Warner would freeze car-tax
cut, wages to balance budget
To plug a multibillion-dollar
hole in the state budget, Gov. Mark Warner on Tuesday proposed postponing
the phaseout of Virginia's car tax. He also would take back a 2 percent
pay raise that state employees expected to get this year.
Warner blamed the budget
crisis on the economic downturn. "Those go-go times didn't last
forever," he said, according to The
Free Lance-Star in Fredericksburg.
Many state agencies, such
as the Virginia Department of Health, are expected to lay off workers.
Other state services may also be limited and state college tuition
will increase by 5 percent.
In some respects, Warner's
budget cuts were not as severe as the reductions proposed by his predecessor,
Jim Gilmore.
According to The
Washington Post, Warner restored about half of the school construction
money Gilmore proposed cutting -- about $55 million. He also budgeted
$2.7 million to give some teachers bonuses for winning national certification.
Health programs must economize
and find other funding
Virginia's health programs
must brace for changes because of the budget problems, Jane Woods,
the state's chief health-policy officer, said Tuesday.
"The budget crunch
and crisis is severe enough that some programs that have been very
helpful are going to have to work with us to find new resources,"
said Woods, the secretary of health and human resources.
She said health and welfare
programs must look for private dollars to fill the budget gaps. She
made her remarks to House committees, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch reported.
Woods suggested at least
two options to deal with the shortfall in the state budget:
- Merging programs that
provide overlapping services.
- Finding more foundation
and grant money for programs.
Senate bans open containers
of alcohol from vehicles
The Senate on Tuesday
passed a bill that would make it illegal for passengers in a vehicle
to have an open container of an alcoholic beverage, The
Virginian-Pilot reported.
But the legislation
faces an uphill fight in the House of Delegates. Last week, a House
committee killed a similar proposal.
Supporters say the bill
would help curb drunken driving. But opponents say it would punish
people for innocent activities.
The fine for violating
the law would be $25.
