Senator Whipple's Richmond Report

Crossover week is a real institution in the General Assembly. By Tuesday of this week the Senate had to act on each Senate bill and the House of Delegates had to vote on each House bill. Monday and Tuesday there were a flurry of committee meetings, some scheduled and some not. On Monday I had my regularly-scheduled meeting of Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources.

The Senate committees on Finance, Commerce and Labor, and Courts of Justice also met as scheduled. In the afternoon there was a hurriedly-called meeting of the Committee on Rehabilitation and Social Services. Tuesday morning there was an extra meeting of the Committee on Education and Health and also a final meeting of the Finance Committee.

The floor sessions were longer than usual as second and third readings of bills were compressed into one day. In fact on Tuesday the Senate session began at 10 in the morning instead of noon.

Not only were there many bills to consider but some of the most controversial bills were held until the end so there were some vigorous debates. Some bills of great importance also appeared in the final days.

Monday marked the lopsided passage of the “marriage amendment”. This resolution proposes an amendment to the Virginia Constitution to not only provide that “only a union between a man and a woman may be a marriage” but also specifies that “ this Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not create or recognize a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals that intends to approximate the design, qualities, significance or effect of marriage.” In my view, this constitutional amendment is totally unnecessary and I was one of 10 senators who voted against it.

Tuesday the Senate by a large majority approved a far-reaching bill that changes the status of our state colleges and universities. All universities will have reduced requirements from the state in the areas of procurement, personnel and construction management. Each college will be eligible to apply for additional flexibility and funding in return for increased accountability, including requirements for accessibility and affordability, with the details to be laid out in separate agreements with each institution.

Senators referred to their bill books or computer screens to read the bills as we plowed through the Calendar for the day, considering over 100 bills on Tuesday alone.

As the hours went on, a certain fatigue set in. The Clerk’s office did its best to keep us alert by providing fruit, veggies and chips in the back room for snacking. Members sent pages to Chicken’s, the snack bar in the Capitol, for soup, soft drinks or coffee. Finally after nearly six straight hours in session, the Senate adjourned.

Now we have two weeks to consider all the bills approved by the House.

Senator Mary Margaret Whipple may be emailed at mmwhipple@erols.com