Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 7, 1990 TAG: 9003071869
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PETER MATHEWS NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But she's making the most of it.
The Blacksburg Democrat is finishing her first session as chairwoman of the committee, which handles job-related issues. She got the post because former Del. Bill Wilson of Covington, who was in line for it, was defeated in the November election.
Munford, 56, who nearly lost her own re-election bid, said it's unusual for someone with less than a decade in the assembly to head a major committee.
"I feel like I'm still learning," she said in a recent interview at her office in the General Assembly building.
Committee members give her high marks, saying she is fair-minded and thorough.
"She has done an outstanding job," said Del. Frank Hargrove, R-Hanover County, who praised Munford's fairness in making subcommittee appointments.
"She admires effective committee chairmen," said Del. E.R. "Ted" Harris, D-Lynchburg. "By doing that, she's going to be one."
One of Munford's chief responsibilities is keeping legislation moving through the committee. She can determine how long hearings will be. And as chairwoman, she is subject to a lot more attention from lobbyists.
In steamy House Room D one morning a few weeks ago, Labor and Commerce zipped through nearly two-dozen measures. Many dealt with worker's compensation; few made it out of committee.
Things were going so smoothly that Munford rarely had to intercede. "I love the way we're moving along," she said at one point.
Afterward, Del. Bernard Cohen said Munford is so efficient that, for the first time in memory, the committee finished its work on House bills before the deadline.
One important worker's compensation bill, which Munford's committee approved unanimously last week, would increase benefits from $176 to $208 a week. It also would restore a one-week wait for benefits, but Munford said it would help people laid off for long periods.
Another important issue is the state recordation tax, the fee paid on real-estate transfers. Munford complained that lawmakers reneged on a deal to return $80 million of that money to localities.
Montgomery County had hoped to get $225,000 from that fund for the next budget year.
A conference committee will sort out differences in House and Senate legislation. The Senate would defer returning the money to localities for two years; the House would send $60 million of the $80 million to localities during the 1990-92 budget period.
Munford said localities need the money and she hopes the House prevails. Munford was first elected to the House in 1981. She now represents all but four precincts in Montgomery.
She got something of a scare last November when she defeated Republican Charles Johnson by fewer than 500 of some 14,000 votes, a slim margin of about 3 percentage points. In a post-election advertisement thanking those who supported her, she took the unusual step of also including a restatement of her positions and votes.
Munford says now that she may not have done a sufficient job of defending her record - particularly on crime issues.
"I've voted for every substantial crime measure we've ever had down here," she said.
With that partisan battle behind her, Munford now presides over an almost evenly balanced committee - 11 Democrats and nine Republicans. Although the Republicans tend to be pro-business and the Democrats a bit more pro-labor, it appears to have been a harmonious session for the panel.
Del. Roland Ealey, D-Richmond, said Munford's calmness keeps the diversity of opinions from getting out of hand.
"She's somewhat of a peacemaker," Ealey said. "Getting labor and management to agree is like getting the lamb and the lion to sit down together."
Steve Haner, chairman of the Joint Republican Caucus, said having a "pro-union liberal" as chairwoman should help the GOP. It would show the business community that "we're their friends and the Democrats aren't."
But most committee members said Munford has not changed the ideological balance much from her predecessor, former Del. Frederick Creekmore of Chesapeake. The committee may be a little less conservative, said Cohen, D-Alexandria.
But he said one thing hasn't changed: "There's still too many Republicans on it."
by CNB