GA working on several major bills

Edd Houck
Published: March 4, 2008

As I write, we are in the final days of the 2008 General Assembly session. With the standing committees finalizing their work, legislators now turn their focus to bills passed by both houses and currently in conference committee.  Several bills to be resolved this week include:

2008-2010 biennial budget: For the General Assembly to conclude its work by the March 8 deadline, the Budget Conference Committee, on which I serve as a member, must reconcile the differences between the House and Senate budgets. The conference report must be presented to both houses for its consideration. As of this writing, the committee has worked to resolve the conflicting views on vital issues to the commonwealth.

Several issues of discussion included, but are not limited to:
nAmount of withdrawal from the state's rainy-day fund.
nFunding for direct aid to localities for public education.
nA bond initiative for capital projects at higher education institutions, prisons, and mental health facilities.

Abusive driver fee repeal: The House of Delegates is debating the merits of my bill repealing the abusive driver fee system. Despite its projections of $65 million in additional transportation revenues by FY 2010, only $4 million has been collected statewide thus far. Public sentiment opposes the statute calling for its full repeal. If this bill is passed by both houses, it will be come effective immediately upon Gov. Kaine's signature.

Judicial appointments: This week, the Senate and House Courts of Justice committees met jointly to interview candidates to fill judicial vacancies. In the 17th District, there are several vacancies including an open seat in the 16th Circuit Court.

Judge John Cullen is retiring after many years of outstanding service to our area. I will work with local bar associations and Republicans and Democrats from both houses to find a qualified and experienced candidate for this position.

Next week, my staff and I will return to our district office located in Spotsylvania.  Throughout the year, we are available to provide assistance. I look forward to hearing from you.

Edd Houck represents Culpeper and District 17 in the Virginia Senate. He can be reached at (804) 698-7517 or .