Nick Rush

Larry Nicholas "Nick" Rush (born March 8, 1968 in Christiansburg, Virginia) is an American politician of the Republican Party. Since early 2012, he has been a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He currently represents the 7th district, made up of Floyd County, Montgomery County (part), and Pulaski County (part).^[1]

After graduating from Christiansburg High School, Rush served the United States Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. Nick left active duty as a non-commissioned officer in 1989. At 23 years old, he was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors as the youngest member in history.^[2] Rush served for 12 years on the board representing District B and is a former Chairman and Vice Chairman.

Rush has always been an active member of his community serving it in a volunteer capacity through these statewide and community groups: New River Valley Community Action Board of Directors; New River Valley Economic Development Alliance; Floyd, Pulaski, and Montgomery County Chambers of Commerce.

Legislative Initiatives

HB1692 also known as the ‘Flat-Fee Degree,’ is a higher education proposal introduced during the 2015 Legislative Session. The proposal establishes discounted tuition and fees for students pursuing degrees in high demand fields. Students pursuing high demand degrees, such education, nursing, and Information Technology (IT) have the opportunity to graduate college without massive debt so long as the students satisfy the requirements of the Flat-Fee Degree. These requirements include graduating on time or earlier, relinquishing certain amenities such as on-campus living or football / basketball ticket lotteries, and requiring students to take summer courses in order to use buildings that are underutilized.^[3] The bill is currently being studied by the Joint Commission on Higher Education.^[4]

HB672 is an economic development bill introduced in the 2014 Legislative Session by Delegate Charles Poindexter and Chief Co-Patroned by Delegate Rush. Under this legislation, if a company creates at least 25 new, permanent, full-time positions within the Commonwealth, that company would be eligible for a one time grant of $1,000 per position. The per-position fund will grow depending on the amount of new, full-time positions created. For example, if a company relocates to Virginia and creates 100 new jobs, that company will be eligible for $3,000 per position, up to a maximum total of $500,000 within a state fiscal year.^[5] The bill passed the House and Senate, and was signed by Governor Terry McAuliffe.^[6]

HB1485, which was introduced by Rush and passed during the 2013 Legislative Session, is a proposal that would permit the Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to postpone expiration of vehicle registrations if the DMV is unable to operate for reasons beyond its control. The postponement is then authorized by the Governor.^[7] This bill was utilized on January 30, 2015, when an internal power disruption temporarily interrupted DMV electronic services provided by the Commonwealth's data center. This disruption greatly impacted the ability of many Virginians to renew their driver's licenses and vehicle registration, which could have resulted in unnecessary fees for many drivers.^[8] However, because of this bill, those fees were prevented.

Electoral History

References

External links

• Profile at Project Vote Smart
• "Richmond Sunlight; Delegate Nick Rush". 
• "Virginia Public Access Project; Nick Rush".