Toscano update from the General Assembly - February 14, 2007
THERE ARE ISSUES OTHER THAN TRANSPORTATION —- 2 WEEKS TO GO
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY. The spectacle is worth a visit to the General Assembly. The tradition down here is for each floor in the building to compete as to who has the most distinctive Valentine’s Day decorations. So there is lots of red, pink, and lavender and no shortage of hearts and cupids. See what fun we can have around here?
The session ends on February 24 and many wonder about whether we will have a genuine transportation plan that works for all Virginia. We will know more this week but in the meantime, here is some of what has and has not been done.
First, we passed a bill designed to permit the vaccination of all young women in the state against a virus that can lead to cervical cancer. Of all the things we have done this session, this is one of the most significant. There are thousands of women who die of cervical cancer each year, and we now have a vaccine that can help prevent it. The legislation has an “opt out” provision that permits parents to decide against vaccination if they so choose.
Second, we have failed (at least temporarily) to reform payday lending in Virginia. The House initially passed a cap on Payday Loans. I had signed onto a bill that would cap the interest rate on these exorbitant loans at 36%, but all we could muster on the House floor was an amendment that would cap them at 72%. Sad but true. Upon the passage of this amendment, the patron of the bill removed the bill from the calendar, with the result that Payday Lending reform is dead, at least temporarily.
Third, we passed the Community College Transfer Act, a bill that will permit students who maintain a 3.0 GPA and intend to study in the fields of math, science, teaching, or nursing, to obtain a $2,000 yearly transfer grant to study at our universities and colleges. I am hopeful that this program will encourage students both to obtain a four year degree and to enter important fields for which we have a great demand.
Fourth, we continue to battle over social issues, winning some and losing others. We were able to defeat a bill that defined life as beginning at the moment of fertilization, a measure that would have outlawed some types of contraception while potentially creating legal rights for embryos. We failed to pass a measure I supported which stated that contraception was not abortion. And we were unable to prevent language from finding its way into the state budget that denies funding to entities doing embryonic stem cell research. Hopefully, the Senate will strike this language because the promise of stem cell research to address critical diseases likes Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s should not be denied.
Fifth, House Republicans, not wanting to give Governor Kaine a victory in his efforts to expand pre-K education, voted down his modest efforts to establish several pilot pre-K programs statewide and denied his request to establish a voluntary rating system for child care programs, largely on party line votes. They also cut Kaine’s proposal to fund water treatment initiatives for Lynchburg to limit sewage from flowing into the James and ultimately through Albemarle and Fluvanna to the Chesapeake Bay, as well as aid to the community college system and $4.1 million that was targeted to the Early Reading Initiative. We hope the Senate can restore some of these cuts, and will know in the next week or so.
Finally, we adopted a photo red bill designed to deter and catch drivers who are putting fellow citizens at risk by running red lights at dangerous intersections. One or several intersections on Rt 29 may qualify for the installation of these cameras because of their accident history.
As always, I appreciate your commentary, insight, and support. You may contact us during session by phone at (804) 698-1057, by email at david@davidtoscano.com or by mail at General Assembly Building P.O. Box 406 Richmond, VA 23218.
