From the Desk of Senator Frank Ruff
February 18, 2008
This past week was the midpoint in our session at the General Assembly. Bills that are introduced in the House and Senate must complete consideration in each house before they can become law. Now the Senate is focusing on bills that passed the House of Delegates.
Mental health bills arising from the Virginia Tech shooting have been a major focus this year. Legislation that passed the House of Delegates allows courts to order mandatory treatment of the mentally ill and places the burden of reporting non-compliance on community service boards. A similar version of the bill that passed the Senate allows courts to involuntarily commit someone if there is likelihood that their problem will harm themselves or others.
The proposed ban on smoking in restaurants passed the Senate but was killed in the House of Delegates.
Other legislation that passed the House of Delegates would allow people convicted of their first drunk driving charge to get an ignition interlock device that prevents them from driving if they have consumed alcohol. Another bill raises the fine for a DUI to $2,250 and people convicted of vehicle related felonies would face fines between $2,500 and $3,500.
Despite my opposition, legislation to study uranium mining made it out of the Senate. While I was not able to stop the bill, I did help to make some improvements to the bill to ensure that the study would be non-biased and that it applied to the whole state and not just our area. I was one of four Senators who voted against the legislation.
The abusive driving fees were repealed by both the House and the Senate; however, there are some differences in the legislation. The Senate version allows those people with outstanding balances from the abusive driver fees to have those balances erased. The Senate version also provides a process for refunding the fees that have already been paid. The House version does not allow for the Commonwealth to pay those fees back so a compromise will have to be developed.
Likewise, different versions of controlling the payday lending industry passed the Senate and the House. Therefore, a compromise will have to be agreed to if we are to get some much needed legislation passed.
There has been some consensus for cracking down on illegal immigration. A bill denying in-state tuition to illegal aliens passed the Senate and a bill to prevent illegal immigrants from attending public colleges and universities passed the House. Another House bill would require local law enforcement to help federal agencies identify and deport illegal aliens.
This is just a sampling of the legislation that is under consideration. There are still four weeks to go in which much can happen. I will try to keep you updated as we move through the process.
I want to hear from you on what you think about this and other issues before the General Assembly.
I can be reached by phone at either 1-800-889-0229 or directly at my office at 804-698-7515. You can click on the “Contact Us” button or you can email me at district15@sov.state.va.us. You can mail letters or notes at P.O. Box 396, Richmond, VA 23218. You can also fax me at 804-698-7651.