Senate endorses 24-hour
abortion delay
Anti-abortion advocates
scored a victory yesterday as the Senate passed legislation that will
impose a 24-hour waiting period on women before they can receive an
abortion, the Richmond Times-Dispatch
reported.
During this time period,
a woman would be informed of the risks, benefits and alternatives
to abortion.
The Senate's eight female
legislators voted against the measure, which passed by a 24-16 vote,
because they said it allowed government intrusion into a woman's right
to choose and it insulted women's intelligence.
"If this body were comprised
of 32 women and eight men, would this bill ever see the light of day?
I can assure you it would not," said Sen. Leslie Byrne, D-Fairfax.
This past weekend, the
House of Delegates approved identical legislation. Gov. Jim Gilmore
said he will sign the proposed legislation, which anti-abortion forces
have sought since 1979.
Gilmore clashes with Senate
over car-tax phaseout
Gov. Jim Gilmore traveled
around the commonwealth yesterday, encouraging voters to pressure
legislators to continue cutting the car tax, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch reported.
Gilmore, who won election
on a promise to eliminate the car tax, visited Roanoke, Norfolk and
Arlington County. "I ask you and urge you to contact your senators
and delegates" about the issue, he said.
The state has reduced the
car tax by 47.5 percent. Gilmore wants to reduce it by 70 percent
this year. The budget approved by the Senate
Finance Committee would cut the car tax by 50 percent.
Gilmore said the committee's
budget reneges on
the state's promise to phase out the car tax. He said it amounts to
a $264 million tax increase.
Members of the Senate Finance
Committee said they would not back down from their position. Sen.
John H. Chichester, R-Stafford, said the state can't afford the car-tax
cut because of the economy's decline. He also objected to the use
of bonds and spending cuts to fund the phaseout.
"Borrowing money to pay
for tax relief is not a canon of fiscal conservatism," said Chichester,
who is the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee. The House and
Senate are scheduled to vote tomorrow on state budgets.
House approves voter referendums
on taxes
The House of Delegates
approved legislation yesterday that will allow Virginians to vote
on financing higher education and state park projects, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch reported.
Legislators plan to borrow
about $1 million to fund these initiatives if voters give their approval.
House members also supported
a referendum that will allow Northern Virginians to vote on whether
they want to increase their region's state sales tax by one-half percentage
point.
The increased revenue will
fund transportation and education projects. Referendum supporters
said they think that it is unlikely that the Senate will give its
approval.
