RICHMOND -- A rule allowing small subcommittees to kill legislation without taking recorded votes has again become a source of partisan friction in the House of Delegates.

Del. Ken Plum, D-Fairfax County, is seeking a change to the House rules that would require subcommittees to take recorded votes on bills. Plum said Friday that about 30 percent of the House bills filed in the 2006 session languished in subcommittees with "no record of disposition."

"We reduced our own accountability to our voters," Plum said on the House floor Friday.

The House last year implemented a rule allowing bills to die in subcommittees if they lack sufficient support. Under the rule, any member of a full committee can try to revive the bill for the further debate.

House Majority Leader Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, defended the rule Friday, saying it produces greater efficiency for an overworked legislature.

"If we're going to continue to be a part-time citizen legislature, we're going to have to continue to do things like this," Griffith said.

Redistricting reform

The idea of creating an independent commission to draw General Assembly and congressional district boundaries has never gained much traction with lawmakers. It appears unlikely to get far this year.

The House Privileges and Elections Committee on Friday defeated a proposed constitutional amendment that would put the once-a-decade redistricting process under the control of a five-member bipartisan commission. The General Assembly now has the authority to draw the lines, and the majority party typically uses the process to strengthen its chances to hold power. "I don't know which party is going to be in control of drawing district lines in 2011, and I sort of don't care," said Del. Kristen Amundson, D-Fairfax County, who sponsored the amendment (HJ 620). "Voters should choose their representatives, not the reverse."

Amundson's resolution is one of several redistricting proposals under consideration this year. Her measure was defeated by a largely party-line vote of 12-6.

Del. Lacey Putney, I-Bedford, said it is unrealistic to expect politics to be removed from redistricting.

"I can't think of a process that is less a candidate for an independent commission than this one," said Putney, the committee chairman.

A pitch for Wise County

A Northern Virginia lawmaker wants a movie about Southwest Virginia filmed in the state, and he's seeking $3 million to help lure filmmakers.

A budget amendment sponsored by Del. Brian Moran, D-Alexandria, would provide additional funding to the Virginia Film Office to recruit production of the movie "Big Stone Gap." The film project is based on the eponymous book by Adriana Trigiani.

"The state should ensure that our cultural treasures don't escape us and I'm proud to be working on this important issue," Moran said in a statement Friday. "Production of this film in Big Stone Gap will have lasting impact on the region and provide long-term economic growth."

Other states are offering incentives such as tax exemptions and rebates to lure the film, Moran said.

Del. Terry Kilgore, R-Gate City, and Del. Clarence "Bud' Phillips, D-Dickenson County, are co-sponsors of the budget amendment.