Roanoke, VA—William “Bill” Cleaveland, candidate for the Republican nomination for the 17^th House of Delegates district commends Delegate William Fralin (17^th House of Delegates district) for his vote to reject Governor Kaine’s proposed amendment to SB1495.  Cleaveland feels that Delegate Fralin demonstrated wisdom and courage in standing up to the Governor’s attempts to further burden our struggling businesses in this time of economic turmoil and uncertainty.

Bill Cleaveland recognizes and supports the General Assembly’s efforts to protect full-time workers who have become victims in today’s unsettled economic times.  He supports efforts extending the usual 26 weeks of unemployment compensation to an additional 20 weeks for full-time workers.  With today’s unfortunate impact on job markets, Cleaveland also supports the recently enacted yet additional extension of 13 weeks of benefits, passed this week by 100% of those voting in the General Assembly.

Bill Cleaveland shares Delegate Fralin’s concern for those who have lost their jobs.  That concern is also shared by many other General Assembly voices from southwest Virginia.  The recent votes on unemployment benefits illustrate that support.  However, Cleaveland said that the Governor’s amendment would weaken the support for families and the unemployed by creating dependency on the state, instead of looking at other alternatives to help restore jobs to Virginia.  Furthermore, the Governor’s amendment would increase state spending even beyond the expansion of the benefits mentioned above.  That expense would require higher taxes for future funding, something our struggling businesses do not need as they attempt to get back on their feet.     

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