THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, January 17, 1997              TAG: 9701180042
SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A12  EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                            LENGTH:   29 lines

SHORT SESSION NOT SHORT ENOUGH TOO MANY BILLS

The odd-year, ``short sessions'' of the Virginia General Assembly were once thought of primarily as a time to amend the state budget.

No more.

Now any idea, from regulating HOV lanes to raising minimum limits on motorists' liability insurance, goes.

More's the pity.

Lawmakers gathered for this year's 46-day short session will have to dispose of more than 3,000 proposed pieces of legislation before they go home.

Put another way, that's more than 20 bills or resolutions for each of the state's 140 legislators. And that's too many.

The glut of legislation makes for frayed nerves, tired minds and hasty action later in the session. Serious proposals often don't get the attention they deserve because a day can be sliced only so many ways.

If legislators are unable to discipline themselves, then their leaders should do it for them. At a minimum they should turn a deaf ear to those who exceed a recommended quota of bills per session.

Eventually, the delegates and senators might get the message: One bill passed is worth more than 100 bills introduced, and short sessions aren't the time to overload the hopper.