Lt. Gov. Hager blocks
governor's proposed pay raise
Lt. Gov. John Hager yesterday
called Gov. Jim Gilmore’s amendment to a Senate bill providing state
workers with pay raises using pension fund monies unconstitutional,
the Associated
Press reports.
Hager arrived at his
decision to kill Gilmore’s amendment, which would have provided 3.5
percent pay raises for teachers, deputy sheriffs and other state workers,
on the grounds that it didn’t meet the state’s constitutional requirement
that a bill address one object only.
"The amendment
makes a significant departure from the original bill," Hager
told the AP. "This ruling is not about pay raises for teachers
and public employees … but I cannot come to the podium of the Senate
and do something that I consider unconstitutional."
Gilmore’s proposed
amendment served as a rider on a bill proposed by Sen. Emily Couric,
D-Charlottesville, which allows schools to employ retired teachers
without diminishing their retirement benefits.
Gilmore had issued
a statement urging the Senate members to address whatever problems
they had with his amendment by returning it to committee to correct
them, according to the AP.
"They have the
opportunity to provide pay raises right here and right now,"
he said.
The Senate refused.
Governor’s amendments
to the 21-day rule rejected
The battle between Gov.
Jim Gilmore and the Republican-held state Senate raged on yesterday
as senators voted to override all six vetoes of bills they passed
during the regular 46-day session, the AP reported.
Both the Senate and
the House of Delegates also rejected Gilmore’s amendments to legislation
allow persons convicted of serious crimes more time to produce DNA
evidence that could prove their innocence.
Both chambers voted
overwhelmingly against Gilmore’s amendments to legislation relaxing
Virginia’s 21-day deadline for reintroducing new genetic evidence.
Virginia has the nation’s most restrictive procedure for inmates attempting
to prove their innocence with new DNA evidence, according the AP report.
The Senate voted to reverse
vetoes to Virginia Beach Republican Sen. Ken Stolle’s bill to redefine
the State Crime Commission as a criminal justice agency and Fredericksburg
Sen. John Chichester’s bill allowing the Legislature to appoint five
of the 11 members of the State Council of Higher Education.
Stolle and Chichester
had led the charge against Gilmore’s continuation of the car-tax during
the regular session.
As the Senate overrode
the vetoes after many lawmakers had questioned the Governor’s rationale
behind them.
Budget impasse still haunts
lawmakers
There were signs yesterday
that pointed to renewed momentum for a special session to deal with
the state’s budget impasse, the Daily
Press reports.
Delegate Phillip Hamilton,
R-Newport News, is trying to amass support for a new budget bill.
In fact, Hamilton’s proposal has already been drafted and should be
released any day, according the Daily Press.
Hamilton said he’d
urge supporters of his bill to sign on as co-sponsors. If he has enough
signatures, then he said he would push for a budget session.
The impasse Hamilton
seeks to resolve resulted when the General Assembly adjourned Feb.
24 without reaching a state spending agreement. The deadlock was largely
fueled by disagreements over the size and scope of Gov. Jim Gilmore’s
car-tax rollback.
Gilmore was forced
to balance the budget on his own. State law, however, prohibits him
from authorizing new spending. He could only make cuts.
Northern Virginia to gain
seats through redistricting
Today the General Assembly
begins its once-every-10 year’s obligation to redraw the state’s voting
districts based on population figures from the 2000 Census.
Northern Virginia,
whose population has grown by leaps and bounds during the decades,
is expected to pick up new seats, The
Washington Post reports.
The 39th
district in Southwest Virginia will be scrapped. The new 39th
will include Fairfax and Prince William counties.
The 86th
and 88th districts, currently positioned in Norfolk, will
be moved north. The new 86th will include Loundoun and
parts of Fairfax. The new 88th will include Stafford and
Fauquier as well as portions of Spotsylvania.
Losers under the Republican-proposed
plan: the 39th’s Sen. Madison Mayre, the 86th’s
Delegate Donald William’s and the 88th’s Delegate Thomas
Moss Jr. All three are Democrats.
