Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 16, 1995 TAG: 9501170089
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
The assembly's money committees will conduct the last in a series of public hearings this afternoon on Allen's plans to cut taxes by $2.1 billion over five years and trim $403 million in spending in the coming year.
Speakers at previous public hearings across the state have complained that state services will deteriorate if Allen's proposals pass. Democratic legislators have labeled the proposals shortsighted and fiscally irresponsible.
The extensive changes Allen is seeking in the two-year, $32 billion budget will require money committees to get right to work. They must finish their work by midnight Feb. 5.
However, the busiest people on Capitol Square this week likely will be the bill writers in the Department of Legislative Services. The deadline for legislators to file bill requests is 5 p.m. Monday. They then have a week to get the bills into the legislative hopper.
That means the behind-the-scenes workhorses in Legislative Services will put in a lot of late nights - and some weekend overtime as well - to help lawmakers meet the Feb. 23 cutoff date.
The tone already has been set for a sharply partisan General Assembly, and it's likely there will be no letup in the posturing.
``You get your back up occasionally,'' said House Minority Leader Vance Wilkins, R-Amherst. But he said that's ``just politics.''
An opening-day rules dispute forced Republican Gov. George Allen to give his State of the Commonwealth speech from his office, the first time in 75 years the Virginia governor did not deliver the address face-to-face with legislators.
After a lot of finger-pointing and rhetoric, the rules flap was resolved before the weekend.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB