Tuesday Topics - Dillon's Rule

I think I might be at the very beginning stages of actually becoming an activist!  Now I've gone on marches before and I've sent in emails to representatives when a cause I've subscribed to, tells me too (mostly Virginia Catholic Conference), but I am not a true activist at all.  I am pretty much a complainer-but-don't-do-anything-about-it kind of person.  But because of this past election, I did become a member of the Virginia chapter of the American Solidarity Party.  And one issue that local ASP members want to focus on is the easing of Dillon's rule.

Now I've been a Virginian most of my life and I know next to squat about its politics.  It's a real shame.  I do think media tends to report most about the president, etc and so federal level stuff is often way more on my mind than local things.  That's a wrong way to go about things, I am discovering.  At the federal level, we have two severely depraved, crumbling parties that hold sway over the nation.  Not a good situation.  But locally, one might be able to change things, at least a little bit.

The other way I've been galvanized to become more politically involved is the the Care of Our Common Home ministry at my parish.  I just attended another event last night, a movie night showing The Clean Bin Project movie.  It was very illuminating.  The woman who showed the movie is from Virginia Green Baggers, an organization that tries to raise awareness of environmental issues, especially the problem of plastic bags.  I chatted very briefly with her (I can't recall her name) and she mentioned that Dillon's Rule prevented local counties from passing laws that ban plastic bags or laws that tax them.  Virginia Beach tried to pass a local ordinance to control plastic bags but failed to last year.  Apparently four proposals were presented and rejected by the Virginia legislature last year.

So I am gathering resources to learn more about Dillon's Rule and why it seems to be more restrictive in Virginia than say in Maryland (where Montgomery county was able to pass a law taxing plastic bags in the county).

Here's some links I've found.   I'm just beginning my research.

http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/government/about/dillon-rule.htm

http://www.nlc.org/local-government-authority

http://vagovernmentmatters.org/case-studies/449

https://www.alec.org/app/uploads/2016/01/2016-ACCE-White-Paper-Dillon-House-Rule-Final.pdf

https://www.brookings.edu/research/is-home-rule-the-answer-clarifying-the-influence-of-dillons-rule-on-growth-management/