Bills target child-restraint
violations, residential speeding
Think twice before speeding
through residential neighborhoods or neglecting to buckle up young
passengers in your car.
Violators of such laws
would face mandatory $100 fines under two bills pending in the General
Assembly.
>>> Read the full
story by Geoffrey Rowland.
'In God We Trust': Is
the motto patriotism or religion?
Two key House committees
last month approved a bill to require all public schools in Virginia
to prominently post the national motto, "In God We Trust,"
for all students to read.
The bill was opposed by
a University of Richmond religion professor, who called it "a
blatant endorsement of a theological position."
>>> Read the full
story by Sharon Ramos.
A bill and the Pill: Panel
OK's 'back-up birth control'
A Senate committee yesterday
approved a bill making emergency contraception easier to obtain. A
related bill, however, was delayed in the House, the Richmond
Times-Dispatch reported.
The Senate Education and
Health Committee voted 11-3 in favor of the bill, proposed by Sen.
Warren E. Barry, R-Fairfax, and it now moves to the Senate floor.
The House Health, Welfare and Institutions Committee delayed voting
on a similar proposal.
Speakers moved from one
meeting to the other testifying about the bill, which would allow
pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants and doctors
to dispense the pills without a doctor’s prescription and from the
doctor’s offices. Currently, women must first obtain a doctor’s prescription
and then go to a pharmacy.
The pill prevents pregnancy
and is 95 percent effective if taken within the first 24 hours, said
Dr. Wendy S. Klein, an associate professor of medicine at VCU.
However, opponents said
they believe the contraceptive is really a chemical abortion.
Last year, similar legislation
survived through final votes of the House and Senate but died in a
conference committee.
Begging for bucks: Lawmakers
make pleas for money
The General Assembly's
annual "beg-a-thon," in which dozens of legislators parade
before the House and Senate money committees, is set to end today.
Legislators gather to ask
for money for "anything from a museum back home to raises for
state employees," the Lynchburg News
& Advance reported.
This year, 1,198 budget
amendments have been submitted, down from last year’s 1,589. Gov.
Mark Warner alone submitted 262.
House members’ requests
totaled $4.6 billion. The state, however, is facing a projected $3.5
billion deficit through 2004. Accordingly, most of the amendments
will graciously be dismissed.
House panel paves way
for trucker-toll bill
A bill to allow the collection
of tolls on trucks to fund the widening of Interstate 81 advanced
yesterday.
The House Transportation
Committee unanimously approved legislation amending the Virginia Public-Private
Transportation Act, The
Roanoke Times reported. The act allows private companies and the
state government "to share financing to speed up road construction."
The amendment follows a
recently announced plan to widen all 325 miles of Interstate 81 to
eight lanes, reserving four lanes for trucks. The project would be
funded through tolls and public funds already marked for I-81 improvements.
Proponents say the bill,
sponsored by Delegate Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, and Sen. Malfourd
W. Trumbo, R-Fincastle, is essential to cover the cost of construction
and maintenance for the project.
Opponents questioned the
fairness of levying tolls on trucks and letting cars travel free.
