The 2005 session of the General Assembly is drawing to a close with a lack of the rancor and disarray that symbolized the 2004 session. We will be only days from adjournment when you read this newsletter. The outcome of some of the most controversial measures will remain in question until the final hours, but for the most part, legislation has been dispatched fairly orderly.

I am pleased that two measures for Craig County have passed both the House and Senate. The town of New Castle contacted my office with a request for a charter change that would allow the town to hold council elections every four years, instead of the two year cycle now utilized. As a Dillon Rule state, the legislature must approve any change in a town charter. The House of Delegates is up for election every two years, and I am well aware of the time and expense it takes to organize and implement the election cycle. This change will facilitate the process for New Castle.

The Craig County Board of Supervisors contacted me to bring before the legislature a request to implement a transient occupancy tax that would provide revenue from tourists and visitors staying in the County. Some members in the House of Delegates took a “no new taxes, period” stance and opposed the measure, but with some legislative maneuvering I was able to get it through both the House and the Senate and on to the Governor for final approval.

I am chagrined to report that, after shepherding it through the House, my proposal to increase the retired teacher health credit was defeated in a Senate committee. The bill would have provided equity for retired teachers, who now receive a lower credit than that provided to state retirees in general. I believe it is poor stewardship to provide different benefits to employees, especially since retired teachers are required to be covered under the Virginia Retirement System.

I am also disappointed that after the initial hype that this session would be the “Transportation Session,” the General Assembly appears poised to adjourn without significant progress in transportation. There have been numerous speeches on the floor of the House praising members of the body for tackling the state’s transportation needs, but little evidence of leadership or accomplishment in addressing growing problems. There is only a paltry amount earmarked in the budget and fewer bills surviving in the legislature that actually look at the gridlock crisis in our urban areas, the dangerous congestion on I-81 or make any kind of serious commitment to alternative transportation methods. Based on the slower pace of the General Assembly as we move into the final days, there has clearly been time to address the issue, but an unwillingness to open up the subject to acknowledge not millions—but the billions of dollars that will be required before any long term solution will surface. This is an election year and I suspect you will hear plenty this fall about transportation, with a promise for a comprehensive transportation package from a new governor and both chambers of the General Assembly. I am confident that when the election is over, the 2006 session will bring forth some critical transportation initiatives and reforms. The General Assembly always addresses the needs of the day, but our real strength comes with preparing for a future that will be the kind we want to leave our children and those Virginians who come after.

I mentioned that this session has been free of the infighting and grandstanding that was far too prevalent last year, but there has, in my view, been an ominous divisive tone creeping into some legislative initiatives. Passionate disagreement about general issues—taxes, abortion or guns--has always been a cornerstone of democratic principles. The legislative process attempts to find consensus within the turmoil surrounding the issue. This year, however, there appears to be a growing number of punitive legislative initiatives that focus less on a problem and more on specific groups, creating a separation between “them” and “us.” Bills this year have attempted to legally punish young people for inappropriate dress, restrict rights for gay citizens, curtail educational opportunities for the children of illegal aliens, strengthen employer positions against some workers’ claims, remove driving privileges for non-English speaking persons, structure a two-tiered classification for state employees, and equate the use of contraception as abortion. Many of the bills have been defeated, but not before they received significant support in committee or on the floor of one legislative chamber.

This is not a new strategy in government and we can point to many periods in history when, out of fear of change or loss of power, government has opted to divide and malign. We live in confusing times with problems that on the surface may beg for quick answers or seek to blame the most visible outsider. Those choices have not resulted in effective long term solutions or a cohesive sense of community pride. I offer these thoughts as we prepare for final budget negotiations between the House and Senate that will, I believe, be based on compromise and cooperation while laying a foundation for how the legislature can better serve the commonwealth and its entire people.