THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 5, 1997 TAG: 9702050545
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Staff writers Robert Little, David M. Poole, Laura LaFay and
Marc Davis, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
LENGTH: 191 lines
Senate votes to ban physician-assisted suicides in Virginia
The Senate voted 27-12 in favor of a ban on physician-assisted suicide that would slap violators with stiff civil penalties.
Physicians who assist in the suicide of a patient would face a $100,000 fine and could be sued by grieving family members. They also would face the permanent revocation of their licenses.
Opponents said the law would be premature, coming before the U.S. Supreme Court has a chance to rule on the constitutionality of assisted-suicide laws enacted in five other states.
Fairfax Sen. Richard L. Saslaw said the outcome of murder trials in Michigan, where three separate juries have refused to convict Dr. Jack Kevorkian, shows great public ambivalence about the right to die.
``The fact is that the general public is not willing to go along with their elected officials,'' Saslaw said.
Chesapeake Sen. Mark Earley said the civil penalties are needed to prevent Virginia from the ``slippery slope'' of acceptance of the killing of handicapped and terminally ill people.
Earley, a devout right-to-life advocate, said advances in hospice care give people an alternative to ending their lives prematurely.
The measure now goes to the House.
ALSO TUESDAY
Gambling opponents claimed a symbolic victory Tuesday even though the Virginia Senate defeated a proposed state constitutional ban on casino-style games.
Opponents to casino gambling said the debate unmasked what they say is the certainty that Colonial Downs will seek slot machines at its horse track scheduled to open this summer in New Kent County.
Fairfax Sen. Richard L. Saslaw argued against the constitutional ban, saying that Colonial Downs may not be able to survive without a form of slot machines known as video lottery.
``You're going to shut them off now,'' Saslaw said. ``If we have a race track here, we ought to make sure it's successful.''
He added, ``This state was settled by cavaliers, not puritans.''
William Kincaid, a lobbyist for anti-gambling groups, said the debate left no doubt that casinos would try to enter Virginia through the back door of Colonial Downs or betting parlors in Chesapeake and Richmond.
``I'd say we're closer to getting casino gambling now than when casinos were pouring all that money into riverboat gambling,'' Kincaid said.
Jeffrey Jacobs, a casino operator from Ohio, said he has no plans to introduce video lottery at Colonial Downs or off-track betting parlors in Chesapeake and Richmond.
Last summer, however, Jacobs told a group of horse owners in Northern Virginia that he would seek video lottery if needed to compete with tracks in West Virginia and Delaware, which have slots.
A law that would have exempted students from Virginia's new welfare reform laws work requirement died in the House of Delegates.
The bill, proposed by McLean Democrat Vincent F. Callahan, failed twice on two 50-50 votes. For the most part, votes were cast along party lines, with Democrats in favor of the measure and Republicans opposing it.
Virginia Beach Democrat Glenn Croshaw, Woodbridge Democrat David G. Brickley and Bedford Independent Lacey E. Putney also voted against the measure.
The House narrowly approved a bill that would allow television and newspaper reporters back into Virginia's prisons. The administration of Gov. George F. Allen has effectively banned reporters from the interior of such facilities since 1995.
Sponsored by Norfolk Democrat William P. Robinson Jr., the bill requires Virginia's Department of Corrections to make ``reasonable'' rules for prison access by reporters.
The fight against the bill was led by two Republican delegates from Hampton Roads: J. Randy Forbes of Chesapeake and Robert F. McDonnell of Virginia Beach.
If reporters are allowed inside prisons, Forbes warned, rape victims and the mothers of murdered children would be forced to watch their tormenters mock them on television.
Robinson responded that the legislation is about ``sunshine and accuracy,'' not prisoners' rights. The administration's fear of the bill ``suggests they have something to hide,'' he said.
Roanoke Delegate Clifton A. ``Chip'' Woodrum also voiced support for the bill.
The measure was approved by a vote of 54 to 46. It goes next to the Senate for consideration.
Bills to lift the veil of secrecy around Virginia's Judicial Inquiry and Review Commission moved a step closer to reality - but were changed significantly in the House.
Both chambers debated a constitutional amendment that would remove mandatory confidentiality for commission proceedings. It passed the Senate, but was changed in the House. That House version now says proceedings ``may be'' kept confidential, subject to General Assembly action. It passed in the House on Tuesday, 97-1.
Both chambers also debated state law changes that would open commission records, but not the hearings themselves. Again, the Senate approved the bill, but the House changed it to require only annual statistical reports.
A bill from Del. William P. Robinson Jr. calls for a one-year study of the commission by a joint House-Senate subcommittee. That bill passed Tuesday.
The House voted 87-9 and the Senate voted 37-3 to pass bills prohibiting the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states.
Other House action:
Killed after lengthy debate a bill sponsored by Virginia Beach Republican Leo C. Wardrup that would have allowed Virginia Beach and other localities to use urban construction funds to beautify highways by buying easements.
Killed a bill that would have required anyone convicted of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while carrying a concealed weapon to forfeit his concealed weapon permit upon conviction.
Voted 58-39 to pass a bill saying if Virginia gets a major league baseball team, any taxes generated by the franchise will be used to finance a stadium.
The House voted 52-48 to pass a bill setting minimum education standards for day-care center administrators and program directors.
The House voted 73-26 to pass a bill requiring the state to apply for federal Goals 2000 education funds, which Gov. George Allen already has said he will do.
The House voted 96-3 to pass a bill banning so-called ``partial-birth' abortions.
Other Senate action:
Passed a bill requiring that children ages 4 to 16 wear seat belts when riding in the back seats of automobiles.
Approved a plan to give students scholarships for their second year of community college, provided they maintain a B average and are enrolled full time in selected job-training programs. The program would take effect July 1, 1998.
Approved legislation that overturns a proposed State Bar rule banning non-lawyers from handling real estate closings.
Approved legislation that provides funding for upgrading sewage treatment plants in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and elsewhere in the state.
Approved a bill prohibiting pharmacists from taking kick-backs that encourage them to switch prescriptions with chemically dissimilar medicine. The House has decided to postpone action for a year.
In a 19-21 vote, killed an effort to preempt Gov. George F. Allen's appointees to the state Social Services Board from rewriting procedures for child abuse investigations.
NOTICED & NOTED Getting a tattoo may require approval
A parental consent bill gained easy approval Tuesday in the House - but it had nothing to do with abortion.
Del. David Brickley's bill would require anyone under age 18 to get a parent's permission before getting a tattoo.
Brickley, a Prince William Democrat, said he got the idea for the bill after seeing a TV report about a Maryland woman who was upset that her teen-age son got a tattoo without her permission. Brickley investigated and found that the same thing could happen in Virginia.
Legislators, who have wrestled with parental notification abortion bills since 1979, found Brickley's bill less controversial. It passed without debate, 94-3, and now goes to the Senate.
QUOTES OF THE DAY
``I don't think there's been a single word spoken on the floor of the Senate that has changed one vote. We should just vote. That would speed things up.''
- Hanover Sen. William T. Bolling, just before the Senate began an eight-hour lawmaking session.
``We are effectively accomplishing nothing.''
- Richmond Republican Samuel A. Nixon, commenting on a bill that would require day care workers to meet certain requirements.
STAYING IN TOUCH
CONSTITUENT VIEWPOINTS - A toll-free hot line to give commonwealth citizens the opportunity to express their views on issues before the General Assembly: (800) 889-0229
For more information:
The Clerk's Office
House of Delegates
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, Va. 23218
(804) 786-6530
The Clerk's Office
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, Va. 23218
(804) 786-3838
ONLINE INFORMATION:
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: Photo
Robert F. McDonnell
William P. Robinson Jr.
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1997 PROPOSED BILLS