By Amber Shiflett and Blake Belden
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – During the final hours of Wednesday’s reconvened session, the General Assembly approved a state budget that boosts funding for Virginia’s public schools next year.

Legislators considered changes that Gov. Bob McDonnell wanted them to make to House Bill 1500, which lays out the state budget for the 2013-14 biennium. The assembly had passed the bill in February, but McDonnell recommended 52 amendments.

The House and Senate approved most of the governor’s recommendations, including three that provided $2.35 million in additional funds for education.

(more…)

By Destiny Brandon
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – The Senate on Wednesday upheld Gov. Bob McDonnell’s veto of legislation to boost efforts to establish a tourist train between Tazewell County and Bramwell, W.Va.

In February, the House and Senate both passed Senate Bill 819 to revive the Tourist Train Development Authority that had been working on the project until the state shut it down in 2011. But McDonnell vetoed the bill, stating, “There has been no investment to procure a train to make this a reality.”

Sen. Phillip Puckett, D-Tazewell, had sponsored SB 891. He said he wasn’t sure what the governor meant. He said local officials in Southwest Virginia and neighboring West Virginia had been working earnestly on the project.

On Wednesday, the General Assembly convened for a one-day session to consider McDonnell’s vetoes. The Senate sustained the veto of SB 819, thus blocking the resurrection of the Tourist Train Development Authority.

(more…)

By Kristen Smith
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Gov. Bob McDonnell has signed into law legislation to expand the list of prohibited chemicals used in making synthetic marijuana and other designer drugs.

McDonnell announced Wednesday that he had signed House Bill 1941, which included an emergency clause making it effective immediately.

In a statement, the governor said the new law “continues Virginia’s commitment to combating the spread of illegal drugs in the commonwealth and preserving the safety of our schools and neighborhoods and builds on legislative efforts earlier in my administration to combat drugs and punish drug dealers.” (more…)

By Destiny Brandon
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Virginia schools must provide extra help to students in kindergarten and first and second grades who do poorly on diagnostic reading tests, under legislation that Gov. Bob McDonnell signed into law in recent weeks.

Schools already must offer reading intervention services to third-graders who demonstrate deficiencies on the state’s Standards of Learning reading test or other diagnostic measures. The new law, effective July 1, will add kindergarten and grades one and two to that requirement.

That is the result of McDonnell’s signing of two identical proposals that were passed overwhelmingly by the General Assembly during its recent session: House Bill 2068, sponsored by Delegate Jim LeMunyon, R-Oak Hill, and Senate Bill 1171, introduced by Sen. Harry Blevins, R-Chesapeake.

(more…)

By Destiny Brandon
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – A tourist train soon could be chugging its way through historic and scenic Tazewell County and across the state line to Bramwell, W.Va.

During its recently concluded session, the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation to create a Tourist Train Development Authority to pursue the project.

The nine-member authority would have representatives from the governing bodies of Tazewell County and the towns of Bluefield and Pocahontas; four Tazewell County citizens; and two legislators.

(more…)

By Kristen Smith
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Parents of Virginia public school students will be given educational information about eating disorders under a bill passed by the General Assembly.

House Bill 1406 was proposed by Delegate Richard P. Bell, R-Staunton, and co-sponsored by Delegates Mark Keam, D-Vienna, and Kaye Kory, D-Falls Church.

Both the House and Senate unanimously approved HB 1406, which requires each school board in Virginia to “annually provide parent educational information regarding eating disorders for pupils in grades five through 12.” The bill is awaiting Gov. Bob McDonnell’s signature. (more…)

By Whitney Spicer
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Negotiators from both the House and Senate came to an agreement Wednesday on a transportation plan that, if passed, will be the first major transportation overhaul in Virginia since 1986.

“This is a huge moment for Virginia,” said Sen. Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach), one of the conference committee members. “We are on the cusp of bringing home real and lasting transportation solutions that will move Virginia forward now and in the future.”

The transportation compromise, which was hammered out by a 10-member conference committee over the past week, would potentially raise close to $900 million a year in transportation revenue.

The plan greatly reduces the gas tax by replacing the current 17.5 cent per gallon tax with a 3.5 percent wholesale gas tax. The tax on diesel would be 6 percent.

(more…)

By Allison Landry | Capital News Service

Gov. Bob McDonnell on Wednesday approved a bill to extend the 30-cents-per-100-pound excise tax on peanuts until July 1, 2016.

McDonnell signed House Bill 1320, which keeps the tax from reverting to 15 cents per 100 pounds on July 1. The tax generates more than $100,000 a year to fund the Virginia Peanut Board, which promotes the sale of peanuts grown in the state.

The Virginia Peanut Growers Association supported legislation to keep the tax at 30 cents, as it has been since 2010.

HB1320 was proposed by Delegate Rick Morris (R-Carrollton) and co-sponsored by Delegate Roslyn Tyler (D-Jarratt). It had been approved 87-0 by the House on Jan. 21st and 34-6 by the Senate on Feb. 7th.

Sen. Louise Lucas (D-Portsmouth) introduced an identical measure – Senate Bill 698. It also has been passed by both chambers of the General Assembly: on a 37-3 vote in the Senate on Jan. 16th and then on a 97-0 vote in the House on Feb. 8th.

Peanuts are one of the top farm commodities in Virginia. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, Virginia’s peanut producers harvested 84 million pounds of peanuts last year, up 37 percent from 2011.

The peanut excise tax is levied on peanuts grown in and sold in Virginia for processing. The tax is paid by the processors – companies, cooperatives and other entities that clean, shell or crush peanuts.

By Kristen Smith
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – The Senate on Monday unanimously joined the House in passing a bill that requires women to be notified of dense breast tissue in mammogram results.

Senators voted 40-0 for House Bill 1778, which had been approved 98-0 by the House on Jan. 25. The legislation now goes to Gov. Bob McDonnell.

Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn, D-Springfield, introduced HB 1778, which “clarifies the conditions under which a mammography services provider must notify a patient of dense breast tissue.” (more…)

Alix Hines and Paige Baxter

Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Democratic lawmakers blasted Republicans’ recent actions to redraw Senate districts and require voters to show more identification during a roundtable meeting with the League of Women Voters of Virginia this past week.

Sen. Ralph Northam addressed the league regarding voting legislation. Photo By Paige Baxter

Several of the league’s guest speakers accused the GOP of gerrymandering political districts and trying to restrict voters’ rights. The General Assembly should be making it easier, not harder, to vote, Democratic legislators told about 30 league members Wednesday.

Sen. Ralph Northam, D-Painter, said the turnout for the 2012 presidential election was excellent: About 72 percent of Virginia voters cast ballots in November.

But some people across the state were discouraged from voting because they had to wait in line for hours at the polls, Northam said.

“Good democracy occurs when everybody has a voice,” he said. Northam said that’s why legislators this year filed bills such as “no-excuse early voting” legislation.

Senate Bill 724, proposed by Sen. John Miller, D-Newport News, would allow anyone 65 or older to obtain an absentee ballot for any reason. The Senate passed the bill, 28-9; it’s now in the House.

“Folks who are my age and older wouldn’t have to wait in a long line,” Miller said. “They could just call out and get an absentee ballot and be done with it.” (more…)