RICHMOND – Amanda Neely, a 22-year-old nursing student, graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University on Saturday. She is anxious about finding a job.

“There are so many students graduating from the same nursing program that I am, and such a disproportionately small number of positions available. People assume that because I chose this field, I’m protected from unemployment, but I’m not convinced,” Neely said.

She has reasons for concern: Half of young college graduates are unemployed or underemployed, stuck in jobs that don’t use their skills and knowledge, according to recent research by the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University.

Degrees in such fields as nursing, accounting or computer science used to be a ticket to a high-paying job. But now, even those degrees are vulnerable – and graduates who majored in the arts and humanities are really struggling, according to the data analysis, which was conducted for the Associated Press.

Moreover, a 2011 survey found that young college graduates had an unemployment rate of more than 9 percent – higher than the national average and double the rate of other college graduates.

Some economists blame the recession for the dismal job prospects of today’s college graduates. Other experts say students choose impractical majors, such as history or philosophy, over subjects like science or engineering. However, little attention has focused on the schools themselves and how well they prepare students for jobs.

That will change next year. Under a new law, state officials will publish online the employment rates and average salaries for graduates from each institution of higher education in Virginia. Prospective students and their parents will be able to see the statistics for each program and type of degree at each school.

The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, which oversees colleges and universities, will post the data on its website by Aug. 1, 2013. The data will include “the proportion of graduates with employment at 18 months and five years after the date of graduation for each public institution and each private nonprofit institution of higher education eligible to participate in the Tuition Assistance Grant Program.”

The reports will include “the percentage of graduates known to be employed in the Commonwealth, the average salary, and the average higher education-related debt for the graduates on which the data is based.”

The data will provide a report card of sorts for Virginia colleges and universities – showing how successful each institution’s graduates have been at landing jobs.

The new law was sponsored by Delegate Chris Stolle, a Republican from Virginia Beach. His proposal, House Bill 639, passed 95-5 in the House and 40-0 in the Senate. Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the bill into law on April 9.

A federal law, the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, already requires schools to collect this information. It says colleges must make available to current and prospective students “information regarding the placement in employment of, and types of employment obtained by, graduates of the institution’s degree or certificate programs,” as well as the types of graduate and professional education in which their graduates enroll.

But some officials question the validity of the data collected under the federal law, and it is not widely disseminated. Few schools post their statistics online, and no website aggregates the data and makes it searchable.

Under Virginia’s new law, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia will be largely responsible for the collection of college graduate employment data. With help from a $17.5 million federal grant, SCHEV will combine information from schools with data from agencies such as the Virginia Employment Commission and the state Department of Education. The data will be merged into a central database and identifying information will be removed to protect the graduates’ privacy.

The final result: Before enrolling in a school or declaring a major, prospective students will be able to see the job outlook for recent graduates.

“When people are looking into certain majors, they should be able to go and say, ‘Well, how many of these people are employed?’ ” said Kirsten Nelson, a public relations official with SCHEV.

Nelson said the data collected under the federal Higher Education Opportunity Act is flawed. When schools survey their graduates about employment, the response rates are notoriously low – about 6 percent. So the surveys don’t accurately capture the overall picture of graduates’ employment. Moreover, while the federal statute requires schools to college the data, they can get by without publicly reporting it.

Much of the graduate employment information collected under the federal law is useless, said Kevin Carey of EducationSector.org, a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C.

Carey and Andrew Kelli published a report in 2011 called “The Truth Behind Higher Education Disclosure Laws,” examining colleges’ compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act. They found that only about 60 percent of schools provided any information at all about the employment of recent graduates.

According to the report, a number of colleges said the graduate employment information was available from their career services office – but only to students who had already enrolled. Others said they surveyed graduates about their employment status but would not share the results.

To provide a more accurate picture, Daniel said SCHEV plans to track students’ progress through secondary education and into the workforce. However, this method also may have problems.

SCHEV will track only students who complete primary and secondary education in Virginia and then seek employment in the state. It will not track students who move to other states for jobs after graduation.

Even so, any information may be better than nothing. Some recent graduates who are struggling to find work say they wish they had known more in advance about the job prospects associated with their degree. That information might have affected their decision about where to go to college or what to study.

“I think that finding a job after college is simple; it’s finding a job in your field that is the difficult part,” said Moretta Browne, who graduated from VCU in 2011 with a degree in advertising.

“Food service and retail are always looking for new hires, but that isn’t what I went to school for. I’ve spent a lot of energy trying to put together the perfect portfolio and résumé, and send it out, but with no success. I recently landed a job as a bank teller, but I also just read in a news article that my position may be non-existent in the near future.”

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On the Web

Here is EducationSector.org’s report on “The Truth Behind Higher Education Disclosure Laws.”

The Web address for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is http://schev.edu/

RICHMOND – The General Assembly has decided to postpone until next year consideration of a bill that would grant personhood rights to a human embryo from the moment of conception.

The Senate last week sent the measure, House Bill 1, back to a committee after Democrats and some Republicans said it could have unforeseen consequences.

Democratic officials and abortion rights groups saw the move as a victory.

“I applaud Republicans in the Senate for seeing the light on why this overreaching bill was wrong for Virginia,” said House Democratic Leader David Toscano of Charlottesville. “I hope that my Republican colleagues in the House – who passed this bill just last week – will come to agree in future sessions.”

HB 1, proposed by Delegate Bob Marshall, R-Manassas, had passed the House on a 66-32 vote on Feb. 14. The measure stated that “unborn children at every stage of development enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities available to other persons, citizens, and residents of the Commonwealth, subject only to the laws and constitutions of Virginia and the United States, precedents of the United States Supreme Court, and provisions to the contrary in the statutes of the Commonwealth.”

On Thursday morning, the Senate Committee on Education and Health voted 8-7 to approve the legislation. All of the Republicans on the panel voted for it; all of the Democrats voted against.

Hours later, the full Senate took up the bill. That’s when Sen. Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax, proposed sending HB 1 back to the committee, putting it on hold for at least a year.

Unexpectedly, Senate Republican Majority leader Thomas Norment of Williamsburg agreed, saying that the bill’s complexities required further study. The motion to return the legislation to the committee passed by a vote of 24-14.

Eighteen Democratic senators and six Republicans voted for the motion to shelve HB 1; 14 Republicans voted against it. Two Democrats did not vote.

The bill was modeled after a 1986 Missouri law that has survived court challenges, said Rita Dunaway, an attorney for the Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit organization that provides legal services in the defense of religious and civil liberties.

Dunaway advocated for the bill because she said it would accomplish the long-term objective of recognizing the humanity of the unborn.

HB 1 would not supersede federal laws or the U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, Dunaway said. “A bill like this would provide a legal and philosophical foundation for specific statutes restricting abortion if the legislature ever chose to pursue such measures.”

Still, many Virginians saw HB 1 as an attempt to restrict abortion rights. As many as 1,500 people gathered on the Capitol grounds last week in silent protest of HB 1 and other proposals they considered attacks on reproductive rights.

Such activism is what prompted legislators to reconsider HB 1, said Delegate Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond. “Through petition, silent protest, calls and letters, voices across the commonwealth calling for an end to this attack on women’s rights were finally heard,” she said.

Dunaway called Norment’s action to shelve HB 1 “nothing more than a politically motivated trick.” She said there was no need to further investigate the implications of the bill. There was “not a single question raised in committee that was not definitively answered,” Dunaway said.

As a result of Thursday’s vote, HB 1 will be on the agenda for the Senate Education and Health Committee for the 2013 legislative session.

“I can only hope that members of the House and Senate will not forget the pushback that occurred against this legislation next year,” said Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia. “We’ll be ready for it next year.”

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How They Voted

Here is how the Senate voted Thursday on a motion to send HB 1 back to the Senate Education and Health Committee.

Floor: 02/23/12 Senate: Motion to recommit to committee agreed to (24-Y 14-N)

YEAS – Barker, Blevins, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Norment, Northam, Petersen, Puller, Ruff, Saslaw, Stosch, Wagner, Watkins – 24.

NAYS – Black, Carrico, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Obenshain, Reeves, Smith, Stanley, Stuart, Vogel – 14.

NOT VOTING – Colgan, Puckett – 2.

RICHMOND – More than a year before last November’s elections, Spotsylvania County insurance agent Bryce Reeves started campaigning for the 17th Senate District seat. A lot of people figured he would need more than an early start: Reeves, a Republican who had never held elective office, was challenging Edd Houck, a Democrat who had held the Senate seat since 1984.

But on Election Day, Reeves won – by 226 votes. His victory helped tip the balance of power in the Senate from a Democratic majority to Republican control.

As his first legislative session enters its final weeks, Reeves has enjoyed numerous successes: Of 14 bills he sponsored, nine passed the Senate – and six of them have passed the House as well.

Thanks to his efforts, Virginia likely will require insurers to tell homeowners whether their policies cover earthquakes; require government agencies to cooperate on dam safety; and continue to exempt textbooks from the sales tax.

“I worked really hard and met a lot of people, and I consider it an honor and a privilege to serve,” Reeves said in a recent interview in his office in the General Assembly Building. “It’s an amazing and unique process.”

Senate District 17 includes Fredericksburg and Orange County and parts of Culpeper, Albemarle, Louisa and Spotsylvania counties. Reeves lives in Spotsylvania with his wife, Anne, and their two children, Nicole and Jack.

Reeves has lived in Virginia for 18 years but grew up in Houston. He attended Texas A&M University, graduating in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in industrial education.

After college, Reeves accepted a commission as second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, where he completed 13 years of service. He eventually became captain and served as a U.S. Army Ranger.

While at Fort Benning, Ga., Reeves was recognized as the Enlisted Honor Graduate by the U.S. Army Airborne Paratrooper School. He also received a master’s degree in public administration from George Mason University in 1998.

Reeves accepted a position with the Prince William County Police, working as a detective in the vice and narcotics bureau. He served on a drug task force for Northern Virginia and Maryland and became an expert on illicit drugs.

In the Senate, Reeves has been assigned to four committees: General Laws and Technology; Privileges and Elections; Rehabilitation and Social Services; and Courts of Justice. He believes his military and law enforcement experience gives him extra insight on legislative issues.

“I feel I have a better understanding when it comes to certain bills, like in the Courts of Justice (Committee) – being able to understand rules of evidence and articulate a different viewpoint than maybe a trial attorney, or maybe someone else who’s never arrested anybody or served overseas would have,” Reeves said.

“And it’s due to my experience in the Army and police force.”

Reeves said one of his priorities is veterans’ issues. He sponsored a bill (SB 254) to increase the number of agents handling veterans’ disability claims in the Virginia Department of Veterans Services; it has passed the Senate and is on track for final approval.

Both the House and Senate have passed Reeves’ measure (SB 433) to require funeral directors to notify the Department of Veterans Services about unclaimed cremated remains; the department then would determine whether the “cremains” belong to a veteran eligible for burial in a veterans’ cemetery.

Passing state laws is a long way from Reeves’ start in politics. In 2007, frustrated by government, he ran for a seat on the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors.

“They say, ‘Stop complaining, get involved,’ ” Reeves said. “So I ran, and I lost, which was probably one of the best things that ever happened to me.”

Having little background in politics, Reeves decided to get more education. He was accepted into and completed the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Political Leaders Program in 2009; he was even selected as class president.

So Reeves was ready when he challenged Houck, who ranked third in seniority in the Senate, was a state budget negotiator and chaired the Senate Education and Health Committee.

According to Reeves, his team made more than 166,000 phone calls, knocked on more than 39,000 doors and raised more than $1 million during the campaign.

The Senate race was so close that there was almost a recount. In the end, Houck conceded. The official results showed Reeves with 22,615 votes and Houck with 22,389.

“We created a vision that people saw and they felt part of,” Reeves said. “It’s just a matter of working hard and putting sweat equity into it. It doesn’t matter what you have in your bank account or what pedigrees or degrees you have on the wall. If you have a servant heart, you can do anything. You can be anything you want to be.”

About Sen. Bryce Reeves

Born: Nov. 28, 1966, in California
Education: Texas A&M University (B.S.); George Mason University (M.P.A., Public Administration); University of Virginia, Sorenson Political Leaders Program
Profession: President of Bryce Reeves Insurance and Financial Services Inc.; president of Reeves Asset Management Group
Senate District: 17, which includes Fredericksburg and Orange County and parts of Culpeper, Albemarle, Louisa and Spotsylvania counties
Political party: Republican
Email: district17@senate.virginia.gov
Phone numbers: 804-698-7517 (Richmond); 540-891-5473 (district office)

RICHMOND – “Remember, girls, you’re not anyone; you’re Virginia Teamohs!”

At home in New York’s Harlem neighborhood, that’s what Rafia Zafar’s Southern-born grandmother would say to keep her granddaughters in line. Years later, Zafar, a Harvard-educated English professor at Washington University in St. Louis, would come to realize the significance of those words.

Zafar’s great-great-grandfather was George Teamoh, who was born a slave in Portsmouth in 1818 and became a state legislator after the Civil War. An accomplished orator and advocate of African-American self-help, Teamoh served in the Virginia Senate from 1869 to 1871.

Teamoh was one of about 100 blacks elected to the General Assembly during Reconstruction – until racial discrimination and Jim Crow laws relegated African-Americans to second-class citizenship. Those history-making legislators are finally getting recognition: They’re being honored by the 2012 General Assembly.

Legislators have passed a pair of resolutions describing the contributions of the pioneering lawmakers and praising them for their “commitment to public service in the face of deep resentment, racial animus, violence, corruption, and intimidation.”

The resolutions, which were recommended by the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Commission, aim to dispel misconceptions about the role of blacks in the years immediately following the Civil War.

“For a long time, there was this mythology about Reconstruction in the textbooks which said that all these people were ignorant – they didn’t know what they were doing, they were corrupt and Reconstruction was a total disaster,” said Eric Foner, a history professor at Columbia University.

“And that’s just not true.”

Ten years after the Supreme Court denied U.S. citizenship to men, women and children of African ancestry in the 1857 Dred Scott v. Sandford decision, black men would hold political office in most of the former slave-holding states and be elected to the U.S Congress.

Virginia’s black legislators hailed from a myriad of educational and economic backgrounds: free-born and former slave, impoverished and well-to-do, highly educated and functionally illiterate.

All were Republican, the party of Abraham Lincoln and emancipation.

Delegate Samuel Bolling, representing Cumberland and Buckingham counties, was born a slave and eventually would own more than 1,000 acres in Cumberland County. The family of Delegate John W. B. Matthews were free blacks who themselves owned slaves.

James Fields, who represented Elizabeth City and James City in the House of Delegates, was in the first graduating class of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University).

A former slave who escaped north, Sen. Daniel Norton was a New York-educated physician who represented James City and York counties.

Delegate Goodman Brown, whose family was free for three generations, enlisted in the Union Navy and served on a gunboat during the Civil War.

The lawmakers served on legislative committees and introduced such forward-thinking proposals as prohibiting the sale of liquor to minors, abolishing the whipping post as a form of punishment and treating blacks and whites equally in public places.

Joseph Evans, who represented Petersburg in both the House and Senate, proposed requiring landlords “to give ten days’ notice before evicting a tenant.”

A measure defining the “boundaries of election precincts” was introduced by Delegate Peter Jacob Carter, a runaway slave who enlisted in the 10th Regiment of the U.S. Colored Infantry.

Matt Clark, who represented Halifax County in the House of Delegates, proposed the “refinancing of the state war debt at a lower interest rate” to subsidize Virginia’s new public school system.

‘Hostility from White Virginians’

Black legislators and other African-Americans were the targets of intimidation after the Civil War. Throughout the South, campaigns of terror were aimed at the freedmen, members of the Republican Party and whites sympathetic to the plight of black citizens.

In addition, the Democratic Party would enact restrictive voting requirements and other laws to marginalize African-Americans and their chosen representatives at the General Assembly.

For example, Democrats removed Phillip Bolling from the House of Delegates on grounds that his employment at a brick kiln in Prince Edward County disqualified him from representing Buckingham and Cumberland counties in General Assembly. Other black legislators also felt pressure.

“They faced an enormous amount of hostility from a large number of white Virginians,” said Foner, who won the Pulitzer Prize in history for his 2010 book, “The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery.”

“And that made it even more difficult for them to carry out their responsibilities.”

By the late 1880s, most black legislators had been forced from public life. Many would become merchants (such as Delegate James F. Lipscomb, who opened a country general store in Cumberland County), lawyers (such as Delegate Richard G. L. Paige, who had a law practice in Norfolk) or preachers (such as Sen. Guy Powell, who became pastor of a Baptist church in Brunswick County).

Some moved north, such as Tazewell Branch, who settled in New Jersey after representing Prince Edward County in the Virginia House from 1874 to 1877.

The legacy of these groundbreaking officials faded into obscurity, save for the occasional highway marker (one in Cumberland County honors Lipscomb) or family lore about ancestors like George Teamoh.

It would be nearly a century later, after the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act, that blacks would resume holding public office in earnest. The Virginia General Assembly would not see its first African-American lawmaker until the election of Dr. William Ferguson Reid to the House of Delegates in 1968.

The forgotten history is why Delegate Jennifer McClellan of Richmond introduced House Joint Resolution 65, “recognizing the African-American representatives to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1867-1868 and members elected to the Virginia General Assembly during Reconstruction.”

“They did a lot of significant things while they were in office that we don’t learn in our history class,” McClellan said.

Her resolution was approved unanimously by the House on Feb. 13. The Senate is expected to vote on it this week.

Another Richmond Democrat, Sen. Henry Marsh, is sponsoring Senate Joint Resolution 13. It won unanimous approval from the Senate on Feb. 6 and from the House on Friday.

Both resolutions provide a roll call of the African-Americans who were elected to the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1867-1868 and to the General Assembly between 1869 and 1890.

“The people of the Commonwealth are indebted to these African-American public servants and are the beneficiaries of their tremendous contributions and service to help promote the promise of racial equality, justice, and full citizenship for all citizens,” the resolutions state.

Marsh, who chairs the Dr. Martin Luther King Memorial Commission, said the recognition of the Reconstruction-era black legislators is long overdue.

“It’s a remarkable story,” he said. “In my mind, they are real heroes.”

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Timeline of African-American History

1619: First Africans brought to Jamestown.

1857: Dred Scott v. Sandford: Supreme Court rules that blacks cannot be citizens of the United States.

1860: Abraham Lincoln elected president; South Carolina secedes from the Union.

1861: First shots fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, marking the start of the Civil War.

1863: Emancipation Proclamation issued.

1865: End of Civil War: 4 million blacks liberated.

1867: Reconstruction acts: Blacks begin holding public office.

1868: 14th Amendment adopted; overrules Dred Scott; defines “equal protection.”

1875: Civil Rights Act passes; all citizens should have equal access to public facilities.

1883: Civil Rights Act declared unconstitutional by Supreme Court.

1896: Plessy v. Ferguson: Supreme Court rules separate but equal facilities on the basis of race are constitutional.

1954: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka: Supreme Court overturns Plessy v. Ferguson.

1965: Voting Rights Act; blacks again begin holding public office.

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Notable Legislators during Reconstruction

Here is a sampling of African-Americans who served in the General Assembly after the Civil War.

James Bland – Considered the voice of compromise and impartiality, he represented Appomattox and Prince Edward counties in the Virginia Senate. He died in the 1870 floor collapse at the Capitol that claimed 60 lives.

William Brisby – He represented New Kent County in the House of Delegates. Brisby reportedly helped Union soldiers escape from Richmond during the Civil War.

Nathaniel Griggs – Before representing Prince Edward County in the House of Delegates, Griggs, a former slave, was fired from his job as a tobacco factory worker for making political speeches.

Charles and John Hodges – These brothers represented Norfolk and Princess Anne counties respectively in the House of Delegates. Their family was active in the abolition movement during slavery and forced to flee to the North before the war.

Henry Smith – He represented Greensville County in the House of Delegates in 1879-80. Born a slave, Smith would own more than 900 acres, including the residence of his former owner.

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On the Web

You can read the full text of the resolutions on the Richmond Sunlight website:

• www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2012/hj65
• www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2012/sj13

Rafia Zafar, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, reflects on her great-great-grandfather, George Teamoh, in this essay:

• www.common-place.org/vol-09/no-02/zafar/

RICHMOND – Efforts to expand job opportunities for veterans are receiving overwhelming support in the General Assembly this session, but veterans’ requests for tax exemptions and easier access to retail discounts have gained little traction.

Virginia’s moves to expand education and employment opportunities for veterans come on the heels of high veteran unemployment figures. The national unemployment rate for veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan topped 12 percent late last year.

More than a dozen veterans-related bills have won approval from both chambers of the General Assembly. They include:

• Senate Bill 527, sponsored by Sen. Thomas Garrett, R-Bumpass. It would give hiring preference to National Guard members seeking state jobs.
• House Bill 253, by Delegate Christopher Stolle, R-Virginia Beach. Under this measure, the spouses and children of veterans killed in the line of duty also would receive preferential consideration when applying for state jobs.
• HB 938, by Delegate L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Woodbridge. It would allow service members to count their military training, education or experience in qualifying for occupational licenses or certification for state-regulated professions.
• HB 195, by Delegate Lynwood Lewis, D-Accomac. It would require public colleges and universities in Virginia to award academic credit for educational experience gleaned from military service.
• HB 194, also by Lewis. It would require the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles to consider the military experience of applicants seeking a commercial driver’s license.

The assembly also seems likely to approve legislation to fund four additional representatives for veteran disability claims. The positions are contained in identical bills: HB 1121, which was introduced by House Majority Leader Kirk Cox, R-Hopewell, and unanimously passed the House; and SB 254, which was filed by Sen. Bryce Reeves, R-Fredericksburg, and unanimously passed the Senate.

From 2005 to 2010, disability claims by Virginia veterans increased 42 percent, causing a backlog. The proposed legislation would increase the number of claims agents in the Virginia Department of Veterans Services to 36, up from 32. It would mandate a ratio of one agent for every 23,000 veterans. (The current mandate is one agent for every 26,212 veterans.)

But not everything came through for veterans this session.

Four bills died in committee that would have allowed veterans to indicate their military status on their driver’s license. Veterans wanted this to make it easier for them to receive armed forces discounts offered by retailers.

Three bills dealing with income tax exemptions for veterans were carried over to the 2013 legislative session.

By Amir Vera

Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Prince William County officials are upset that a Senate committee has defeated Delegate Richard Anderson’s bill requiring police to ask arrestees whether they are legal U.S. residents.

House Bill 1060, which had passed the House earlier in February, failed on a 7-7 vote last week in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee.

Corey Stewart, chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, said he was “extremely disappointed” by the Senate panel’s action.

“This is a common sense piece of legislation that would improve the safety of Virginians everywhere,” Stewart said.

HB 1060 stated: “Whenever any person is lawfully arrested and taken into custody by a law-enforcement officer, the officer shall inquire as to whether the arrestee is legally present in the United States. If, following the inquiry, the law-enforcement officer has reason to believe that the arrestee may not be legally present in the United States, he shall communicate to the judicial officer the facts and circumstances underlying his belief.”

Under the measure, the judicial officer then would take this information into consideration in setting bail.

The bill was inspired by a policy introduced by the Prince William Board of County Supervisors in 2007. Law enforcement officials in Prince William County have followed the policy the past five years.

Anderson, a Republican from Woodbridge, represents House District 51, which includes part of the county. He said the program has been successful.

“It is a highly effective tool that has been employed in a fair and equitable manner by Prince William law enforcement personnel, and it’s time to embrace this procedure across the commonwealth,” Anderson said in a press release.

He said the practice has led to the arrest of “more than 4,500 criminal illegal aliens.” Anderson added that his proposal was not discriminatory.

“This bill deals with what happens after a person has committed an illegal act … And it has everything to do with treating 100 percent of all arrestees in the same manner, no matter how they look, talk or walk,” Anderson said.

The House adopted HB 1060 on a 75-25 vote on Feb. 14. But it failed on a tie vote Wednesday in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee. Seven Republicans on the panel voted for the bill; six Democrats and a Republican (Sen. Thomas Norment of Williamsburg) voted against it.

The bill’s opponents said it may lead to problems between minorities and police. Anderson disputed such concerns.

“Predicted claims against the county never materialized, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials validated that Prince William law enforcement officers made correct determinations of illegal presence in 98 percent of all cases,” Anderson said.

Anderson’s bill has not been the only “legal presence” legislation to have problems:

• Delegate David Albo, R-Springfield, sponsored HB 472, which would have required police to ascertain the legal status of arrestees who can’t produce a driver’s license or other identification. It died in the House Courts of Justice Committee.
• Sen. Richard Black, R-Sterling, sponsored Senate Bill 460, which would have required police to determine an arrestee’s status when they have “reasonable suspicion that the person is unlawfully present in the United States.” It failed on a tie vote in the Senate Courts of Justice Committee in January.

Despite the setbacks, Stewart said he will continue to push for a law to ascertain the legal status of people who are arrested in Virginia.

“Although this legislation did not become law this year, we will not give up the fight,” Stewart said. “As I travel the Commonwealth, I continue to relay the positive impact this policy has had in Prince William County.”

RICHMOND – The General Assembly has passed a bill expanding the number of ABC stores that can open on Sundays.

Currently, state-owned liquor stores can operate on Sundays only in urban areas, such as cities with more than 100,000 residents. House Bill 896, sponsored by Delegate David Albo, R-Springfield, would allow the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Board to open any of its stores after 1 p.m. on Sundays.

“This would allow us to look at all ABC stores in Virginia, determine which ones are the most profitable, and open those stores up,” Albo said.

The Senate passed HB 896 Thursday on a 25-15 vote. The House had previously approved the measure, 69-29. The bill now goes to Gov. Bob McDonnell for his consideration.

ABC currently operates 131 retail stores on Sunday, according to an analysis of the bill by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.

“This legislation impacts 195 retail stores that could potentially be opened on Sunday,” the analysis said.

It noted that ABC began Sunday operations at some stores in 2004. Last year, Sunday sales at ABC stores totaled $21 million.

In the 2011 annual report of the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, ABC Board Chairman J. Neal Insley said that “Sunday store sales are up 9.6 percent or $1.8 million when compared to last year.”

Curtis Coleburn, the ABC department’s chief operating officer, has projected that Sunday ABC sales could “add $5 million in profits and taxes.” (The Virginia Department of Planning and Budget offered a lower estimate of $2.5 million.) The money goes into the state budget.

Many stores in Northern Virginia, Central Virginia and Hampton Roads already have Sunday hours. The bill would mean that local stores could expand their hours as well.

Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Mount Salon, tried to amend HB 896. He said that before opening an ABC store on Sundays, the ABC Board should be required to get the approval of the local government where the store is located.

At first, senators approved Hanger’s proposal. Then they reconsidered and voted 13-27 against the idea.

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How They Voted

Here is how the Senate voted Thursday on “HB 896 Alcoholic beverage control; Sunday operation of government stores after 1:00 p.m.”

Floor: 02/23/12 Senate: Passed Senate (25-Y 15-N)

YEAS – Barker, Blevins, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Norment, Northam, Petersen, Puckett, Puller, Saslaw, Stosch, Vogel, Wagner, Watkins – 25.

NAYS – Black, Carrico, Colgan, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Obenshain, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stuart – 15.

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This story is for subscribers to VCU’s Capital News Service. If you have questions or comments, contact Jeff South at jcsouth@vcu.edu or 804-827-0253 or your CNS reporter

RICHMOND – Opponents of drunken driving are applauding the Senate for passing a bill to require even first-time DUI offenders in Virginia to install a device to prevent them from operating their vehicle while intoxicated.

The Senate approved House Bill 279 on a 26-13 vote Wednesday. It would require Virginia drivers to have an ignition interlock installed after their first DUI offense. Currently, the devices are required only after a second or subsequent DUI conviction.

An ignition interlock requires a motorist to blow into a Breathalyzer before starting the car and at random intervals while driving. The car won’t start if the driver’s blood alcohol content is above .02 percent.

“This is the sixth year in which ignition interlock legislation for all DUI offenders has been introduced in Virginia’s General Assembly,” said Kurt Erickson, president of the Washington Regional Alcoholic Program, which campaigns against drunken driving.

“Virginia’s patience with the more than 29,000 drivers in the state annually convicted of driving under the influence has worn thin.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 30,000 DUI offenders were convicted in Virginia in 2010. That’s more than three convictions every hour.

Erickson said ignition interlocks are effective in stopping people from driving while under the influence of alcohol.

“If, before attempting to start their vehicle, the device senses a set amount of alcohol, the vehicle will not start,” Erickson said. “If a running retest senses a set amount of alcohol, the vehicle’s horn will sound, along with its headlights flashing, in order to draw the attention of law enforcement.”

HB 279, sponsored by Delegate Salvatore Iaquinto, R-Virginia Beach, won approval from the House of Delegates on Feb. 9. It would require anyone convicted of DUI to install an ignition interlock. (Under the law, any driver with a blood alcohol content of .08 or above is considered intoxicated.)

But some drama surrounded the bill when it moved to the Senate. The Senate Courts of Justice Committee changed the bill so that, for first-time offenders, it applied only if the BAC was 0.12 or higher.

However, the Senate rejected the committee’s modification of the bill and passed the House version.

The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving was glad senators refused to water down HB 279.

“The committee amendment that the Senate rejected on Wednesday would have made the legislation weaker,” said Chris Konschak, manager of the Virginia office of MADD. “The Senate demonstrated that they are committed to eliminating drunk driving in Virginia, and mandatory ignition interlocks for all DUI offenders is a step in that direction.”

WRAP agreed.

“By capturing a combined, more than 80 percent of their vote, Virginia lawmakers have sent to Gov. (Bob) McDonnell legislation deploying proven effective technology to combat drunk driving in the commonwealth,” Erickson said.

How They Voted

Here is how the Senate voted Wednesday on “HB 279 DUI ignition interlock; required on second offense, etc. as a condition of a restricted license.”

Floor: 02/22/12 Senate: Passed Senate (26-Y 13-N)

YEAS – Barker, Black, Blevins, Carrico, Colgan, Deeds, Ebbin, Favola, Herring, Howell, Locke, Lucas, Marsden, Marsh, McEachin, McWaters, Miller, J.C., Miller, Y.B., Obenshain, Puckett, Reeves, Ruff, Saslaw, Smith, Vogel, Wagner – 26.

NAYS – Edwards, Garrett, Hanger, Martin, McDougle, Newman, Norment, Petersen, Puller, Stanley, Stosch, Stuart, Watkins – 13.

NOT VOTING – Northam – 1.

RICHMOND – The House and Senate seem headed in different directions on whether to give businesses relief from the machinery and tools tax levied by local governments.

The Senate has passed a bill to give businesses grants to offset the tax on newly purchased equipment for the first two years. Under the latest version of Senate Bill 549, businesses would pay the tax to their city, county or town but then get reimbursed by a state grant. The bill passed last week, 28-12.

The tax is levied by localities on machinery used in manufacturing, mining, water well drilling, processing, broadcasting, dairy, dry cleaning and laundry businesses.

Originally, SB 549 would have eliminated the machinery and tools tax on equipment less than four years old. But local governments protested, saying the tax is a significant source of revenue to fund local public services.

So senators came up with the grant program as an alternative.

The grants established by the revised bill would require funding in the state budget that the General Assembly is now crafting.

“If it is not approved in the budget, it will have no effect,” said the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach.

He said funding the program would ultimately benefit Virginia as well as industries.

“It is the cost of businesses expanding,” Wagner said. And as businesses expand, they will generate tax revenues in other ways: “It will be a multiple of what we spent.”

SB 549 now goes to the House for consideration. What the House will do is uncertain.

Last week, delegates rejected House Bill 512, which was similar to the original version of SB 549. It would have exempted from taxation machinery and tools for three years after they’ve been purchased.

The House voted 35-65 against the bill, which was sponsored by Delegate Bob Purkey, R-Virginia Beach.

Purkey said the machinery tax is too harsh on business: “It is a job killer, noncompetitive, and dissuades innovation.”

Delegate Riley Ingram, R-Hopewell, voted against HB 512. He said the city of Hopewell “is strapped for cash.” In 2010, local governments in Virginia received more than $221 million from the machinery and tools tax.

Ingram said he would support the Senate’s proposed grant program.

“If we can find the money to reimburse the industries, I am 100 percent for that,” he said.

Delegate Mike Watson, R-Williamsburg, was a co-patron of HB 512 and voted for the bill. He said he probably would support the grant program if money could be found.

Watson said his manufacturing and business experience shaped his perspective on the issue. He was formerly employed in Hopewell by AlliedSignal, which became Honeywell after a merger between the companies. He currently is president of Control Automation Technologies Corp.

Watson said relief from the machinery and tools tax would “decrease uncertainty” in companies that want to invest in Virginia.

“If you talk to anybody in business, the No. 1 reason companies are not investing is uncertainty. They are uncertain about regulations, tax codes and the economy. They say, ‘Let’s hold back until we are more certain,’ ” Watson said.