Decision Virginia

Cantor pushes plan to allow for overtime flexibility

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Henrico) continued his series of policy roll outs designed to get government out of the way of people's lives. His "making life work" proposals deal with lifestyle issues outside of the typical battles on Capitol Hill over taxes, budget and social issues.

(Cantor invited small business leaders from Richmond to a round table discussion in Northern Virginia)

Cantor is proposing the Federal Government lift the restriction on private employers to allow their hourly employees to pick between comp time or overtime pay to compensate for working above and beyond the traditional work week. That flexibility is currently available to public sector employees.

In an interview from Capitol Hill, Cantor told me that many families have both parents working outside of the home and being able to choose to take extra time, as opposed to money would be make their lives easier.

"You're actually available to take your work time and your comp time so you can save it up and maybe go to a pediatricians appointment with your child, go to a parent teacher conference or help and elderly relative that may need you when they are sick," Cantor said.

The proposal does have its detractors. Liberal groups believe the concept is designed to put power in the hands of employers to pressure their workers into turning down overtime and then force them to take comp time only when it benefits the company.

"Not only would this bill make it more difficult for working families to get the predictable, flexible schedules they need," said Debra Ness of the National Partnership for Women and Families in a statement.  "But it would also mean less money and fewer wage and hour protections for workers who need them most."

Many of those groups accuse Cantor of oppossing their proposals designed to help working families, like a boost to the minimum wage and the Family Medical Leave Act.

Cantor told me that the decision will be a mutual one between the employer and employee, but the ultimate decision will be up to the worker and they can choose one or the other whenever they would like.

"The employee would always have the choice to have the time and half overtime or the time and half comp time," Cantor said.

The bill easily passed the House this afternoon and is now headed to the Senate. Cantor said he has had some positive conversations about getting the bill through the Senate. It could have a tougher sled in the White House, where the administration has expressed reservations about the concept.

We caught Rep. Cantor for a brief chat on Capitol Hill Wednesday night. The full interview can be seen below:

 

Cantor's office invited several business leaders from the 7th district to a round table discussion on the pros and cons of the plan. His office provided a video reaction to the proceedings.

Here is what Nicole Lambert the owner of Rainbow Station, an early childhood education center in Glenn Allen, had to say.  Rep. Cantor mentions Ms. Lambert's contribution to the round table discussion in our interview.

Again, this video was captured and provided to us by the Congressman's staff:

 

Cantor steps out on immigration

Immigration reform could be one of the biggest topics in the current congressional session. This morning on FOX News Channel House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Henrico) offered a glimpse into an area that the GOP controlled House may be willing to deal.

We talked about the role our local congressman will play on NBC12 First at 4 in an interview with POLITICO Capitol Hill Correspondent Jake Sherman.

The interview can be seen below:

 

 

Sherman wrote about Cantor's role in the discussion Thursday in POLITICO.

McDonnell huddles with Congressional delegation

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell (R) met privately with members of Virginia's Congressional Delegation this afternoon, on the same day that President Barack Obama came to Capitol Hill to meet with House GOP leaders.

McDonnell met with the group for a little bit more than an hour and touched on a number of issues of concern to Virginia. Every member of the delegation was in attendance except for Rep. Scott Rigell (R- Virginia Beach) who was stuck in a budget mark up session.

Among them, the need for Congress to pass an internet sales tax bill, which will require companies that sell goods on the internet to customers in different states to charge sales tax. McDonnell is counting on the revenue as a key leg of his transportation infrastructure funding plan. 

The governor also touched on a issue of key importance right now, the future of Medicaid. McDonnell encouraged lawmakers to pass broad federal reform. McDonnell is resistant to the idea of expanding Medicaid at the state level. This despite a plan in the updated budget to form a legislative commission in Virginia to explore the issue. It is of particular need because once the Affordable Care Act goes into effect there could be a whole group of people who don't qualify for benefits and at the same time won't be covered by private insurance.

McDonnell also touched on the sequester, offshore energy development and federal education policy.

He also pushed for passage of the new GOP legislation being championed by Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Henrico) called the Skills ACT which aims to streamline existing Federal workforce development programs.

 

 

VA Congressional delegation makes plea for sequestration solution

It is getting to the point where they are on the border of begging.

Nine of the thirteen members of Virginia's Congressional Delegation wrote to President Barack Obama, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid asking for a speedy, bi-partisan solution to the budget sequester showdown.

"The Commonwealth of Virginia, with its long history of contribution to our national defense and to the federal government, will bear a disproportionate amount of the pain imposed by these arbitrary cuts should they come to pass,” the letter reads. 

Only four members of the Virgina Congressional delegation did not participate. Rep. Eric Cantor (R), the House Majority Leader, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R), Rep. Morgan Griffith (R) and  Rep. Robert Hurt (R).  

It is not uncommon for Cantor to not sign on to congressional delegation letters, because of his role as Majority Leader.  His spokesperson Megan Whittemore said today that he is very much committed to seeing an end to the sequester. A problem they continue to blame the White House for.

“Congressman Cantor sponsored and the House twice passed legislation to replace the President’s sequester cuts with responsible reforms. The President hasn’t budged, and his only solution appears to be more taxes," Whittemore said in a statement. "That won’t help Virginia families. We want to work together to find a common-sense solution to replace the President’s harmful sequester cuts. Rather than opposing our efforts, President Obama and Senate Democrats should join us.”

Those that did participate represent a broad bi-partisan swath of the Commonwealth. Many of them, like Rep. Rob Wittman (R), Rep. Randy Forbes (R) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D) represent areas heavily dependent on the defense industry.

Both of Virginia's Senators, Tim Kaine (D) and Mark Warner (D) signed on to the letter as well. 

The letter is short, only three paragraphs and doesn't offer an specific ideas as to how to break through the sequester stalemate. It essentially is a call to action to the three people with the most sway to begin the negotiations.

You can read the entire letter below.

------------------------------------------------------

Full text of the letter follows:

February 15, 2013

The Honorable Barack Obama

President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20500

 

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker

United States House of Representatives

Washington, D.C. 20515

 

The Honorable Harry Reid

Majority Leader

United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

 

Dear Mr. President, Mr. Speaker and Mr. Leader:

             As a bipartisan delegation of Virginia lawmakers representing wide-ranging interests and viewpoints, we write to show unified support for immediate action to avert the devastating impacts of sequestration.  The Commonwealth of Virginia, with its long history of contribution to our national defense and to the federal government, will bear a disproportionate amount of the pain imposed by these arbitrary cuts should they come to pass.

            These reductions, while harmful to the entire U.S. economy, will be particularly devastating to Virginia. According to a study published by George Mason University, nearly ten percent of the 2.1 million jobs that would be lost as a result of sequestration will come from Virginia.  Of these 207,571 Virginia jobs, 136,191 will be lost as a result of cuts to defense, 71,380 job losses will result from reductions in non-defense spending.  Further, sequestration would result in a loss of $20.8 billion in gross state product. The consequences of a failure to avert sequestration will ripple through all parts of our state economy and could lead to a hollow military force and a government unable to adequately respond to the needs of its citizens.

            We stand ready to work hand-in-hand to negotiate an agreement to avert these cuts that threaten grave consequences for the Commonwealth, our federal government, and our national security.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

Sen. Mark Warner

Sen. Tim Kaine

Rep. Frank Wolf

Rep. James P. Moran

Rep. Robert C. "Bobby" Scott

Rep. J. Randy Forbes

Rep. Robert J. Wittman

Rep. Gerald E. Connolly

Rep. Scott Rigell

# # #

Virginia Congressional Delegation hoping for sequestration solution

I am up in Washington, D.C. tonight for President Barack Obama's State of the Union address. Prior to the speech I caught up with some the Virginia's congressional delegation. Both Republicans and Democrats want a path to an end to the sequestration budget stalemate.

Here is my report for NBC12:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWBT)- Virginians from ever corner of the Commonwealth will be keeping a close eye on one particular issue in tonight's State of the Union address.

Sequestration, set to take effect on March 1st could mean huge cuts to defense and government jobs throughout Virginia. In fact, there may be no state in the union with a more at stake than Virginia when it comes to the sequester, and the entire congressional delegation knows it

"Virginia families are going to be disproportionately hurt," said Sen. Mark Warner (D) this afternoon. "Sequestration basically says we are going to chop every part of government whether it is working or not and as a former business guy that is not the smart way to do budgeting."

Warner understands that the idea of lopping off funding to almost all of government without any plan won't work. He isn't alone, this weekend Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Henrico) gave similar sentiments on NBC's Meet The Press.

"These indiscriminate reductions do not make sense and we are going to hurt a lot of people and it is up to the President to act now," said Cantor.

And even though Cantor is a republican. Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine, who played no part in the sequestration being implemented agrees with the Henrico Republican. Tonight the president needs to lead the charge to solve the problem.

"I want the president to talk to tough to all of us," Kaine said.  "Republican, Democrat House, Senate about finding the alternative to sequester."

 

 

NBC's live coverage of the State of the Union starts at 9pm. You can also join our livechat and watch the speech streaming on NBC12.com.

I'll have another live report tonight at 11 on NBC12.

Cantor lays out vision for GOP in major policy speech

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Henrico), the House Majority Leader, gave a major speech today in Washington, D.C. outlining his vision for the future of the Republican Party and hinting at his priorities for the upcoming two years.

Cantor discussed immigration reform, taxes and the budget process in his speech at the American Enterprise Institute.

You can see Cantor's entire speech below:

 

(You can read the entire speech after the jump)

We caught up with POLITICO's Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Allen who gave us some perspective on what Cantor was hoping to accomplish with the speech.

Our interview from NBC12 First at Four can be seen below:

 

You can read Allen and Jake Sherman's take on Cantor's efforts to rebrand the GOP here.

Politico's story on the Cantor speech written by Kevin Cirilli can be seen here.

The text from Cantor's speech can be found after the jump:

Cantor is ready to work together

It is probably not something Americans will not believe until they actually see it happen. Monday on Inauguration Day, a day when everyone comes together, both President Barack Obama and his chief rival Rep. Eric Cantor (R- Henrico) say they time to find common ground is now.

(We talked to Rep. Cantor before the Inauguration in the Cannon House Office Building)

There is plenty at stake and big battles on gun control, the debt celing and the budget loom. Can they put the elections behind them? It won't be long until we find out.

Here is my story for NBC12:

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWBT)- On Monday we heard the president talk about the importance of working together, but a speech at an inauguration is one thing.

Can it actually turn into something?

We asked two people from Virginia, who will play a central role in that discussion.

President Obama made it clear; the time for partisan battles is over.

"Progress does not compel us to settle centuries-long debates about the role of government for all time," he said. "But it does require us to act in our time."

Henrico Congressman Eric Cantor, perhaps the president's biggest rival, agrees. 

"We are all one," said Cantor. "We are here united as a people around our leader Commander-in-Chief."

While Cantor said he is ready to deal, he also made it clear that there are some things that are non-negotiable.

"We all have differences as people do," Cantor said. "But the focus on today is setting those things aside and trying to find ways we can work together."   

Virginia's newest senator Tim Kaine said disagreements are a part of politics. It's how you handle those disagreements that matter.

"These are the basic rules that anybody in a PTA, on a Parish Council, anybody in a family knows," said Kaine. "We listen to each other. There has got to be some compromise, some give and take."

Kaine believes that if you can remain civil during the most heated confrontations, it is much easier to find common ground where it exists.

"If you just stay friends and communicate, you are going to find other areas where you can make headway," he said.

After two years of perpetually campaigning, the president spent Monday morning promising a new day. Not many of the players have changed, and he argues, time is running out.

"For now decisions are upon us and we cannot afford delay," he said.

read and see the full story on NBC12.com.

An extended clip from our interview with Rep. Cantor can be found below:

 

Cantor defends his record and promotes Romney

Rep. Eric Cantor is right smack dab in the middle of 2012 election on many levels. Not only is he a high profile supporter of Mitt Romney, but he is also working to help grow the GOP majority in the House of Representative across the country.  That is all of course in addition to his efforts to defend his own seat in Congress. A battle that means fighting off a fierce challenge from democrat Wayne Powell.

(We taped our interview with Rep. Cantor in the NBC12 studios)

Cantor has not sat back and allowed Powell to attack unanswered. He has offered his share of attacks aimed at Powell and he has forcefully defended his own record in Washington.

We talked to the Congressman about all of these issues in a recent interview, an excerpt of which aired Wednesday on NBC12 First at 4.

You can see our uncut conversation below:

  

 

Our interview with his challenger, Wayne Powell can be found here.

Powell attempts to make the most of debate with Cantor

It was a tough task for Wayne Powell, the democrat challenging House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in Virginia's 7th Congressional district. Powell was given the opportunity to give his campaign a big boost, by getting the first debate with Cantor in a decade.

Cantor is expected to cruise to re-election for the 7th time, he represents a district that is aligned with him politically, he has immense name recognition and a significant cash advantage.  But Powell has mounted a spirited campaign and has gained passionate support from people unhappy with the role Cantor has played in a volatile Washington environment.

(Cantor and Powell debated at the CarMax Headquarters in Goochland)

On Monday night, Powell was hoping to find an attack line that would resonate with an electorate inclined to send Cantor back to Washington. Even though the republican had everything to lose, it was still a lot to ask for the short amount of time Powell was given.

You can watch the debate in its entirety on the CSPAN web site.

Here is my recap of the debate for NBC12:

Henrico Congressman Eric Cantor is one of the most powerful politicians in America, but in order to keep his job he still needs to win an election in November. Monday night he met face to face in a debate with the man hoping to keep him from going back to Washington.

That man is Wayne Powell. This is his first time running for political office and he had a tall task. List of all the reasons someone shouldn't support Cantor, and do it all within the confines of a one hour debate.

Powell had a lot of work to do and not very much time to do it in. In front of national television cameras (the debate was broadcast live on CSPAN2) he had to make the case that Cantor's time in congress should be over.

"You are the leader in the Congress,” Powell said to Cantor. “You've got to do these things and you’re not."

Powell looked for every opening to attack the six term Henrico congressman. From campaign donations to Washington gridlock and what he called Cantor’s inequitable support for big companies. 

"He never talks about working people,” he said. “He only talks about businesses."

Despite Powell getting animated and even fiery at times, Cantor remained cool. He rarely stopped smiling and never strayed far from his key talking points.

"It's paid for by working people,” Cantor said during a long explanation on taxes.  “That's why these taxes are no good and Obamacare has to go."

And while Powell, continued to drive home his points, Cantor deflected, rarely addressing them in specifics, instead calling it dirty politics.

"And the thing is none of these negative attacks do anything to create a job," Cantor said.

Powell hung tough, and argued that he was just giving the voters of the 7th district a true sense of who their Congressman really is.

"I'm not attacking you I'm describing you,” he said. “And it is a difficult process."

read and see the rest of the story on NBC12.com

 

NBC12.com - Richmond, VA News, Weather, Traffic  

Cantor set to face Powell in nationally televised debate

If you decide to spend only one night paying any attention to the race for congress in Virginia's 7th district, make that night tonight.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, one of the most powerful politicians in American, will meet face to face with his opponent Wayne Powell in a debate to be broadcast from coast to coast on CSPAN-2.  Cantor is widely expected to win another term in congress with ease, but if Powell hopes to dust up the republican, tonight would be the night.

Powell's campaign is being assisted by the charismatic democratic political operative Dave "Mudcat" Saunders. Saunders helped Jim Webb upset George Allen in 2006 and helped North Carolina Sen. John Edwards during his bid for president.

Saunders has taken the Powell campaign national and regularly appears on liberal talk shows denouncing Cantor, while at the same time helping Powell raise cash. While Powell is not very well known, Cantor is and democrats all over the country have sent in donations to help the campaign to put the republican out of office.

Despite Powell's success in that department, his fund raising war chest is dwarfed by his highly connected opponent. If the democrat hopes to have any chance of seriously challenging Cantor, tonight's debate may offer the opportunity to give his campaign some legitimacy. If he can perform well, that could lead to more money giving him the chance put up more television ads like this one, the campaign just released:

 

The Cantor campaign is prepared to absorb any attack from Powell. Cantor's team knows the only way for Powell to make quick gains is to attack and do so hard. They are anticipating a negative onslaught from his campaign in the closing weeks of the race. 

“Wayne Powell is demonstrating to us what is wrong with politics in Washington today," said Cantor aide Ray Allen in a prepared statement.  " No ideas, no vision and no solutions, just partisan, negative attacks.  That is no way to offer your service to the voters and Mr. Powell should be ashamed.”

We will see if that onslaught begins tonight on national TV.

Here are the details of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Cantor/Powell debate:

7th District Congressional Debate
October 1, 2012 at 7:00PM
CarMax Headquarters

*Attendance at the debate required pre-registration and that has already closed.

The debate will be broadcast live on C-SPAN2 on cable and streamed at http://www.c-span.org/Live-Video/C-SPAN2/.

I'll be at the debate tonight. We will have a complete wrap coming up tonight on NBC12 News at 11.