VCC Magazine Fall 2017

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Virginia C apitol C onnections, Fall 2017
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VOLSAP Board Seeks
Volunteers’ Feedback
By Patricia S. Bishop, Chair of the VOLSAP Board
If you are a volunteer firefighter or
rescue squad worker in the Commonwealth
of Virginia, you may be eligible to
participate in a program that provides an
optional savings opportunity as a reward
for your volunteer service. The program,
more commonly known as VOLSAP, is
the Volunteer Firefighters’ and Rescue
Squad Workers’ Service Award Program.
The VOLSAP Board is currently seeking
your feedback on potential changes to the
program and requests that participants, as
well as participating volunteer departments and sponsoring localities,
take a moment to fill out a brief survey at .
How the Program Works
Established in 1999 to recognize the invaluable efforts of
Virginia’s volunteer first responders, VOLSAP allows participating
volunteers to save money in a dedicated account. The account
is funded by you at $30 per quarter, an amount that is set by the
VOLSAP Board. In addition, your department and locality may
provide a matching contribution. Over the course of your volunteer
career, the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) invests these after-tax
contributions alongside the VRS Trust Fund, a diversified portfolio.
Upon satisfying the applicable age and service provisions, you may
receive a distribution of your account. Distributions are made only
once per year, and distribution requests are due by June 10 each year.
Give Your Feedback
The VOLSAP Board is considering an adjustment to the quarterly
$30 participant contribution, which has not changed since the program’s
inception. In an effort to allow participants to save more over the
course of their volunteer careers, the VOLSAP Board requests your
feedback on a proposal to transition to a tiered contribution approach.
For example, instead of a set amount of $30 per quarter for everyone,
a participant could have the option to choose from different quarterly
contribution levels (e.g., $30, $60 or $90). Any change, if adopted,
would not take effect until July 1, 2018, at the earliest.
In addition to feedback fromparticipants, theVOLSAP Board also
requests responses from representatives of volunteer departments and
sponsoring localities with regard to any potential impact related to
the proposed change to the contributions made through the program.
VOLSAP website at .
Learn More
TheVOLSAP website is also a great place to learn more about the
program. Informational material and program forms can be printed
directly from the website, and you will also find contact information
for the VOLSAP third-party administrator (BPS&M, a Wells Fargo
company). If you have questions about the program or your account,
please contact BPS&M at 1-844-749-1819 and leave a voicemail.
Your call will be returned within two business days. You can also
email your questions to .
Thank you for your service to your community. The VOLSAP
Board looks forward to receiving your feedback on the proposed
changes.
Trish Bishop serves as the Director of the Virginia Retirement
System (VRS), a $74.4 billion public employee retirement system
Pipeline Politics
By William Wadsworth and Stephen J. Farnsworth
Virginians favor construction of two
large natural gas pipelines in the state,
but hostility to the pipelines by many
Democrats creates a potential problem for
Ralph Northam’s gubernatorial campaign.
While 51 percent of Virginians
support construction of the Atlantic Coast
and Mountain Valley pipelines, only 33
percent of self-identified Democrats back
the projects, according to a September
University of Mary Washington Virginia
survey of 1,000 adults.
Tom Perriello emphasized his opposition to the pipelines during
his unsuccessful run for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination
campaign. In contrast, Northam has been noncommittal, saying
that the projects should meet environmental standards and that the
decision whether or not to proceed is in the hands of federal, not
state, officials.
In what polls show is a close race for governor, Northam cannot
afford to have any Democratic voters noncommittal towards him.
This is especially true when it comes to young adults and college
students, who often form the core of any campaign’s get out the vote
efforts and can make the difference in what now looks like a close
election. Any reduced enthusiasm among younger voters, who the
survey found were far more likely to oppose the pipelines than were
older voters, makes maximizing Democratic turnout that much more
difficult for Northam’s campaign.
Of course, Northam won the nomination despite Perriello’s
efforts to emphasize their differences on the pipeline projects.
Environmental donors have contributed to the Northam campaign,
even though many environmental groups oppose the project, as do
many property owners whose land the pipelines will cross.
Top environmental donor Tom Steyer has publicly pledged
$2 million from his NextGen America PAC to get the Democratic
statewide ticket elected. Much of that money will be spent getting
millennials on college campuses to vote. Whether these efforts prove
successful remains to be seen, but Steyer’s commitment provides
Northam with opportunities to connect with younger voters who
might have preferred Perriello in the past and a stronger anti-pipeline
stance from Northam in the present.
The enthusiasm among some environmental donors may
encourage sympathetic voters to imagine that Northam will become
more anti-pipeline after the election. In addition, the limited focus on
the pipeline projects so far during the fall campaign may convince
Democratic and independent voters opposed to the pipeline to support
Northam for other reasons.
Given the advantages Republicans historically have had in the
state, many Virginia Democrats favor more centrist appeals rather
than the full-throated liberalism that may form the core of many
Democratic appeals in more northern states. The party has succeeded
when Democrats draw attention to divisive social issues, when tend
to be more problematic for Republican statewide candidates. Four
years ago, for example, Terry McAuliffe defeated Ken Cuccinelli by
2.5 percentage points in a combative campaign that focused on the
Republican’s conservative record.
This time, Gillespie stayed away from the sorts of divisive
social issues that hobbled the GOP ticket in 2013 as well as in the
gubernatorial contests of 2005 and 2001. Gillespie does have to face
the headwinds caused by President Trump, who has the support of 37
percent of Virginians.
The impact that the pipelines will have on the 2017 Virginia
governor’s race remains to be seen, but Democrats would be wise
to remember that statewide elections in Virginia are always close,
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WADsworth