Category: Virginia

The Shad Plank:

The problems? Despite Kaine’s glowing review of the just-ended legislative session, many of his initiatives ran into a Republican wall.

The governor’s people “don’t seem to be real good at making the deals,” said House Majority Leader H. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem.

What the heck are the people at The Shad Plank smoking? Kaine and the Democrats came out on top; anyone with any brains will tell you that.

In fact, Not Larry Sabato:

House Republicans poked the VEA in the eye with a controversial attempt to rewrite funding formulas for teacher salaries. They retreated from this position without receiving any concessions. Then, after saying that the Rainy Day Fund would be off-limits, House Republicans collapsed and agreed to a large withdrawal. Finally, after calling Governor Tim Kaine’s Pre-K program dead on arrival, House Republicans caved in and agreed to over $20 million in funding.

But there are two other battles that were waged. From what I hear, House Republicans got their clock cleaned on one. Clarke Hogan won the other.

One battle was over language in the budget about dropping funding for Planned Parenthood. For the first time EVER, the House and Senate versions of the budget contained the EXACT same language. Pro-life activists rejoiced. But I now hear that when the conference report is released, the language will be missing. House Republicans took a walk on their friends at the Family Foundation and negotiated the Planned Parenthood language away.

[…]

In other words, House negotiators rolled over on Pre-K and the Rainy Day fund, infuriated teachers AND pro-lifers (no small feat), but they went to the mat on killing the uranium study for Vice Speaker Clarke.

As The right-wing liberal puts it:

Remember the battle in the Senate to take Planned Parenthood funding out of the budget (Shaun Kenney), thus ensuring neither chamber supported abortion funding?  Well, the Senate Democrats demanded the House Republicans ignore the will of both chambers and put the funding back in.

And the House  . . . caved

[…]

House Speaker Bill Howell’s version of “leadership” has already cost the Republicans 2/3 of the House majority they had in 2002, largely by ignoring economic conservatives time and time again.  This, however, is the first time I can remember that he (through his conferees) stiff-armed the social conservatives like this.

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Impact fee bill delayed until next year:

Lawmakers have delayed until next year a proposal to drastically change the way developers help pay for municipal services required by new development.

The House Rules Committee agreed Thursday to postpone the bill to allow further negotiations between developers and local governments. Both sides support the delay.

Currently, developers offer cash and land for roads, schools or parks. Those commitments, called proffers, are usually negotiated with local governments and can be as much as $47,000 for each new house. Critics say the proffers are making houses unaffordable.

Sen. John Watkins of Powhatan County proposed replacing proffers with impact fees, which would be capped at a designated level. Some localities are concerned that impact fees would bring in less money and limit their ability to pay for new services.

Why was this delayed? Not Larry Sabato has a pretty good explanation of why: How the Speaker gives Chris Jankowski VIP Treatment

I promised a summary of the Senate budget but I missed a couple things in my last post. All numbers are for the whole 2008-10 biennial.

Additional expense in green, cuts in red, and editorials in black.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on General Government:

• Cutting $894,868 for the Virginia Crime Commission while spending $17,280 on the “Virginia Bicentennial of the American War of 1812 Commission”. Dear Lord…
• Cutting $2,000,000 for court-appointed attorneys for juveniles.
• Cutting $6,000,000 for court-appointed attorneys for adults.
• Cutting $5,902,000 for drug courts. For information on drug courts click here.
• Spending $166,760 to convert Buckingham County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney position to full-time. Meanwhile, Caroline County, that has a population that is 66.04% more than Buckingham County, doesn’t get funding.
• Cutting $1,066,000 that would have gone to localities from the wine tax and profit from Alcoholic Beverage Control.

As they say: You get the government you deserve.

Additional expense in green, cuts in red, and editorials in black.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Public Safety:

• Cut $1,970,466 and twenty positions for probation transition specialists: Governor Kaine’s original budget stated: Adds $0.9 million the first year, $1.1 million the second year, and 10 positions each year from the general fund to improve the initial reentry of prisoners being released from prison to the Richmond and Tidewater areas.
• Cut $413,675 for habitual technical violator center: Governor Kaine’s original budget stated: Includes $0.2 million GF each year and four positions to establish a 100-bed program in one correctional center to house offenders who have violated the technical conditions of their probation or parole, but have not committed a new crime.
• Cut $1,356,915 for prison transition centers: Governor Kaine’s original budget stated: Provides $0.6 million the first year, $0.8 million the second year, and 12 positions each year from the general fund to establish three 100-bed reentry programs, one in each of three prisons. These programs will provide intensive services designed to prepare inmates to reenter society.
• Cut $2,202,202 for criminal justice academies; Department of Criminal Justice Services told to find money elsewhere: Cops need training? What, me worry?
• Cut $2,980,000 for school resource officers (SROs); Department of Criminal Justice Services told to find money elsewhere: I guess kids don’t need to be protected…
• I SEE NO FUNDING FOR THE COMPENSATION BOARD TO FUND ADDITIONAL DEPUTIES.
• And instead of creating positions for ten new State Troopers (as Kaine’s budget had done), they want the existing ones to work overtime! I’m sure that will be great for morale and safety!

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Economic Development, Agriculture & Natural Resources:

• $200,000 for “Cooperative Outdoor Advertising”.
• $450,000 for “See Virginia First” Coop. Advertising.
• $200,000 for “Coalfield’s [where?] Tourism Authority”.
• All that while cutting $1,000,000 for dam safety.

House Appropriations Subcommittee on Capital Outlay:

• $8,658,683 for the Webb Center [a student center] at Old Dominion University (ODU).
• $1,590,000 for the Yorktown Museum.
• $225,000,000 in bonds: You never have to pay those off do you?
• $40,000,000 to expand a stadium for a Division I-AA football team (James Madison University [JMU] Dukes).: Wow, priorities, priorities.
• $2,523,000 cut for money to repair and replace roofs, repair safety hazards, and remove lead pain and asbestos at the Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind at Staunton.: They’re deaf and blind, who cares, right? [note the obvious sarcasm there]
• $5,500,000 cut in funding for equipment for Academic VI and Research II at George Mason University (GMU) but $1,000,000 for an “Arts Center”.: Who needs equipment when you have “art”?
• $1,500,000 cut to equip Monroe Hall at the University of Mary Washington (UMW).: You don’t need no stinkin’ equipment.
• But they have $25,000,000 to renovate Greear Gym at the University of Virginia’s College At Wise: Money for a gym, but no money for equipment, eh?
• $27,300,000 in cuts in funding for equipment for Loudoun Phase III (Northern Va CC [Community College]), Regional Health Profession Center Phase I (Tidewater CC), Midlothian Phase II (John Tyler CC), Annandale Academic VI (Northern Va CC), Annandale Science Building (Northern Va CC), Tri-Cities Center Portsmouth (Tidewater CC).
• But they have $35,444,000 for “student center[s]” in Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, and Norfolk.
• $760,000 in cuts in funding equipment for Mallory Hall at Virginia Military Institute (VMI).
• Cut $31,000,000 in training centers for the Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation And Substance Abuse Services: So much for mental health being a high priority in the House of Delegates this year. UPDATE: Alison Hymes says (check comments) these centers are for training for people with mental retardation — I mean people that are intellectually disabled — or whatever language HB760 use.
• $2,425,000 for cabins at the Raymond R. “Andy” Guest Jr. Shenandoah River State Park: We have money for cabins, but not for mental health! but not for equipment for community colleges.

Up next: The Senate.

“Say it ain’t so!”

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Bill’s defeat irks N.Va. gas-station operators:

Legislation that gas-station operators in Northern Virginia sought for their protection survived the state Senate but was all but killed yesterday by a House of Delegates subcommittee.

One angry gasoline dealer charged that a House committee chairman intentionally torpedoed the measure by sending it to an unfriendly subcommittee, where he then cast the deciding vote against the bill.

The legislation would have given gasoline dealers the right of first refusal to buy the filling station property they operate should the major oil company from which they lease the property decide to sell it.

[…]

Lobbyists for the major oil companies, including Exxon Mobil Corp., and for Virginia gasoline distributors spoke against the bill. Some questioned whether the bill could survive a constitutional challenge.

Opponents also argued that federal law already protects dealers from having their stations sold from under them. Del. William R. Janis, R-Henrico, led the opposition to the measure in the subcommittee, accusing the dealers of trying to get the legislature to dictate the terms of their contracts with the oil companies.

But it was Del. Terry G. Kilgore, R-Scott, who cast the sixth and deciding vote against the measure, which failed 6-5. As chairman of the House Commerce and Labor Committee, Kilgore had asked the subcommittee to handle the bill. Under House rules, Kilgore is not required to have his full committee consider the bill because the subcommittee has voted it down.

But subcommittees don’t kill bills! Remember?

After the vote, Myron Boncarosky, an angry Shell dealer from the city of Fairfax, suggested Kilgore might be doing a favor for his brother, former Attorney General Jerry Kilgore, now a Richmond lawyer and a recently registered lobbyist for Shell Oil.

Terry Kilgore said he had never talked with his brother about the bill.

Of course not. Not once. Never. Ever.

A little free political advice: Terry, tell your brother to get out of lobbying if you want to be a legitimate candidate again.

Ditto to Jerry if you want to be a legitimate candidate either. Also Jerry, try not attacking someone (Kaine) on their religion (Catholicism) next time? Maybe you won’t end up losing by 5% compared to Bolling (Lieutenant Governor) and McDonnell (Attorney General) who won.