Jim Shuler’s Legislative Report 2-3-01

Constituent Matters

As you read this, the General Assembly will have reached the half way point and the House of Delegates will have completed its busiest week of the session.Close to 1,700 bills and resolutions were initially introduced by members of the House. Every one of those measures must be heard and acted upon--either passed, defeated or continued to a later session--by midnight, Tuesday, February 6th. The quick term is “crossover” because at this point the bills cross from one side of the legislature, and literally from one side of the building, to the other.After the dust settles, somewhere between 50-60% of the introduced bills will have been defeated, usually in the committees, and the remainder are sent on for further scrutiny in the other Chamber.

Often the more controversial bills, that naturally require more time for contemplation, are pushed back toward the final days just preceding the crossover deadline, so this week just past has been a flurry of committee meetings, prolonged debate, a bit of parliamentary maneuvering, and some close votes.

I thought I would use my column this week to share the results of the legislation that was the focus of many contacts from my constituents. It might surprise you to learn what issues have aroused the most constituent mail and comments. Many of my constituents will be happy that the Committee on the Chesapeake and its Tributaries tabled a bill that would have diverted funds initially earmarked for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to the Marine Patrols Fund.I heard from many avid hunters in the New River Valley expressing concerned about losing money promised to the Game Protection Fund to programs that only serve saltwater fishing on the Eastern Shore.By tabling the measure, the Committee chose to take no action on the bill during this session, although they may study the issue further and revisit the idea next session.

On the other side, many constituents who contacted my office requesting support for a licensure process for midwives will be disappointed to learn their bill was defeated in the Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee. The Medical Society and the Dept. of Health raised questions about the health and safety components of the legislation.

I also received a number of calls and messages about legislation addressing the death penalty.There were several bills ranging from the abolition of the death penalty to a moratorium on the death penalty pending investigation of Virginia statistics and demographic data.All of the House death penalty bills were defeated 7-5 in a subcommittee of the Courts of Justice Committee.I am not a member of any of the committees hearing the above bills, so I did not hear the discussions, nor have an opportunity to vote on the measures.But the bills were tagged on my “watch list” had any of measures actually reached the floor of the House of Delegates.

One of the more difficult challenges of being a Delegate is balancing issues when constituents contact my office with opposing views. That was the case on a bill that would have provided state income tax credits for parents of children in private or home schools. I heard from parents and educators on both sides of this debate. The issue is one of ensuring adequate funding for public schools, while protecting the rights and options for those families that choose private education. The tax credit measure before the General Assembly was amended on the floor of the House to provide academic parity in cases where tax credits were utilized for private or home school settings.After a lively debate, but prior to a final vote, the chief patron of the bill elected to strike the bill rather than go forward with provisions that he felt changed the significance of the legislation. The Standards Of Learning tests were once again an issue before the General Assembly.Parents and educators contacted my office troubled by the requirement that all students must successfully pass the SOLs in order to graduate. Concerns were raised about those students who traditionally do well with class work and grades but do not score well on standardized tests.The rigid policy penalized students rather than taking a broader approach to their academic achievement. The House of Delegates passed a formula that allows school districts to include the margin of error from the SOL tests in those cases where students have otherwise done passing work.

With the surge in gas prices and the news of skyrocketing electric rates in California, the deregulation of electricity took center stage in the House of Delegates.Numerous constituents called and wrote with inquiries about a bill that would have delayed the timetable on deregulation in Virginia. Unlike most constituent responses urging a yes or no vote, many of the comments merely requested that I listen closely and ponder the details of the bill to determine if I thought waiting would be good for our area. The bill was heard in the Committee on Corporations, Insurance and Banking, of which I am a member.Initial debates about deregulation began in 1997 and legislation was adopted in 1998, which I opposed, that structured a schedule for deregulation.The bill proposing the delay was strongly opposed by utility companies, in part because they have begun implementing the time line originally signed into law. They presented evidence of their work over the past three years to create electrical generation that will ensure the anticipated supply will be available in the future—a strategy that California did not do when it opted to deregulate power.In the end the bill was soundly defeated. I believe, however, through the discussion of this bill, the voice of caution was raised letting those going forward with the process know that the Virginia General Assembly expects deregulation to be accomplished with the best interests of the future of Virginia in mind.

While I receive a great many letters, calls, faxes and e-mails, it is always a treat to have folks from New River Valley travel to Richmond so I have a chance to talk with them personally about their legislative or local concerns. This week the list of visitors included representatives from the hospitals in the New River Valley here to discuss proposed changes in how the state delivers hospital and clinical services. I also met with community leaders in support of the creation of a public defender’s office for Montgomery County.I was also very pleased for the opportunity to talk with members of the Giles County Board of Supervisors and the new County Administrator, John Talbott, along with representatives from the Towns of Blacksburg, Christiansburg and Board of Supervisors in Montgomery County. I know the trip from the New River Valley is not an easy or quick one, which makes me all the more grateful for the effort. These visits provide a way to have a direct dialogue about how the bills we consider will actually affect the citizens they are meant to reach.

As usual, 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 Richmond addresses.

Jim Shuler’s Legislative telephone 804-698-1012
Jim Shuler’s Legislative fax 804-786-6310
Constituent Hotline 800-889-0229
Richmond e-mail address Del_Shuler@house.state.va.us