I
keep two files on my office floor. One is entitled "Petersen:
Living Bills." The other is "Petersen: Dead
Bills."
The
former file is full at the outset of the Session; the latter is
empty. By the midpoint, they are about equal. By the end of Session, the
latter is always thicker.
Here
are some of the "Living Bills" and where they stand right now:
My
SJR 332 amends the State Constitution to permit a tax
break for structures that meet defined standards for resource
conservation. These exemptions, which are at local or state option,
encourage the savings of energy and water and may just revitalize the home
building industry by promoting a new product. SJR 332 passed
the Senate 37-2. It now must pass the House of Delegates.
Assuming it makes it completely through the 2009 session; I will
reintroduce the language in 2010 and have it pass through a second
Assembly. Only at that point will the constitutional issue be put to the
voters, who have the final say.
Similarly
my
SB 1252 (i) requires the state to build only
LEED-certified buildings which maximize the use of light and energy-saving
materials and (ii) pushes our localities to meet that same standard in their
public buildings. The bill passed unanimously out of the General Laws
Committee on Wednesday, which is a good sign. I expect it to pass the
full Senate next week.
Then
there is
SB 1134 which establishes a
fund for "E-Summons" so that
our police can download and print a traffic summons --
instead of writing it out in hand. This simple change will save thousands
of man (and woman) hours at the courthouse for district clerks that currently
have to input the charging data manually. It passed the Committee
with only one "no" vote and should pass the full Senate next
week.
Finally,
my
SB 1135 requires the Virginia Parole Board to review
all material factors for any parole-eligible inmates (i.e. sentenced
pre-1995) and state in writing the reasons if it decides to deny parole.
This is just common sense, especially since those inmates sentenced before
1995 received longer sentences in light of their potential for parole.
After a lengthy hearing in Committee, the bill was reported to the
floor. It then passed the full Senate this week unanimously.
Now,
the other side.
My
SB 1124 and
SB 1125 extended state income tax credits for clean
energy production and "green job creation." I presented those
bills in the Finance Committee last week. Due to the moratorium on tax
credits, it's not likely they will pass or be incorporated into the state
budget.
My
SB 1126 sets a consumption reduction target for energy use to 90%
per capita of 2006 levels for our investor owned utilities.
That very aggressive target was not received favorably in Subcommittee
and will not likely pass the Commerce Committee, at least in its present
form. I may try to "roll it" into a more moderate alternative.
My
SB 1133 reinstated Virginia's share of the estate tax and used the
proceeds to restore over $100 million in Medicaid cuts impacting the
88,038 elder Virginians who receive Medicaid services (and the hospitals and
nursing homes that provide their care). It has been tabled in
the Senate Finance Committee, after a number of Richmond lobbyists spoke
against it. Without action by the Finance Committee, it will die.
That's
a few of the bills. Most the rest are still pending. Also still
pending is the State Budget which is being crafted by the Senate Finance
Committee as I write to you. Due to declining revenue projections, it may
be worse than originally projected (unless and until Virginia receives Federal
stimulus money).
The
Senate will continue until cross-over on February 10th,
when we begin receiving bills from the House. 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.
You
can also 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
