Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 10, 1994 TAG: 9401100091
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ROB EURE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Aside from some high-profile battles he picked during his transition, though, Allen has yet to begin delivery on the promises of his campaign.
Here is a scorecard for Allen's initiatives and the outlook for action:
The promise: Abolish parole and reform sentences. Allen promised to replace parole with shorter, but mandatory, sentences and allow juries to know a defendant's record before sentencing.
The payoff: Allen will let changes in parole and sentencing await a special session he plans in April or May. Some voters also may be surprised to find that the small print in Allen's anti-parole promise says the program would become effective in about a dozen years.
The promise: Welfare reform. Allen pushed for "workfare," an extensive overhaul based on requiring work in exchange for benefits and cutting off aid after two years, except in special circumstances. He backs child-care assistance for single parents and small payments to help with the transition for those who get jobs and leave the welfare rolls.
The payoff: The guts of Allen's welfare reforms will require waivers from the federal government. Until those are applied for and obtained - which means developing more specific information on Allen's plans - little can be accomplished.
The promise: Education reform. Allen called his plans for public schools his "Champion Schools Initiative," starting with establishment of measurable objectives for student achievement and statewide testing every other year - adding probably two tests to those pupils already take in the fourth, sixth, eighth and 11th grades. He also promised a law to require parental notification whenever guns or drugs are discovered in schools.
The payoff: At least some of the education bills are likely to show up on Allen's legislative agenda for this session. They are popular and cheap enough for even a tight state budget.
The promise: Local control of schools. Allen promised several local-option changes in schools Allen pushed for "workfare," an extensive overhaul based on requiring work in exchange for benefits and cutting off aid after two years, except in special circumstances. through demonstration projects, including locally written family-life education programs - formerly called sex education - corporal punishment and voucher systems that provide tax breaks for parents who choose to send their children to private schools.
The payoff: Allen has reiterated his support for such ideas, but said he will not push legislation on them. Rather, he will wait for localities to petition the state for such allowances, making local parental support and improvement of educational quality the factors determining his support.
The promise: Repay $450 million in back taxes owed federal retirees who have won a court case against the state.
The payoff: Allen has backed down on any immediate move to repay the money. He also is hinting the state might pay considerably less by negotiating.
The promise: Hold college tuition increases to the rate of inflation.
The payoff: Allen does not have a firm grip on the state budget. This promise hinges on priorities he sets when inaugurated.
The promise: Reduce the blood-alcohol level necessary for an automatic drunken-driving conviction from 0.10 to 0.07 percent.
The payoff: Allen has embraced as "a first step" an initiative of his Republican colleagues in the General Assembly to lower the blood-alcohol level to 0.08 percent this year.
The promise: Abortion. Allen promised to support abortion restrictions allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court, including notification of the parents of an unmarried minor seeking an abortion, and mandatory counseling with a 24-hour waiting period.
The payoff: Allen has said he will not introduce abortion legislation but will support bills that reach his desk and are in line with approved restrictions.
by CNB