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Education | Giving All of Our Kids an Opportunitiy to Succeed | Economic Development |
Small Business | Health Care | Higher Education | Community Colleges |Protecting Virginia Consumers

Education

In 2009 Dave Nutter was chief co-sponsor of legislation to require that elementary school teachers have thirty-minutes of planning time each day.  He also sponsored budget language during the 2009 session that prevented budget cuts from being made permanent under the state funding formula for schools.

In 2004 Dave Nutter was a leader in the fight to secure the largest increase of new funding into public education in Virginia history. This on-going revenue has allowed Virginia to meet its commitments for state funding of public education.   Dave Nutter’s re-election has been endorsed by the Virginia Education Association in 2005, 2007 and 2009.[back to top]

Giving all of our kids an opportunity to succeed

In a changing world, we need people with all kinds of skills from machinists and plumbers to engineers and scientists. Every student will need some type of post-high school education or training, but not every student needs to get a college degree. That is why Dave is a strong supporter of career and technical education programs.

Dave wrote new laws to strengthen these programs, which led to the creation of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) diploma which began in the Fall of 2009. He also fought for and increased funding for CTE so our children have the right equipment to learn on. For his efforts Dave was named the 2007 Legislator of the Year by the Association of Career and Technical Educators. [back to top]

Economic Development

Working in partnership with the NRV Planning Commission, Dave brought the state leaders for economic development under Governors Warner and Kaine to the New River Valley to help showcase the region and the unique needs of the area. 

Dave Nutter continues to forge partnerships with Radford University and Virginia Tech.  Dave Nutter is working with the NRV Planning Commission and Virginia Tech to establish a nanotechnology park in Pulaski that will leverage the research assets in Blacksburg.

Dave served on a panel to review workforce readiness skills and led to the creation of Virginia’s Workforce Director. He also pushed for laws that added new funding and more rigor to our Career and Technical Education programs. His work on these issues earned him the support of manufacturers, labor unions, and high-tech industry groups.

Dave Nutter is the only member of the General Assembly who is a member of the Economic Developers Association of Virginia.[back to top]

Small Business

In 2008 Dave sponsored a study to look at the State’s E-Va System and whether it limited access to small businesses.  E-Va is an on-line electronic procurement system that channels over $5 billion annually in state purchases.  Dave's legislation led the state to drop its registration fee saving small business owners over $1 million in fees.

In 2007 and 2009 Dave has earned a 100% voting record in support of small business issues by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. [back to top]

Health Care

Dave Nutter serves on the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee and the Joint Commission on Health Care.  In 2009 he co-sponsored legislation that will help extend access to health insurance to companies with 50 employees or less.   Now law, his legislation will make it easier to bring more Virginians under a health insurance plan.  In 2008 he sponsored legislation that would extend tax credits to companies with 50 employees or less that offer insurance to their employees.

In July 2009, state insurance companies agreed to end a practice called “coordination of benefits” that often left consumers and doctors holding the bill on unpaid claims. [back to top]

Higher Education

As an administrative faculty member at Virginia Tech, Dave is one of the strongest advocates for excellent public colleges and universities in Richmond. He passed legislation directing the State Council of Higher Education to assess Virginia’s competitiveness in attracting and retaining faculty at our public colleges and universities. He is committed to making sure that Virginia has the resources to put the most talented educators in our labs, lecture halls and classrooms.

In 2009 Dave has lent his name to the Grow by Degrees initiative supported by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.  In 2008 he passed legislation bringing students attending the Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine under the Tuition Assistance Grant (TAG) grant program.

Future economic growth will require Virginia to be a national and international leader in research and innovation. That is why Dave has been a strong supporter of funding for academic research. He was proud to stand with a bi-partisan group of state and federal officials to support an historic investment in research at Virginia’s public colleges and universities. During the 2006 & 2007 sessions of the General Assembly, Dave introduced legislation to create a new entity under the auspices of the State Council of Higher Education to support a competitive grant program for academic research.   [back to top]

Community Colleges

When funding for the Christiansburg campus of New River Community College was dropped from the state budget in 2008, Dave Nutter swung into action and had the funding restored.  Today that campus is serving 1800 students. In September 2009 Dave was recognized by NRCC President Jack Lewis for his work to support the college and its programs.

Dave Nutter co-sponsored the Community College Transfer Grant Program. Under the program, students who complete the first two years of a four year program at a community college are eligible to receive as much as $2,000 credit toward their final two years of study at a four year degree-granting school. [back to top]

Protecting Virginia consumers

When electric utilities sought changes to Virginia law to charge rates based on “a guaranteed rate of return,” Dave opposed these efforts. He knew that if this change were allowed to occur, Virginia families would face higher utility bills. Dave understands that with power companies enjoying a monopoly, it is important that the state continues to regulate the rates in order protect consumers. Dave also testified against the AEP rate increase at the State Corporation Commission public hearing in Wytheville in July 2009.

Dave Nutter traveled to Richmond to testify before the State Corporation Commission in July 2007 to oppose a move by Anthem (Blue Cross) to lift restrictions that will allow them to transfer their case management and other services out of Virginia. This will make it harder on consumers and doctors to question care decisions and seek redress on claims.

In 2002 Dave was one of 26 members of the House to oppose allowing payday lenders to come into Virginia. He has consistently led efforts to tighten restriction on these predatory practices resulting in the historic 2008 legislation capping interest rates and limited the number of loans. [back to top]