News from the Coffin Corner: Delegate Bob Hull's Richmond Report

Is It Soup Yet?

Today at noon is the deadline the General Assembly set to receive the conference report on the new two-year budget.

Unless an absolute miracle occurs, that will not happen because the Senate and House versions of the budget are very far apart.

Having each chamber produce different versions of a budget is nothing new. That is the way it is each year.

But, the differences between the two have been greater since Republicans gained control of the Senate in 1998 and in the House in 2000.

In that period of time, we have had to extend our sessions on several occasions. Usually, it has been for a few days.

In 2004, however, the General Assembly adjourned without approving a two-year budget for the first time in history.

Called into special session immediately by Governor Warner, it took 155 days after we first convened to reach a budget deal.

Policy Document

Increasingly, policy decisions have been made through our budget document and that was truly the case in 2004.

Imbedding within the Senate’s version of the two-year budget in 2004 was the Governor’s tax reform package.

Conservative House Republicans dug in their heels and refused to accept an increase in taxes, even though tax cuts were also part of the package.

After taking heat from their constituents to find a solution, 17 moderate House GOP members broke from their caucus to support a compromise plan.

The result was that the new tax and spending plan produced increased revenue which provided an historic increase in education funding.

But, while there were some increases in road and rail funding for one-time projects, we did not address long term transportation needs.

Clearly, one of the messages on the 2005 gubernatorial election was that our road and rail woes need to be fixed.

In Northern Virginia alone, $692 million in new spending each year for the next 25 years is needed.

Eleven Make the Decision

To resolve differences between versions of the budget, each chamber appoints members to a conference committee.

There are five from the Senate and six from the House who make up the budget conference committee.

Basically, the Senate has proposed increasing a variety of taxes to provide $1 billion in new money each year for transportation.

House Republicans have proposed raising half of that amount by increasing fines for bad drivers, using budget surpluses, and going into debt.

It will be up to these eleven conferees – all men – to find a compromise between the two sides. Who knows if and when it will happen?

More Sin

In my last column, I mentioned that the Republican majority has been anything but conservative when it comes to drinking laws.

They passed bills this year to allow more free beer and wine to be given out in restaurant “tastings” and to allow direct sale of whiskey from farm distilleries.

Last week, they went even farther and passed a bill allowing up to three free half-ounce shots of liquor to be given at a “tasting.”

Is this really what we need when we are working to get drunk drivers off the streets and restrict minors from possessing alcohol?

What Did He Say?

On occasion, a legislator will get carried away in floor debate and say something embarrassing without realizing it.

Such was the case last week when a rural House member proposed an amendment to a bill exempting local government-run recreation programs from day care licensure.

His amendment would have included privately run facilities, which would have had the effect of eliminating all day care licensure for older children.

He said that his amendment was needed to prevent a two-tiered system of regulation between public and private operations.

Without his amendment, he said, “you will have your privates just hanging out there.”

As gales of laughter broke out, he finally realized the other meaning of what he had just said.

Bob Hull Represents the 38th District in the Virginia House of Delegates