February 21, 2005
By the time you read this column, only a few days will remain in the session. At this point, it is still too early to predict all the legislation that will be passed by both chambers. However, it is safe to say that this year will not bring any radical change in public policy or existing laws. After last year's extended session, most legislators, as well as the Governor, are not in the mood to introduce needless bills for argument's sake alone.
The legislators that did introduce bills that would institute major changes in the status quo were well aware that their proposals would be short lived. Many of the controversial bills were perennial ones. While our process is not perfect, its greatest virtue is that it affords the consideration of proposed legislation from multiple perspectives. There are times when the House finds shortcomings in Senate bills and there are times when the opposite is true. Rarely does the system allow legitimately bad bills to make it to the Governor's desk. The negotiation process tends to polish the rougher proposals.
Sometimes, there are serious issues that do not get the necessary attention or consideration. This is especially the case with bills that have anything to do with unborn children.
For the second year in a row, supporters of pro-choice initiatives showed up en-masse to speak against a bill that would require fetal anesthesia during an abortion.
Whether or not one is pro-choice or pro-life, it should be generally accepted that no life should endure unnecessary pain, especially a life as innocent as an unborn child's.
Under current federal court rulings, state legislatures cannot stop abortions -- even those that occur days before natural birth. Delegate Black's bill would have required that the unborn child not be subjected to pain in those final minutes. Unfortunately, this bill was successfully killed by a strong pro-choice lobby.
Another bill that was killed by pro-choice supporters was one that would have required abortion clinics to operate under heightened safety standards. Given the current lack of oversight of such clinics, this bill would have set a necessary standard.
On a less sour note, the proposal to speed up the sales tax reduction on groceries has passed the Senate and the House of Delegates. Assuming the Governor signs the bill into law, the tax reduction will take place on July 1st.
In next week's column, I will discuss the outcomes of various proposals before the General Assembly. I hope you will contact me if you have any questions or concerns. You can reach me by mail at Senate of Virginia, P.O. Box 396, Richmond, Virginia 23218, by phone at (804) 698-7515 or the constituent hotline (800) 889-0229, or by email. 02