Inactive voters would
count, too, under House bill
Inactive voters may be
receiving notices in the mail of precinct and polling places changes
from their local registrar, according to The
Virginian-Pilot.
That is the effect of
a bill that the House passed Wednesday on a 59-39 vote. The proposal
is scheduled to be heard in the Senate today.
Voters can be declared
inactive by failing to respond to a request for a new address, argued
opponents of the bill. Often times, requests are lost in the mail.
Move boosts odds for abortion
waiting period
During a tense meeting
yesterday, the Senate Rules Committee exercised a little-used bylaw
in hopes of ensuring the passage of a bill that would require a 24-hour
waiting period before a woman can seek an abortion, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch reported today.
The Senate clerk had assigned
the bill to the Senate Education and Health Committee, which has blocked
such legislation in previous years.
The clerk's assignment
was overturned by the Rules Committee using a rare strategic maneuver.
The bill will now be heard in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee,
where it is almost certain to pass.
"I thought they would have
had more respect for the legislative process," said Ben Greenberg,
lobbyist for Planned Parenthood, who will continue to fight the issue.
House resolution supports
Electoral College
The House of Delegates
voted yesterday on two bills in direct response to the hotly contested
presidential election, the Daily
Press of Newport News reported.
The first bill, passed
on a voice vote, requires members of Virginia's Electoral College
to vote for presidential and vice presidential candidates of the political
party that chose them as electors.
The second bill, which
is a response to calls for the abolishment of the Electoral College,
is a resolution supporting the Electoral College and was passed 79-13.
"An elector in some future
election could be persuaded to switch sides in exchange for a political
favor," said Delegate Vincent F. Callahan, R-Fairfax. "We need this
in the law because someday somebody's going to make somebody an offer
they can't refuse."
Senate mourns death of
member's wife
Sen. Charles Calgan returned
to his seat yesterday after several days' absence due to the death
of his wife, Agnes, of 52 years, the Daily
Press reported.
"When you get home, give
you husband or wife a great big hug or a kiss and let them know how
much they mean to you," Calgan said as tears ran down his face. "You'll
be thankful someday that you did."
