Friday, March 12, 2010
General Assembly notebook: Armstrong upbraids lawmakers over electricity rate hikes
General Assembly 2011
Among the major issues: The state's continuing efforts to provide services with fewer dollars and Gov. McDonnell's plan to privatize liquor stores. Session ends Feb. 26.
The latest
Follow the Blue Ridge Caucus blog and @BlueRidgeCaucus on Twitter.
- House advances “personhood” and abortion ultrasound bills
- Va. House votes to expand capital punishment
From today's paper
Watch live video
Who's your legislator?
More resources
RICHMOND -- Del. Ward Armstrong, D-Henry County, made a last-ditch effort Thursday to force action on legislation designed to strengthen electric utility regulation and chastised colleagues for not doing more to combat Appalachian Power Co.'s rate increases.
For the second time in this session, Armstrong resorted to a rarely used parliamentary maneuver in an effort to revive a bill aimed at controlling the size and frequency of Appalachian's rate increases. Armstrong's motion failed on a 69-26 vote, but not before the House minority leader criticized lawmakers for not doing more to help Appalachian customers who are struggling with high electric bills.
"We have had 60 days," Armstrong said. "We have passed every manner of bill in this place. But we have neglected to pass meaningful legislation to rein in power bills for a huge portion of this state."
House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, opposed Armstrong's motion, partly on procedural grounds. But Griffith also disputed Armstrong's assertion that lawmakers had ignored the problem, citing emergency legislation suspending a 12.8 percent interim rate increase that Appalachian first imposed in December. Gov. Bob McDonnell signed the bill into law last month.
Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Scott County, said lawmakers will continue to examine changes to utility regulations.
-- Michael Sluss
Bill would reduce cost of court-appointed lawyers
RICHMOND -- The House of Delegates passed legislation Thursday that could help the state reduce court-appointed attorney costs in misdemeanor cases.
House Bill 1394 requires commonwealth's attorneys to notify general district court judges when they don't intend to seek jail time for certain misdemeanor cases. The judge then could decide not to appoint a lawyer for defendants who can't afford counsel, potentially saving the state money on attorney fees. The bill passed by a 54-40 vote and now goes to the Senate.
Supporters of the bill said it would not represent a dramatic change to the current state law, which does not guarantee defendants court-appointed lawyers in cases where there is no possibility of jail time. The bill's sponsor, Del. Bill Cleaveland, R-Botetourt County, said it simply requires prosecutors to notify judges of their plans before a lawyer is appointed.
"We're not changing the substance of the law; we're changing the procedure for notification," Cleaveland said.
Some opponents still raised concerns that it would deny rights to indigent defendants and one delegate argued that it could allow offenders to avoid jail time or probation that would be beneficial to the community. Cleaveland said prosecutors and judges would not use their discretion recklessly.
"We are not creating a class; we are not opening floodgates," Cleaveland said. "These prosecutors are going to continue exercising the same discretion they've done for 30 years without harm to their communities and without, to my knowledge, any complaint."
-- Michael Sluss
Senate sets limits on car title lenders' charges
Car title lenders could continue to charge high interest rates, but would be limited in how much they could charge and how much they could lend borrowers under sweeping reforms that made their way out of the General Assembly on Thursday.
The Senate voted 36-4 to agree with changes to the bill made in the House, sending the measure to Gov. Bob McDonnell. The governor can either sign the bill, make changes or veto it. It would put a one-year limit on the loans, set up a maximum interest rate and require the lenders to be licensed.
Currently the lenders are unregulated; they can charge more than 300 percent annual interest and can repossess a borrower's vehicle if payments are late.
In Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw's bill, lenders could charge between 15 percent and 22 percent per month, depending on the amount of the loan. The companies could not lend more than 50 percent of the vehicle's value, and borrowers must own the car.
It would require the loan be repaid in full within one year, and at least 814 percent of the principle must be paid each month. The House changed the bill to allow lenders to continue to charge interest on those who were in default for more than 60 days if they tried to hide the vehicle. The car title industry donated more than $190,000 to candidates over the past year.
If signed by McDonnell, the law would take effect Oct. 1.
-- Associated Press
Some stay away while Muslim cleric prays
A daily ritual at the General Assembly became an occasion for protest Thursday.
Thursday's opening prayer in the House was given by Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, director of community outreach at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, at the invitation of Del. Adam Ebbin, D-Arlington.
The prayer was, in part, a call for inclusion. "Give us the strength to go beyond tolerance to understanding," Abdul-Malik said.
About 10 of the 100 delegates, all Republicans, were not in their seats. Some acknowledged later that they stayed away because of who was giving the prayer.
"Some of the activities that have been associated with his mosque I thought ought not to be recognized," said Del. Lee Ware of Powhatan County.
Ebbin said of the absent delegates: "They missed a great prayer. I'm not going to judge my colleagues who chose not to participate."
-- The (Norfolk) Virginian-Pilot
