"We have lost our ambition, our imagination, and our willingness to do the things that built the Golden Gate Bridge" - Barack Obama (aka President Malaise)
Pitch in with the Prince William Young Republicans and help defeat Obama in 2012!
It’s Not Dead Yet
By Greg L | 6 February 2007 | Virginia Senate | 6 Comments
Apparently the House transportation compomise isn’t entirely dead, as the Senate sent SB1379 back to the Senate Finance Committee under the threat of Bill Bolling ruling that the bill wasn’t germaine to the original legislation. Rather than lose a vote to overturn that ruling, which would have probably turned out to go 21-19 in Bill Bolling’s favor, Chichester sent the bill back to Committee and avoided the ruling. As a result, the fiasco that is the Potts-Chichester-Colgan bill is stuck in Committee, where it will likely die a very well deserved death, being deprived of enough time to get therough the senate before “crossover day”. Nice move.
Perhaps there’s an opportunity to improve the House transportation compromise to the point where it’ll be something we can eagerly support. There’s much good in the compromise worth salvaging, if only the regional tax authorities and a couple of other details can be removed or improved.
Bill Bolling has said this about today’s power play:
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR BILL BOLLING STATEMENT ON RECOMMITTAL OF SB1379
RICHMOND – Earlier today the Senate of Virginia voted to recommit SB1379 to the Senate Committee on Finance. In response to this action, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling issued the following statement.
“I commend the Senate on its decision to recommit SB1379 to the Committee on Finance.”
“SB1379 would have resulted in massive statewide tax increases, and if adopted, would have severely jeopardized our ability to reach any agreement on transportation funding this year.”
“In addition, the committee substitute to SB1379 would have significantly expanded the original purpose of the bill. Accordingly, the committee substitute was clearly not germane to the original purpose of the bill, and therefore the bill was not properly before the Senate.”
“Now that SB1379 has been withdrawn, my hope is that the General Assembly will continue its efforts to reach agreement on a long-term transportation solution that does not rely on massive statewide tax increases.”
Keep the faith, and perhaps we can actually get something done this session. Kudos to Bill Bolling for putting a stake through the heart of the gas tax hike that Chichester, Potts and Colgan proposed.
The opinions expressed here are solely the views of the author, and not representative of the position of any organization, political party, doughnut shop, knitting guild, or waste recycling facility, but may be correctly attributed to the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. If anything in the above article has offended you, please click here to receive an immediate apology.
You can follow the discussion through the Comments feed.
6 Comments
Views: 1235
Loading ...
My hats off to Bill Bolling. A good ruling on whether a bill before the Senate is germain or not has become one of the most important and effective duties that the Lt. Governor performs. The practice of expanding bills beyond their original scope is the root of many of the problems coming out of the General Assembly these days.
I know in my days as policy director of the Lt. Governor’s office, we were able to stop many legislative train wrecks. Of course, back then it was the GOP stopping bad legislation from Democrats. We all know where the problems originate these days.
GO BILL !!!….give us more 21-19 re-commital votes.
I can just imagine Billy B standing on the dais wielding his gavel like Thor as the wimpering Potts submarines his own bill lest he face retribution from the Mighty LG.
Barring any unexcepected circumstances, any reasonable transportation compromises will probably die in that committee.
10th District, I think you are probably right that Chichester and Senate Finance aren’t going to look kindly on the compromise.
However, Bolling and the Senate Republicans did the right thing standing up to Potts and Chich to kill a terrible bill. The fact that they have an R by their name is ridiculous.
GOP Jeff,
I totally agree. I am happen the Senate Republicans at least are making a valiant attempt to stand up to Chichester and Potts.
Is the house bill with all of their tax increases any better? Is Devolties-Davis NOVA regional tax increase plan really something to get worked up about? She voted for the Warner tax increase package in 2004. She submitted her NOVA transportation tax plan in 2005 and that was voted down by the House Finance Committe and now her new NOVA tax plan is in the House plan.