Toscano Report from the General Assembly - The Veto Session and Beyond
Last week, I finally had the opportunity to experience what it must feel like to be in the majority. It was the “Veto Session,” the day when the House and the Senate consider all of the bills that the Governor has either vetoed or amended. The House considered six specific vetoes by the governor. These bills ranged from a measure that would have permitted citizens to keep a weapon in their vehicle hidden from view without the need of a concealed weapons permit so long as it was locked in a compartment, to a number of bills that would have taken away certain gubernatorial powers to appoint citizens to important state boards.
In order for a veto to be overridden, it is necessary for both the House and the Senate to vote to override by a two-thirds majority. In both the House and Senate, the Governor’s veto was sustained in every single case. The closest vote was the gun measure, where 61 House members voted to override the Governor’s veto, six votes short of what was necessary. This legislation was so expansive that it did not even enjoy the support of the National Rifle Association, but it nonetheless garnered 61 votes in the House. We were also able to protect the Governor’s ability to appoint representatives to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, (the major policy making group related to transportation policy).
There were also more than 100 bills to which the Governor submitted amendments to the language of the measures that had passed. In many cases, the language changes were technical in nature, and garnered no opposition. In other cases, however, the amendments were substantive and generated considerable discussion. One of the more interesting of these was the so-called Virginia Energy Plan (SB262), originally authored by Senator Wagner from Virginia Beach. This bill proposed the establishment of a far-reaching energy plan for the Commonwealth. While the initial legislation included a wide range of proposals supported by environmentalists, such as support of conservation and energy efficiency, it also included some fareaching changes that I and many citizens of this area oppose, including initiatives that would support drilling for oil off the shores of Virginia, and the elimination of certain local control over the siting of power plants. When the initial bill hit the house floor, I was one of 22 who opposed it because of the substantial risks that I thought it posed for the environment. The Governor then sought to amend the bill and eliminated a number of the provisions that affected environmental quality. The Governor’s amendments maintained the moratorium on offshore drilling and removed troubling language regarding the siting of nuclear power plants. It also included tax deductions for energy efficient appliances and provisions that would improve the siting of wind energy facilities. Although the bill is not perfect, it was supported by the league of conservation Voters, the major environmental lobbying group in the Commonwealth. I was pleased to join 69 other Democrats and Republicans in supporting the amended bill in the House, and it has now been passed.
Following a long day of voting on these numerous vetoes and amendments, we adjourned for 10 minutes, and then reconvened in our “Special Session on Transportation.” As has been the case in recent weeks, this Special Session was short and accomplished very little. The House Republican Caucus and the Senate are totally in deadlock, with few proposals now on the table to break the log jam. My crystal ball says that we are likely to see some movement for the creation of transportation authorities in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads, but it is not clear how much power they will have to raise revenue and therefore help address transportation problems in their areas. Focusing on just these two areas risks overlooking critical needs in other areas of the Commonwealth. As has been the case from the beginning, the Senate and the Governor, as well as a number of us House Democrats, take the position that to solve our transportation problems, we will need a long term reliable source of revenue, independent of the general fund for transportation construction and maintenance. If these monies are not forthcoming, the Commonwealth will not be able to access Federal matching monies for urban transit, construction, and maintenance by the year 2011. If you think gridlock is with us in Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads now, wait until you see it five years out.
On a personal note, all of the bills that I patroned and were passed by the House and Senate, have now been signed into law. We return to Richmond on Thursday for a continuation of the special session. As always, I appreciate hearing from you.
