Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 4, 1991 TAG: 9102040170
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Attorney General Mary Sue Terry last week said the proposal appeared to violate the state constitution. Del. Alan A. Diamonstein, D-Newport News, said Sunday that his amendment requiring waivers to apply statewide made the bill constitutional.
The House adopted the amendment, but killed the bill on a voice vote.
The bill would have allowed state education officials to grant waivers for up to one year if the applicants could prove financial hardship. School officials also would have had to show that the waivers would not hurt the quality of education.
But several delegates said they feared education programs would suffer.
"I realize the crunch we're in, but I'm not willing to roll back the quality of education," said Del. Shirley Cooper, D-Yorktown.
Del. Mary Christian, D-Hampton, questioned whether the waivers would really be temporary.
"A temporary waiver is like a snowball on top of a hill. It can't roll upward; it can only roll downward," she said.
Cooper and Christian are both teachers.
Diamonstein emphasized that the state board would grant waivers only if it were convinced education would not be harmed.
"I don't think anyone believes the Department of Education would grant a waiver if it would undo what they've been trying to do for years," Diamonstein said.
Three key items in Gov. Douglas Wilder's budget-balancing package fared better. The House passed bills allowing the sale of bonds backed by the Literary Fund to finance about $162 million in school construction, establishing an early retirement program for state employees and allowing the state retirement system to sell its RF&P Corp. stock.
The bond bill was approved 57-43. The Literary Fund, which consists mostly of court fines, ordinarily is used for school construction. Selling bonds for the school projects and using the Literary Fund for teacher retirement would free general funds to help close the $2.1 billion budget gap.
"I hope we'll think very deeply about the long-term effects of what we're about to do," said Del. Steven Agee, R-Salem. "This series of transfers, loans, borrowings or whatever you want to call it may leave us creating a difficult situation for General Assemblies that follow us."
The House also voted 97-1 to pass an early retirement program for state employees. The proposal, which would allow employees with 25 years of service to retire at age 50, would save the state about $47 million a year.
The bill transferring control of the RF&P stock to the Virginia Supplemental Retirement System was passed 84-15. The retirement system owns the stock but cannot sell it without General Assembly approval. In exchange for removing that restriction, the retirement system will pay the state at least $22.8 million. The exact figure will be negotiated.
Three bills allowing private companies to build and operate a half-dozen correctional facilities won preliminary approval. The bills call for companies to submit proposals for a women's prison, a pre-release center for men, two jails and two juvenile detention centers.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
by CNB