Delegate Nick Rush of Montgomery County was appointed last week to the House of Delegates Appropriations Committee. Rush, first elected in 2011, became the only true member of the Southwest Delegation to become a member of the House Appropriations Committee (most would consider Charlie Poindexter to represent Southside).
In a statement provided to Bearing Drift, Delegate Rush had this to say:
“Being appointed to the Committee on Appropriations is a huge honor that I do not take lightly. This committee is responsible for developing a constitutionally mandated balanced budget, which funds our state government, its agencies, and programs. This means conservative budgeting and planning. I fully intend to work with other members on this committee to develop a budget that is financially responsible, has Southwest Virginia in mind, and maintains the Commonwealth’s Triple AAA bond rating, which it has kept over 75 years.”
The House Appropriations Committee is the committee that gets to appropriate (spend) the Commonwealth’s tax revenues on necessary funding for the Virginia’s government.
This appointment is very important for not only Delegate Rush, but more importantly for Southwest Virginia. The economic impact of everything from the War on Coal to the lack of economic growth is having an significant negative impact on the economy of Southwest Virginia. Rush could bring new state spending to the Southwest Virginia region, providing the economic environment that could cause not only the New River Valley, but Southwest Virginia as a whole to compete in this tough economic time.
At the same time, this appointment comes in what could be a very important year for the Virginia General Assembly. This is the biennial budget year, and the last budget of Governor Terry McAuliffe’s administration. With Governor McAuliffe pushing an $100 billion dollar budget that includes Medicaid expansion, it will be up to Delegate Rush and his Republican colleagues to stop the unnecessary increases requested by the Governor.
This will not be an easy first term on House Appropriations for Delegate Rush, but as a former Board of Supervisors member and three-term Delegate, he is definitely qualified.
