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This week in Richmond began with snowy skies and ended with temperatures in the seventies, moving from frigid to balmy. If only things inside the Capitol moved in the same direction.
While it may be too early to predict a budget stalemate that could send this year's session into overtime, Democratic Senators have made it clear that they have no intention of voting to approve a new budget for the Commonwealth. And, Virginia will not have a budget unless at least one Democratic Senator votes in favor of a budget.
Virginia's constitution requires that a budget be approved by a majority vote of the members elected in both the House and the Senate. While the Lieutenant Governor is empowered by the Constitution to break ties, the passage of a budget is one of the few areas where he is constitutionally prohibited from doing so. This means that at least one Democratic Senator must join the twenty Republican Senators in approving a budget.
This week, Democratic Senators publicly stated that unless their demands are met, they have no intention of voting to approve a budget. Are they demanding that more money be spent on some priorities or that spending be allocated differently than in the budget crafted by the Senate Finance Committee? Well, no. In fact the budget approved by the Senate Finance Committee contains multiple spending initiatives proposed, advocated, and sponsored by Democratic Senators. What the Democrats are demanding is that the Rules of the Senate be changed so that they can have more committee assignments than the number to which they are currently entitled under those rules. This is a dispute over politics, not policy.
In other words: more than 100 days after last November's elections, the Democrats are still asking for the outcome to be changed. If their requests were related to the budget, negotiations would be underway to iron out the differences over spending priorities. But, their complaints have nothing to do with the budget. Hopefully in the week ahead, they will abandon obstructionism and fulfill their constitutional duties to approve a budget that meets the priorities of the people of Virginia. |
| Video Update: Budget Deadlock | |
 | | Richmond Update: February 24, 2012 |
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| 2012 Legislative Survey | | |
Please make me aware of your priorities during the 2012 General Assembly session. Click HERE to take my survey. I look forward to your response. |
| Constituent Day: March 1, 2012 | | |
Several spaces are available for my final constituent day. We offer complimentary breakfast and lunch, a guided tour of the Capitol, and the opportunity to hear from Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling and Secretary of the Commonwealth Janet Polarek.
When: 9:15 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. on March 1
Click HERE for Agenda
Where: General Assembly Building & Capitol
Richmond, VA
RSVP: Space is limited, so please reply promptly! |
| Legislation | | |
Senate Bill 267 is legislation that increases transparency in our Commonwealth's budgeting process by discouraging the insertion of items in the conference report that were not approved through the regular legislative process. This bill requires the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee to publicly identify any nonstate agency appropriation, any item in the conference report that was not included in a general appropriation bill as passed by either the House or the Senate, and any item that represents legislation that failed in either house during the regular or a special session.
Earlier this year, the House of Delegates publicly agreed to the terms of this legislation. For this reason, I am disappointed to share with you the decision of a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee to table this bill. The House did indicate that they would be open to enacting this measure in 2013 if the terms of our earlier agreement were not met. I believe the measures included in Senate Bill 267 are necessary to ensure the integrity of the budget process and protect taxpayer dollars. For this reason, I will continue to work for the enactment of this bill during next year's session.
Senate Bill 411 is a reform bill that consolidates, eliminates, and alters various powers and duties of the Virginia Fire Services Board and the State Board of Juvenile Justice regarding regulations, reporting, oversight, and the policy-making functions of the boards.
This legislation streamlines our Commonwealth's government, and I am pleased that my colleagues in the House of Delegates voted 100-0 in support of this bill. Senate Bill 411 will now be presented to the Governor for his signature. |
| Visitors | | |
There were smiling faces from home visiting the Capitol this week. Stopping by my office were:
- Bruce Goodson, Cyndi Callaway and other representatives of Thomas Nelson Community College
- Virginia and David Kehl
- Linda Rice
- Constituent Day Guests Bill and Verlain Rilee, Roberta and Shirley Jones, John Howard Walton, Heather Cordasco, Jerry Benson, Carter and Rosa Lee Clements, Judge Jeff Fairbanks, Cole Fairbanks, Lou Hrkman, Bev Doub, and Jim Morford.
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| There is still time to visit us in Richmond! | |
With only two weeks left before the scheduled conclusion of the General Assembly session, there is still much activity underway in Richmond. If you are in town, please stop by our office in Room 621 of the General Assembly Building in Richmond. You can reach me or my legislative assistant, Amanda Johnston, by phone at 804-698-7503, email at district03@senate.virginia.gov or by mail at
Senate of Virginia
P.O. Box 396
Richmond, VA 23218-0396
In the meantime, have a wonderful week! |
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Very truly yours,
Senator Tommy Norment |
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Paid for and Authorized by Friends of Tommy Norment. | |
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