ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 16, 1997 TAG: 9701160050
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: general assembly notebook
Norfolk Sen. Yvonne Miller says she will pay tribute to Bishop Levi Willis and his new church in her own way - but not by asking the General Assembly to commend a convicted felon.
Miller had her resolution commending Willis withdrawn from consideration Wednesday, after several other Hampton Roads legislators - including other members of the Legislative Black Caucus - objected.
Willis pleaded guilty to a federal money laundering charge in 1992. And he or his corporation of radio stations have lost numerous civil judgments over bad debts and failing to pay music royalties. State and federal tax liens have been filed against Willis' company for failing to pay taxes.
Miller's resolution commending Willis for opening a 1,750-seat church in Norfolk had already passed the Senate and was scheduled for a vote in the House of Delegates Friday. But several lawmakers said they would urge the measure's defeat. Veteran lawmakers said it would have been the first time they recall the legislature commending a convicted felon.
"I had it withdrawn because I did not want to embarrass my colleagues," Miller said.
Miller asked for another resolution to be withdrawn this week - a measure to allow the General Assembly to restore the voting rights of convicted felons. She had it withdrawn from consideration Monday, the day objections to her other resolution first surfaced.
Miller said she did not submit the voting-rights-for-felons resolution with Willis in mind. When asked why it was withdrawn, she said she "had a change of heart."
"I'm a woman," she said. "I can change my mind."
ALSO WEDNESDAY ...
A Senate committee decided Wednesday that a proposal to retire ``Carry Me Back To Old Virginia'' as the state song needed further study.
The bill would make the song the state song emeritus, which means it would not be played at official functions.
The song is rarely sung because it includes words such as ``darkey'' and, according to critics, glorifies slavery.
``Many of us have been just too embarrassed to stand when the state song is played,'' said Sen. Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, a supporter of the proposal.
If the bill became law, the song would no longer be taught to schoolchildren. The measure's sponsor, Lynchburg Sen. Stephen Newman, also is proposing a bill that would set up a committee to look for an alternate state song.
The General Laws Committee decided to send the proposal to a subcommittee for further study.
The next time students vote in school elections, they might get to find out how many votes winners and losers receive. A Senate committee Wednesday debated a proposal that would make school voting records public. The proposal was sent to subcommittee.
Barnie Day will find four committee assignments waiting for him when he isO sworn into the House of Delegates on Monday.
Day will put his experience as a member of the Patrick County Board of Supervisors to use on the House Counties, Cities and Towns Committee.
The Patrick Democrat also was assigned to Conservation and Natural Resources, General Laws and Nominations.
House Speaker Thomas Moss of Norfolk waited until after the results of the 10th District special election before naming committees.
The shuffling resulting from the addition of three new members did not affect the committee assignments of lawmakers from the Roanoke Valley and the New River Valley.
Day defeated Republican Phil Plaster in a special election to fill the seat of Roscoe Reynolds, who was elected to the state Senate last month. His district stretches from Hillsville to Martinsville, along the North Carolina line.
A committee is considering Gov. George Allen's proposal to trim unemployment insurance tax paid by businesses.
Last week, lawmakers worked on a plan to solve the lag pay problem - how and when to pay state workers. This week's topic: how much to pay them.
Teachers and state employees are slated to get 2 percent raises in the second year of the 1996-98 budget.
Norfolk Del. George Heilig, chairman of the House appropriations subcommittee, said legislators would look at giving as much as an additional 2 percent raise to state workers.
``I think most of the people on the committee are sensitive to the fact that our employees are not always paid what workers in the private sector receive,'' he said.
The Virginia Governmental Employees Association calculates there is a 10 percent salary gap between state employees and people working in the private sector.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Newport News Sen. Henry Maxwell, speaking on the Senate floor in honor of Martin Luther King:
``Members of the Senate, I challenge you to let his dream be our dream, his fight our fight, for he gave his life so that we might find ours. Doctor King died believing in America."
WHAT'S NEXT
Floor sessions start at noon.
CONSTITUENT VIEWPOINTS
A toll-free hot line provides the residents of the commonwealth the opportunity to express their views on issues before the General Assembly. Call (800)889-0229.
Robert Little and David M. Poole of Landmark News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
LENGTH: Long : 110 lines KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997by CNB