General Assembly Roundup: Week Three

Five bill proposals from the state senators representing Oakton passed through their own chamber last week and await consideration from the House of Delegates.

The General Assembly begins its fourth week of the 60-day legislative session today.

Sen. Chap Petersen

The Senate approved a bill that would allow hunting Sundays on private property (SB 464) with a 29-11 vote. The legislation, which had Sen. Chap Petersen's bill (SB 173) on the issue rolled into it, was introduced by Sen. Ralph Northam (D-6th District).

Petersen (D-34th District) had another victory on the Senate floor when his proposal that would require state buildings to follow Virginia Energy Conservation and Environmental Standards (SB 160) passed on a 26-14 vote.

Petersen told Patch before the session he had introduced a similar bill last year — which passed the Senate, but failed in the Republican-dominated House of Delegates — but would re-introduce it this year using the term "cost-effective" rather than "green" to avoid partisan pushback. The General Laws and Technology Committee sent the bill to the floor with an amendment that would change "cost-effective" to "high performance," which the Senate rejected.

Both bills await a decision in the House of Delegates.

But Petersen also saw some of his bill proposals delayed until the next legislative session.

Petersen proposed a bill that would prohibit using closed-circuit cameras in schools to monitor student conduct, with the exception of doing so to protect the physical safety of students. The Education Committee voted unanimously to continue the bill until 2013.

In an Oct. 2 post on his Ox Road South blog, Petersen posted his opinions about the discussion among the Fairfax County School Board members to allow interior surveillance cameras in schools, .

"If there is a consistent problem with discipline at lunch or elsewhere, then deal with it the old-fashioned way — have school staff eat lunch in the cafeteria and monitor the students first-hand," Petersen wrote. "There is no need to spend thousands of dollars on a wiring the school so students can be furtively watched from all angles."

Legislation that would reallocate seats on the Commonwealth Transportation Board to align with the current congressional districts rather than the current allocation based congressional lines determined in the 1930s.

"Since those are redrawn after every census, the CTB would reflect current demographics. That's imperative," Petersen wrote in a statement last week.

The Transportation Committee delayed decision until 2013 while the new congressional districts are being set this year, which Petersen saw as a slight shift in the right direction because the committee did not decide to kill the bill altogether.

Sen. Janet Howell

Sen. Janet Howell (D-32nd District) saw three pieces of legislation pass without any opposition on the Senate floor.

One would adjust provisions pertaining to protective orders issued by a juvenile and domestic relations district court (SB 300).

According to the proposal, the changes would:

• clarify "only violations related to trespass, criminal offenses, acts of abuse, or prohibited contacts are Class 1 misdemeanors"
• clarify "juvenile and domestic relations district courts have jurisdiction over all protective orders that involve juveniles, whether as petitioner or as respondent"
• allow "judges to prohibit contact between the respondent and the petitioner's family"

Howell also saw the Senate pass her proposed legislation requiring each commonwealth attorney to invite any chiefs of campus police located within the jurisdiction to the annual Sexual Assault Response Team meeting (SB 301).

The third authorizes license plates for Reston that include the legend "LIVE WORK PLAY" (SB 93).

All three bills await action in the House of Delegates.

House of Delegates

While legislation from Del. Ken Plum (D-36th District) has so far sat idly in committee, some proposals from Dels. Mark Keam (D-35th District) and Jim LeMunyon (R-67th District) have been considered — and most failed — in committees.

Keam saw three bills effectively killed in committee.

One would have allowed temporary registration of overweight and oversize vehicles and assigns fees based on the amount that a vehicle is overweight or oversize (HB 1038). Another would have reduced the time limit on the duration of building permits from three years to two years (HB 1045).

The Criminal Subcommittee delayed indefinitely Keam's bill proposal that would require Miranda rights be read in the arrestee's native language (HB 1048).

Keam also signed on as a copatron to LeMunyon's resolution that urged political robocalls to citizens who have signed up on political do not contact lists (HR 9). The bill died in the Campaign Finance Committee.

"Unfortunately, the resolution failed in committee, but I have registered with the National Do Not Call Registry and plan to utilize it," LeMunyon wrote in a statement.

LeMunyon proposed another bill pertaining to elections, asking for party identification of candidates to be included on the ballot (HB 622), but the Constitutional Amendments Subcommittee tabled it.

He also introduced a bill that increased the fee for advertising within the limits of the highway to $250, but the Transportation Committee tabled it (HB 616).

Like Petersen, LeMunyon saw his proposal for a change in the Commonwealth Transportation Board composition fail in committee (HB 600).

He also saw his version for a repeal of the "Kings Dominion Law," which prohibits school divisions from beginning the school year before Labor Day without a waiver, die in committee (HB 602). But hope for a repeal is still alive.

The Teachers and Administrative Action Subcommittee of the House Education Committee passed a bill from Del. Bob Tata (R-85th District) that would allow local school boards to set the school start date.

"Starting school after Labor Day means that schools must remain open until mid-June, weeks after standardized testing is completed. Since the standardized testing dates can’t be changed due to federal requirements, children are only benefiting from 165 to 170 instructional days before testing occurs," LeMunyon said in a statement. “Not only are students placed at a disadvantage, but also it costs the Commonwealth of Virginia $50 million dollars per day to keep schools open, when both the state and local funding contributions are considered."

LeMunyon also saw victories for three bills in their respective committees:

• HB 609: Requires any person holding a license, certificate, registration, permit issued by the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation to offer proof he is licensed and insured, if necessary.
• HB 620: Establishes the Information Technology and Management Internal Service Fund for the Virginia Information Technologies Agency.
• HB 621: Repeals two chapters of Title 36 that deal with World War II era defense housing projects and housing projects for veterans

The bills await a vote on the House floor.

To see legislation proposed by your representatives, click the following links:

• Sen. Janet Howell (D-32nd District)
• Sen. Chap Petersen (D-34th District)
• Del. Mark Keam (D-35th District)
• Del. Jim LeMunyon (R-67th District)
• Del. Ken Plum (D-36th District)

Petersen will host a town hall meeting with Del. David Bulova (D-37th District) at Fairfax City Hall at 9 a.m. Saturday.