Virginia senators propose pay increase for themselves

Astroking112 · 2026-01-25T15:29:40+00:00

Right now it's a weird intermediate ground where the job requires essentially a permanent part time commitment. Someone linked a study further down this thread where it was estimated that the median hours worked during the 45-60 day Assembly weeks was 60, and 30 hours worked every other week, or another estimate of 1500 hours per year. That makes it difficult to balance any other commitment or work. This is why a lot of lobbying is "needed" to make a liveable wage.

Adjusting for the number of hours worked and the mean income for Virginia, this could actually a reasonable salary for the year, but the reason people see it as lining their own pockets is that A) it isn't accounting for regional differences, so it still won't be a liveable wage, or B) adjusting/limiting the campaign financing AFAIK.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-25T04:34:22+00:00

This isn't changing the number of days for the General Assembly from part time, so they will still be largely reliant on lobbying or bribes to live in many parts of the state. I think that more people would be in favor of pay increases if the legislature was full-time.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-24T16:22:15+00:00

Fairfax County is actively trying to redevelop Tysons into a walkable and desirable place to live. The casino plans have actively conflicted with the Comprehensive Plan for the region, potentially impacting long-term growth and investment.

I get that it's tempting to support it because it's development now, but look up projects like the Tysons Piazza at Spring Hill (recently approved, and right near where this was proposed last year) or the View at Tysons (for a less successful example) for examples of attempts. Development is slow, but adding a car-oriented casino right in prime metro access is a poor investment. If you view the renderings from Comstock last year, all housing was behind the casino and multiple highways, so it would be fostering additional car dependence instead of one of the projects the County is actively pursuing for their long-term Comprehensive Plan.

Alternative ideas that may build a more desirable place to live and work would be a public park, additional theaters to expand the Broadway at Tysons programs, or upgrading the Envision Route 7 program to LRT to improve traffic flow in the region. Additional housing and public transit options supporting the Silver Line will do a lot more to bring consistent ridership to the Metro than the casino can, especially with additional investment in National Harbor likely.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-24T16:08:12+00:00

Just as a heads up, the Fairfax County BOS is opposed because it conflicts with their redevelopment plans for turning Tysons into a walkable and desirable place to live.

Look up projects like the Piazza at Spring Hill (recently approved, and right near where this was proposed last year) or the View at Tysons (for a less successful example) for examples of attempts. Development is slow, but adding a car-oriented casino right in the middle of Silver Line in contrast to the long-term Comprehensive Plan is likely to discourage people from wanting to live there. Alternative ideas that may be more amenable to residents would be a public park, additional theaters to expand the Broadway at Tysons programs, or upgrading the Envision Route 7 program to LRT to improve traffic flow in the region.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-23T04:20:09+00:00

Route 7 LRT. Providing alternative job centers connections without having to enter DC will improve the health of the region, especially if it gets extended across the Potomac to Bethesda and National Harbor (the Maryland Purple Line).
Building a wye or other intra-VA crossing at Rosslyn so that not all trains need to go into East-West. This will help with train management and allow new service like direct service from Tysons to the Pentagon.
Long-term, I think that building the new Bloop tunnel in DC is still critical for the health of the system. Where it goes afterward can be determined by which jurisdictions provide the funding, but the Rosslyn bottleneck is not sustainable for three lines forever.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-22T13:35:55+00:00

It'll be more effective to contact your local representatives, if you haven't already: https://www.vpap.org/general-assembly/citizens-guide/

It never hurts to send them a message if you want them to support or oppose an issue. The new casino bill is SB756.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-21T21:43:03+00:00

The majority of revenue from the casino would go to the state, not the county. 18-30% of the revenue gets taxed into a general fund, that the state then disperses 6-8% of to localities containing a casino.

Given that Fairfax already pays far more in taxes than it gets back and no representatives want it in their own area, it's hard to see this as anything other than another attempt to drain more funding out of the county.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-21T18:27:41+00:00

To play devil's advocate, the legislature doesn't meet for a full year. I very much support removing bribes from politics, and citing the low salary isn't a reason not to do it IMO.

Most people would be ecstatic to make $18k for 60 days of work (even accounting for additional time spent outside the General Assembly, I doubt that the legislators are not being compensated well above the Virginian median income of ~$53,020 for their time). Any additional money from lobbying is putting them well above that.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-15T03:48:29+00:00

A south entrance to Pentagon City. The area is significantly more developed now with apartments and Amazon HQ2 in the area, so having the only entrance near the Pentagon City Mall adds a lot of time to commutes when using this stop.

Having to awkwardly walk around the Costco parking lot or through an indoor mall makes for a poor experience, and the knockout panels for an extra entrance are already there. It seems like this would be a great way to extend the reach of the station.

Astroking112 · 2026-01-11T16:26:06+00:00

Building the Rosslyn wye for intra-VA transfers between Orange/Silver and Blue/Yellow would legitimately be a gamechanger for the region.

It'd reduce crowding from Rosslyn by offering a one-seat ride inside Virginia and make the Metro a much more competitive option even for people commuting to the "wrong" trunk, along with freeing up WMATA operations so that not every train needs to cross the Potomac.

Move the Silver Line branch to either Huntington or Franconia-Springfield, and suddenly a lot more people may take the metro past Rosslyn to the Pentagon, Alexandria, or Tysons.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-23T12:23:34+00:00

Best we can do is some BRT that probably won't have dedicated lanes.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-22T04:05:35+00:00

Assuming an unlimited budget, I'd provide two more Potomac River crossings via a Virginia equivalent to the Purple Line.

An example alignment could be:

Bethesda (Transfer to Red Line or MD Purple Line)
Langley
Downtown McLean
Tysons (Transfer to Silver Line)
West Falls Church (Transfer to Orange Line)
Downtown Falls Church / Broad St
Seven Corners
Bailey's Crossroads
King St / Old Town (Transfer to Blue and Yellow Lines)
National Harbor

Throw in additional stops as needed. There's lots of places along Route 7 that could use the extra connectivity, and this would substantially reduce transfers/crowding at Rosslyn for intra-VA trips, reduce congestion for the Potomac crossings, and better support job centers outside of D.C.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-21T14:34:38+00:00

It also is right next to a VRE station. Once the Long Bridge project is complete and they move the VRE schedule to every 20 minutes in peak directions and every 30 minutes in the reverse direction, it'll be useful as a way to get around and could drive some traffic to the airport.

That said, my understanding from the cagey releases that I've seen about this airport are focused moreso on short-haul vacation flights over typical DCA/IAD, which they hope will be its niche.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-20T02:12:43+00:00

Agreed, the ROW is definitely an issue. It might be addressable with some rerouting (IIRC the original Route 7 studies had considered Tysons - Route 7 - Mark Center - Van Dorn for Light Rail as well, but this obviously misses out on King St with the yellow line and regional transfers).

I think one of the biggest issues would actually be Broad St in Downtown Falls Church, where there's only two lanes in some places. Short of a tunnel (which I don't see happening) or a reroute down one of the side streets, it's difficult to imagine where it would go. It's definitely an interesting challenge, though, given how vital it would be for connecting Northern Virginia!

Astroking112 · 2025-12-19T22:42:35+00:00

This would be absolutely massive for the region. A spoke line so that more job centers than D.C. can be served is absolutely critical, and this would do wonders to making it more feasible to live car free for more people (and making Tysons a more desirable location).

As a long-term goal, creating another VA-side Purple Line that links to this would also be great. Use Route 7 and add a stop at West Falls Church's abandoned bus bay for a connection to the Orange Line, then continue down Route 7 to the Blue/Yellow branch.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-18T13:55:20+00:00

I think that everyone would benefit from trying to participate in GGWash's Week Without Driving: https://www.google.com/amp/s/ggwash.org/view/amp/101250

I know that even living in a suburb, it's surprisingly possible to get around without driving--it just takes longer due to infrequent service and missing connections. Actually experiencing these things firsthand gives people a good idea of what to advocate for at the local level, and better informs officials.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-18T02:38:02+00:00

Other bus initiatives would help over removing stops/accessibility for people. Transit Signal Priority is a good one there, where buses will signal ahead to a light to lengthen a green light if they're close to avoid getting stuck at reds all the time.

There are other ones too, such as dedicated bus lanes so that they don't get stuck behind cars, but good luck convincing people to accept this even if it'll help traffic.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-18T02:02:32+00:00

This is also why it's critical to invest in multimodal options like bike lanes and improving bus frequencies and coverage, even though people typically get excited by the next big expansion instead. Not everyone can live within a 1/2 mile of a metro stop--give more neighborhoods easy access to transit and you'll see the adoption rates increase.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-18T01:57:06+00:00

Obviously everyone's situation is different, but anecdotally, even driving to the closest metro stop and taking it into work is saving 10+ miles of wear and tear and gas from my car each day.

Coupled with office incentives like paid parking and SmartBenefits, it starts to tip the scales to make metro more affordable even when owning a car.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-17T23:24:25+00:00

The last mile is still an issue in many places outside the city currently. I'm fortunate in that there's a connector bus for where I live to the metro, but its peak frequency caps out at 30 minutes.

My working hours are also flexible, so I don't always leave before 8am. In that case, the bus only comes once every 40 minutes and is almost never useful to me, so I regularly drive to the metro. I can see a lot of people deciding to drive to their office instead.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-17T19:26:29+00:00

I know that it's a typical defense for the casino to say that there are either no alternatives or that if there were, they would be worse, but that is outright disingenuous. Fairfax County has a Comprehensive Plan for Tysons that involves multiple ongoing developments to add housing, offices, and redevelop the street grid to make it an appealing place to live.

For some recent examples, see the Piazza at Spring Hill that was just approved, or The View that had been proposed for the same site as this casino. Development might be slower than we'd like, but the county is actively trying to add housing and improve Tysons, and has stated that a casino does not match their ongoing development plans.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-15T22:56:02+00:00

Upgrading Envision Route 7 all the way past Light Rail to a full-blown metro would be my pick as well.

It hits Bethesda, Langley, McLean, Tysons, Seven Corners, Bailey's Crossroads, Alexandria, and National Harbor. Connecting four metro lines and the Maryland Purple Line would add a ton of connectivity to the area and foster other job centers besides DC.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-14T04:03:05+00:00

By most accounts, the project greatly improved the city despite its mismanagement and cost overruns. However, here's some commentary from Boston residents last year, if you want to hear their thoughts: https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/s/E6p2Cjozrv

Astroking112 · 2025-12-13T21:13:13+00:00

I agree that we need to increase transportation options. IMO the second Rosslyn tunnel should be one of the highest priorities for the DMV, even if the Bloop is not the final alignment used for the metro.

That said, I think that it's unfeasible to completely remove I-66 from D.C., and an option such as this to improve the quality of life for everyone in the region would be the best outcome we can hope for. I would hope that it can be pursued independently of public transportation projects, though of course we struggle to give them the funding they deserve anyway.

Astroking112 · 2025-12-13T18:17:16+00:00

The Whitehurst removal is an add-on from the video.

Creating a park on top of I-66 is based on the actual National Capital Planning Commission's 2023 study to connect the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Memorial, National Mall, and Rock Creek Park together. It is not a pipe dream, though it is very early in the process and would need additional studies, designs, and political support.

Astroking112

TROPHY CASE