Archive for the ‘Video’ Category
House GOP Again Kills No-Excuse Absentee Voting
Following an inquiry from former Republican Party of Virginia chairman Jeff Frederick, House Speaker Bill Howell ruled an amendment from Gov. Tim Kaine that would have allowed no-excuse absentee voting “not germane,” thus avoiding a recorded vote and killing the measure.
Republicans oppose resolution commending Equality Virginia
House Joint Resolution 994, which commends Equality Virginia on its 20th anniversary, was pulled from the uncontested block of resolutions this afternoon by Del. Mark Cole – presumably so he and several other Republicans could register their opposition to the measure on an unrecorded voice vote. Equality Virginia is a statewide, non-partisan organization that seeks to ensure equal rights for gays and lesbians.
In the video below, Del. Adam Ebbin of Alexandria expresses his disappointment that the resolution was singled out in such a fashion:
Last year, Republicans pulled a similar maneuver with a resolution honoring the Richmond Gay Community Foundation.
House passes smoking ban
The Indoor Clean Air Act, which will officially ban smoking in restaurants, passed the House this afternoon by a 60-39 vote.
Happy birthday, Abraham Lincoln!
Today marks the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the “Great Emancipator” and first Republican president of the United States. Oddly, Republican Party of Virginia chairman Jeff Frederick chose to commemorate the occasion by launching a random attack on Charles Darwin.
The motion to adjourn in President Lincoln’s honor was instead made by Democratic Delegate Jennifer McClellan, who noted that Lincoln gave his life so our nation “shall have a new birth of freedom.”
Incidentally, House Republicans made international news two years ago by defeating legislation to help with Lincoln bicentennial celebrations.
Del. Bob Brink on HJR 816
Del. Bob Brink speaks on House Joint Resolution 816, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Virginia public schools after Massive Resistance.
Charniele Herring Takes Seat in House of Delegates
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
January 26, 2009
Charniele Herring Takes Seat in House of Delegates
Recount Confirms Results of January 13th Special Election
Charniele Herring was sworn in as a member of the House of Delegates this afternoon, nearly two weeks after winning a special election for the 46th House District.
“I am happy to finally put this process behind us and get to work for the people of Alexandria and Fairfax County,” Herring said today. “These are challenging times for Virginia, and I am humbled to have earned their support.”
“We are thrilled to have Charniele with us,” said House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong. “She will bring a unique perspective to our team, and I look forward to working with her.”
“Charniele will be a dymanic represenative for the 46th District, and I’m delighted she’ll be joining our caucus,” added Caucus Chairman Ken Plum.
Herring, an attorney, is the first African-American woman from Northern Virginia to be elected to the House of Delegates.
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Saxman’s Stunt Falls Flat
Del. Chris Saxman (R-Augusta) was caught off guard when asked to explain one his own bills this afternoon. Saxman’s HB1634 would restrict members of the General Assembly from attending various events during the General Assembly session, and Del. Bob Marshall (R-Prince William) was curious exactly what kind of “events” the ban would cover. Saxman didn’t seem to know, but we assume he would make an exception for John McCain rallies.
House Republicans Refuse to Seat Charniele Herring
Defying the will of Alexandria and Fairfax voters, the House Republican majority refused to seat Delegate-Elect Charniele Herring this afternoon after a nearly 40-minute floor debate.
House Republican Leader Morgan Griffith disregarded Herring’s official electoral certification from the State Board of Elections, leaving the 46th House District indefinitely without representation as the 2009 session of the General Assembly begins.
You can watch the full exchange below:
House GOP Deep-Sixes Transportation Solution
Today the Republican Majority of the House of Delegates killed the first comprehensive transportation funding solution to reach a floor vote in years. Yesterday, House Democrats announced an amendment that would have maintained the Senate plan for statewide funding solutions and to cut the food tax, while not raising the gas tax. Senate Democrats endorsed the approach. House Republicans voted against over $5.5 billion plan for roads, mass transit, and maintenance over the next 7 years, even after Democrats announced provisions that lowered taxes on food and did not raise the gas tax.
Instead, the GOP insisted on spending the last day of the special session playing political games. In the video below, Del. Albert Pollard asks why:
House Republicans Announce Transportation Plan
In this exclusive video obtained by Assembly Access, House Republican leaders announce their plan to fix Virginia’s transportation crisis:
GOP weakens green building measure
Mere hours after Earth Day, House Republicans defeated an amendment from Gov. Tim Kaine that would have strengthened Virginia’s environmental standards for new state buildings (Raising Kaine covered the details of the amendment last week).
In the video below, Del. David Toscano explains how the LEED rating system is a “much more stringent and rigorous” approach than the watered-down standards favored by Republicans. The amendment was defeated on a near party-line vote.
Del. Ward Armstrong on HB3202
Earlier today, House Democratic Leader Ward Armstrong rose on the floor to respond to Del. Terry Kilgore’s defense of last year’s disastrous, unconstitutional transportation plan, HB3202.
Del. Bob Marshall blasts “secret subcommittees”
Republican Dels. Bob Marshall and Todd Gilbert held a press conference yesterday regarding their bills to carry concealed firearms on college campuses. Specifically, they were dismayed that they did not receive the “mere courtesy” of having their bills even heard in “secret subcommittees where they kill bills without a record of votes.”
The tyranny of the GOP majority, it seems, cuts both ways:
Republicans opt for rhetoric over reality
During today’s floor session, House Republicans attempted to trump up Sen. Donald McEachin’s alternative dispute resolution measure, SB161, as an assault on Virginia’s Right to Work law.
In response, Democratic Leader Ward Armstrong introduced a floor amendment explicitly clarifying that the bill would not “affect, diminish, or repeal” the Right to Work law, in order to assuage any real concerns:
Republican Leader Morgan Griffith countered with some rather counterintuitive logic, saying that putting something into the Code of Virginia doesn’t make it law. Go figure.
In any case, the bill was only before the House in the first place as a purely political move, since the Republican leadership used their new rules gimmick to bring it directly to the floor without a recommendation. In the video below (taken earlier this week), the House Rules committee defeats Del. Kris Amundson’s motion to report SB161 as usual, prompting Del. Armstrong to express his ongoing concern with bypassing committees of expertise:
Unfortunately, House Republicans again opted for rhetoric and political gamesmanship over real solutions. SB161 died on a party-line vote.
House GOP shoots the messenger
Dels. Ward Armstrong and Brian Moran spoke on the House floor yesterday, further addressing the House GOP’s questionable math when it comes to funding public education in coming years.
The nonpartisan Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found that the Republicans’ budget methodology would result in “$227 million less in state aid to localities for teachers’ salaries,” a change the Roanoke Times today calls a “flimflam.”
House GOP reduces per-pupil spending
Revisions to the Standard of Quality methodology proposed by House Republicans would drastically reduce per-pupil spending in schools across the Commonwealth. You can see the reductions by school district on our interactive map here.
In the video below, Del. Kris Amundson explains her concerns with the new funding formula:
House GOP too extreme for… Bob Marshall?
Republican Del. Bob Marshall attempted to introduce an unwelcome floor amendment to yesterday’s budget, incurring the wrath of his own caucus in the process.
As Marshall introduced the measure to the Clerk’s desk, Del. Steve Landes moved to take a vote immediately. Upon Speaker Bill Howell’s ruling that the motion had been properly made, Del. Marshall appealed the ruling of the Chair and lamented the Republican-controlled House’s loss of “decency” and “comity.”
House GOP stalls property tax relief
Last night, the Privileges & Elections Constitutional subcommittee killed an enactment bill from Sen. Ralph Northam on the homestead exemption, SB496. (The Virginian-Pilot, 2/21/08)
Like Del. Paula Miller’s HB1118 – which was killed by the same subcommittee last month – the bill would have allowed the homestead exemption to take immediate effect upon passage of the ballot amendment, rather than delaying implementation until after the General Assembly meets again to consider it. More on Del. Miller’s bill here.
In the video below, Del. Kenny Alexander’s motion to report the bill is defeated on a party-line vote by Del. Mark Cole’s substitute motion to kill the bill for the year:
HB1118 was also defeated on a party-line vote, with only Democratic Dels. Alexander, Mark Sickles, and Bud Phillips voting in support of immediate tax relief:
Del. Albert Pollard joins the House
Following his decisive election last night, Del. Albert Pollard was sworn in on the House floor this morning. You can watch the video below:
Strike Three for Redistricting Reform
Republicans on the House Privileges and Elections subcommittee on Elections today killed the session’s lone remaining redistricting reform measure, Sen. Creigh Deeds’ SB38 (previous House versions, HB339 and HB1070 died last month). Del. John O’Bannon made the motion to pass by indefinitely, and was joined by Dels. Chris Jones and Terrie Suit:
Shortly after, an attempt from Del. Jim Scott to revive the bill in full committee failed when the chair, Del. Mark Cole, abruptly adjourned without a motion and rushed his fellow Republicans off to caucus before a recorded vote could be taken:
Download (MP3, 2.5 MB)
