The General Assembly has passed the half-way point for this session. It is always a particularly hectic time as both the House and the Senate meet in marathon sessions to complete action on bills before they are sent to the other body for consideration. This year the House had its traditional Saturday work session to ensure deadlines would be met and on Monday the House acted on 300 bills during an 8 hour floor session. Of the close to 2,000 bills initially before the House of Delegates less than 1,000 survived the committee and floor process and passed the House heading for the next step—consideration by the Senate. Conversely, the Senate has sent to the House 700+ bills and that will be our primary focus for the remainder of our time in Richmond.

This bill cross-over time provides a chance to assess what we have accomplished and what is still before us. For the past several years I have initiated legislation to bring parity to retired teachers. Retired state employees are eligible for a $4 monthly credit for health insurance, but retired teachers receive only a $2.50 monthly credit for each full year of service. The House of Delegates passed the bill that raises the monthly credit to $4 with a cap of $120 per month. There is, in my view, no reason to treat retired teachers differently than state employees. In many rural areas, the school system in the largest employer and the welfare of teachers is of paramount concern to families and businesses alike. The bill will face scrutiny in the Senate where it will be debated in the Finance Committee.

I was pleased the House endorsed by a wide margin a measure that provides $2,000 grants to Community College students who go on to 4-year institutions in Virginia. The transfer grants will be available for students who earn a 3.0 grade point or higher.

Clean air and smoking restrictions passed through both the House and the Senate. The House bill reverses the current practice of restaurants advertising no smoking sections by requiring establishments to provide public notice that they allow smoking. The Senate is sending to the House a bill that broadens smoking restrictions to prohibit smoking indoors in most buildings or enclosed areas including but not limited to: daycare centers, public areas of motels, hotels, restaurants, malls and recreational facilities.

The House addressed a measure that will consolidate Waste Management and Water and Air Pollution Control Boards into one Board with authority to adopt regulations. Authorization to issue licenses and permits will fall within the supervision of the Department of Environmental Quality. The motivation for the sweeping change is to streamline the process so businesses and organizations do not have to maneuver through cumbersome and in some cases redundant routes to secure required permits and approvals. Although there is a similar bill coming from the Senate, the House version opted to look more closely at the ramifications of the reorganization and the bill must be reaffirmed in the 2008 session of the General Assembly.

The House unanimously approved a resolution expressing “profound regret” for Virginia’s role in the slave trade. The measure is actually one of several that lawmakers are considering prior to the 400 th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, and includes statements of “egregious wrongs” to Native Americans. The measure puts Virginia in the forefront of offering remorse for earlier acts of discrimination.

There are still huge issues looming ahead. The House will consider a reform bill for the payday lending industry. We will have before us “Abraham’s Law” which addresses the rights of parents in making medical decisions for ill children. And, of course, we must still address comprehensive, long range funding for transportation in the Commonwealth. The House of Delegates passed a comprehensive plan that covers many of the crucial state needs, but it still eliminates general fund programs to pay for roads—a shortsighted, ill conceived scheme in my view.

I hope if you have questions or concerns about legislation mentioned in this column, or any legislative matter, you will not hesitate to contact me at any of the following addresses. And, I invite you to visit me in Richmond to discuss local or legislative issues of importance to you.