Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 11, 1990 TAG: 9003112608
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: D-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
\ EDUCATION \ VMI: Killed a proposed requirement that all state-supported colleges - including all-male Virginia Military Institute in Lexington - admit students regardless of sex.\ School consolidation: Delayed a Baliles administration plan to improve school efficiency by cutting off state aid for 120 small, mostly rural schools in Western Virginia.\ Kindergarten age: Passed phased-in requirement that children must turn 5 by Sept. 30 to enroll in kindergarten each fall.
\ Share-a-ride: Carried over bill requiring public school boards to provide bus service for private-school students, provided the public school is reimbursed. \ Elected school boards: Carried over bills that would allow local school board members to be selected through popular elections.\ In-school day care: Killed bill to allow all school districts in the state to operate after-school programs on school grounds.\ LAW AND ORDER\ Death penalty: Passed bill expanding state's capital punishment law to include premeditated murders committed during drug deals.\ Loaded firearms: Killed proposed misdemeanor penalty for gun owners who "recklessly" leave a loaded firearm within reach of a child under 12.\ Boot camp: Approved experimental work camp for non-violent offenders aged 18 to 24 as an alternative to prison.\ Drunken driving: Approved mandatory four-month suspension of driver's license for persons convicted of second drunken-driving offense.\ DNA data bank: Required that blood samples be drawn from all felons convicted after July 1 to establish a DNA data bank for identifying suspects in future crimes.
\ Drug fund: Created an Intensified Drug Enforcement Fund that enables the governor to commit additional money to troubled localities and regions. Money generated by $2 fee on all felony and misdemeanor cases.\ Early release: Decreased to six months the minimum amount of time a person convicted of a misdemeanor serves on a 12-month sentence.\ Child abuse: Approved a mandatory 25-year minimum sentence for persons convicted of killing a child under age 9 through repeated violent acts.\ Selling drugs to minors: Created mandatory two-year minimum sentence for persons convicted of selling drugs to minors.\ ENVIRONMENT\ Landfill reform: Enhanced power of state agencies to shut polluting landfills and added criminal sanctions for landfill owners. Legislation was prompted by Kim-Stan landfill in Alleghany County.\ Oil drilling: Passed bill prohibiting oil and gas drilling in tidal areas adjacent to the Chesapeake Bay.\ Bottle bill: Killed bills that would have encouraged recycling by placing a deposit on all beverage cans and bottlesa.\ Organic food: Approved formation of standards for food to be certified as organically grown.\ Oil spills: Passed requirement that operators of oil tankers in Virginia waters submit oil-spill contingency plans.\ Composting: Directed the Department of Waste Management to exempt yard waste composting facilities from most landfill permit requirements.\ Balloon launch: Defeated bill that would prohibit mass launching of helium-filled balloons, which environmentalists say end up in the ocean and harm sea animals.\ Diaper study: Created a legislative study on the environmental impact of disposable diapers.\ CONSUMER PROTECTION\ Day care: Approved requirement that home-based day-care providers of more than six children be licensed by the state.\ Rule of 78: Passed law prohibiting banks, car dealers and retailers from using antiquated interest formula (the so-called Rule of 78) that imposes hidden penalty on borrowers who pay off loans early. Prohibition applies only to loans and sales contracts with maturity of more than 61 months.\ Minivans: Killed proposed requirement that automotive manufacturers inform consumers that light trucks and minivans are not required to meet the same safety standards as passenger cars.\ Credit card numbers: Passed law prohibiting stores from recording customers' credit card as a condition for paying with a check.\ Hearing aids: Passed requirement that hearing-aid dealers give unsatisfied customers up to 30 days to get refunds on hearing aids.\ HEALTH CARE\ No\ smoking: Passed statewide ban on smoking in elevators, cashier lines and other areas and required no-smoking sections in restaurants with more than 50 seats. \ Health insurance: Established a minimum benefits insurance policy that Blue Cross/Blue Shield and other insurance carriers can market to uninsured employees of small businesses.\ Mandatory insurance: Killed a bill that would have required all companies with more than 50 employees to offer health insurance plan to workers or pay into state's indigent-care fund.\ Abortion: Killed a bill that would have required unmarried girls under 18 to notify one of their parents when seeking an abortion.\ AIDS: Added more than $1 million to budget so that more persons with acquired immune deficiency syndrome can receive the drug AZT.\ Nursing home fires: Passed a requirement that all licensed nursing homes be equipped with sprinkler systems.\ Homes for adults: Carried over a bill transferring primary oversight of adult homes from Department of Social Services to state Health Department.\ MONEY MATTERS\ Sales tax on drugs: Passed legislation that exempts the purchase of non-prescription drugs from the state's 4 1/2 percent sales tax. Becomes effective in 1992.\ Low-income tax credit: Repealed state income-tax credit of up to $22.50 for low-income wage earners.
\ Pension-tax reform: Scaled back the tax relief granted to private pensioners during 1989 special session. The new law gives persons 65 and older a $12,000 exemption on any income plus an $800 age credit. Persons 62 to 64 receive a $6,000 exemption, no age credit.
\ Solid-waste tax: Killed proposed gross-receipts-based tax on businesses that would generate money for local recycling and landfill projects. Takes effect in 1991.\ Legislators' raises: Killed plan to raise annual salaries of General Assembly members from $18,000 to $22,000.\ ABC markup: Endorsed Gov. Wilder's plan to raise the price of liquor in state-run stores by increasing state's profit from 1 percent to 5 percent, effective April 1.\ Boat fees: Increase the $7 annual registration fee on power boats to at least $18 and no more than $36, depending on the craft's size.\ Water tax: Carried over proposed fee on all customers served by central water systems to raise money for small municipal water systems.\ Courthouse fee: Allowed localities to add $2 fee to all criminal and traffic cases to pay for courthouse and jail construction and maintenance.\ BUSINESS AND COMMERCE\ Banks selling insurance: Carried over bill allowing all banks to offer insurance products. Six of the state's largest banks already compete with insurance companies.\ Coal-bed methane: Enacted regulation of companies drilling for methane gas deposits.\ Gas stations: Approved a one-year moratorium on oil companies opening service stations that compete with locally owned franchises.\ Pesticide tax credit: Approved a state income-tax credit of up to 25 percent of the cost of farm equipment that improves application of pesticides and fertilizer.
\ MISCELLANEOUS\ Local governments: Carried over proposed reorganization of counties, cities and towns that would encourage regional cooperation instead of costly annexation lawsuits.\ Expanded Cabinet: Endorsed plan to create separate Cabinet secretariats for transportation and public safety.\ Land-use regulation: Set precedent for overturning local zonings decision by exempting land along Virginia 28 corridor in Northern Virginia from Fairfax County's decision to limit growth.\ Voting registration: Passed bill allowing Virginia residents to register to vote anywhere in the state.\ Campaign money reform: Killed bills that would place limits on the amount of money that individuals and businesses may contribute to statewide campaigns. \ Party contributions: Killed plan to require political parties to disclose contributions and expenditures.\ REGIONAL ISSUES\ Metro government: Authorized consolidation of Roanoke and Roanoke County governments and cleared way for November referendum on proposed Roanoke Metropolitan Government.\ Roanoke County Police: Added $450,000 to the state budget so that Roanoke County will not lose state funds in setting up new police department.\ Smith Mountain Lake drinking: Killed plan to allow sales of mixed drinks on Franklin County side of Smith Mountain Lake. County residents rejected mixed drinks in a 1988 referendum.\ Gas severance tax: Allowed localities to increase local severance taxes on methane gas from 2 percent to 3 percent.
\ Poplar Forest: Added Thomas Jefferson's Bedford County home to list of historical societies eligible to receive state funds.\ UVa at Wise: Killed plans to study changing name of Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia to the University of Virginia at Wise.\ Explore: No money for the proposed theme park and zoo was included in the 1990-92 state budget. - Richmond bureau
by CNB