Pamela Danner was looking forward to debating Barbara Comstock on Channel 8′s NewsTalk, but Comstock didn’t show up.  If we were Comstock, we probably wouldn’t want to discuss our voting record either.

Del. Barbara Comstock voted in favor of HB 1438: Goods produced or manufactured within the State; not subject to federal law, federal regulation, etc.

Virginia lacks basic laws to protect consumers and citizens if the federal laws and regulations were to go away as called for by this bill.  These include consumer product safety, worker safety and laws that set standards for our air and water quality.  HB 1438 is in violation of the federal Commerce Clause, and therefore, unconstitutional.  Virginia goods are included within interstate commerce because similar non-Virginia manufactured goods sold in Virginia fall within the bounds of interstate commerce.

The American Conservative Union released 2011 State Legislative Ratings and Del. Barbara Comstock has received a 100% score.  This puts her in the company of almost exclusively down-state Republicans.  Even Delegates David Albo, Tim Hugo, and 24 other down-state Republican legislators scored lower.

Here are some of the votes that were scored (Comstock voting the ACU position every single time):

• State Constitutional Amendment Limiting Appropriations. HJ 540. (Failed in the heavily Republican House of Delegates by 47-48).
• State Constitutional Amendment on Religious Liberty. HJ 593. (This would permit prayer and recognition of religious beliefs, heritage and traditions on public property, including public schools.)
• Defund Planned Parenthood. HB 1500. Amendment Item 4-5.04 #9H
• Regulations on women’s health clinics. SB 924.  (This legislation is likely to close 17 of Virginia’s 21 clinics that perform first-trimester abortions)
• Defunding Public Broadcasting. HB 1500. Governor’s Amendment #17, Item 123.
• Abstinence Education. HB 1500. Governor’s Amendment #25, Item 286.  (Restores state funding for abstinence education which has shown to be ineffective)

DISTRICT 34: Barbara Comstock, a smart, energetic Republican freshman, seeks reelection in a district that stretches from McLean in Fairfax County to northwest Loudoun. But Ms. Comstock has taken a pledge opposing new taxes that makes a mockery of her stated commitment to tackle transportation problems. Her Democratic opponent, Pamela B. Danner, eschews such simplistic positions. A 25-year resident of McLean, Ms. Danner, a lawyer, has led the McLean Community Foundation and served on the Fairfax County Water Authority Board. Her pragmatism would be a welcome addition to the statehouse.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/part-i-of-the-posts-va-house-endorsements/2011/10/20/gIQAcLSk1L_story.html

Del. Barbara Comstock voted to require all women’s health clinics that perform first-trimester abortions be licensed and regulated by the Board of Health as hospitals. [HB393, 1/26/10; HB1428, 1/26/11; SB924, 2/21/11; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/25/11]

The Washington Post has called these regulations “absurdly onerous and utterly unnecessary.”  They estimate that 17 of the 21 women’s health clinics that provide a range of reproductive health services will close as a result of these regulations.

The measure forces the state’s 21 clinics to meet rigorous standards—such as wide hallways and tall ceilings—that aren’t required of other medical practices that perform invasive and often more dangerous, medical procedures such as dental surgery, plastic surgery, or colonoscopies.  If proponents of this legislation were truly concerned about women’s health, they would have required such regulations across the board – not just for clinics that perform abortions.

Del. Barbara Comstock was one of only 39 members of the House of Delegates to vote to allow 18 wheelers to operate in the left-most lane of certain highways. Comstock also supported this legislation in the Transportation Committee.
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?111+sum+HB1946

The Patron of the legislation, Del. John Cox, owns Cox Transportation Services, a trucking company.