Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 4, 1995 TAG: 9502060039
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Did the Allen administration favor a routine nursing home bill that would carry some Medicaid cost?
Brickley, a Woodbridge Democrat, put his query to the state's nursing home administrator, who was seated in the committee room.
But the administrator said he could not answer because he was waiting for higher-ups in Gov. George Allen's office to give him an opinion on the bill.
A frustrated Brickley wondered aloud how the General Assembly can function if agency heads no longer have the authority to make a minor decision without first running it by the governor.
The episode illustrates what some lobbyists and lawmakers describe as Allen's unprecedented efforts to micromanage state government from his third-floor office in the State Capitol.
A debate over Allen's top-down management has developed as a curious sideshow at the 1995 General Assembly session.
A Senate committee squelched an administration attempt to seize control of the state's semi-autonomous, public-supported colleges and universities. Democrat-controlled money committees are poised to block Allen from beefing up his Cabinet in an effort to wrest authority from scores of state agencies. One Democratic lawmaker is pushing legislation that would curtail Allen's ability to shield documents from public scrutiny.
Administration supporters say all the debate is nothing more than sour grapes from Democrats feeling their once-invincible grip on state government slipping away.
Republicans who defend the Allen staff's aggressive exercise of executive authority say that a top-down structure is the only way the self-christened ``A-Team'' can impose its will on an unwieldy, sometimes hostile bureaucracy.
``You've had 12 years of Democratic control,'' said Scott Leake, executive director of the Republican Legislative Caucus. ``Those agencies are stuffed with people who, if they are not Democrats, they are at least palatable to Democrats.''
Perhaps the most striking example of Allen's desire to have his immediate staff rein in state agencies is the administration's meticulous system for tracking legislation.
His predecessors employed a two-tiered system: The governor's staff kept close tabs on major initiatives and high-profile legislation; individual agencies were trusted to use their expertise to handle the hundreds of minor bills that come up each year.
But Allen gives agency heads little leeway in a system created by right-hand man Jay Timmons, an organizational whiz who serves as Allen's chief of staff.
Agencies are barred from suggesting legislation without approval from the Governor's Policy Office. Agency employees may not even contact a lawmaker about pending legislation without approval from the appropriate Cabinet secretary.
The governor's office must agree to every piece of legislation and every significant amendment - a daunting task that requires aides to keep track of several thousand bills at once.
Some lawmakers and lobbyists say the centralized review process has created a bottleneck in the governor's office.
Timmons said some delays are a small price for the benefit of having the administration speak with one voice. The alternative, he said, is to have the state's 115,000 workers striking out in different directions.
``I don't think the people of Virginia want 115,000 people just simply taking matters into their own hands,'' Timmons said. ``They expect leadership and direction - and the governor is supplying that.''
Some lobbyists say the system is working well. David L. Bailey Jr. recalled being told by agency heads that they supported his legislation, only to find out later that the administration opposed it.
``That hasn't happened this year,'' Bailey said.
But another lobbyist - who asked not to be named - expressed frustration at the inability of the governor's office to process the crush of bills.
``I can't get an answer from them,'' the lobbyist said.
Brickley had the same complaint earlier this week when the state's top Medicaid administrator could not comment on the routine nursing home bill.
``I've never seen this type of straitjacket approach,'' Brickley said. ``It doesn't do the people any good. We expect these people who are experts in their fields to give us direction.
``If they can't give us an answer, why do we have these highly paid people working for the state?''
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB