
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 22, 1994                   TAG: 9401260029
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

'94 ASSEMBLY

AS OF THURSDAY, the 140 members of the General Assembly had requested the drafting of 3,505 bills. That's nearly 500 more bills than were introduced in the last so-called long session in 1992, and nearly 800 more than in 1990. It's also about 25 bills per legislator.

Exhorting his colleagues to show more restraint, House Majority Leader Dick Cranwell of Vinton said that if all the requested bills are actually introduced by Tuesday's deadline, the assembly won't have time to devote more than 5.2 minutes to each before its scheduled adjournment on March 12.

Cranwell himself, of course, is no slouch when it comes to bill blitzing. He's introduced 40 measures this session. But he's more influential than most. And he had a point when he urged members to "search your heart" and ask if that's the proper way to legislate.

Meanwhile, voters may want to search their memories. Did any of these legislators seek election by promising to bring 3,505 new laws to Virginia?

Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994

by CNB