The Dave LaRock Difference – A Decade of Legislative Leadership
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Education and Parental Rights:
I've been leading the fight for school choice, parental rights, and restoring educational excellence in the legislature. I've introduced numerous school choice bills, bills to stop Common Core and prevent racist, sexist and political indoctrination in our schools, and the only bill to prohibit schools and libraries from loaning sexually explicit materials to minors. My school Education Savings Account (ESA) bills were vetoed by Gov. McAuliffe twice and killed by Northam once. Once Gov. Youngkin won, we succeeded in getting parental review of explicit curriculum, and providing parental opt-out of school masking policies. The Virginia Federation for Children PAC recognized my leadership on this issue by endorsing me in this Primary Election.
Defending the 2nd Amendment:
I support gun rights 100% and am proud of my “A” rating from the NRA and high scores from the VCDL each year. Every session I’ve introduced and supported legislation to protect the rights of gun owners. And I've fought back against Gov. McAuliffe, Gov. Northam, AG Herring and other Democrats’ plans to strip Virginia gun owners of their rights. I've been endorsed for the 1st Senate District by the Virginia Citizens Defense League (VCDL) because they know I am the strongest leader for our right to keep and bear arms.
Restoring Election Integrity:
The integrity of our elections is necessary to protect our rights; if significant errors or weaknesses in the processes are allowed to continue, or if illegal votes are allowed to cancel out legitimate votes, confidence in our leaders being selected and leading according to "the consent of the governed" is undermined. I've been introducing election integrity legislation since 2017, when my bill was vetoed by then-Governor Terry McAuliffe. Unfortunately, Republican election reform bills were vetoed by Governors McAuliffe and Northam from 2014-2021, and Senate Democrats blocked our efforts in 2022. In 2020, Democrats changed numerous voting laws, making it much more difficult for local voter registrars to ensure efficient and secure elections. I wrote to Vice President Pence and urged him to hold off on certifying the Electors from Virginia until an audit of Virginia's votes was conducted, and in response, Democrats called for my resignation, and the Speaker of the House took away a committee assignment.
Protecting Innocent Human Life:
I've introduced pro-life legislation and budget amendments all ten sessions I've served in the House of Delegates. My bills would have prohibited abortions of pain-capable unborn babies, stopped inhumane dismemberment abortions, and ensured that babies born alive after surviving an abortion are provided care. In 2019 I successfully removed taxpayer funding for aborting babies that may have disabilities. I've supported local pregnancy centers which provide necessary care, supplies and support for vulnerable mothers and children, and have introduced legislation to help equip and support parents and foster kids. I've fought to show our high schoolers an ultrasound of a preborn baby in the womb as part of the curriculum. I've been endorsed in this Republican Primary by the Virginia Society for Human Life (VSHL), the state affiliate of the National Right to Life Committee, because I have a proven record of fighting for the unborn and they know I'll continue leading on this issue.
I-81 and Better Roads:
Increasing population and economic growth in the Shenandoah Valley has made I-81 and our other roads too congested. The state spends billions, yet the results are unacceptable. For decades, politics were driving the system, causing funds to be wasted instead of being spent wisely. I have been demanding Virginia’s transportation funds be spent where they are needed to relieve congestion, leading on legislation to award projects based on best bang-for-the-buck instead of political connections. Unfortunately, Governors McAuliffe and Northam still sent too much to Democrat areas, but I have fought to fix that inequity. I've also led the way for funding and plans to improve I-81 and ensure that local governments in the Shenandoah Valley have the resources to improve local roads without raising property taxes on residents. I’m currently the Vice Chairman of the House Transportation Committee.
Supporting Medical Freedom and Religious Liberty, and Stopping COVID Tyranny
The Northam administration's response to COVID was an absolute disaster. Northam forced churches and businesses to shut down, while increasing service at state-owned liquor stores. He forced state employees to wear masks, get vaccines and more, even while he prohibited the use of effective, readily available medication to reduce the effects of COVID. I led the way in opposing these horrible policies every step of the way, even suing Northam, filing numerous bills to rectify the situation and limit his emergency powers. I also worked to protect health care workers, state employees, students and others from forced vaccination in violation of their religious beliefs, and we won with Attorney General Miyares warning health care bureaucrats that they had to respect religious exemptions.
Growing Agriculture
Agriculture and forestry are Virginia’s 1st and 3rd largest industries, respectively, and they support many other industries. They are extremely important as job-creators and in sustaining local communities. They are also crucial to having an affordable, accessible and safe food supply in an ever-changing economy. I have worked hard on efforts to protect agricultural land from development and environmentalists. I have introduced legislation to prevent further significant loss of farmland in Clarke County, and other localities in the Commonwealth. I've also worked to help local agricultural small businesses get the resources they need, and reduce unnecessary red tape and regulations.
Lowering Taxes and Cost of Living; Cutting Government Spending
Virginia’s taxes are too high, and I am 100% opposed to tax increases. Costs for everything rise because of inflation. I've worked to keep Virginia a conservative, low tax state by keeping spending at or below current levels and opposing expansion of welfare giveaway programs that threaten that status. I've also worked in the legislature to protect property rights, and to prevent continually increasing local residential real estate taxes by ensuring that businesses pay their fair share. I've voted with Republicans to withdraw Virginia from the costly and ineffective Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which was nothing more than a Democrat-imposed TAX scheme that makes electricity more expensive for everyone in Virginia. Now, state regulators have agreed to withdraw from RGGI, a move that will significantly lower electricity rates, providing much needed help in these stressful economic times.
Broadband:
Affordable, reliable, high-speed internet access is becoming a necessity for families and businesses. I've worked hard to remove barriers that hindered expansion of this service in our communities, and we are finally seeing rapid progress towards universal broadband access for all of the constituents I serve. Through public-private partnerships, fiber-to-home broadband projects are moving forward to serve all residents in Clarke, Frederick, Warren, and Shenandoah Counties in the next two years or so.
