Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 20, 1991 TAG: 9102200110
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The Senate also approved bills that make a butterfly the official state insect, allow Virginia tracks to take bets on out-of-state horse races and give the governor power to lift mandates on financially pressed localities. The House of Delegates killed a bill to make possession of child pornography a crime.
Also, representatives of local governments and special interest groups brought ideas on the upcoming legislative redistricting to the House and Senate Privileges and Elections Committee.
The "abuse-and-lose" bill was amended at the suggestion of Sen. Dudley Emick, D-Fincastle. He opposes the idea of taking away driver's licenses for offenses unrelated to driving.
But he said if the General Assembly wants to do that for drug offenses, it should try to cure other societal ills as well.
"Don't laugh this amendment off the floor," Emick said before it was approved on a voice vote. The bill passed 22-12 and now goes to the House of Delegates.
The amendment applies the abuse-and-lose provision to people convicted of murder and manslaughter in Richmond, which has one of the highest homicide rates in the country.
It also applies to legislators who have the highest travel expenses. The bill states that the member of either the House or the Senate who has the highest travel expenses for any given year would lose his license for six months. Emick leads most legislators in charging the state for travel, according to state records.
Bad-check writers would be affected if they commit the offense in a county store operated as a sole proprietorship.
The House killed a Senate bill making possession of child pornography a misdemeanor. The House voted 57-29 to return the bill to the Courts of Justice Committee, which will not meet again before the session ends this weekend.
Del. Walter Stosch, R-Richmond, said going after buyers is the best way to destroy the child pornography market.
However, some delegates said the bill might make criminals of people who have photos of nude children in a bathtub or swimming pool.
A House bill to make the tiger swallowtail butterfly the official state insect fluttered out of the Senate on a 28-9 vote. It already has been approved by the House and now goes to the governor.
Sen. Frank Nolen, D-Augusta, proposed an amendment to make the honored insect the ladybug instead but that was squashed 22-15.
The House and Senate Privileges Elections Committee made no decision in the 45-minute hearing on redistricting. More public hearings will be conducted before the legislature convenes on April 1 for a two-week special session to redraw district boundaries based on the 1990 census. The plan must be implemented before Nov. 5, when all 140 General Assembly seats will be up for election.
by CNB