Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 31, 1993 TAG: 9301310152
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: E6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
HEADLIGHT BILL BOUND FOR SENATE COLLISION
Motorists would have to turn on their headlights while driving in the rain if a bill advanced Saturday by a House of Delegates committee becomes law.But steering the legislation through the Senate is likely to be the tricky part. The House has approved similar legislation three years in a row, only to see it killed in the other chamber.
The bill by Del. W. Tayloe Murphy Jr., D-Warsaw, was one of dozens acted upon by two House committees swamped by a record workload. The 2,791 bills and resolutions on the agenda for this year's 46-day session easily surpassed the previous record of 2,349 items introduced during the 60-day session in 1992.
Feb. 9 is the deadline for each chamber to act on its own bills.
The House Roads and Internal Navigation Committee voted 10-7 to send the headlight bill to the House floor after hearing from George Hilbert of White Stone.
Current law requires headlights to be turned on if visibility is less than 500 feet, but Hilbert said many people cannot accurately judge distances. He also said that when it is raining, it is important to be able to see vehicles approaching from behind.
The committee voted 10-7 to kill a bill by Del. William Howell, R-Fredericksburg, that would have allowed all localities, as well as the state police in Northern Virginia, to use laser speed detection devices.
The laser devices project a narrower beam than the standard radar guns, allowing police to more easily target individual vehicles in congested traffic. The panel killed the bill after a state police representative said the agency does not have any money for the devices, which cost about $4,000 each.
By a vote of 11-7, the committee approved a bill allowing Fairfax County and adjacent counties to adopt ordinances requiring bicyclists under age 15 to wear helmets.
"In Howard County, Maryland, they've found that this has done a lot of good," said the bill's sponsor, Del. Julia Connally, D-Arlington. She said no one in that jurisdiction has been fined, but three dozen warning letters have been sent.
The committee also voted 14-2 to endorse what one member called an "anti-shortcut bill." The proposal by Del. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake, would make it illegal to cut through public or private property to avoid a stop sign, yield sign or traffic signal.
The House General Laws Committee voted 18-0 to send to the House floor a bill creating a Blue Ridge Regional Tourism Council. The bill is sponsored by Del. Creigh Deeds, D-Warm Springs.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1993