Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 12, 1994 TAG: 9402120158
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Also, the House of Delegates passed a bill requiring public schools to lay off the least experienced teachers first and gave preliminary approval to a bill limiting campaign contributions.
The House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee voted 13-7 to endorse Del. Karen Darner's bill on smoking in schools.
Darner, D-Arlington, originally wanted to prohibit smoking in schools at all times. But the committee amended the bill to allow local school boards to designate areas where smoking would be permitted after school and while no student activities were under way.
Tobacco industry lobbyist Anthony Troy said the industry could live with the bill as amended, but Del. Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell, still objected. He said he would prefer that teachers keep the privilege of smoking in a lounge rather than be forced to "sneak around" and go outside to light up.
Anti-smoking activists said smoke from teachers' lounges circulates through the ventilation systems to other parts of the schools.
On a 63-36 vote, the House gave preliminary approval to a bill that would create a 19-member teacher licensing board that would include seven public school teachers and two college faculty members. Teacher licensing now is handled by the state Board of Education.
The House had given the bill preliminary approval a day earlier, but brought it back for amendments Friday.
"This signals a major policy change," said Del. John Reid, R-Henrico. Reid, a school administrator, said the state constitution gives the state board responsibility for "general supervision" of the schools. The House rejected Reid's effort to send the bill to another committee to examine whether it is constitutional.
Darner said teachers are entrusted with the care of children every day, so they can be trusted to regulate themselves.
"You're questioning the judgment, professionalism and competence" of teachers, she told the bill's opponents.
The House also voted 62-35 to require public schools to lay off teachers who are working on an annual contract first when forced to reduce their staffs.
Opponents of the bill argued that the best teacher should be kept, regardless of length of service.
"If a teacher is incompetent, they have ways to get rid of him," argued Del. James Dillard, R-Fairfax, a retired history teacher and the bill's sponsor.
The Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee endorsed a welfare reform bill and sent it to the Finance Committee to examine its fiscal impact. The Finance Committee voted 13-2 to send the bill to the Senate floor.
The bill would set up a pilot program for 5,000 welfare families this year and another 5,000 next year. It would cover all of the state's 74,000 welfare families by 1996.
Families would get help with education, job training, transportation, day care and health insurance. In return, they would agree to give up welfare after one year.
In the first two years of the program, benefit recipients would not get increased benefits if another child is born to the family during that time. That provision has been the most controversial aspect of the bill.
"We are ceasing to be human beings," said Sen. Yvonne Miller, D-Norfolk. "I'm for welfare reform, but I'm not for punishing children."
Sen. Janet Howell, D-Reston, said the "child cap" provision could lead to an increase in abortions.
Miller's motion to strip that provision from the bill died on a 6-6 vote.
Gov. George Allen has said his "empowerment commission" will study welfare reform and present recommendations to the 1995 General Assembly. But Lt. Gov. Don Beyer said that if this year's welfare reform bill passes, he believes Allen will sign it.
Secretary of Health and Human Resources Kay Coles James said Allen has concerns about this year's bill, including "sweeping and sometimes vague references" to job training, free transportation and other benefits.
The bill is largely the product of a two-year study by an anti-poverty commission headed by Beyer.
Without debate, the House unanimously gave preliminary approval to a bill capping campaign contributions in legislative races at $1,000 from individuals and $2,500 from political action committees. Individuals and PACs could give $5,000 to candidates for statewide office.
The maximum could be donated in both primaries and general elections.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1994
by CNB