Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, November 10, 1995 TAG: 9511100101
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
Benedetti, R-Richmond, said Republicans will not be satisfied with a few extra seats on key committees, as offered by Democratic leaders after the elections Tuesday left the Senate deadlocked 20 to 20.
Instead, Benedetti floated a power-sharing arrangement that would involve a rotating leadership and equally divided committees in which neither party would be able to stop the other from sending bills to the floor.
Without such concessions, he said, the GOP has the votes to keep the Senate from conducting any business. The party could refuse to adopt procedural rules, for example.
``There are ways of bringing to their attention that we have 20 votes,'' Benedetti said. ``We can shut the place down, in essence.''
Never before in modern times has either house of the Virginia legislature been dead even. Aides to Republican Gov. George Allen informally have asked Attorney General Jim Gilmore to research the legalities involved, and both sides are scheduling caucus meetings to consider their options.
Democrats have a five-vote majority in the House of Delegates, and they maintain that they are still in command in the Senate because Democratic Lt. Gov. Don Beyer has the authority to break ties. However, the GOP may dispute in court whether Beyer can vote on issues such as committee assignments.
Benedetti said a fair compromise would be to share floor leadership responsibilities and trim committees from 15 members to 14, with seven from each party. Legislation would be sent to the floor on tie votes, rather than dying as it does now.
by CNB