RICHMOND — A House committee Monday defeated a bill aiming to close the gap between the average teacher’s salary nationally and in Virginia.

SB 1186 would have made it Virginia’s goal for teachers to earn a paycheck that’s competitive with the national average. Right now, there’s a nearly $3,000 gap, according to the Virginia Education Association.

Virginia has lagged behind ever since falling off the national average in the mid-1980s, making it more difficult to recruit, said the bill’s patron, Sen. George Barker, D-Fairfax County.

“I think this puts us in a position to be more competitive in attracting teachers,” Barker told the House Education Committee. “If you don’t have some leadership from the state, you’re not going to move.”

The committee voted down the bill over concerns it either would do nothing or result in an unfunded mandate to localities, which decide how much to pay their teachers. Opponents also said the state should compare salaries regionally, not nationally.

The General Assembly is considering a 2 percent raise for teachers and other school employees next year, though the proposal depends on state and local funding.

— Kathy Adams, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot

Bill to publicize budget for 48 hours has faltered

RICHMOND — Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Bedford County, has more work to do in persuading the General Assembly to make the final version of the state budget available to the public before legislators vote on it.

The bill has died without a vote in the House of Delegates.

Smith won a long-sought victory earlier this month when the Senate unanimously passed his bill (SB 1161). The legislation would require the budget deal worked out by House and Senate negotiators to be posted online for 48 hours before lawmakers act on it. Smith has proposed similar legislation in each of the past five years, but never got the bill out of committee and to the full Senate until this year. His original bill would have required the budget to be posted for 72 hours before a vote on passage.

After passing the Senate, the bill was referred to the House Appropriations Committee. And that’s where it remained Monday when the deadline passed for committee action on legislation.

Smith said House committee members told him the bill was not needed because the 48-hour provision was adopted as part of a procedural resolution governing the conduct of legislative business in this session. Smith’s bill would not have taken effect until July 1, and would have had no practical application until the 2014 General Assembly session.

Smith said he was happy to get the bill through the Senate this year and will keep pushing for the legislation.

“If I live long enough, it’s going to be on the governor’s desk,” Smith said.

— Michael Sluss

Bill mandates Va. history course for some teachers

RICHMOND — Want to teach civics, government or history in Virginia?

Prove it, lawmakers said Monday.

The House Education Committee unanimously approved a bill to require some teachers to demonstrate they know Virginia history in order to renew their teaching license.

SB 1345 applies to middle school civics and economics teachers as well as high school government and history teachers. They may satisfy the requirement by taking an online course developed several years ago, said the bill’s patron, Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax County.

The bill passed the Senate earlier this month. It requires teachers to prove either they know Virginia history or understand how its government works.

— Kathy Adams, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot

Panel OKs higher penalty for 'straw man' gun buys

RICHMOND — A House committee decided the fate of two of the governor’s school safety bills, deciding in favor of increasing the penalties for some illegal firearms transactions but against creating a new offense for potential school shooters.

The House Courts of Justice Committee approved SB 1378 to ramp up the consequences for anyone who buys or sells a gun knowing it’s going to someone who is prohibited from having one, such as convicted felons and individuals with mental health issues.

If approved by the House later this week, those so-called “straw man” purchases would increase from a Class 5 felony to a Class 4 felony, punishable by a mandatory minimum of five years in prison.

The goal is to reduce the number of illegally obtained firearms that could be used to commit crimes, including at schools, said the bill’s patron, Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Louisa County.

While only 15 people were convicted of “straw man” transactions in the 2011 and 2012 fiscal years, the Department of Justice estimates that 40 percent of firearms used to commit crimes are obtained that way, Garrett said.

The bill was a recommendation of the Campus Safety Task Force, which Gov. Bob McDonnell formed after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre to offer suggestions on how to make Virginia’s schools more safe.

The committee rejected another of the task force’s proposals, to make it a Class 2 felony to bring a gun or explosive on school property with the intent to hurt people. Committee members said they worried the legislation was too rushed and redundant with other sections of the criminal code.

They tabled the measure, SB 1377, but agreed to ask the state Crime Commission to study it for next session.

— Kathy Adams, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot

10-hour littering penalty on way to becoming law

Anyone caught littering will have to serve at least 10 hours of community service under a bill that’s on its way to passing the General Assembly.

The House Courts of Justice Committee passed SB 1166 to mandate the minimum punishment for throwing trash on the ground. It will go to the full House for a vote later this week.

Judges already may sentence litterers to community service, up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. But the new requirement — which ideally would be served by having to pick up litter — would better teach people to be more conscientious about where they toss their trash, said the bill’s patron, Sen. Ralph Smith, R-Bedford County.

“I think it’s a very fair penalty,” Smith said. “Ten hours of your life is spent.”

— Kathy Adams, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot

Last bicycle tailgating bill dies in Virginia House

Bicyclists can’t catch a break from the 2013 General Assembly.

The last bike-friendly piece of legislation of the session breathed its last Monday. Sen. Bryce Reeves’ bill (SB 1060), which would have made it illegal to tailgate a bicycle, was defeated in the House of Delegates, 55-42.

The Republican-controlled House had previously rejected an identical measure (HB 1950) from Del. Alfonso Lopez, D-Arlington County. Both bills would have added bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles to the list of those that can’t be followed “more closely than is reasonable and prudent.”

Supporters said Virginia is the only state without such a law on the books. Last year 10 bicyclists were killed in collisions with cars in Virginia, according to state police data. In many cases, they were hit from behind.

The House’s dislike for the measure was bipartisan. The fact that Reeves, of Spotsylvania County , is a Republican and a former police officer didn’t seem to help his bill.

Reeves said after the vote he will try again next year. He said his measure would give traffic officers more latitude than they have now to ticket drivers who tailgate bicycles. Under current law, the driver can be cited only for reckless driving. Reeves’ bill would have offered another option carrying a lesser penalty.

— Bill Sizemore, The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot

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