The General Assembly is still on course to adjourn at the end of February. Of the 3,000 bills we faced in early January, the House of Delegates has passed over 1200 pieces of legislation. I want to take a moment to look at three.

The minimum wage, generally perceived as a federal issue, has been a hot topic in the legislature this session. The Virginia bills are a result of the federal government refusing to raise the minimum wage—currently well below a wage that could sustain a couple, let alone a family—during the past ten years. Very few job categories, including Congressional salaries, have been without an increase during that time. In Virginia, 150,000 workers earn the minimum wage with 35% the sole family earners and 61% of them women. While there is an indication that Congress is finally beginning the work of raising the long stagnant wage, the deliberations and posturing could still takes months, if not years.

Nine House bills and three Senate bills were originally introduced—only two survived. The first merely removes the exemption for employees over 65 years of age from the minimum wage act. That bill passed both the House and the Senate without opposition. The remaining bill increases the minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.50 effective July 1, 2007. The act will expire if the federal minimum wage equals or exceeds $6.50. This isn’t, or shouldn’t be a partisan issue, but all the minimum wage proposals were initiated by Democrats. I am pleased the one bill that boosts the wage came out of committee on a non partisan vote—13/9.

There are still obstacles ahead for the bill and I anticipate maneuvering to defeat the measure before we adjourn in late February, but at this point both the Virginia House and Senate have given tentative approval. Virginia ranks 7 th in per capita income and it is our responsibility to bring equity and opportunity to those striving at the lower end of the economic scale.

I am also pleased that a photo red provision passed both the House and Senate. Several localities in the Tidewater and Northern Virginia areas had earlier implemented red light cameras at busy intersections to enforce an almost epidemic level of drivers running red lights, but in 2005 the General Assembly dismantled the program. This year the use of red light cameras, which enjoys broad public support, was reinstated with certain restrictions. The town of Blacksburg was an early advocate for a photo monitoring program and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has been instrumental in testing and refining the technology. There is certainly ample evidence that red light running and, more importantly, accidents are curtailed when the cameras are in effect. I support the authority for localities to install the system at appropriate intersections.

Although we have only a few bills that directly address untangling the transportation crisis threatening the state, the issue dominates debate and action. Money questions are weighed against transportation demands; traffic, land use, licenses and regulation proposals are seen in terms of reducing gridlock. I am still confident we will find a balance with the diverse pieces within the plans being considered.

I am, however, concerned about a proposal to establish a process for slot machine horse race wagering to pay for road maintenance. At this point I oppose the concept for three reasons. First, it promises huge profits for the betting industry. Second, dependence on the wide fluctuations of gambling revenues actually adds to the potential instability of long term transportation funding. Third, I have long believed that transportation must be sustained by those who actually use the roads and I have serious reservations about using gambling money, which has nothing to do with driving, as a benefit for state road coffers.

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.