State Sen. George Barker Eyes Legislation

With the 2011 General Assembly underway in Richmond, Patch would like to keep our readers informed about their representatives--who they are and what they're up to. This is the first in an occasional series on profiles of our representatives:

George Barker is the state senator for Virginia’s 39th Senatorial District, which
he has represented since 2007. This huge area includes Springfield, West Springfield, Franconia, Rose Hill, Newington and Lorton to the north and east. Following Ox Road and skirting around Burke Centre, the boundaries extend almost to Centreville. In Prince William County, it includes Occoquan, and Lake Ridge, stretching in the west to Dumfries Road (Route 234), Liberia Avenue and Yorkshire.

In the middle of Senatorial District 39 lie Fairfax Station and Clifton.

Barker resides in Clifton with his wife. Educated at Harvard University, he earned
both a B.A. and an M.A. in Economics, Health Policy and Management. For more than 30 years, he has made his career with the Health Systems Agency of Northern Virginia, which is our regional health planning organization. He currently consults part-time.

As a private citizen, George Barker served as the PTA president of Robinson Secondary from 1992-1994. For the past 10 years, he has chaired Fairfax County’s Transportation Advisory Commission. He was vice-chair of the Tyson’s Task Force. To residents of Fairfax Station and Clifton, his most important civic contribution may be his service on the Board of the Occoquan Watershed Coalition.

The 2011 Virginia General Assembly convened in Richmond on Jan. 12. Barker has weighed in on several issues that he will back:

• Funding for education and health care will continue to be on his agenda.
• He will endorse two bills for job development and expansion.
• Since the voters of District 39 are “overwhelmingly opposed to any plan that reduces revenue for the Commonwealth of Virginia,” he will closely scrutinize the governor’s plan to privatize the sale of liquor, according to Sen. Barker’s January newsletter.

Although Barker will focus on many different issues this session, he
intends to concentrate on four concerns:

Two Constitutional amendments were passed by the General Assembly in 2010 and approved by voters in November: increasing the Rainy Day Fund from 10 percent to 15 percent of the yearly tax revenue and granting counties and cities flexibility to give property tax relief to disabled and elderly citizens. Barker will help make sure that these amendments are put into practice.

Protective orders should be extended to people who are dating. At present, only people who are married, have been married, have a child, or have been in a long-term relationship can get them. Legal protection should be extended because women on college campuses are at risk of being raped or abused. Dating couples should receive legal protection.

Although jobs are increasing in our area, Barker wants to encourage businesses
to move into the 39th District by increasing grants and loans from the Governor's Development Opportunity Fund.

Extending educational benefits to retired and active-duty members of the Armed
Forces is another issue. Veterans who become permanent residents of the
Commonwealth should pay in-state tuition for college courses immediately, rather
than waiting for a year. In addition, National Guard troops, called to serve in
Virginia, should receive in-state tuition rates, even if they are from another state.

Barker has other bills and proposals that he intends to shepherd
through the General Assembly this year. If you want to learn more about the government of the Commonwealth, its functions, and its members, he hopes you will visit Virginia’s highly useful Web site, Legislative Information System

The Senator also invites you to visit him in Richmond. His office in the General
Assembly Building is located on the third floor, in Room 316. He encourages
constituents to e-mail him at: senatorbarker@gmail.com or telephone his office at (804) 698-7539 with suggestions or comments.