Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, April 12, 1994 TAG: 9404120157
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: STATE NOTE: SHORTER
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Allen announced the budget amendments as he worked against a midnight deadline Monday for acting on nearly 1,000 bills passed by the General Assembly.
The administration unveiled a plan last week to reimburse the retirees about half the income taxes they paid under a policy overturned by the courts. The retirees would be paid $234 million over four years, with the first $58.9 million being paid out in December.
``The solution to this enormous liability will not happen without some painful budget cuts,'' Allen said in a statement.
To fund the first installment, he proposed using $40 million in unspent balances from the 1992-94 budget. The remaining $18.9 million would come primarily from canceling construction projects at community colleges and Old Dominion University and cutting local school maintenance funds.
Among the major projects that would be cut are a $4.3 million humanities and social sciences building at Piedmont Virginia Community College and a $2 million renovation of a child studies center at ODU.
Community service grants to public television and radio stations and aid to local arts groups also would be reduced.
``When you look at the list, you see everyone shares in this burden,'' said Robert Lauterberg, director of planning and budget. He said the cuts would not hurt education, noting that Allen did not touch the assembly's $100 million plan to increase funding for at-risk students.
The assembly will consider Allen's amendments and any vetoes at an April 20 session.
Allen signed a bill to increase the speed limit for trucks on interstate highways from 55 mph to 65 mph, the same speed that cars are allowed to travel. The change takes effect July 1.
``Our traffic engineers told us there is absolutely no difference between trucks traveling 65 and 55 as far as safety is concerned,'' said Robert Martinez, secretary of transportation. He said the higher speed limit could prevent accidents caused by cars swerving around slower-moving trucks.
Allen also planned to sign a bill allowing student-initiated prayers in public schools, said his spokesman, Ken Stroupe. The American Civil Liberties Union has said it would challenge the law as unconstitutional.
Allen received 995 bills from the assembly session that ended March 12. Before Monday, he had signed into law some major legislation, including a $160 million subsidy package for the proposed Disney theme park in Prince William County and a slew of anti-crime bills.
The crime package includes one of the toughest drunken-driving laws in the country. The legislation requires that drivers arrested for drunken driving lose their license for seven days. It also will lower the blood-alcohol standard for determining intoxication from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percent, impose a 0.02 percent blood-alcohol limit for drivers under 21 and allow authorities to impound the car of anyone who drives while his license is suspended for drunken driving.
Other crime bills allow juries to hear evidence about a felon's criminal record during a separate sentencing proceeding and require a sentence of life without parole for a third violent felony conviction.
The age at which a juvenile who commits a felony can be tried as an adult will be lowered from 15 to 14, and a sex-offender registry will be created for screening applicants for jobs at schools and day-care centers.
Allen is seeking amendments to a parental-notification abortion bill. He wants the bill to cover girls under age 18 instead of under age 17 and to limit the adults who can be notified to a parent, legal custodian or judge. The bill passed by the assembly would allow a stepparent, grandparent or a brother or sister older than 21 to be notified instead before a girl ends a pregnancy.
by CNB