Assembly Access

In this exclusive video obtained by Assembly Access, House Republican leaders announce their plan to fix Virginia’s transportation crisis:

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.

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.

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:

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.

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.”

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:

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.”

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:

Following his decisive election last night, Del. Albert Pollard was sworn in on the House floor this morning. You can watch the video below:

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)

The House of Delegates held a “marathon 10 a.m.-to-7 p.m. floor session” on crossover eve last night, acting on dozens of bills now being passed to the State Senate.

Yet, oddly, Del. Chris Saxman’s name disappears from the recorded votes taken after 5:45 PM. Saxman missed votes on immigration measures (HB1298), child safety initiatives (HB1250) - even a resolution creating Ms. Wheelchair Virginia Day.

So where’d he go?

Turns out Saxman was about 15 minutes down Interstate 64, at the Virginia Aviation Museum for a John McCain rally. Check out the video below:

Yes, this is the same Del. Saxman who wants to limit legislators from attending political events during session.

The House Republican majority today killed a pedestrian safety bill introduced by Del. Adam Ebbin - HB1270 would have required that drivers stop, rather than yield, to pedestrians in crosswalks. Del. Ebbin explains the bill below:

Surprisingly, Del. Kirk Cox voted against the measure.

In a response to Del. Scott Lingamfelter on the House floor today, Del. Brian Moran spoke in defense of HB1189, Alicia’s Law, which would increase funding for anti-child-exploitation law-enforcement efforts. Lingamfelter had questioned why protecting Virginia kids from sexual predators should be a budget priority.

If you’d like to check Del. Lingamfelter’s budget priorities, you can see a sampling of his budget amendment items here and here (scroll down). You can also click here for more information on the importance of Alicia’s Law.

UPDATE: The Washington Post’s Virginia Politics blog covers the exchange here.

House Republicans today defeated a floor amendment offered by Democratic leader Ward Armstrong to HB1318, which would have specified that monies deposited in the Virginia Taxpayer Surplus Relief Fund be designated for middle-class tax relief.

In the video below, Del. Scott Lingamfelter opposes the amendment, explaining that tax relief should be reserved for the wealthy.

On a party line vote today, House Republicans defeated a measure introduced by Del. Bob Brink that would eliminate a new rule that allows the majority to bypass public input and committees of expertise and put bills of their choosing directly on the floor (as they did last month).

You can watch Del. Brink explain his rules change below:

Former Senators Brandon Bell (R-Roanoke County) and Marty Williams (R-Newport News) have also weighed in on the matter.

Del. Kris Amundson spoke on the floor yesterday, reminding her fellow Delegates that they serve the people, not the other way around.

Apparently, Republicans weren’t listening - immediately afterward, they booed a group of high school students visiting from Charlottesville.

After dispatching several gun safety measures last week, the Firearms subcommittee of Militia, Police, and Public Safety met again last night. Their first victim was Del. Chuck Caputo’s HB734, which would prohibit guns in public libraries. With only three members present - Republicans Tommy Wright, Scott Lingamfelter, and Morgan Griffith - the measure died when no one made a motion.

Del. Caputo’s HB746, which would keep guns out of child day care centers, met the same fate shortly after.

Dels. Bob Brink and Paula Miller spoke in favor of HB11 this afternoon, urging immediate property tax relief for Virginia homeowners. You can read more about the origins of the homestead exemption here and here.

Del. Brink:

Del. Miller:

House Republicans are supposedly big fans of “proportional representation,” but their math skills must have failed them when handing out assignments for the Firearms subcommittee of Militia, Police, and Public Safety. The group’s lone Democrat is Del. David Poisson; the other 80% is comprised of GOP Delegates Tommy Wright, Morgan Griffith, Scott Lingamfelter and Dave Nutter.

As such, members don’t even have to vote against a bill to kill it - if no one seconds a motion to report, the bill simply dies right then and there.

In the videos below, Del. Poisson motions to report two bills pertaining to protective orders and firearms, which both promptly die when no one offers a second:

• HB281 (HB608 was also rolled into this bill), which would prohibit someone with a protective order issued against them from possessing a firearm

• HB814, which would help inform law enforcement if someone subject to a protective order is in possession of a firearm

The subcommittee also killed Del. Jim Scott’s microstamping measure, HB899 and Del. Jeion Ward’s HB810, which would require machine gun registrants to notify the State Police of a change of address.