Virginia Capitol Connections, Winter 2023 9 to bring in additional supply. When it became obvious that no new suppliers were coming to Virginia, the Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring changed direction and in 2007 the Virginia Electric Utility Regulation Act was passed by wide margins. The goal was to make Virginia energy independent and to help the Commonwealth set a course of action to keep Virginia strong and competitive. Senator Norment was the patron of the bill in the Senate. During the last week of the 2007 session, all stakeholders, including representatives from the State Corporation Commission, met for 3 days and went over the legislation line by line to ensure that it would be successful in bringing new power generation to the state. While the Committee on Electric Utility Restructuring does not now exist in its original form, the members who served, including Sen. Norment, helped to modernize an industry that was preparing for a new era of technology and the development of cleaner sources of energy. As Senator Norment assumed more leadership in the Republican majority or minority, depending on which party won the elections, he continued to lead the Republicans in the Senate and to be a key patron of legislation in a number of key areas, including higher education, state government regulatory reform, crime, and judicial reform. Senator Norment was a master at Senate rules and procedures and used that knowledge to run his floor operation in a methodical, successful way. He was cool on the floor, always prepared, and quite knowledgeable about whatever subject matter might be the order of the day. He maintained good relationships with Senator Saslaw, his Democratic colleague, although they would spar over particular bills or budget priorities. They both remained loyal to the Senate as a key institution of the Virginia government, and both fought to keep a balance of power between the General Assembly and the Executive branch. With the retirements of both Senators Saslaw and Norment, a major piece of Virginia’s legislative history will be ending. The personalities, institutional knowledge, humor, and civilized pointcounterpoint of each man will be remembered as a new generation takes over. Senator Norment’s contribution to Virginia during his long tenure was that he led a transformational era of progress that laid the foundation for a stronger two-party system in the legislature and especially the Senate. Eva Teig Hardy is the retired Executive Vice President of Dominion Resources. She previously served in a variety of Cabinet positions including Labor and Health and Human Resources as well as the State Council on Higher Education. With his retirement later this year, Senator Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. will have served his community and the Commonwealth of Virginia for over 40 years. As a Virginia State Senator, Member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Augusta County Commissioner of the Revenue, and Captain in the Virginia National Guard, Emmett Hanger has served faithfully and earnestly as a servant leader. A native of Augusta County, Emmett and his wife, Sharon, raised five children in Augusta, and they now have 16 grandchildren. Emmett began his public service when he was first elected in 1979 as Augusta County’s Commissioner of the Revenue and was the first Republican elected to that Constitutional Office. Three years later in 1982, Emmett was first elected to the General Assembly as a Member of the House of Delegates representing the people of the then 26th District, which included Augusta, Bath, Highland, and Rockingham Counties. He was re-elected in 1983, 1985, 1987, and 1989, and served nine years. After redistricting and a newly drawn district, Emmett suffered the fate of many others and was not reelected in the 1991 election. With his continued interest in public service Emmett was elected once again in 1995, and this time to represent the people of the 24th District in the Senate of Virginia. He defeated a long-time Democrat incumbent. The 24th District currently includes parts of Culpeper County, all of Madison County, parts of Rockingham County, all of Augusta and Green Counties, and the Cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. Emmett was again re-elected in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, and 2019. Emmett W. Hanger, Jr. Delegate 1983-1992 • Senator 1996-2024 BY STEVE LANDES During his service in the Virginia Senate Emmett has served in a multitude of leadership positions, including serving as the past Co-Chairman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, and currently as a Senate Budget Conferee and as Co-Chairman of the Health and Human Resources Subcommittee. He has been an ardent supporter of issues related to education, behavioral health, agriculture, and natural resources.
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