Watkins M. Abbitt, Jr. - Virginia's 59th District Delegate Representative
Delegate Watkins Abbitt
Serving Virginia's 59th District
Initiatives
Delegate Abbitt Secures $1 Million For New High Bridge State Park
Giving the Leadership of the Commonwealth’s House of Delegates a greater understanding of the 59th District – its beauty and its needs
Abbitt’s HB 3135 Designating Local Forest Proceeds to Return to Local Counties Signed into Law
Delegate Abbitt is Working for Better Schools for the Southside
Expanding Access to Quality Healthcare
Delegate Abbitt understands that our region’s natural resources should be managed in a way that brings benefits back to our region. He sponsored HB 3135, a bill that designates a certain portion of revenue generated from the state forests in Appomattox, Buckingham, and Cumberland Counties to be returned to those Counties. The money will be used to enhance recreational opportunities within the state forests of these Counties. Delegate Abbitt worked to secure strong bipartisan support for the bill, and as a result, HB 3135 was recently signed into law by the Governor.
The proposed High Bridge State Park moved one step closer to becoming a reality with Delegate Abbitt securing the appropriation of $1 million for development of the new State Park. High Bridge State Park will run along a 33.5-mile stretch of the old South Side rail line as it runs through Prince Edward, Cumberland, and Nottoway counties. The rail line will be converted to a new multiuse trail suitable for hiking, bicycling, and horseback riding. The trail’s highlight will be the crossing of the 2,400 feet long High Bridge, which transported the rail line 160 feet above the Appomattox River and offers commanding views of Civil War battle sites below. An economic study conducted by Chmura Economic and Analytics estimates that the park could draw as many as 114,000 visitors annually who would spend nearly $1.5 million in the surrounding communities.
Delegate Abbitt continues to ensure that Southside Virginia schools get the state education funding required to help our children succeed. Supporting Vocational and Technical Education Attracting business and industry to our region requires the development of a highly skilled workforce. Delegate Abbitt voted for several bills that support Vocational and Technical Education, including HB 1978, a bill that requires school boards to track and report on the number of students who graduate from career and technical education programs, and HB 2039, a bill that requires technical diplomas to meet or exceed the curriculum requirements of a standard diploma.
Delegate Abbitt is working to ensure that quality healthcare is accessible for Rural and Southside Virginians. He voted to appropriate $58.2 million over the next two years to fully fund Virginia’s Medicaid Program. He voted to expand eligibility to the FAMIS program that provides prenatal care for pregnant women, and also to increase the reimbursement funding rate for rural hospitals. In addition, Abbitt secured $35,000 for the Nelson County Rural Health Outreach center for the Wellness Passport Program, a local health benefits program that encourages routine preventative exams.
Paid for and authorized by Abbitt for Delegate
Delegate Abbitt Brings Home $1.6 Million To Benefit The 59th District

During the 2007 Legislative Session, Delegate Watkins Abbitt was able to secure over $1.6 million in state funding for local projects and programs. The funding amounts were included in the House Budget Bill that was recently signed into law, and they will occur during the 2008 fiscal year.

  • Department of Conservation and Recreation:  Biosolids Application Oversight $173,000
  • Pleasant Grove House $25,000
  • Nelson County Rural Health Outreach:  Wellness Passport $35,000
  • Holiday Lake 4-H Educational Center $75,000
  • The Nelson County Museum of History $35,000
  • Department of State Police:  New State Police Area 19 Facility $275,000
  • Department of Conservation and Recreation:  High Bridge State Park $1,000,000
From left to right are Delegates Harvey Morgan ®, Glouchester, Chair of Commerce and Labor; Clarke Hogan ®, South Boston, Appropriations; Leo Wardrup ®, Virginia Beach, Chair of Transportation; Mayme BaCote (D), Newport News, Appropriations; Kirk Cox ®, Colonial Heights, Chair of Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources; Bob Tata ®, Virginia Beach, Chair of Education; Watkins Abbitt (I), Appomattox, Appropriations; Lionell Spruill, Sr. (D, Chesapeake, Appropriations; Algie Howell (D), Norfolk, Appropriations; Phil Hamilton ®, Newport News, Chair of Health, Welfare and Institutions; Beverly Sherwood ®, Winchester, Chair of Militia, Police and Public Safety; Bob Brink (D), Arlington, Appropriations; and Vince Callahan ®, McLean, Chair of Appropriations.
Watkins invited members of the Virginia House of Delegates to High Bridge Trail State Park and encouraged them to dedicate more funding for District 59 parks, conservation and environment projects.
Expanding Access to Higher Education
Delegate Abbitt voted repeatedly this session for bills that expand access to higher education, including the Community College Transfer Grant Bill - which provides grants to students with two-year degrees to continue their education at a four-year institution. He also voted for HB 2408, a bill that requires the State Council of Higher Education to submit an annual report to the General Assembly that details the enrollment numbers and graduation rate of community college students who transfer to four year institutions.
Increase Since
Fiscal Year 04
39%
31%
26%
45%
48%
38%
37%
State Funding
Fiscal Year 08
$46,352,730
$13,816,410
$14,206,874
$9,407,718
$19,832,193
$10,192,516
$17,355,053
County School

Albemarle
Appomattox
Buckingham
Cumberland
Fluvanna
Nelson
Prince Edward
Electric Re-Regulation Bill Addresses Future Demand And Prevents Skyrocketing Rates
One of the notable bills of 2007 Session was HB 3068, a bill that re-regulates Virginia’s electrical utilities while preventing dramatic rate increases like those experienced recently in Maryland. Reflecting the importance of the bill, HB 3068 received strong bi-partisan support and was recently signed into law by the Governor. Speaking on the passage of HB 3068, Delegate Abbitt noted, “This bill ensures a bright future for Virginia electrical consumers. Utilities will have the resources needed to supply electricity for our state’s future demands - preventing dramatic rate hikes that have affected other states.” Virginia’s legislature voted to deregulate the electrical industry in the mid-1990’s. The hope was that competition in a free market would drive down rates for consumers, but this has simply not occurred, and instead we have electricity rates that continue to rise. At the same time, Virginia has experienced continued growth that is increasing the demand for electricity. It is estimated that during the next decade, Virginia will need 4,000 megawatts of new generating capacity to meet future demand - requiring the construction of new and bigger power generation plants. The difficulty in constructing new plants is in raising the tremendous amount of money required for construction. HB 3068 addresses these issues by returning electrical utilities to a regulated environment. Utilities will be allowed to raise the large sums of capital needed to construct the power plants that will meet future demand. This will prevent demand from outpacing production and forcing utilities to purchase electricity in the volatile wholesale power market - passing along the costs to consumers.
Abbitt’s Votes Support Tax Relief, Property Rights, Veterans

Delegate Abbitt’s voting record for the 2007 Legislative Session reflects a commitment to the issues important to Rural Virginia. Here is a selection of just a few of the bills Abbitt supported:

HB 3022 - Provides tax relief to low-income Virginians by gradually raising the state income tax filing threshold.

HB 2954 - Safeguards the rights of property owners against governments who would use eminent domain powers to generate tax revenue.

HB 2179 - Clarifies the War Orphans Act that provides free tuition at Virginia’s colleges and universities to survivors and dependents of fallen service members.

HB 1822 - Offers in-state tuition at Virginia’s colleges and universities to active duty service members who are residing in Virginia as a result of their duties.

HB 2032 - Expands the long-term care services that the Virginia Dept. of Aging provides to seniors - including transportation,
educational, and housing services.

HB 2035 - Adds the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine to the required vaccine list. The HPV vaccine, produced here in Virginia, reduces the probability of cervical cancer.

HB 3068 - Re-regulates Virginia’s electric utilities - anticipating the need for new power plants to meet future demand, while
preventing potential rate increases for consumers.

HB 2749 - Prevents online offenses by requiring convicted sex offenders to include email addresses and screen names when
registering on the sex offender listing.
The 2009 General Assembly Session proved to be a productive session, with Delegate Abbitt once again voting to protect the rights of senior citizens, property owners, and small businesses. Click here for a summary of the session.
*Update on State Funding from the State to Localities Coming Soon*
Previous Years Highlights