You have the power, this November, to make the 61st District the best place to live.
ENERGY
Last year Virginia imported about 36% of its electricity. This was done in part to satisfy the demands due to the emergence of data centers and an increase in residential use of electricity. These are complex problems and complex problems are not solved with simple solutions.
Jac believes the best solutions to our energy requirements come in the form of clean energy. He wants to encourage the use of solar panels on rooftops and parking lots as well as residential rooftops and on even larger scales in strategic locations.
A solar farm of 4-5 acres can typically produce 1 Megawatt of energy which can power about 1,000 residences. The property can still be used for agricultural purposes if sheep are used to control the growth of grass between the rows of panels. And we will always have a free source of power above us to help reduce our energy costs.
EDUCATION
Except for National Guard activations and deployments, Jac has taught in the 61st District since 2009. During his time in the classroom, one of the greatest challenges he has seen school districts face across Virginia is the lack of consistent funding. This unpredictability often results in stagnant salaries, even as the cost of living rises throughout the 61st District. Because of this, many educators in Rappahannock, Culpeper, and Fauquier counties view these districts as “steppingstones” to move on to Loudoun, Prince William, or Fairfax counties—where pay and retirement benefits are significantly better.
Jac believes our teachers and students in the 61 st deserve better—and local school leaders agree. They have said if a reliable revenue stream were established, they could offer regular pay raises or invest in much-needed school renovations and construction. Jac wants to ensure this funding doesn’t fall on the shoulders of everyday homeowners, especially since current tax laws provide major breaks for landowners with conservation easements. Instead, large organizations and businesses should help carry that responsibility through fair taxation.
Another growing concern Jac has witnessed firsthand is the overreliance on Standards of Learning (SOL) tests. These exams place too much emphasis on test-based instruction, narrowing what teachers can cover and taking the joy out of learning. They also reduce student growth to a single metric, identifying only who performs well on standardized tests and who doesn’t. Jac believes it’s time to let teachers teach so students can learn more than what’s on a standardized test. This will create more well-rounded graduates who are prepared for life beyond high school.
NATIONAL GUARD
The Virginia National Guard is composed of approximately 7,200 men and women and the Virginia Air National Guard has about 1,200 men and women. The total population of the commonwealth is approximately 8.811 million people. That means the number of people in the Virginia Guard and Air Guard is 0.00095% of the state’s population.
This small group of men and women went to Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training to become Soldiers and Airmen. And the rigorous training continues for them one weekend a month and two weeks a year as they fulfill their service to the Commonwealth. In addition to that “part-time” job, they also balance the demands of their civilian obligations and must be prepared to deploy to other parts of the state, country or world.
Jac has been a Soldier in the Active Duty and National Guard for over 20 years and during those two plus decades of service he has seen the best and worst of the world. Throughout his time in the US Army and Virginia National Guard, he has always appreciated and been grateful to be a part of the best military that has ever sailed the seas, flown the skies and marched on the surface of the earth.
These men and women are some of society’s best and deserve the best from Virginia. That’s why Jac wants to propose legislation that will eliminate the state income tax of the traditional Guardsmen who works their one weekend a month and two weeks a year. He also wants to eliminate the state income tax for Virginia Guardsmen who are activated and deployed outside the borders of the state for more than 90 days. This isn’t much to do for the people we ask so much of.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
Jac never believed Roe v. Wade would be overturned. However, when it was in June of 2022, the decision put reproductive rights on the ballot. Virginians sent a clear message in 2023 that we don’t want any changes to our law but that’s still not accepted by some leaders in Virginia.
Jac believes women have autonomy over their body and abortion access should be enshrined in the state’s constitution. This would keep women from being subjected to harsh restrictions that have been implemented in other states. In Virginia, women have a choice!
MEDICAID
Medicaid was created in 1965 to help those who couldn’t afford health insurance. Since then, it has expanded to provide care for millions of Americans. After the Affordable Care Act, states could opt in to receive federal funding covering about 90% of Medicaid costs. In 2023, the federal government contributed $6.2 billion to Virginia’s program, while the state paid $693 million.
That’s a significant investment—but one that benefits our economy, schools, and overall public health. When people have insurance, they address medical issues early, reducing workplace absences and
school disruptions. It also eases the burden on emergency rooms and helps keep healthcare costs down.
Some argue Medicaid expansion doesn’t impact them, but the numbers say otherwise. In Virginia’s 61st House District, over 11,000 people—about 13%—are enrolled. That’s 1 in 8 neighbors, classmates, and co-workers.
Investing in Medicaid means investing in a healthier, stronger community for all of us.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Through his time in the National Guard, Jac has a glimpse of what law enforcement officers do on a daily basis. He got that exposure not from sitting in the back of a squad car on a ride along but from the cockpit of a helicopter. For one year, he flew Border Patrol Agents over the desert in Yuma, Arizona and along the Rio Grande over Laredo, Texas in support of their human and drug trafficking interdiction programs against Mexican drug cartels.
Enforcing the law and getting criminals off our streets is a job that never lets up and if it isn't performed, then society will collapse. Jac believes police should be given the funding they need, the best training and equipment available to do their job. De-funding the police leads to chaos.
But Jac feels police officers need more than funding, training and equipment. As a combat veteran, he knows life-threatening events are not something people can easily set aside. These men and women, who go through such experiences are expected to put aside the stress they felt while on the job and then be the husband, wife, dad or mom to their family back home. That's too much for anyone to endure by themselves, which is why Jac believes all law enforcement should have access to trained mental health professionals who can help them be their best on the streets and their best at home.