Newsletter

January 29, 2006

Dear friends:

Seven-West/Wild West –

The offices in my corner of the 7th floor of the General Assembly Building (or “Seven-West,” as the area is called after the designation of the adjacent conference room) have become a kind of enclave for Northern Virginia members.  Next to me is Brian Moran of Alexandria, followed by Mark Sickles of Franconia, Kris Amundson of Mount Vernon, Adam Ebbin of Alexandria/Arlington/Fairfax, and David Englin of Alexandria/Arlington/Fairfax.  (We’ve also conferred Honorary Area Code 703 status on the next member in line, Paula Miller of Norfolk.)

Last week, Seven-West briefly turned into the Wild West.  It seems that some of our non-NOVA neighbors carry concealed handguns.  On Thursday, one of them – a Delegate from the Richmond suburb of Henrico County – was trying to unload his gun and store it in his desk drawer when the gun went off.  Freakishly, the bullet hit a bulletproof vest that was hanging in this Delegate’s office.  (I’m certain you may be wondering how a bulletproof vest came to be hanging in his office.  Seems it was given to him as a gag gift by his local police department.  Me, I’m hoping the Arlington police will give me a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.)

This bizarre incident made a lot of people stop and consider just how safe we and our constituents are in the halls of the Capitol.  If it hadn’t been stopped by the gag-gift vest, the bullet easily could have penetrated a hollow-core door that opens to the area where secretaries and visitors congregate.  Under current law, anyone with a concealed-weapon permit can come into this building anytime carrying a gun.  The law prevents people with permits from carrying concealed weapons in courthouses and bars.  It should be extended to the GAB and the Capitol, as well as other crowded places.  But I’m not expecting that to happen soon.  Rather, gun issues in Virginia are a matter of safeguarding existing common-sense regulations from erosion – like this year’s proposal that would prohibit college and university administrators from restricting concealed weapons on their campuses.  

Legislation:  The Flood Crests --

Two thousand, seven hundred, sixty-three bills and joint resolutions…and counting: that’s the total number of pieces of legislation that had been submitted in the House as of Friday afternoon.  That should be it for this session, unless the Governor offers additional legislation before the end of our 60 days.  While there are deadlines placed on introduction of legislation by members of the House and Senate, His Excellency the Governor can put a new ball into play any time he wants to during the session.

A quick way to get an overview of what members consider important is to tally up the committees to which various bills have been referred.   Courts of Justice, one of my former committees, leads the pack with 313 bills, and the least number, 19 bills, have been referred to another of my old committees, Science and Technology.  Transportation is just behind Courts, with 217 bills and Education is about midway down the list with 117.  My current committee, Privileges and Elections, will be dealing with 66 bills and the Appropriations Committee, with 105.  The bulk of Appropriations’ work, though, will be on HB 30 – the budget bill – and the myriad of proposed amendments to the budget that members have filed.

The Budget: Big Casino –

On Wednesday, nearly 1,800 budget amendments were posted with Legislative Services.  This is the largest number since 2000, when last we had enough money in the state coffers to consider anything but bare essentials.  Most of the proposals call for additional funds for a specific agency or program; some are “language amendments” that would direct an agency to take some action.  The amendments will be referred to the nine standing subcommittees which will thoroughly review them.  I will be looking at amendments that are sent to Health and Human Resources, and Capital Outlay. 

For the most part, subcommittees are the authoritative voice on policy and funding decisions on the budget.  Subcommittee recommendations are almost never rejected or even significantly altered, but are adopted by the full committee.  The amended Governor’s Budget becomes the Budget Bill that will be reported to the full House later in the session.

The Budget Bill is considered on the House floor under the one objection rule.  This means the bill, with its proposed amendments, is adopted as a block except for specific amendments that members object to and ask to be considered separately.  After debate and approval by the respective chambers, the House Budget bill will be transmitted to the Senate and the Senate Budget bill will be sent to the House.   By custom, the Senate rejects the House Budget, setting up the appointment of a Conference Committee, which is generally composed of four senior members of the Senate Finance Committee and four members from the House Appropriations Committee.  Their charge is to resolve the differences between the two budgets and come up with a compromise.  This takes roughly two weeks.  The Conference Committee Report is sent back to both bodies who must accept or reject it in its entirety. This document cannot be amended.

If passed, the budget will be sent to the desk of the Governor, who has the power to sign it, to amend it, or to veto it.  Any changes he might make must be addressed about six weeks later when the General Assembly reconvenes to consider the Governor’s actions.

Now, is that more than you ever wanted to know about the budget process?  It’s only the tip of the iceberg, I’m learning.

Potomac Games on the James – 

 There is a new twist in the confirmation of Governor Kaine’s Cabinet secretaries.  All of his appointees have taken office and are carrying out their duties; however, they still must be confirmed by the General Assembly.   Previously, it was an informal, easygoing process in which each secretary would appear before a House Committee, make a statement and answer questions.

The House majority now insists that the Governor’s secretaries be sworn in when they are interviewed and that a court reporter transcribe their remarks.  The House Majority Leader said that the new procedure was an effort to restore “the balance of power" between the legislative and executive branches.  Others suggested that the motive was more political than institutional: to play “gotcha” with the appointees of a Governor of the opposite party.  This notion was reinforced when the Majority Leader said the sessions were to be recorded in the event there was a discrepancy between what committee members thought they heard and what the secretary-designate replied.  Whatever the rationale, many of us hope that this doesn’t portend a shift toward D.C.-style politics of constant confrontation and perpetual partisanship.  For one thing, this part-time, citizen legislature just doesn’t have the time to waste on political gamesmanship that they do up on the Potomac.

Wings --

At the Northern Virginia Delegation meeting, we heard a different kind of transportation presentation from a group called The Discovery of Flight Foundation.  Foundation members are asking for support from the delegation for a budget amendment funding “The Spirit of ’08: Celebrating a Century of Innovation in Virginia, 1908-2008.”

On September 9, 1908, Orville Wright made the first public demonstration of a practical flight when he took off from Fort Myer (now in the center of my district), circling the field for over an hour and flying at least 45 miles before landing.  A month earlier in Le Mans, France, Wilbur Wright had accomplished the same feat in an aeronautical competition against the French, flying 124 kilometers before a disbelieving European press and public. 

The goal of the Foundation project is to reproduce faithfully and accurately the Wright Model A Flyer as flown by Orville Wright in 1908 for celebratory events in 2008.   In addition to educational programs that are planned as part of the construction and flight demonstrations, arrangements have been made to exhibit the plane with the National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly from 2008 to 2009, and then permanently at the National Museum of the United States Army at Fort Belvoir.

In addition, the Model A Flyer flown by Wilbur in France will be built and donated to the French people as a gesture of goodwill and recognition for their early support of the Wright Brothers’ efforts.

Merci,

Bob Brink signature

Bob Brink