Summary

News

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Women Veterans Week
Facebook, Eileen Filler-Corn – March 17, 2021

This week is #WomenVeteransWeek. I am proud to salute the amazing women who have served our country. Click the link below to find out more about how the Virginia Department of Veterans Services is honoring women veterans.

GOP delegates stripped of committee assignments over letter casting doubt on election
Virginia Mercury, Graham Moomaw – January 13, 2021

Democratic leaders in the Virginia House of Delegates have stripped three Republicans of some committee assignments after they signed a letter casting doubt on the results of the presidential election and urging Vice President Mike Pence to block the lopsided Democratic victory in Virginia.

House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Fairfax, stripped Dels. Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun, Ronnie Campbell, R-Rockbridge and Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, of one committee assignment each. They were not booted from all their committee seats.

LaRock was booted from the Transportation Committee, Cole was removed from the Privileges and Elections Committee and Campbell lost his spot on the Courts of Justice Committee.

“By seeking to disenfranchise millions of Virginians and undercut faith in our democratic institutions, Delegate Dave LaRock, Delegate Mark Cole and Delegate Ronnie Campbell showed exceedingly poor judgment and conducted themselves in a manner unbecoming of their office,” said Kunal Atit, a spokesman for Filler-Corn. “Their attempt to cast doubt on our elections process in order to impede the peaceful transfer of power between one president and another is an affront to our democracy and violates the public trust.”

Prior to last week’s rally in D.C. that culminated in a deadly mob attack on the U.S. Capitol, LaRock spearheaded a letter addressed to Pence that asked him to block some Electoral College votes for President-elect Joe Biden.

“Should you, as Vice President, announce a winner based on a tally of unconstitutionally and fraudulently elected Presidential Electors, it would create a rent in the fabric of the nation,” the delegates said in the letter, which was on LaRock’s letterhead and co-signed by Cole and Campbell.

LaRock in particular is facing mounting calls to resign after he offered a defense of last week’s event and used an outdated racial term by saying his detractors should “focus on the needs of the colored community.”

LaRock appears undaunted, telling constituents in a recent message he isn’t going anywhere.

“I have stayed loyal to the president even now as RINOs are jumping ship and that won’t end,” he said. “Democrat Trump haters want to humiliate our president and they want to intimidate me and make me unelectable.”

Virginia’s off-year elections could pose key test for both parties
Abby Phillip et al. – January 28, 2021

For the first time in the chamber’s 402-year history, the Speaker of the House of Delegates is a woman: Eileen Filler-Corn.

Under her leadership, Democrats have moved quickly to pass a wave of legislation seeking to fulfill campaign promises to their voters and push the state further to the left. They have passed bills legalizing marijuana, instituting universal background checks, raising the minimum wage and loosening voting restrictions. If Gov. Ralph Northam signs their latest high-profile bill into law, Virginia will also soon become the first southern state to abolish the death penalty.

“We are doing exactly what we told Virginians we would do. And I think that’s important,” Filler-Corn told CNN in an interview. “Campaigning on the issues and the values that are important to you — and following through.”

Virginia lawmakers pass legislation that would legalize marijuana in 2024
Chloe Atkins – February 28, 2021

Virginia lawmakers approved a bill Saturday that would legalize the sale and recreational use of marijuana — but not until 2024.

The move makes Virginia the first Southern state to vote to legalize recreational marijuana, joining 15 other states and the District of Columbia. The legislation now goes to Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, who supports legalization, for his signature.

“The House and Senate took a strong step in legalizing the sale and possession of Marijuana here in the Commonwealth,” Filler-Corn said on Twitter. “This legislation will make our criminal justice system fairer and help end the targeting of black and brown communities over the possession of cannabis.”

Twitter

About

Source: Campaign page

Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, the first woman in the 400-year history of Virginia’s Legislature to hold the position, rose to this role after representing the 41st House District for a decade, making her the fastest person to ascend to the post. The 41st District includes parts of Fairfax, Fairfax Station, and West Springfield.

Speaker Filler-Corn’s passion for service shines through her tireless work to make the Commonwealth of Virginia a better place to live, work and raise a family. Her commitment to improving the lives of her neighbors is what drove her to run for the House of Delegates. She has spent her time in the legislature as a listener and problem solver, delivering results that move her community forward and advocating for everyone equally regardless of background, circumstance, or ideology. She has introduced, championed, and passed legislation that has made Virginia a safer, stronger, and more equal Commonwealth.

Previously, Eileen served in the Administrations of Governor Mark Warner and Governor Tim Kaine, advising on state and federal relations. For over 25 years, Eileen and her husband Bob have lived in Fairfax County, Virginia, along with their children, Jeremy and Alana.

Experience

Work Experience

• Attorney/government relations
  Albers and Company
  2019 to present

  Eileen Filler-Corn, Director of Government Relations, represents clients before political and policy organizations and serves as liaison with various national and regional Governors’ associations, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and several state legislative associations, including the Council of State Governments, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the State Legislative Leaders Foundation.

  Her principal areas of expertise are IT, healthcare and education. Eileen has established close professional relationships with many state Governors, Chiefs of Staff, and executive branch agencies.

Education

• BA
  Ithaca College
  2019 to 1986
• JD
  American University Washington College of Law
  2019 to 1993

Personal

Birth Year: 1964
Place of Birth: New York City, NY
Gender: Female
Race(s): Caucasian
Religion: Jewish
Spouse: Robert S. Corn
Children: Jeremy Corn and Alana Corn

Membership & Affiliation

• Congregation Adat Reyim
• Jobs for Virginia Graduates (chair)
• Clean Air Partners (board member)
• Center for Public Policy Innovation (board member)
• American Jewish Committee (board member)
• Jewish Foundation for Group Homes (board member)
• National Conference of State Legislatures, Women’s Legislative Network Board
• Women in Government (Virginia State Director)
• Leadership Fairfax, Inc. (2001)
• Governing Institute, Women in Government Fellow (2017)

Contact

Legislative Assistant: Leigh Nusbaum
Administrative Assistant During Session: Karen Bobbitt

Email:

• Government – DelEFiller-Corn@house.virginia.gov

Offices

Capitol Office
Pocahontas Building
900 E. Main St,
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1041

District Office
P.O. Box 523082
Springfield, VA 22152
Phone: (571) 249-3453

Web

Government Page, Campaign Site, Twitter, Facebook

Politics

Source: Wikipedia

Eileen R. Filler-Corn (born June 5, 1964) is an American politician. Since 2010 she has served in the Virginia House of Delegates, representing the 41st district in the Fairfax County suburbs of Washington, D.C.. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Filler-Corn sits on the House committees on Finance, Commerce and Labor, and Transportation.

Filler-Corn first ran for the 41st district seat in 1999, but was unsuccessful. She won the seat in a 2010 special election to replace David W. Marsden, who had himself won a special election to the Senate of Virginia the month before. Jim Dillard, the Republican incumbent who defeated Filler-Corn in 1999, endorsed her candidacy in 2010 because of her opponent’s remarks that funding for Fairfax County Public Schools was “excessive”.

She won by only 37 votes. She was sworn in on March 3, 2010 after her opponent dropped his plans to request a recount.

Recent Elections

2019

2017

2015

2013

2011

2010

Finances

FILLER-CORN, EILEEN F has run in 5 races for public office, winning 4 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $1,061,097.

Source: Follow the Money

Committees

Committees

Finance
Commerce and Labor
Transportation

Subcommittees

Finance – Subcommittee #1
Commerce and Labor – Subcommittee #1
Rules – Subcommittee #2
Committee Assignments: Committee Membership Finance Commerce and Labor Rules Subcommittee Membership Finance – Subcommittee #1 Commerce and Labor – Subcommittee #1 Rules – Subcommittee #2 Rules – Joint Rules

Appointments

Health Insurance Reform Commission
House Commerce and Labor
House Finance
House Rules
Intergovernmental Cooperation, Virginia Commission on
Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability
Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders (PANS) Associated with Streptococccal Infections and Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANDAS), Advisory Council on
Public Private Partnership Advisory Commission
Technology and Science, Joint Commission onElection Results

Voting Record

See: Vote Smart

New Legislation

• Chief Patron
• (after prefiled period)
• Chief Co-Patron
• Co-Patron
• Proposed Budget Amendments

Source: Legislative Information Services

Issues

Democracy

Voting Rights

My bill, HB 1774, which would have extended voting hours from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the benefit of commuters and all voters, did not advance out of Subcommittee.

In fact, a number of bills were passed that will make voting more difficult rather than easier for voters.  Legislation was passed that requires photo identification in order to vote, which will negatively impact voters who do not have a birth certificate and will force voter registrars to purchase costly equipment to provide a substitute ID for those who request it.  Another measure that passed requires the use of a federal scanning database to remove non-citizens from the voting rolls, even though this database has proven faulty and prevented some naturalized citizens from exercising their right to cast a ballot.

Education

Part of Governor McDonnell’s education reform plan to label schools with letter grades, and creating a statewide entity to take over schools designated as failing, was approved by the General Assembly without my support.

My bill, HB 2199 did not advance from the House Appropriations Committee after being referred by the Education Committee. This bill was intended to increase the numbers of students eligible for expedited retakes of the Standard of Learning tests given to the Commonwealth’s public school students. Currently, only High School students are allowed to take retakes if they score within 25 points of the passing score. Students may not pass their SOLs for a variety of reasons, and they should be given a chance to retake them.  Moreover, it is important to instill confidence, particularly in our younger children, who may be negatively impacted if they do not have the opportunity to retake a failed SOL test.  This legislation was supported by the Superintendents Association, several County School districts including Fairfax, and the Virginia Education Association. It is my hope that this bill can advance next year using a different approach through a budgetary amendment

Infrastructure

Transportation

For the past 27 years, Virginia has faced the continuing question of how to properly fund, construct and maintain our road system to alleviate the many troubling transportation issues facing the Commonwealth. Since 1986, when our gas tax was last raised to 17.5 cents per gallon, 47 states have increased their own gas tax to reflect the impact of inflation.  Without finding sources of additional revenue, Virginia’s funding for transportation-related projects is expected to virtually disappear by 2017.

Again this year, our region was ranked as having the worst traffic congestion in the entire country, and the situation is becoming worse every year.  To face this challenge directly, I joined with 59 of my House colleagues (35 Republicans and 24 Democrats) to help pass a comprehensive transportation package that will allow us to move forward in alleviating congestion, repairing deteriorated pavement conditions, and constructing needed new roadways.

This bill dedicates $880 million yearly to transportation in Virginia, replacing the flat 17.5-cent per gallon gasoline tax at the pump with a 3.5 percent tax at the wholesale level.  While the Governor’s original bill was designed to eliminate the gas tax completely, I and many other legislators considered it essential for us to ensure that out-of-state drivers, especially those using our two main regional corridors, I-81 and I-95, continue to contribute their share of revenue toward our road maintenance expenditures through gasoline purchases.

Another major change in the transportation package originally proposed by the Governor was to reduce the anticipated proportion of General Fund revenue being directed to transportation, while increasing the revenue allocated to education funding.  Currently, the General Fund directs .5 percent of funds to transportation, the Governor had proposed to increase this to .75 percent, which was too substantial of an increase for me to originally support. The new package reduces this increase to .675 percent.  To generate the new revenue needed for transportation the sales tax will now be increased from 5 percent to 5.3 percent statewide and .125 percent of that will go towards education funding.  Additionally, should the Marketplace Equity Act not be enacted by Congress by 2015, the amount of General Fund spending towards transportation will decrease from $200 million to $60 million.  The retail tax on gas would then rise 1.7 percent to make up for the lost revenue.

Most importantly, however, the creation of a dedicated regional funding component that will support Northern Virginia transportation projects has been included, without which I would not have been able to vote for the bill.  For too long, our region has shouldered the responsibility for transportation funding without an equal share of dedicated funding for our own local roadway projects, which will no longer be the case.  The Governor’s original package did not include this regional component.  Nor did that package include funding for transit and the Dulles Metro Silver Line.  Now, $300 million will go towards completion of the Silver Line and provide another alternate commute option.

I was disappointed in the $64 fee that was included for hybrid vehicles, a provision that I opposed.  It is my hope that removing this specific provision will send a message to the 91,000 Virginians that drive these vehicles, including many in my district, that we applaud their effort to help sustain our environment while reducing our dependence on foreign fuel.  I have spoken to the Governor about this issue and followed up with a letter requesting that this portion of the bill not go into effect.

In addition, I fully recognize that the increased sales tax rate does represent an added financial burden, particularly for those struggling on low incomes, which is why I was pleased to see additional dedicated money for passenger transit rail.  This new funding will go towards the creation of additional affordable transit options that serve so many in our region.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to vote on the individual components of this package, it was an up or down vote and amendments were not allowed.  As with any legislative compromise, I feel strongly that the benefits represented by this comprehensive transportation package successfully fulfill my long-standing commitment to addressing the need for Northern Virginia to shed the label of ”the nation’s worst traffic congestion”.  I am now optimistic that we can focus our efforts on education, creating new jobs, expanding economic development and furthering our reputation as one of the best states in which to raise a family and establish a business.