It is a week before
"cross-over" and the 2009 session is reaching its
peak. Lobbyist visits begin early in the morning, while
committee meetings stretch late into the night.
On the Senate floor,
we have hundreds of votes to make before February 8th, the
midpoint of the session. Time permitting; I will try to post some of the
votes and debates on my blog at
www.oxroadsouth.com as they occur.
Here are samples of bills that
we acted upon recently:
SB 810 (Howell): This
bill allows Virginians the right to exercise "no excuse" absentee
voting at their local registrar's office prior to an election, thus opening up
access and cutting down lines on Election Day. That is a
major convenience to the elderly and parents with kids who cannot
wait in long lines. The bill passed the Privileges and Elections
Committee and then the full Senate on a 24-16 vote. I voted
"yes." It now goes to the House of Delegates.
SB 874 (Ticer): This
bill would limit drivers' use of hand-held cell phones in moving vehicles under
certain prescribed instances to only "hands free" devices. It
passed the Transportation Committee on a 10-5 vote. I voted
"yes." On the Senate floor, it was referred back to Committee
to refine some of the language in the proposal. I expect the full Senate
will vote on it in a week.
SB 961 (Obenshain):
This bill eliminates the "triggerman rule" which states that only the
person who commits the actual killing in a homicide case -- and not his
co-conspirators -- can be eligible for the death penalty. Although I
support the death penalty option in extraordinary cases, this change represents
an unprecedented expansion of our law, already one of the broadest in the
nation. The bill passed the Senate 24-16. I voted
"no." If it passes the House, I expect a veto.
SB 970 (Blevins): This
bill would permit our police to stop any driver suspected of not
using a seatbelt. While I support seat belt laws, the act of making them
"primary offenses" would greatly widen the powers of police to stop
drivers and search vehicles - narrowing our Fourth Amendment freedoms.
The bill failed in the Transportation Committee. I voted
"no."
For my part, six bills from my
legislative package have passed Committee thus far, including a proposed
amendment to the state constitution permitting localities to exempt
LEED-certified structures from local taxes. Like all amendment requests,
this bill must pass two consecutive Assemblies to be put on the state ballot in
November 2010.
The majority of my remaining
bills -- including some controversial energy and finance bills -- will be taken
up in the next few days. You can see all my legislation at
leg1.state.va.us.
If you have comments or questions about any pending legislation, please do not
hesitate to contact me in Richmond at (804) 698-7534 or
kathy@fairfaxsenator.com.
Thanks to everyone who attended our
legislative town halls in Fairfax and Vienna on January 24th. Your
comments are appreciated. Please continue to check my website
www.fairfaxsenator.com
or make comments on my Assembly blog
www.oxroadsouth.com regarding state or local issues.
Let us know how we can represent you better.
Sincerely,
Chap Petersen
P.S.
If you
live in Fairfax County, please don't forget there's a special election on
Tuesday, February 3rd to choose the next County Chairman. All
polling locations will be open at regular voting hours. I have endorsed
Sharon
Bulova, who has been the Braddock District Supervisor for the past
twenty years and done an excellent job (and been a friend and mentor to
me). No matter your persuasion, please exercise your right to vote.
Visit us at
www.fairfaxsenator.com.
