellent experience for us. Jesse learner. What does it experience like when they, I mean, um, ran? Uh, there are some numbers that may be shocking for many of us [inaudible] and we see that actually women of color are the ones who are dying while they are. So we definitely do want to work together to address those needs. I have multiple views that are on finally stage yet. It’s not a volume of my method of care, but I’m definitely seeing some more or finding those resources to help easy [inaudible] of the benefits that are out there. Okay.
Roem: So the number one both get Murray that I have right now, 13 is making sure that all 3,800 my constituents who are eligible for Medicaid expansion are enrolled. And I can tell you right now that the latest data that’s come in as of November 15th shows that we have now enrolled more than 343,000 Virginians who are uninsured or under insured last year who now have quality affordable healthcare this year. And we’ve got it done in less than a year since the moment you can when January 1st in. The reality that goes along with that is that this is going to be open for 400,000 Virginians. That means that we’ve still got more, some more, we still have thousands people in the greater Prince. William area is still eligible. We’ve now enrolled just under 13,000 people in Prince William County and when I’m looking at a little sane city like Vanessa’s, Mark 491 people, that is a really, really big deal by Austin.
Roem: No, we’ve got another 800 salon folks who live in Manassas park. We’re still eligible and so that’s going to be my top healthcare priorities. Making sure that my chief of staff or is also myself, the robust constituent service that we’ve had to make sure that we’re going to roll into our eligibility positions in the first place. While at the same time I’ll make sure that you know, the folks who are coming in dollars and the appropriations committee or who are setting the, you know, [inaudible] wants this case, are going to be the ones who basically have the potential to either help with small businesses in terms of, you know, expanding their ability to fully insure their employees. Or at the same time figuring out what sort of pools and small businesses salt into that at the same time don’t undermine the affordable care act because that’s one of the big things that happened in [inaudible] is we’ve seen a lot of legislation about healthcare that seems designed to be nice. And then what we really find out about it is it’s meant to pull lady [inaudible] all the way people to keep premiums down within our exchange. So it’s wildly, wildly important that we have a good balance between making sure that you can take care of your employees in the same time that would keep the ACA [inaudible].
Roem: So this is one of my partners [inaudible] I believe strongly that every single Virginian should have access to quality, affordable healthcare and pay 90% of the gradings, which is the maximum wall every single one of our employees as any of you who run businesses here, overhead business meetings after too many cases right now reaching 50% of our operators, 50% of of the salary increase time, so I am very much concerned about the cost of healthcare now when it comes to healthcare plans, we allowing multiple businesses to group together in order to purchase insurance on its face. It makes sense. Traditionally the way we’ve approached drive out costs is by allowing insurers to removing the things that we come to cover elsewhere from these plans and drive down costs. If we can make sure that the coverage within these plans is as robust as covered with the plans. I think there’s a lot that can be down there. And I think collectively we do need to take a approach as a business community that demands that we look at the cost side of healthcare, how healthcare being marketed,
Torian: what joins companies are doing to drive premiums, the amount of profit that you can know, what did you do with non healthcare expenses? We should have a room. Any instead of that health insurance companies had to control costs. The way they maintain the profits today is by expanding the cost of healthcare safe and healthy profit margin stays the same. The amount of profit they’re making is larger. There’s lots of players in the healthcare marketplace that are elected. We work together to drive up costs, each of which is active rationally within that marketplace. Uh, but we need to fundamentally change our approach to that market place. And I’m looking forward to working with the business community, whether it’s group health plans, whether it’s banding together and other approaches. So long as we may take robust coverage for workers and employees, we can work together to drive down costs. You found gains on looking forward.
Torian: So the elephant in the room comes to health care is the recognize that I have no system in this four o’clock and you tell the truth and since healthcare is a for profit entity, we’re going to always have this long or eight years, eight years in the house we tried to pass a Medicaid expansion. 400,000 Virginians could have access to health care. The balloon side of it changed and the bills passed. Let me tell you why I was packs because of the politics. When our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, the numbers we want to change, they came back with intent passed Medicaid expense. That was the only reason they didn’t come back. We didn’t come back and drive down costs because when you drive down cost, it’s take benefits away. Look at your own healthcare, how much you paid. We are privileged stuff because we are on the state plan. We were not on the state plan. It would be costing us several hundred dollars a month.
Torian: You didn’t say for profit entity and until we change that, we’re not going to do it. Any of us any good favors at all and I just, I am so disturbed by them because they’re equal who cannot afford healthcare and they will not go to the hospital because they cannot afford and if we really want to be bold, we really must have breast and be very truthful about it. Someone made a $25,000 a year can not afford health and as long as this is a full rock if we’re going to have a serious problem. Thank you. The
Speaker 3: affordable care act, the research that we have right from the business community is that the plans are not in direct competition into the marketplace.
Torian: The ACA, what is disturbance with these candidates on the national level, they want to come up with all these new plans and so many years since to get the plan in place, don’t try to reinvent something improval what we had. That’s all we need to do. Look at what we have improve on that and do not threaten to take away people’s shorts because whatever they come on with health care fall, they don’t take away somebody’s chores and all they need to do is work on improving what we have in place in her ears. If ACA, let’s just work with a group.
Speaker 3: Thank you. Delegate OLED Telmar. First I’d like to thank you for [inaudible]. Access to a seal workforce continues to be a tremendous heat for our local employers. We are severely lacking technicians. We can as welders electricians, two additional traits to fill the onset of jobs being created by companies like Amazon. What programs and initiatives we support like these guys have career technical education partnerships or the reintegration of certification of veterans to ensure we are creating sustainable talent pipeline.
Helmer: It’s a great question and one that we should all be concerned about. As folks are talking about the national stage, we should be talking about what we as automation has changes in the workforce take place. Increasingly your ability to operate them work as businesses. We’re going to require a technically, technically educated workforce and in order to have sustainable levels of employment here, we’re going to have to have folks who have access to that education. Now I would offer by probably an unpopular sentiment here is that one of the reasons that we are lacking technical education in the trades is that we as a EMT union Commonwealth of undermine one of the most effective training pipelines for those who are able to act in the trade apprenticeship programs by the carpenters, by the electricians or the other word of other trade unions. I have been very effective elsewhere in the country at providing a technically effectively educated workforce that can do things like build clean rooms, right by sight. My mind that I can work on very specific specifications that help us operate and continue with the workforce shortages in areas like construction where we’re struggling right now to keep up with demand. Why do you have the cost for all of us? So there are two sides of the cost equation on labor when we fly now the cost of labor so much
Helmer: that you can’t attract your brave. We were going to pay for it somewhere. So encouraging uh, unions to get engaged in workforce training area as well as looking at how we do technical certification with military veterans leaving the military, making sure that if you drove a noose and a half or two and a half on truck in the military, we give you a commercial driver’s license here in Virginia. Looking at how we make sure that military spouses aren’t impacted by different certification requirements or all the phones that is certainly making significant and major investments in technical education. Some of the wonderful state schools like George Mason university,
Roem: so, um, I higher than 80% of my LA and I can tell you that when you talk to military families especially, you will hear that transfer transferability of skill sets is such a huge deal when we’re talking exactly about what [inaudible] was talking about. There is currently sub licensing for example, that if you are a teacher in Washington state that you are a teacher in another city, that you should be able to be able to teach in Virginia with as little pain as possible. Especially because your spouse or your parent or whoever it is is serving abroad and that requires you be transferring seats. It’s safe. At the same time, we also see that we can come to Kampala, which owns the educational credit transfers for military families as well. And this being said, if you’re going to college in another state or you’re going to a higher learning Institute, wherever it is in another safe, or even if you’re just doing your K-12 and you’re in high school, then when you are then transferred here somewhere in Virginia, not all of those credits come along with you every single time.
Roem: If you want to support our military, support, our military families, it is wildly important. At the same time, and we’re talking about career technical education, one of the prompts that we had in the NAS as part shirts and both as I’ve talked to the CC a teacher actually on the men’s part, it’s a lack of physical spaces in the building at the high school to adequately, um, train a number of people who are going to go through what lead into the workforce. Because even though we will still have a lot of students from [inaudible] high school who will go into, you know, who will go to Nova or we’ll go just to apologize, all a lot of students with us or in high school must be labor ready by kind of dig it out. And so if I’ve got folks over at IDW willful 26 in the 13th district golf ball sport road telling me that Hey, we keep, not only can we keep these young adults out of debt, but at the same time that we will either $20 an hour to learn the trade and then we’ll even $25 an hour starting salary and they’re actually out of the, that’s
Guzman: being if you passed it. And the more I can urge the more. So I would start by sharing you through the legislation that was able to last this year. That will help [inaudible] if you had a nurses every Sunday vacation process is like Jake’s not in the past [inaudible] you would think that boy year. So now any maybe dice falls with a nurse and local Virginia. The recent litigation roses will take only 30 days because they need to. Joanie, that report CDN, that’s not a veterans. I think I have that. I just hope relation with veterans in my district. If I have [inaudible] on the area, maybe child long pair and I’m passionate about it has been a deal. So I have health, how they’re accountable. [inaudible] delegation and we [inaudible] will address the needs that were mentioned earlier. We all know it’s a reality that we need to also support systems.
Guzman: We provide resources, lower veterans [inaudible] world. It is necessary. We’re trying to find resources right now. For example, one of the things they’ll have dreads, looting these some holes was that map of assessments with better knots. Are these charts on early? Only on dishonor only, so we don’t know what that exhaust is that they need, but that was a fit. At least installation. We’ve have Olsen my notes here. Then I also, we have also address the need of or children, you know, what gym or moving for places with Lexus. We must go by the support system for them so they could you know, accommodate these new environments when they are Jakey from maybe from the state was saved and they never had to study at UT. So we that we have provided for our school counselors, we need more money and I would ask the chairman
Speaker 6: [inaudible]
Torian: awesome
Speaker 6: [inaudible]
Torian: so is the unemployment rate is 2.6% 2.6% and we CA have jobs so we are unable. That’s an amazing problem that we are moving from our traditional work force design where our kids go off to college and they graduate and come out with a skill set and they are now fence but more specialized where we’re going to be moving away from the traditional sense of how we educate and train and be a lot more specific. That’s where we need to have, that’s where I need Julia, you give me the suggestions. I mean Ivy as a cute thing will work. We can’t come up with all this. You got about business owners, you have to tell us what you need. And then if there’s legislation that is needed to appropriate to meet the need, then we submitted that legislation so that we can support your efforts and what your concerns are. I often tell my constituents, uh, I’m meeting with them. You can give me your concerns. Tell me what your concerns are. And then that is how I feel that I’m not the brightest guy in the room. Don’t pretend to be, but I think I have a little bit of wisdom. Part of my wisdom is say, come share with me what your challenges are and the ways that you think we can fix those sounds, but to have a 2.6% unemployment rate, I’m going have jobs that you still cannot deal. What a great problem to have
Speaker 3: there. Four questions. I’ve heard choice. So this next question [inaudible] view is related to your [inaudible]. There’s been much speculation that majorities in both houses [inaudible] Virginia was just recently awarded the number one state can do business by CMEC due in part to right status. You support, maintain and ensure employer choice. If not, why?
Roem: Well in 2016 I joined the majority of the 13th district debt residents and voting against the constitutional amendment. That would have been shrined work into the state constitution and if you want to call it by this other term, which is a feeler term. Then finally to do that as well. At the same time, I also know that this is going to be a chief policy position for art and so if you want to talk to the person who’s going to be meeting on that issue and then please by all means talk to our colleagues in the city of NASA’s. In the meantime I’m going to be making sure that I’m continuing to expand Amit rights and I’m going to make sure that I’m continuing to find the cost effective way to expand the, you know, very out of Gainesville for example. I’m going to do a lot of things that people in this room are going to be really, you know, we’re going to be able to work collaboratively when it comes to transportation, when it comes to education, when it comes to making sure that you know the person who was hearing you actually have healthcare.
Roem: Then at the same time that don’t on the house floor, I know how to be following the will of the people. The 13th district voted for it and wasn’t dealing with that. With the choice part of this,
Helmer: when we were doing our chamber, I already discussed this with bras and the other people you are on that call where we talked about what existing precedent duty under the siege, where this free follow, right, and if we’re talking about that number one rating, well let’s talk about the [inaudible] and because of the right people ranked dead last in the country, how’s that possible? We felt behind West Virginia. Again, how is that possible? [inaudible] [inaudible] so with that I’ll just turn it over to the delegate. Tim, Audrey, Charlestown [inaudible]. I think Bridget has spoke louder this crime for us to reject old notions that say the best for business means being more, uh, I think we didn’t just have an election in which a chamber endorsed candidate who was endorsed in part because of a position position on so-called right work lost decisively. But we had an opportunity to get right.
Helmer: Like so I ran against somebody or the chamber. Dorsey said it was because he was in support, right to work, brought us here. The reality is is that we talked through Virginia as I talked to my district and you can see a two track comedy in which women, minorities and many of our veterans that have been left behind in which witnesses which wages are not living wages. And we need to fix that. And what we need is the cooperation of the business community and that’s awfulness of the business community and how we get there. And so rather than perceiving rather than perceiving a desire to make sure we lift people out of poverty and recognize that they can be a work as a threat. I think we, all of us here as hardworking people, many of us who run businesses I need to talk together about how is it that we create an economy that works for all of us now this that that I’m going to be fighting for in the general assembly so that every Virginia who works in this common level has the opportunity to live in dignity and getting rid of laws that inhibit the ability of people to collectively bargain for their wages is one of the ways in which we’re going to ensure that our wheat, we no longer have to track of wages and benefits keep up with the growth, the economy and that is 2.2% unemployment rate means that people are able to live.
Guzman: Note that of the data or the statement that you made about being the number one business, another one your business is because we have way to ride for the state. I think that that other is conveyed the amount of work that businesses have. Bully blades, they’ll retain their employees. So I don’t know, I’ve never seen that data. I would like to see if you will, that you shared with all of us or that you would like to see it. I think that we’ve talked rate basis, this business of emerging. I would say that all that needs to go so fast and I wouldn’t have to recognize that we believe in a safe where we are and that is not right. You know, it’s like we have to revise those uh, those spaces. Often they do say no, I’m not going to use it. The right for the safe and I’ve really never, I do work via if that’s for, I mean it’s closer but I don’t do league.
Guzman: I’m a union member and this is also information that is publicly available. And my union, Rutgers says the safe that please, I want to, I enjoyed and junior needs because it’s important for me when I have, what we have for them is Jane DOE, what salaries [inaudible] that were benefits, what we’d have to know. How the trainings that we need as an employee [inaudible] class, we’ll have a seat at the table and thought when these decisions are made, now wouldn’t that be wonderful when you are writing in our conversation that is running our inclusiveness. We’ll have one person from your workforce sit at the table. They got half a voice on the styling, what is best for them and for, and that’s what,
Torian: why didn’t work is a real big political issue. Really big into a great deal of politics. If you want transparency, that’s the deal, not see what you have here, you would like us to maintain why you work other opposed to I can see that change. I will tell you that the current administration, uh, has issues with uh, overturning over billing. Like at work. Um, members of the Senate has some issues with it. Members of the house we’ll also have issues with, uh, someone get rid of it. Some do not. The government has grave concern going away. And so what I would share with the folks is that we believe get in the room, maybe you’d have a discussion. Now there are concerns to be voice and move away from always had an absence of those things up fixable, equal ability to get the room and have a conversation and really find out what all the real issues. Once the real issues come in identified, then there are solutions to them. But oftentimes we want to deal with absolutes and absolutes are not always the answer. But I will tell you going into the 2020 session in his normal meeting, a very hot political issue,
Guzman: we have repeatedly reached out to him and ESPN system. He declined to participate in the business unit. So I’d now like to open it up. Appreciate you mentioning the unemployment rate 2.6 and I can tell you that there’s a solution to that problem, which is the one third of people with disabilities are currently participating in the workforce with the two first were not for geez, 39 and funding for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. And there’s a long way that we have to go and uh, over 10,000, 14,000 people are on waitlists right now waiting to work. It’s a phenomenal workforce. It’s an untapped talent that we’re not utilizing. And I think it’s a big issue for us in a state where some of the solutions, what we propose to increase the [inaudible]. So at [inaudible] last year, [inaudible] was not harder than the Republican majority. I lost all of that. I already passed [inaudible] but I’m coming back and I’m bringing my day to station with Lily blues kind of preferences where people with disabilities at the same level. It’s not a program that it’s already been a bummer and it will grow by of references when people kind of lose the job, you know, intellectually the death study, civility things not done a waste their farm, that job. And they will provide at least some points during that interview when they’re [inaudible].
Torian: The only thing I want to share that you and I’ll probably sit down, that’s all I, you know, you have an insight and expertise that I do not have. That helped me tremendously because I really wouldn’t win. When we talk about the workforce, that’s the population of our citizens and our community that we very rarely think about. And so you have us,
Guzman: what I just want to point out that oftentimes people consider people who are born with a disability and not acquired disability, disability,
Helmer: a stroke, heart attack, as well as all of that very, very excited to carry on a conversation. I’ve talked like this as part of loss. He’s like in Afghanistan, choir, choir, stability, right? So this issue of personally passionate about it runs a huge spectrum. It is, it is a, a cross disciplinary issue. Things like a low minimum wage, actually discouraged people with disabilities at times from being able to enter the workforce riders. The trade off is, uh, you know, there are all sorts of things we need to look at structurally to encourage people and recognize the incredible benefit that we get from, uh, providing opportunities for those specific cities to enter the workforce. And the unique perspective you to all my evidence. Like, Hey, I love to find people with disabilities, but biking, I gotta accommodate. And actually the reality is, is that by bringing in folks with diverse perspective, you empower and create a better workforce that is more able to serve more diverse customer base that represents more of what Virginia is. So I think there’s real power in making sure that we give them opportunities at those with disabilities. And it’s not just a disadvantage that each way me [inaudible] need to change that. [inaudible]
Helmer: so I’m listening to a few things here. Number one, um, my immediate family actually went through the independence arts center by the way, and taking care of them, taking care of the folks that are in the art. Prince William art, Northern Virginia was a passion project and said, if you want to follow up offline in this, talk about it, because as the always talking about is this is part of meeting entity. I put in a bill the last two years that would require insurers to have to cover the costs for mechanical prosthetic devices. For me these, for example, because it’s one of my constituents, you know, she’s missing her [inaudible] elbow and you know, she’s actually the first person in Paris state to get more money. [inaudible] and so I want to make sure that all the constituents where you teach, for example, have the ability to have all four Linden, sorry.
Helmer: Because it’s not just a physical health issue. This is a mental health issue. And at the same time it also is what allows her to be doing a lot of our games to drive a car. You know, she fell back to work. She has a lot of different jobs and she wants to do, she wants to work in crunch for example, and she can’t do right now. So being insured that are, have insurers actually provide for people with ongoing disabilities especially is why we imported it. And I was one of the delegates in 2018 who introduced the legislation to, uh, to eliminate the cap, the autism healthcare in this year. You know, we all got past [inaudible] stable. Um, we got passed the bill that eliminated all these restrictions on. [inaudible]
Helmer: didn’t make any sense about why we’d actually have an each family. And so I’ll say look offline and be very, very happy. I’m pretty loud. [inaudible] so I, uh, some, gosh, 10, 12 years ago, um, when, uh, Senator Colgan became Senate finance committee chair, I had the opportunity to ask this question and now I get dumped in the lab of delegatory and um, uh, but, but the question was everybody, uh, any, any, uh, early comments you wanna make about budget amendments that we might see coming forward, uh, that, uh, that will, uh, impact a business community here in Prince William County in the city of masses. [inaudible]
Torian: martyr. We have not, uh,
Torian: we have not begun to develop the legislative, uh, corporations then, or let me just take a moment to share with you where we are with the democratic majority, obviously about changes that take place and where we are right now. Certain growth rates, uh, make some decisions relative to staffing. Uh, getting organized is a huge job that’s new that, uh, right now I am well, to be honest with you, just the transition itself, uh, taking on a new role, learning that new role. Uh, I will tell you that it’s great to be in a position where we can help put a slip. It’s good to be in that position and learning what that means and how we will be able to do, uh, financially, uh, counted to benefit you all. Tell me what recommendations you all are in the lease, in your community from an economic development stand for things that you may see that financially we can take the Richmond as budget amendments and they perhaps have some favorable results.
Torian: I’ve always said that inclusiveness for me is important. I don’t have all the answers, you know, but if you’re in a position [inaudible] position, you allow that vision to work for others. And, and so, you know, I will tell you, I, it’s, it’s, it’s humbling to be in that position, but it’s also overwhelming, right? To seek the transition. But I’ve always weighed it out, developed with dysplasia. And the way that operative budget amendments is that when we have these legislative meetings, lunches, Rutgers, whatever, what have you either from you all helps me when I go back to Richmond, that that’s been my approach and that judicious nature. It’s exactly why I think you’re the man from job
Guzman: so why didn’t it happen? So I thought it was spoken with a general number of patients yet that’s something that is very important. Not that it’s a need right now. It brings me to felonies or seven eco BTC. The amount of Navy waivers, there’s a huge amount of waiting. They, so they’re hopeful that we can get more money or any waivers. Uh, another appropriation piece is going to be the transportation part. I strongly believe that D bulls, a lot of the transportation system, we don’t have no businesses establishing. It brings me a county’s officer as well as he was mentioning something about the other care. It wasn’t dress, the niece and nephew moments. A few names that go about the number of people that have not accessed either eligible but they have not taken advantage of either Medicaid or the marketplace. Other conversations right now be definitely be to, well maybe that question when you are finding your estate that’s if you resent the form where you are going insure or you are thinking the fines on those values insurance, we can not fit. I think that that’s wrong. We’ll ask that question. I’ll provide you have all in and we can provide the information and send your information to the same people that marketplace or you’ve got to get access [inaudible] for that and that’s what I can think of right now as far as money.
Roem: Oh, so surprised to know you. What I’ll just [inaudible] here is for everyone in the room here is my top funding priority is going to make sure that we are taking care of the PTA because I recognize the boy that we have without us having the chairman of the MBTA being from [inaudible] and I’m going to be making sure that we have a constant constant voice in the majority caucus for fully funding the MBTA and taking care of our regional transportation needs. [inaudible] out all nine jurisdictions that make up names as you’re eating. This is the time where as before we have you borrowed transportation. Jordan is time for us to fully fund transportation, especially in the economic engine that drives Virginia, which is this is not an option for us. It is mandatory for us meat pass to get this done and all the remind folks here that we’ve lost out.
Roem: Let me FBI relocate my headquarters relocation in the first round where they all feel important point the whole thing we lost out in the first round. We did not have Metro rail, how to innovation department with one word change in the federal level from Metro rail to commuter rail. If we add theory to innovation Mark, we could have made a hell of a competitive case for that and we can also, by taking care of Walbridge in particular, I will tell you the most important rail, uh, that we can possibly win the state is both fix the existing problems. We have the long version as well as dealing with the widen for the, for the basics that you have one freight by lion if we take care of that with meals up for your research here considerably. Because when we were looking at $616 million price static, Sabrina would be area 11 miles out to a market.
Roem: I don’t believe that we’re the County supervisors. That point for instead is opting to expand a blog one station at the same time. I’ll just tell you from doing the door to door, door to door to door, anyone in Gainesville, why constituents want to hear the data that came back to the County. This is not complied with the reality that I have from talking to [inaudible] or asking me, when are we going to get this? We have to get this. And that means fully plunging your PTT and the same time to be here to body never voted our roof.
Helmer: So [inaudible] UTA mass transit, uh, is, uh, I agree that we need to identify, uh, creative revenue sources. We need to look at the cost side of the equation as long to make sure that you’re investing in transportation architecture that allows us to spend more time with our families and employees. We’re closer to the political, closer to where they were and encouraged folks to basically make sure that our infrastructure has anything on it. We talk a lot about the concerns of the chamber. I’m, I, I’m very concerned about the growth of the small businesses and innovation and the workforce here in Virginia and Virginia. And so I want to look at budgetary options to increase the availability of capital and funding for small ways, innovative technology solutions for issues of major importance from IOT to AI to um, clean energy. And we need to become the clean energy and technology, just the region of the country by creating access to capital. What makes sense for small businesses to grow here. And so that’s where I’d like,
Torian: so we just completed preparations [inaudible] two days.
Torian: One of the things, one of the forecasts and the loads being all of you who were in business problem seekers right now when moving along, pretty decent pace, but potentially the growth as well as stall down maybe next year, maybe a couple of years from now, two or three years from now. But at the level where we are now forecast is, is that our economy is about to slow down. So what do we do from an a corporation stand for, we put money in the reserve so that when the economy shifts we are not adversely impacted. That was rainy day fund. And then we created a new reserve fund where we’re seeking to increase that budget to about $3 billion so that when the economy changes, Virginia is not adversely impacted. You know, until you said in those seats where you see these things, we can talk about spending, spending, spending funding [inaudible] but my top and our job is to help protect your quality of life. That’s what we’re there for. That’s what I’m there for. And so when you see these trends, that is our job as leaders to be prepared for those threads when they come out away.
Speaker 3: Awesome. I appreciate it. I’m [inaudible] supervisor [inaudible] district and I think that, um, just briefly, this is such a wonderful opportunity for us as uh, our chairman. I only went to chairman for the appropriations committee has said and that we are transitioning it to change and no one likes to change, but I look at the supervisor’s position as a rigid filter if you will, and supporting the business community, supporting the constituents, but being a raise bill through to the nugget, the dominance for the general assembly. And so my question with all of that said, because this is such a great opportunity, is what can we do as a new mind coming into our roles because it is overwhelming but it’s an opportunity and it’s based upon building the trust and the respect within the community. What can we do to support a better Virginia being in the seat coming into the seat first I just want to mention the year so excited
Roem: to work with our new kind of supervisors
Speaker 6: [inaudible]
Roem: as the acrimonious relationship that we’ve seen before. We’re not happy antagonistic relationship at least before I have complete confidence in dealers and they’re going to up in front of the generalist [inaudible] paper with the confidence that we’re going to have adults sitting in the tables and actually talking in good faith with each other to make sure that we are taking care of Prince William County and that are not jeopardizing Prince William status within the general assembly by insulting members of the majority party. While we’re doing [inaudible], we’re going to have to be functional working relationship and to supervise the Bailey. Even if you are on the Eastern and among the Western head, you are welcomed in the opposite of the 13th dessert anytime. Have you ever talked to mr office as well? Because as far as I’m concerned, taking care of Dumfries, taking care of robbing order, that is a principle accounting issue, whether or not it’s on the Western or the East.
Roem: We have four together and we have to work together in good faith so that our constituents trust us to get the job done and that because Prince William now has the incredible clout with LV orient beach or the appropriations committee, we’re not going to be treated as a laughingstock of Virginians. It’s not gonna matter. We’ve seen it on the house floor. We have seen Prince William County called out with council for bad behavior that nothing happened. Now we’re going to be in a really good place where we’re being inclusive of our minority majority community. We’re going to love you because of who you are, not despited. And that goes for no matter what you look like, where do you come from, how you worship you do or that you weren’t Prince William County or you were in Virginia? Well, the budget here
Helmer: I am very excited or where does all the members of the board of supervisors and I echo more than I’ve ever said, although I’m looking forward and to the moment
Speaker 6: [inaudible]
Helmer: to, to uh, to the broader point. I think, look, I think we have in a unexplained County we have real opportunities to invest smartly create a regulatory legal framework that incorporates Prince William not as a stepchild. I hope that this associated port of Virginia that as a full member of the family, uh, that is welcomed into the economic growth and benefits of our adjacent counties. And I think in some cases we have missed out on those opportunities. Uh, sitting down with supervisor Catlin next week. I don’t think these are partisan issues. I think they are issues in which we all need to work together to even where we need your help. Which was would you ask is to articulate the vision of what that looks like for all of our constituents here to support the needs of a broad and diverse, uh, group of people. Our business community, our, uh, our working families hopes of every single race and religion and the incredible diversity that makes this County a great one. And so where I look forward to working with all of you is to, uh, hearing what you’re hearing, understanding what the needs of our community are, and to begin that process of truly integrating principal even County into an engine, uh, that joins the rest of the, the pistons that are pumping in Northern Virginia and really grows alongside of it in a way that works for every single day.
Guzman: Well, if I did, I could start for a [inaudible] service or kind of supervisor marquee knowing my constituent. Thank you for your time.
Speaker 6: [inaudible]
Guzman: I was asked to acknowledge that [inaudible] nice. Had that great to relationship and excited about the future as well. You know, I definitely think having conversations for the new amount of work supervisors on Francois station [inaudible] something that is so important right now for our communities. Reading at justice reform, being able to defend our office [inaudible] and [inaudible] say [inaudible] myself, there are so many and I’ve chosen the soundings in raising income and is my hole that you started with divisiveness and Hey, the mom communities run through the body. This is the December 31st and we started running generally the first being proud of who we are, what we represent, and three, every single wonderful woman Steve Jones with dignity and respect.
Speaker 6: Thank you. My advice, you [inaudible] the board
Torian: of County supervisors have lost years of institutional knowledge and institutional knowledge matters when you’re trying to cover is so extremely important that not only do you learn the processes, but you learn, you learn how to vote and people may take that. That’s those just words. But it is truly the process to learn how to govern. You learn how to lead and to receive the constructive criticism and you vote to be faced with, uh, you cannot shut out. People like mighty annoyed. You should welcome him into your life.
Speaker 6: [inaudible]
Torian: there was enough of institutional knowledge that he has that he in partly you that’s still there to help you make no mistake about it. You all have targets on your back. You were responsible for leading on camera and you must leave. Well, you must leave.