Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 6, 1995 TAG: 9501060104
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Rep. L.F. Payne, D-Nelson County, may not agree with everything the new Republican leadership stands for, but he and the Republicans are fighting for some common goals.
Foremost on Payne's mind as he enters his seventh year in Congress is passing a balanced-budget amendment, which also is one of the legislative goals targeted by Republicans in their ``Contract With America.''
The congressman from the 5th District, which includes Bedford and Franklin counties, is part of a bipartisan group that introduced the proposed constitutional amendment Thursday.
Under the balanced-budget amendment, which the House is expected to bring to a vote Jan. 19, the federal government would be required to balance its books by 2002. Any deficit spending would have to be approved by at least 60 percent of Congress, except in time of war.
The amendment will require a two-thirds vote of the House and Senate and ratification of three-fourths of the states to pass.
"I'm looking forward to the success of the balanced-budget amendment in this Congress," Payne said this week. "The balanced-budget amendment is the best way to assure fiscal responsibility and to meet the public's strong demand for change."
Also on Payne's legislative agenda this year is Interstate 73, the proposed highway that would connect Michigan to South Carolina, while passing through Southwest Virginia.
Though the project died in the Senate last year, Payne and Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Roanoke, again are seeking congressional approval for the interstate, which would also link the Roanoke Valley with the Greensboro/Winston-Salem metro area in North Carolina.
Other legislative initiatives Payne will support include welfare and insurance reforms. Payne supports a two-year cap on welfare. People unable to find a job after two years would be able to receive welfare only in exchange for performing community services, under Payne's plan.
Payne also supports legislation that would make it harder for insurance companies to refuse a potential client because of a pre-existing condition.
Closer to home, Payne said he will continue to seek favorable trade legislation for 5th District industries - such as furniture, textiles and tobacco - through his seat on the policy-making House Ways and Means Committee.
Payne and other legislators recently negotiated a deal with tobacco companies that would result in an increase in 1995 in the amount of tobacco that farmers may grow under a quota imposed by U.S. Department of Agriculture.
And through his membership in the bipartisan Rural Health Caucus, he will seek ways to improve the quality and availability of medical care in the 5th.
"I'll continue to work for economic development in our district," Payne said. "I'll continue to look to any opportunity to find a way to bring more industry to our district."
by CNB