A constitutional amendment allowing the state to take over a failing school narrowly survived the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee and is now before the full Senate.

As the General Assembly enters the third week of its 2012 session, delegates representing the Hopewell-area – Kirk Cox of Colonial Heights, Rosalyn Dance of Petersburg and Riley Ingram of Hopewell – took time to discuss their legislative goals.

The General Assembly is well on its way into the 2012 session. Hopewell-area Delegates Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, and Rosalyn Dance, D-Petersburg, discussed some of their legislative goals. Cox, the majority leader in the House of Delegates, said his major focus is simple: passing a state budget for the next two years. But he has other goals, such as ensuring adequate funding for programs such as the Virginia Retirement System.

Jobs and economic development. That’s what Delegate Kirk Cox’s constituents said is the most pressing issue facing Virginia. Residents of the 66th House District, which includes Colonial Heights and part of Chesterfield County, registered their priorities during a telephone town hall meeting Cox held last week.

Delegate Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, dug through the pile of papers on his desk until he found the packet he was looking for. He wanted to review his research one more time before leaving for his party’s caucus meeting. “I’m afraid I’m going to make the wrong motion,” Cox said. “If I move to adjourn the session, then the governor can’t come and make his [State of the Commonwealth] speech. I have to move to recess.”