THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 13, 1995 TAG: 9501130510
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines
Perhaps it's the warm weather. Maybe there's something in the drinking water. Or it could be election year jitters.
In any case, the turbulent atmosphere surrounding the 1995 General Assembly session continued Thursday. Partisan sniping was the order of the day in the normally civil halls of the state Capitol. And Senate Democrats and Republicans remained gridlocked in the procedural fight that kept Gov. George F. Allen from addressing the legislature on Wednesday night.
The Senate squabble could cut short a pivotal General Assembly session in which lawmakers are considering massive budget cuts to pay for a five-year, $2.1 billion tax cut proposed by Allen.
At issue is a normally routine resolution that sets deadlines for introducing bills and sets the length of the legislative session at 46 days. If the Senate is unable to iron out its differences and pass the resolution, the state constitution demands that the General Assembly adjourn after 30 days.
``It isn't a disaster if we stay only 30 days,'' laughed Lt. Gov. Donald S. Beyer, a Democrat. The public, he joked, might applaud the shorter session.
Although Senate Democratic and Republican leaders expressed confidence that a compromise will be worked out, both sides also dug their heels in deeper Thursday in a fight that may seem trivial to the public, but to lawmakers represents sheer power.
Technically, the standoff is about who should be allowed to propose legislation after the Jan. 23 deadline for introducing bills. In the past, only the governor has been granted an unabridged right. But Allen is the first Republican governor Virginia has had in more than a decade. And Democrats, not wanting to give their rivals a competitive advantage, have insisted that the right be extended to two of their leaders.
But many lawmakers acknowledge that the tension is really over the shifting balance of power in the General Assembly. Long-empowered Democrats are on the defensive over Allen's tax-relief plan in a year when all 140 legislators are up for re-election. Republicans need gain only three seats in the House and three in the Senate to seize legislative majorities for the first time in history.
``The Democrats are having trouble coping,'' said state Sen. Robert L. Calhoun, R-Alexandria. ``They've never faced the combination of a Republican governor and a substantial minority representation in the legislature. That puts them on the defensive. Nobody wants to surrender or share power. And if you've never had to share power before, it becomes a mind-set.''
Senate Democrats blamed Allen for raising the partisan stakes. They said the governor's portrayal of them as profligate spenders is inconsistent with Virginia's ranking as a low tax-and-spend state. ``The governor started all of this on Inauguration Day,'' groused state Sen. Joseph V. Gartlan, D-Fairfax.
House Democratic leaders, meanwhile, sharply criticized Allen's budget-cutting plans during an afternoon news conference. They said they would not agree to proposals that would cut education funding by $92 million and trim $6.5 million from a state program that helps localities pay for police.
They also criticized Allen for proposing a $1.8 million increase in the office budgets of his Cabinet secretaries during a time when he is proposing massive reductions to many state services.
House Majority Leader C. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, questioned whether Virginians will really save money under Allen's plan. The governor has said that a family of four with an adjusted federal gross income of $40,000 would save $46 on next year's state income tax bill.
But Cranwell claimed that the federal government would tax $12 of the savings. In Southwest Virginia, Cranwell further claimed, Allen's spending cuts would reduce state education aid by $68 per student - a loss of $136 for a family with two children. The net result of Allen's plan, Cranwell said, would be $102 less for the family.
The only Democrat offering an olive branch to Allen Thursday was former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder, who is known as somewhat of a contentious infighter himself. Wilder has begun a new career as a radio talk show host in Richmond and had Allen as his guest.
During the broadcast, Wilder lauded Allen's budget efforts and criticized Democratic leaders for being disruptive and unorganized.
None of that sat well with Cranwell, who has long criticized Allen and Wilder for being more concerned about political advancement than sound policy.
``That doesn't surprise me,'' Cranwell said, when told about Wilder's remarks. ``He may want to get on a political ticket with George.''
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY by CNB