RICHMOND--

In the House of Delegates, where all 100 seats were up for election last November, members were sworn in, including 20 new members.

House Republicans picked up enough seats in the November elections to increase the proportion of Republicans to Democrats on each committee.

The House also re-elected Speaker Bill Howell, R-Stafford County, as House Speaker.

Howell, who was first elected speaker in 2003, said delegates of both parties must work together to help Virginia emerge from the economic recession.

"To be successful we must work with all members," Howell said, jokingly adding, "perhaps even senators.

"We need to do that to meet head on the challenges facing Virginians," he said.

Howell noted that the legislature must write a balanced budget--it cannot run deficits the way the federal government can. He took the opportunity of his speech to decry tax increases and to endorse some economic development proposals from the governor-elect, Bob McDonnell.

"As Virginia confronts stark budget realities and forecasts of lackluster economic growth for years to come, we absolutely must focus like a laser on job creation and economic growth," Howell said. Doingso, he said, requires "holding down taxes and reducing costly regulations."

Howell has said he opposes tax increases embedded in the budget proposed by outgoing Gov. Tim Kaine. He also expressed support for something McDonnell wants--increasing tax credits and other spending to lure businesses to Virginia.

"We can balance the budget and lay the foundations for renewed economic prosperity if we resolve to work together, think innovatively about how best government should be structured and make the hard but necessary choices to bring state government spending in line with limited taxpayer revenues," Howell said.

Howell, like McDonnell, said budget cuts are an opportunity to rethink government structure and functions.

"There are opportunities to make state government simpler, smarter, more efficient and more fiscally responsible," Howell said. "There are opportunities to promote job creation, entrepreneurial investment and small business growth that will, in turn, help spur Virginia's economic recovery."

He also mentioned of "opportunities to communicate the fact that states ought to have more parity with the federal government as the U.S. Constitution clearly intended," a theme Republican lawmakers seem prepared to push this session. Several bills have been filed that would exempt Virginians from any federal requirement to buy health insurance, and there are also bills to exempt from federal law goods and services, and guns and ammunition, that are created in Virginia and sold in-state, without crossing state lines.

About 1,700 bills and resolutions had been filed in both houses as of yesterday afternoon.

Chelyen Davis: 540/368-5028
Email: cdavis@freelancestar.com