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Marshall seeks 10th term in 13th district
Del. Bob Marshall (R-13th) has no problem living up to his reputation as one of the most outspoken conservatives in the General Assembly.
Marshall is widely known for his stalwart opposition to abortion and gay marriage, but when asked his campaign platform this year, the first thing he talked about was not a social issue, but transportation.
"Well, we've increased the road funding," Marshall said. "The 13th District has a significant amount of projects."
The 17-year incumbent defeated a major part of the transportation funding bill back in 2007 when he sued the state government in the state Supreme Court. Judges agreed with his argument that a non-elected government body cannot raise and levy taxes, as the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority had been allowed to do under the new law.
His Democratic opponent, John Bell of South Riding, charged that though Marshall successfully fought that bill, he did not have an alternative plan to replace the revenue lost by the court's decision.
"Look, the fact that I was able to block billions in illegal and unconstitutional taxes when no one else even wanted to take this on, that says something," said Marshall.
His current transportation plan is based on tolls and bonds to pay for local roads, rather than statewide tax increases.
The delegate, who works as a self-employed consultant, is pushing for the Tri-County Parkway to come back online, paid for by tolls. That roadway, which has been planned but never funded, would run across Prince William, Fairfax and Loudoun counties as an alternative to Route 28 for commuters who want to drive to Dulles International Airport in Sterling.
Marshall supports the three-county road option instead of the "bi-county" Prince William-Loudoun option that would run closer to U.S. 15. The tri-county option is better, Marshall said, because the path follows existing roadways.
"The danger of pushing that out (with the bi-county option) is that you're opening up areas for development. And I don't think you should necessarily be doing that,” he said.
A bi-county route in western Prince William and lower Loudoun would require significant amounts of property to be acquired and could ultimately encourage more residential development, depending on the number of access points to the road.
Earlier this year, Marshall submitted four bills to the General Assembly regarding transportation, one of which made it out of committee but died on the House floor. He said his bill, which would have forced overloaded and overweight vehicles to pay additional fees, has perked the interest of some of his colleagues.
His point is that while his futility rate is high -- only two of his 15 bills this year were passed into law – his proposals often spark interest and discussion.
For instance, Marshall and Bell both want increased government action on autism. Marshall pushed a bill requiring health insurance companies to cover treatment for autism. He blamed members of his caucus for caving to House speaker Del. Bill Howell (R-28th), who opposed the measure, as did several Democrats.
He dismissed arguments that the measure could make health insurance premium rates rise between $1.60 to $1.90 per person.
"You can save a life, you can save a family,” he said. “[One dollar and 90 cents] more a month to help your neighbor's kid. Is it worth it worth it? I think so."
Bell and Marshall have something else in common: they have both switched parties during the years as Marshall was originally a Democrat and Bell used to be a Republican.
Yet, on social issues, the divisions between Bell and Marshall are distinct. Bell is pro-choice and supports gay marriage and state funding of embryonic stem cell research.
Marshall, however, routinely introduces a bill stating that human life begins at the moment of fertilization. He also co-authored a constitutional amendment passed by state voters in 2006 that banned same-sex couples from marrying or joining civil unions and he adamantly opposes embryonic stem cell research.
Though those position are all in line with conservative Republican orthodoxy in the House, he has frequently clashed with the House power structure over other issues, particularly regarding transparency and leadership.
Though his feuds with Howell cost Marshall committee and subcommittee chairmanships, he said it does not phase him.
"Who cares? I didn't go down there to be a chairman, I came down there to serve the people," said Marshall.
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