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The family of an American hero needs our help.

I’m sure you have heard the story of Sergeant T.J. Conrad. Sergeant Conrad, a Roanoke Valley resident, was killed in action last week in Afghanistan.

Now, his family needs help honoring his memory. Please take a moment to read about this fallen hero and what you can do to help his family.

If you would like to make a donation to Sergeant Conrad’s family, you can do so tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Dominion Metallurgical in Roanoke. Click here for more information. If you would like to help, but cannot make it tomorrow, please contact my office by replying to this e-mail or calling (540) 915-2962.

Thank you for your kindness and generosity.

Last week, Greg sat down and wrote his thoughts on the 2012 Virginia General Assembly Session. Here is what he submitted to the Roanoke Times as an op-ed piece:

The Virginia General Assembly is now past the halfway mark of the 2012 session. In the span of 30 days, the House of Delegates has considered more than 1,600 bills and resolutions.

If you only get your news from the mainstream media, however, you might only be aware of three or four of these bills. You might think abortion, gun rights and voter identification laws are the entirety of our work done for the people of the commonwealth.

This could not be further from the truth. In fact, while these issues have consumed much of the public debate, they amount to only a tiny fraction of the real work being done by the General Assembly.

My focus, and the focus of the House of Delegates, has been on the issues that matter to Virginia: economic development, government reform and education.

In the House, we passed legislation to protect Virginia’s status as a right-to-work state and encourage businesses to relocate to Virginia. We are imposing new oversight rules on tax credits to make sure our incentive plans are working for our state and not against it. These bills will help keep Virginia the No.1 state to do business.

We are working to make government more efficient and effective by reforming and reorganizing many state agencies, boards and commissions. We are working to reduce and eliminate unfunded mandates on localities. We are streamlining reporting requirements, eliminating costly and redundant procedures for state agencies and working to build a smarter government.

I was proud to present an education package that focused on local control and flexibility for parents, teachers and administrators. I fought to give localities control over school calendars and the teacher evaluation process. I fought to create more SOL testing flexibility and opposed burdensome unfunded mandates. We know that the best decisions for a child’s education are made in the classroom, not the halls of the General Assembly.

Finally, the House of Delegates last week unveiled our budget proposals. The focus of our budget is on economic development, K-12 education and strengthening Virginia’s safety net. We have dedicated an additional $135 million to our classrooms for class-size reduction, reading initiatives and inflation costs. We are making significant reforms to ensure the solvency of the Virginia Retirement System and have proposed a 2 percent pay raise for state employees. We have set aside an additional $84million for hospitals and nursing homes and have proposed an extra $11 million for free clinics and Medicaid waivers to help Virginians in need.

These are not just talking points. Statistically, only 2 percent of the bills passed by the House of Delegate deal with gun or abortion laws. On the other hand, 98 percent of our bills relate to economic development, education, government reform, health care, veterans services and the other core functions of government. If you look at our legislative agenda and our budget, the priorities of the House of Delegates are very clear.

This is a very different picture than what you’re hearing from media outlets and Democratic leaders in Richmond.

Their constant refrains are nothing more than partisan rhetoric, aimed at framing the conversation for the next election. It is wrong, dishonest and disrespectful to the residents of this commonwealth who deserve to be informed about the work of their government. It is a political move and one that goes against the very spirit of both parties’ calls for civility and bipartisanship.

I believe the people of the Roanoke and New River valleys deserve better, so I set out today to set the record straight. I am proud of the work being done by the House of Delegates in Richmond and look forward to sharing our record of accomplishment on the issues that matter to Virginians.

Every two years, the Virginia General Assembly undertakes the daunting task of writing Virginia’s biennial budget. We are very careful in Richmond to responsibly craft a budget that fits our public policy goals and funds our government without spending more than we take in.

The budget process in Richmond works like this. First, the Governor submits a proposed budget to the House and Senate. Then, the House and Senate each release their proposed changes. Once each body has passed its budget, the two bodies work together in conference to reach a final agreement.

This week, the House of Delegates released its proposed amendments to the Governor’s budget. I am incredibly proud of the budget proposed by the House of Delegates. Our proposal includes an additional $135 million for K-12 Education, a proposed 2 percent pay raise for state employees, an additional $25 million for health care and safety net programs and funding for key veterans programs.

The additional $135 million for K-12 Education is on top of the over $400 million in new money proposed by Governor McDonnell. Our proposed pay raise for state employees is in addition to Governor McDonnell’s $2 billion commitment to state employees’ retirement program.

Also, our budget invests significant resources towards saving and reserves to meet future fiscal challenges, including the creation of a new fund to offset the cost of unfunded federal mandates.

This year’s budget represents our legislative priorities. We are focused on economic development, job creation and strengthening our K-12 education system. We are committed to helping our public servants, including teachers, law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical services and veterans. Lastly, this budget ensures a strong and solid safety net for those in need.

The House Budget is the result of smart budgeting, prioritizing and solid leadership. We have met our constitutional obligation to balance the budget and we have done so without raising taxes. I look forward to working to finalize and vote for this year’s budget.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at (804) 698-1008 or e-mail delghabeeb@house.virginia.gov if you have questions, comments or concerns.

We have officially reached the midway point of the General Assembly Session. It is hard to believe we have already considered over 1,500 bills this year in the House of Delegates. We now await several hundred bills that have passed the Senate but must gain House approval before going to the Governor for his signature

Our focus in Richmond continues to be on creating new private-sector job opportunities and putting Virginians back to work.

Last week, Governor McDonnell announced the results of his Transportation Economic Review. The results showed that the $4 billion investment plan we passed last year has or will soon create over 3,700 jobs in the Commonwealth.

That review looked at 10 projects, including the I-581 interchange at Valley View. This project could create as many as 150 jobs over the next 4 years, generating $40 million in income for Roanoke Valley families.

Also last week, the House worked to pass its Public Safety Agenda, which is focused on making our neighborhoods and communities safer. We passed legislation that will require tougher penalties for DUI offenders and new measures to combat domestic violence.

In closing, I am proud to announce the start of a new feature called “Ask Greg.” If you have something you would like to ask or would like me to discuss in my weekly column just send me an e-mail at delghabeeb@house.virginia.gov or give me a call at (804) 698-1008. Next week, I will answer one or two of your questions in my weekly column! I look forward to hearing from you.

Last night, Greg held a telephone town hall meeting and it was a big success. Over 550 people joined the call, with over 250 staying on the line for 20 minutes or more.

Greg talked about his legislative agenda, which is focused on creating new opportunities for Virginia families and businesses, strengthening our education system and reforming government.

He also took questions on these topics and specific legislation before the General Assembly.

In addition, we also got some very important feedback from participants using live polling technology. Here are results we found interesting.

What should be the top priority of the Virginia General Assembly?

Should Virginia overturn the ban on Sunday Hunting?

Today, Greg had the chance to meet with two school groups from the 8th District. Faith Christian School, seen in the picture above, and Salem High School groups were in Richmond.

In the last week we have hit our stride in the General Assembly, working legislation through committees and on the floor of the House. Each week brings new and exciting challenges and an even more hectic schedule.

On Friday, January 27, the House passed my first piece of legislation for 2012. House Bill 77 is a jury-sentencing reform bill that will save Virginia money and make our criminal justice system more effective and efficient. I am proud to have worked with several local Commonwealth’s Attorneys to pass this bill and will continue to work to making our government smarter and more efficient.

Two important parts of my education reform agenda were also moved forward this week. The bill to give teachers and parents control over school calendars passed a key House subcommittee. Also, a bill I have introduced that will allow teachers more flexibility when administering the SOL tests has passed the House Education Committee.

I will keep you updated on our progress from week to week, but you can always track all of my legislation online at www.greghabeeb.com/legislation.

In the coming weeks, the Virginia General Assembly will likely consider many of the “hot-button” issues that are being talked about in the press. I want to know what my constituents think on these issues, so I will be holding a telephone town-hall meeting on Monday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m.

I hope you will take this opportunity to share your thoughts with me on anything you might find important.

And I hope that if you have any questions, comments or concerns you will reach out to me. My office can be reached by calling (804) 698-1008 or by e-mailing delghabeeb@house.virginia.gov.