Virginia Senate Republican Caucus
Budget negotiation proceeded slower than anticipated this year; therefore, we were prevented from finishing on Saturday. It will be better than was expected in December for most folks, however, it will not be all that any group had hoped. We tried to balances the needs of the people with the revenues available.
The following are articles from newspapers, blogs, and other news sources throughout the Commonwealth and the country featuring members of the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus.
According to the calendar, today is the last day of session. And it would be, too, if we had a budget. With the clock ticking down to zero, however, it looks like we're going into overtime.
We will take up a few bills in conference today, but the budget towers over every other consideration, and if we don't finish today, we will be back soon to get the job done. For now, I would like to use this last day of session to talk about what's in store for transportation this year, and to share some great news out of session from Thursday.
Victory on Clinic Safety
The following are articles from newspapers, blogs, and other news sources throughout the Commonwealth and the country featuring members of the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus.
SB 1195 Goes to the Governor for Signature
The House of Delegates passed my bill SB 1292 today, 78 to 18. This permits restaurants the option to allow patrons to bring their own bottle of wine. The restaurant could then charge a corkage fee for their service. This bill is a great example of reducing the government's involvement in small businesses, and increasing our personal freedoms.
Today the Senate finally passed HJ 693 (Joannou), the eminent domain constitutional amendment, 35 to 5. As I mentioned last week, this resolution is the first of many controversial bills to actually make it to the Senate floor.
It clarifies that if a Virginian owns property, that property should not be taken away from them for the use of individuals who don't have a true public need for that property. A public need includes roads, utilities, and other situations that are clearly the responsibility of state government.
With only days remaining before the General Assembly goes home, things are happening very fast, some big issues remain very much in play. In fact, the Senate may have cast one of the most significant votes of the year - a historic vote on eminent domain reform. Here, I will address a few issues, including the budget, abortion clinic safety, eminent domain reform, and gambling.
Eminent Domain Reform
The 2011 General Assembly session has entered the home stretch. With just one week remaining before the scheduled adjournment on February 26, legislative workdays are getting longer as lawmakers work to finish the process of hearing the hundreds of bills still under consideration this session.
This year, the final legislative week began with a holiday. As I have noted before however, holidays during a General Assembly session are marked by speeches and not days off. CLICK HERE to view a short video update from this week.
Senate Republicans score major victory with Senate Approval of legislation to put Constitutional Amendment Protecting Property Rights before Voters in 2012
Richmond, Va, 22 February 2011: Two weeks ago, the Senate of Virginia defeated a motion to even consider legislation to allow Virginians to vote on a Constitutional Amendment limiting the eminent domain powers of government on a party-line vote of 18 to 22, with all Democratic Senators opposing the measure.
The following are articles from newspapers, blogs, and other news sources throughout the Commonwealth and the country featuring members of the Virginia Senate Republican Caucus.
As we enter into the final week of session, let me just say how thankful I am to have seen all of the folks that made the time to come and visit me in Richmond. We are just days away from finishing a budget and putting the finishing touches on legislation that came over from the House of Delegates. We will likely meet again in April to discuss the redistricting plans that must be approved and to create a schedule for the process.
Deer Hunting