Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 9, 1995 TAG: 9502090095
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
A total of 1,440 measures survived the first four weeks of the session. The Senate has sent the House of Delegates 537 bills to consider in the session's final 2 1/2 weeks. The workload will be heavier in the Senate, which must deal with 903 House-passed measures.
Little remains, however, of Gov. George Allen's legislative agenda. He put in a plug Wednesday for the last surviving major item in his package - welfare reform - in a speech to the Virginia Federation of Republican Women.
In other action at the legislature, Democrats held a news conference to tout their successes and the Virginia Bar Association urged passage of a bill that could lead to more funding for state appeals-court staff.
The General Assembly already had 541 bills carried over from last year on its agenda when the 1995 session began Jan. 11. Legislators introduced another 2,197 measures.
Democratic legislators said at a news conference that while their battles with the Republican administration often have stolen the headlines, much of substance has been accomplished.
They cited funding for colleges and public schools, reforms in the juvenile justice system, and two issues that really haven't been settled yet: prison construction and welfare reform.
The Senate slashed Allen's proposal to borrow more than $400 million for prisons by more than half. The House authorized $60 million in borrowing, plus another $28 million on a pay-as-you-go basis.
House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell of Roanoke County said the House package is enough to add 14,000 prison beds.
Also, the House and Senate have passed competing welfare reform plans. The Senate version is supported by Allen, the House plan by Democrats. A conference committee likely will work toward a compromise.
``I would invite the governor to come to the table in the spirit of cooperation,'' Cranwell said.
Allen told Republican women that his welfare reform plan is more comprehensive than the Democrat-backed proposal.
``In our plan, assistance is temporary, not a way of life,'' he said.
He acknowledged that the Democratic majority has made this a difficult session for him, saying they have taken a ``just say no'' approach to his agenda. But he seemed to tone down the rhetoric after Democrats criticized him for calling them ``monarchical elitists'' and ``dictators.''
Lawyers said at a news conference that the state's appeals process needs streamlining to reduce a case backlog.
A Virginia Bar Association report said it takes about 18 months to resolve a criminal case in Virginia, about twice as long as the American Bar Association standard.
The report said the current system of sending some cases to the state appeals court and others to the state Supreme Court is inefficient. The report suggests sending all appeals to the intermediate court, as long as it is given more staff.
The change would cost about $1.5 million a year, but there would be savings because of the shortened time involved appealing the cases, said Del. John Davies, D-Culpeper.
David C. Landin, the state bar association's judiciary chairman for appellate review, said the realignment would give people greater faith in the judicial system.
A bill sponsored by Davies would encourage the Judicial Council of Virginia to study the need for more judges on the court of appeals. The bill has cleared the House.
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB