BY WESLEY P. HESTER

The morning after MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow took Republicans in the state’s House of Delegates to task for abortion measures that passed Tuesday, the House Republican Caucus downplayed the role of social issues this session.

At a press conference, Speaker of the House William J. Howell said that the caucus had enjoyed a successful first half of the session focused on its chief priorities of job creation, education, government reform and public safety.

Howell said that of the 603 bills that passed the House this year so far, 42 percent dealt with those issues.    

“Contrary to the narrative from our friends across the aisle…less than two-and-a-half percent of the bills that passed the House dealt with socially conservative issues,” he said, defining those as having to do with abortion and guns.

Republicans touted a number of bills focused on jobs, education reform and crime as well as their approach to reforming the state’s retirement system while criticizing a number of measures sponsored by Democrats.

Del. Timothy D. Hugo, R-Fairfax, said the House Finance Committee had killed 11 Democratic bills with tax increases worth $2.2 billion.

“Pick a tax; it died this year in House Finance,” he said.