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Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Virginia Politics: A Good Case for Change

A Good Case for Change in the Legislature

The need for change in Virginia’s political leadership is growing more critical every day. That’s according to former state Sen. John Chichester of Northumberland County. By the way, he’s a Republican, but that is not important to him. What is important are political leaders who will put the state’s best interests ahead of partisan interests.

Chichester shared his thoughts on the need for change in Virginia with members of Virginia FREE at the business group’s annual meeting in Richmond last week. His views are worth repeating as the state prepares for another General Assembly session in January and another election in 2009.

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Virginia Politics 2009 -- Open Government

Va. subcommittee votes to be recorded

At the urging of Democrats and members of his own party, Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, said he has directed the clerk of the House of Delegates to start recording votes taken in House subcommittees.

Valentine claims some credit for recorded subcommittee votes in Assembly

Subcommittee votes in Virginia’s House of Delegates apparently will be a matter of public record in 2009, after House Speaker William Howell, R-Stafford, signaled his support of the concept.

Del. Shannon Valentine, D-Lynchburg, claimed some of the credit Monday. She has supported the recorded votes for the past two years in legislation she co-sponsored with Del. Kenneth Plum, D-Reston.

House GOP accedes to recorded subcommittee votes

House Democrats are claiming victory in a decision by the Republican majority in the lower chamber of the Virginia General Assembly to record subcommittee votes in the upcoming legislative session. Me, I’m wondering if this change in approach from the GOP might be a setup for some election-year gimmickry.

“When citizens learn that votes are not recorded in subcommittees of the House of Delegates, they are surprised and disappointed,” Del. Shannon Valentine, D-Lynchburg, said in response to the news regarding subcommittee votes.

House GOP Agrees to Recorded Votes

In 2006, the Republican-controlled House changed the rules to allow subcommittees to kill legislation on unrecorded votes. Before that, subommittees did not record votes but they could only make recommendations and not kill a bill outright. Democrats fought the rule in 2007 and 2008 but were unsuccessful.

Monday, December 15, 2008

A Kaine-do spirit goes a long way in tight times

The Virginian-Pilot
© December 15, 2008

In times of crisis, and in states besides Illinois, it is incumbent upon our leaders to serve as role models, to set the agenda and be good stewards of public dollars.

Take it from Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine. In October, he vowed to make drastic cuts to the state budget and reduce executive mansion spending by nearly a million dollars. Changes at the manse include:

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Open Vote, another Voice joins in...

The people need to be able to keep score

In the upcoming General Assembly session, House subcommittee action should be recorded.

There's more than one way to fill back rooms with smoke, and the old-fashioned way -- cigar-chomping pols huddling to cut deals -- is so last century.

A couple of years ago, Virginia's House Republicans hit on a more healthful, politically correct way to operate behind a smokescreen by changing House rules to let subcommittees kill bills on unrecorded votes.

Say the Senate sends over a bill with popular appeal that makes some deep-pocketed lobbyist gag. Just deal it to the right subcommittee and see it die with barely a whimper.

Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine saw some initiatives that he supported disappear in such fashion at the last General Assembly. There was the bill to ban smoking in restaurants, for example. Also, a proposal for bipartisan redistricting -- merely a reform crucial to fairer government representation. Fair game in today's hyperpartisan House of Delegates.

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