Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 3, 1992 TAG: 9203030331
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Sen. Richard Saslaw's transportation bill would set a Nov. 3 referendum on the bond issue and a 2-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax increase that would be used to retire the debt.
The Senate Finance Committee amended the original $485 million bill to add more projects to the list, then voted 9-6 to approve the measure. More projects were added on the Senate floor.
"We're up to $556.8 million now," said Sen. Russell Potts, R-Winchester. "Please call the rescue squad for Harry Byrd's statue because it just fainted out there."
Sen. Joseph Gartlan, D-Fairfax, supported the bill but worried that the floor amendments would hurt the measure's chances of passage.
"This is an effort to bring this measure to a screeching halt by overloading it," he said.
Saslaw, D-Fairfax, predicted that Northern Virginia voters would reject Gov. Douglas Wilder's $613 million general obligation bond issue if no money is available for transportation. Wilder's bills would finance construction of college, mental health and parks projects.
But Senate Majority Leader Hunter Andrews, D-Hampton, chairman of the Finance Committee, said Saslaw's proposal would jeopardize Wilder's package.
"We would be asking the people to accept $1.1 billion in debt, and I don't think they're going to do that," he told the committee.
The Senate also voted 29-10 to approve a bill making it easier for women to sue over defective breast implants.
Current state law requires that most liability lawsuits be filed within two years of the time the injury occurred. The bill would make the limit two years from the time a doctor told a woman she had health problems related to the implant.
The Senate amended the bill to exclude lawsuits against health care providers who performed the implant surgery.
The House of Delegates voted 76-20 to pass a bill giving motorists a $2 discount for buying their car tags by mail.
The original bill would have increased the fee by $2 when motorists buy their tags at a Department of Motor Vehicles office. The department would have used the proceeds to replace old license plates and DMV facilities.
Del. Richard Fisher, R-Fairfax, offered an amendment to change the $2 increase for walk-in customers to a $2 discount for those who renew by mail.
Del. Harvey Morgan, R-Gloucester, said many people do not mail in their renewals because they need help with the paperwork. He said those people should not be penalized.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
by CNB