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Hit-or-miss season for Loudoun lawmakers: Budget woes contributed to low bill approval
Loudoun's legislative team recently finished a rough season at the General Assembly. The five delegates and two senators representing Loudoun pitched 189 bills during their two months in Richmond, but only 56 of these bills were approved and will become law.Budget shortfalls, partisan politics and economic concerns rained on this year's season, legislators said, which caused them to strike out on a majority of their bills.
“Every legislative proposal that had a dollar sign attached to it got sent to appropriations to study the impact,” said Del. David Poisson (D-northeastern Loudoun), who gained approval of only one of his bills.
The Republican-led House of Delegates did not favor either of Loudoun's Democrat delegates, Poisson and C. Chuck Caputo (D-Dulles), with high rates of bill approval. The two delegates submitted 36 bills and only had seven approved.
“That's frustrating,” Caputo said. “Some bills don't see the light of day in committee.”
The majority of Poisson's and Caputo's bills did not make it past the committee stage and on to the House floor for debate.
Caputo did win approval of his bill requiring fire-safe rolling paper on cigarettes, which he said would decrease the number of fire-related accidents involving cigarettes.
Poisson said this season was an uphill battle for minority party members in the House.
“When you are in the minority, you have to take your victories when you can get them,” he said.
Poisson said he was proud of the approval of his bill allowing Gold Star license plates to be given free to the families of fallen soldiers. But he added he was disappointed his bill that would have required children younger than 13 to wear life vests aboard small boats failed. These children, he said, represent the highest number of drowning victims.
On the Republicans' bench, Del. Robert “Bob” Marshall (south-central Loudoun) also had most of his 64 bills killed in committee.
“I couldn't even get the approval of a bill that would repeal the unconstitutional [Northern Virginia Transportation Authority] taxes and require paying back those taxes,” said Marshall, who led the charge against the NVTA's ability to collect its own taxes. This levy was deemed unconstitutional by the Virginia Supreme Court in February.
Although his bill was not approved, a similar bill was signed by Gov. Tim Kaine (D) March 25.
Fellow Republican Dels. Joe May (western Loudoun) and Tom Rust (Sterling) were the Loudoun legislators with the most bills passed.
“I'm most pleased to get the underground power lines passed by the General Assembly,” said May, who has been an advocate of burying the power lines that are to run through a portion of Loudoun. His bill says that the power line would be buried for about 1.8 miles from Woodburn Road to Clarkes Cap along Dry Mill Road.
Rust, like May, said he focused on local issues.
This included an approved bill that defines the powers given to Loudoun's Board of Supervisors chairman.
Rust said he had a successful session because “No. 1, [I had] good legislation. No. 2, I worked very hard. Good legislation gets approved.”
Loudoun's freshman Sen. Jill Holtzman Vogel (R-western Loudoun) said she was told by peers that she had a very successful year.
“As it goes for freshmen ... I had a pretty aggressive portfolio of legislation,” said Vogel. She said she was disappointed that her bills on illegal immigration and another power line -- a 500,000-volt line that would traverse seven counties -- were not approved.
Vogel said these were major concerns of her constituents and she would likely bring them up next year.
Loudoun's legislative team, however, does not measure success by individual battles. Many of the representatives said the Loudoun delegation can celebrate the repeal of the abusive driver fees, approval of the biennial budget and increase of funding for the state's mental-health programs.
Sen. Mark Herring (D-eastern Loudoun) said his collaboration with Del. May led to the approval of legislation to keep the Dulles Greenway tolls as low as possible.
For those bills that didn't get approved, Herring said there is always next year.
“If you are able to make progress on legislation that affects your region and affect the state as a whole, that's a good session,” he said.
Contact the reporter at hhobbs@timespapers.com
Stupid articles. Statistics never lie, but liars always use statistics.
Posted by RabbleRouser
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