THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 30, 1997 TAG: 9701300421
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: This story was written by staff writers Laura LaFay and David
M. Poole, with contributions from The Associated Press.
LENGTH: 177 lines
Fund-raising debate takes a back seat to delegates' party
An ethical debate on political fund-raising took a back seat Wednesday to the actual process of raising money.
The House of Delegates delayed action on a bill that would ban lawmakers asking lobbyists for campaign contributions while the General Assembly is in session.
Democrats had no time for protracted debate because they made plans to hobnob with lobbyists a few blocks away at the annual Joint Democratic Caucus fund-raiser.
Lobbyists paid $125 to $1,000 apiece to mix with lawmakers and government officials, including Lt. Gov. Don Beyer and U.S. Sen. Charles Robb.
Republicans will hold their joint caucus fund-raiser next week.
Portsmouth Del. Kenneth Melvin said his decision to ask the House to delay consideration of his bill had nothing to do with the evening event.
``The bill is not ripe for consideration,'' Melvin said with a deadpan expression.
Critics say that lawmakers should not be twisting lobbyists' arms for cash contributions while they are voting on bills affecting the lobbyists' clients.
Melvin's bill would prohibit lawmakers from soliciting money for party organizations during General Assembly sessions. The mid-session galas could continue; lawmakers simply would have to steer clear of asking for money once the Assembly gets under way.
The measure is one of several bills that address the relationship between lawmakers and special interest money.
To shore up public support, Rep. John Watkins of Chesterfield County appealed for his colleagues in the House to join the move for more open government. He passed out yellow buttons that read, ``Sunshine Coalition.''
Melvin said he read the Watkins speech as a ``pre-emptive strike in case there is some backpedaling - from leaders of both parties.''
ALSO WEDNESDAY Marijuana isn't medicine, bills' sponsors declare
Sick people seeking relief from marijuana and heroin can find another medicine, according to House debate Wednesday.
Separate bills outlawing the medical use of marijuana and the medical use of heroin will be voted on today. On Wednesday, their respective sponsors - Roanoke Democrat Clifton A. ``Chip'' Woodrum and Prince William Republican Robert G. Marshall - urged passage.
According to Marshall, Virginia needs to prohibit the medical use of marijuana so that residents of California, where such use was recently approved in a referendum, will not send marijuana to residents of Virginia.
``We have to send a very clear message to the young people of Virginia that marijuana is not medicine,'' he said.
Marshall's marijuana bill inspired the heroin bill, Woodrum said. ``When I saw all the fuss being made over marijuana. . . I felt it was dealing with only half the issue,'' he explained.
The House of Delegates Wednesday passed a bill making it illegal to ``willfully and intentionally impede'' fishing.
The bill, commonly referred to as ``the PETA bill,'' was introduced by Virginia Beach Democrat Del. Glenn Croshaw in response to last year's anti-fishing campaign by the Norfolk-based organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Subject to approval by the Senate, it would make it a misdemeanor to interfere with ``the lawful fishing of any species of fish or shellfish.''
PETA members are not intimidated.
``It's already illegal to harass people so this legislation does nothing,'' PETA spokesperson Jenny Woods said Wednesday.
``Also, if anyone's being harassed, it's the fish. Also, we have just as much right to save animals as people who fish do to kill them. And this bill won't deter us.''
Over the protestations of Virginia Beach Republican Leo Wardrup, the House on Wednesday also approved a bill that would allow localities to regulate the speed of boats on water ``within (their) territorial limits.''
Sponsored by Williamsburg Democrat George W. Grayson, the bill was supported by environmentally conscious legislators concerned about the impact on wildlife of high-speed boats.
But Wardrup argued that the state code already allows localities to regulate the ``safe and reasonable'' operation of boats, and that boats, unlike cars, are subject to wind and water conditions.
``This is absolutely unnecessary,'' said Wardrup. ``Safe and reasonable operation gives local people all the latitude they need.''
Perplexed voters won't be getting much help from the state legislature.
A House committee voted Wednesday to kill two bills that would have identified candidates on the ballot by their party affiliation.
``I just see no earthly reason'' why parties are not listed on the ballot, said Del. James H. Dillard, R-Fairfax.
But members of the House Privileges and Elections Committee were not convinced.
``I think the system we have works pretty well,'' said Del. Lacey E. Putney of Bedford County, the assembly's lone independent.
The issue, which has been before the legislature many times without passing, received new prominence last year during the U.S. Senate race. Both candidates had the same last name - Warner - and some feared voters would be confused as to who was who.
The House of Delegates passed legislation Wednesday stripping the State Board of Education of its full authority over accreditation standards for public schools.
The House voted 67-32 to pass a bill making the General Assembly the ``ultimate authority'' on the standards, which include such items as graduation requirements and teacher-student ratios.
The House also voted 59-40 to pass a bill delaying until 1998 implementation of accreditation standards now being considered by the board.
The bills reflect displeasure among legislators, particularly Democrats, with what they view as a politically driven education agenda pushed by the board, dominated by Republican Gov. George Allen's appointees.
Allen will veto the bills if they reach his desk, spokeswoman Julie Overy said.
A package of anti-crime legislation proposed by Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle was approved Wednesday by a Senate committee.
One of the bills changes current law on penalties for drug offenders.
Juvenile offenders would have to be screened and assessed by the Department of Juvenile Justice. First-time adult offenders could have their conviction modified from a felony to a misdemeanor by undergoing drug treatment and testing.
The other bills deal with money laundering, the death penalty for drug kingpins, joint trials for defendants charged with conspiracy and granting investigative powers to grand juries.
The Virginia Beach Republican is seeking his party's nomination for attorney general this November.
The measures are part of Gov. George Allen's anti-crime agenda. Other legislation
The Senate voted 23-16 to pass a bill banning automobile ``tent sales.''
A House committee voted to kill a bill that would have allowed voter registrars to permit people to photocopy certain voter records.
Sen. Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William, suggested that a panel be appointed to take a look at the state constitution and possibly revise it by the turn of the century.
A Senate committee rejected a proposal that would have expanded the definition of hate crimes to include crimes based on sexual orientation.
The House passed a bill extending by 60 days, to Sept. 1, the deadline for Colonial Downs to open its horse racing track in New Kent County or have its off-track betting licenses revoked.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
``This just goes to show you how we're fiddling around here doing something that doesn't mean anything and we don't know what we're doing.''
- House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell in response to Rocky Mount Republican Allen W. Dudley's bill making ``Right to Work'' posters available to employers. There is no particular problem that the posters would remedy, Dudley told the House, and the estimated cost of printing them is $6,000. The bill comes up for a vote today.
NOTICED AND NOTED
In 1990 Del. Randy Forbes started the Chesapeake Student Leadership Forum so that high school juniors and seniors could experience government on a hands-on level. The forum is open to students from all Chesapeake public and private high schools.
Two students from the first classes to attend the Forum, Ryan Motley, a graduate of Western Branch High School, and Amy Harman, a graduate of Great Bridge High School, are now working as student interns in Forbes' office. Motley is a senior at Randolph-Macon College and Harman is a senior at the University of Richmond.
WHAT'S NEXT
Floor sessions start at noon.
See Pilot Online's Virginia Voter Net to read and track bills, check local legislators' contact information and legislation, and review Pilot coverage. The Web address is
http://www.pilotonline.com/voter/ ILLUSTRATION: Photos
Del Kenneth Melvin
Del. Leo Wardrup
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997