Putting the brakes on
late-night cruising
By Ty Bowers
and Jessica Brown
Capital News
Service
In a 51-47 vote, the Virginia
House of Delegates yesterday passed a bill that sets a curfew for
teen drivers.
The bill would prohibit
people under the age of 18 from driving on state roadways between
midnight and 5 a.m. unless:
The bill drew opposition
from both sides of the aisle. Republican Delegates Jack Reid of Henrico
County and Leo Wardrup Jr. of Virginia Beach joined Jackie Stump,
D-Buchanan, in voicing their disapproval of the measure.
The proposal now vies for
Senate approval. Given the close
vote in the House, its future is uncertain.
"I'm not sure that bill's
going to make it through the Senate," said Delegate Jay DeBoer, D-Petersburg,
who voted for the measure.
Trouble for Gilmore's
car-tax cut
State revenue growth has
slowed to 0.2 percent, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch reports, creating less than desirable circumstances
for Gov. James Gilmore's plans to increase his proposed car-tax cut
to 70 percent.
The news prompted Sen.
John H. Chichester, R-Stafford, to suggest freezing for at least
a year the Republican governor's plans to expand the tax cut. Chichester's
comments provided further evidence that the fight over the state's
budget could be a contentious one this year.
Hager, Earley play catch-up
in fundraising
The Republican gubernatorial
candidates - Lt. Gov. John H. Hager and Attorney General Mark L. Earley
- are more than $3 million behind Democratic candidate Mark Warner
in their fund-raising efforts, according to an Associated Press story
in the Newport News Daily Press.
The Northern Virginia telecommunications
magnate running unopposed in the June 12 Democratic primary raised
$4 million last year. Most of the money flowed in from Nov. 8 to Dec.
21.
Earley and Hager each
raised about $1 million last year. During the second half of 2000,
Earley received about $745,000 and Hager $532,000.
"We never expected to be
able to out-raise Mark Warner," Ed Matricardi, executive director
of the Virginia Republican Party, told the AP.
