ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 1, 1997 TAG: 9702030058
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: general assembly notebook
Senators debating a bill requiring parental notification before minors receive abortions seemed to agree on one point Friday: When the bill comes up for a final vote Monday, it's going to pass.
Compared with last year, when women senators waged a powerful clamor and rose in joint protest to oppose parental notification, senators this year acted like the debate was a mere formality.
The amendments were the same: Adding grandparents, stepparents, clergy and other relatives to the list of people the minors could notify; lowering the age of consent from 18 to 17.
But with the votes long since counted and the bill's fate all but decided, every attempt to water down the measure failed. Opponents could hardly muster the eight raised hands needed to get all the votes recorded in the journal.
The only amendment that received spirited debate was a suggestion by Sen. Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, that the parents of the male involved be notified as well. It failed.
"People say it takes two to tango," Lucas said. "Well, I've seen people tango alone, but - and I don't mean to make light of the situation - you can't make a baby alone."
The only new protest this year: that the bill came from the Senate Courts of Justice Committee and not the Education and Health Committee, which likely will be the subject of a court challenge if the bill passes. It also has been a key aspect in ensuring the bill's passage, because Democrats on Education and Health have defeated it in the past.
"This is not a punitive issue," said Sen. Janet Howell, D-Fairfax County, arguing that the bill did not belong before the committee that considers criminal laws. "We should be concerned about the children their health and their welfare."
Also Friday:
* The House of Delegates voted 50-47 to allow the Joint Rules Committee to appoint five members of the State Council of Higher Education. All 11 members are now appointed by the governor.
* A bid to limit senators and delegates to 12 years in office was defeated 25-15 in the Senate.
* The House voted 74-22 to require schools to conduct annual safety audits.
Noticed and noted
Lawmakers, who stand for re-election at regular intervals (every two years for delegates; every four for state senators), also make the rules about how elections are run.
Friday, the Senate voted 26-14 to kill a bill allowing candidates to list their political party affiliation on the ballot.
As originally proposed, the bill by Sen. Kevin Miller, R-Harrisonburg, would have required the party labels. The bill was amended to make the party listing optional.
Sen. Richard Holland, D-Isle of Wight, said having party designation as an option would be more confusing than making it mandatory.
The Senate also debated a bill that would outlaw using doctored photographs in campaign ads, then sent it back to a committee for further study.
``This is a modest attempt to close a flagrant loophole in the law,'' said Sen. Henry Marsh, D-Richmond.
Quote of the day
``The delegates giveth, and the delegates taketh away.''
- Pacing the floor, while proposed laws were being discussed, House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell of Vinton to no one in particular about nothing in particular.
What's next
The House has committees meeting in the morning and a session at 1 p.m. today.
The Senate has committees scheduled for Sunday afternoon, and the House may work as well.
Monday, a proposed amendment to the state constitution banning all forms of casino gambling comes up for a Senate vote. ``We should tie the hands of future General Assemblies when it comes to casino gambling,'' said the bill's sponsor, Sen. Mark Earley, R-Chesapeake.
Staff writers Robert Little and Laura LaFay, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines ILLUSTRATION: GRAPHIC: Chart: Where things stand. KEYWORDS: MGR GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997by CNB