Vivian's Views > Community Concerns

COMMITMENT

Every person I've worked alongside, all the residents who've shared their concerns when I've knocked their doors, each experience of daily living over the 40 years I've lived here in Fairfax County will continue to shape my legislative agenda. I remain committed to the hard work and constant learning it takes to develop effective solutions.

Annandale and Springfield are both places of great stability where people have lived in the same home 30, 40, 50 years, and more. They also are both places undergoing significant change.

State laws need to accommodate positive cultural differences that will strengthen our communities. However, there is also great need for state, local and federal officials to work cooperatively to protect public safety and the values that have made our communities such great places to do business and raise our families.

REAL ESTATE TAX RELIEF
Most of us have experienced 5 consecutive years of double-digit increases in the assessed value of our home. I support a Homestead Exemption to provide a 20% cut in the real estate tax for owner-occupied homes. I will continue to fight for increased state funds for Fairfax Public Schools, by changing the unfair distribution formula and by using every opportunity, as I did in 2004 when my vote for the budget compromise was conditional on a permanent annual increase equal to almost 1-cent on our real estate tax rate. I believe Fairfax County should no longer be forced to keep the tax structure of a rural county which focuses almost solely on real estate taxes, but should be treated as a city. Read more details are under Taxes and Budget and under Education.

The income limit for real estate tax relief that can be given by local governments is controlled by state law and I consistently have voted to increase it. If you are over 65 or disabled and have a gross household income of less than $52,000, go to http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dta/tax_relief.htm to determine if you may qualify for full or partial relief.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
Illegal immigration is a problem that exists because federal immigration authorities are not doing their job. Our borders are porous; illegal aliens brought to ICE (formerly INS) by local authorities are routinely released back to the community unless they have a criminal record; and federal laws against employing illegal aliens are virtually un-enforced. We on the state and local level are left with a mass of problems to preserve our communities.

Under the constitution, only the federal government has the authority to deport. However, I will explore every avenue to determine if there is any way state authority can be used to expedite federal action to deport illegal immigrants. Absent increased federal action to deport, my first priority has been and will continue to be protecting public safety and health. As part of that concern, I am determined to prevent criminal activity from becoming entrenched through victimizing non-citizens and posing a greater and greater threat to the community at large.

DMV Proof of Legal Residency – As a matter of national security, I supported the bill (HB1954 in 2003) that requires that everyone applying for a drivers license, as of January 1, 2004, must have proof that he is a citizen or is legally residing in the United States. Licenses will be issued only for the length of time the person is authorized to stay in the U.S. However, to try to keep un-tested and un-insured drivers off the road, in 2005, I supported a un-successful bill that would have provided for driving certificates that could not be used for identification and opposed a bill that would have denied a license to anyone who could not complete the entire test in English.

Higher Education -- In 2003, I voted for an absolute bar on an illegal alien receiving in-state tuition. However, I also fully supported the Governor's amendment which tied the decision as to whether the parents or student had paid state and local taxes in Virginia for at least 3 years and whether the student had applied for legal residency. These provisions are used in other states and parallel Virginia's requirements, which were defined by a study I chaired in the 1980's, on whether any student must pay out-of-state tuition. The House rejected the Governor's amendment and the bill was vetoed. (HB2339)

Denial of Government Services -- I supported this bill (HB1798 - 2005); however, I did so only after determining that under federal law, it would not apply to life-threatening situations or to services that protect public health such as tuberculosis screening and treatment.

MULTI-FAMILIES IN SINGLE FAMILY HOMES
No one can or wants to outlaw the Brady Bunch. Therefore, in 2002, I drafted a bill limiting only the number of adults living in a house based on zoning categories. Because it’s not based on the family relationships, it would be much easier to enforce than Fairfax County’s current ordinance. Because it doesn't discriminate against families, it meets the requirements of federal Fair Housing laws. Because it’s based on public health and safety issues related to the sewer and water capacity when a subdivision was originally zoned, it is constitutional. The bill did not exclude adult visitors with a legal residence elsewhere and adult children or parents of the homeowners. HB769 was carried over for study; however, in the 2003 Session it faced the strong opposition from realtors and never got out of committee.


NEIGHBORHOOD PARKING
At a civic meeting, one man asked, “Why don’t we just prohibit vehicles with commercial license tags? It’d be easy to enforce.” I discovered it also would allow Fairfax to control street parking of vehicles weighing over 7,500 pounds, rather than only over 12,000 pounds under current state law. However, the Transportation Committee summarily dismissed my bill (HB765 - 2002), declaring Fairfax County already had the authority to ban parking large vehicles from any residential street if they might interfere with emergency vehicles. The challenge is to get VDOT to agree with Fairfax Board decisions. In 2003, my bill (HB2248) went after repeat violations also didn't get out of committee, despite strong bi-partisan support.

BLIGHTED PROPERTIES
It was a long time in coming for Ravensworth, but action was finally taken in 1999 to fix up the abandoned house, they had lived with for over a decade, and put it back on the market. It was the first time the County took action under the enabling legislation I got passed in 1996 (HB1062). Fairfax County has since used the procedure in many instances where a house has been condemned for human habitation for more than one year. My legislation allows the county to repair the property and recover the costs when the property is sold.

CONTRACTORS
Based on voter complaints (and my husband’s experience as our Homeowners’ Association president!), I got legislation passed in 2004 to make it clear that a contractor who does not have the proper Class A, B, or C license for the job can be fined up to $500 a day.

Working with Supervisor Kauffman on serious problems in a new development, we discovered Virginia’s Building Code does not have standards for air conditioning. Such standards will be established by March 2005.

IDENTITY THEFT
The entire social security number will no longer appear on driver’s licenses, student IDs, or voter cards. DMV must replace all licenses and ID cards by July 2006, but replacement of voter registration cards will not be complete until 2011.