THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 28, 1996 TAG: 9601280150
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVID M. POOLE AND ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Long : 134 lines
The touchstones of his eight-year legislative career cannot be missed in the Capitol Square office of Norfolk Del. Jerrauld C. Jones.
A slot machine coin bank rests on an end table. A framed newspaper article touts the economic impact that riverboat casinos would bring to South Hampton Roads.
Riverboats were the vehicle that helped make Jones one of the more recognized figures in the House of Delegates. So it came as a surprise to many recently when Jones took his name off the casino marquee.
The decision marked a turning point in his career, as he assumes a seat on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, leads the legislative Black Caucus and endeavors to put his name on a landmark reform of the state's juvenile justice system.
``I believe riverboat gambling will help Hampton Roads. I've always believed it; I continue to believe it,'' he said.
His decision to pass on serving as chief patron of the bill came down to a matter of time. He also conceded that being a lightning rod for anti-gambling forces was difficult for him and his family. Last summer, his opponent in a Democratic primary made Jones out to be in the pocket of casino interests.
``That wears you down,'' he said. ``People don't believe your motive is pure.''
Jones said he looked forward to the debate on juvenile justice to make sure the system provides every opportunity for young troublemakers to straighten up.
When asked if he would want to be remembered as father of riverboats or father of juvenile justice reform, Jones chose the latter.
``Globally speaking, that is a much more pervasive and important issue,'' he said. Allen and GOP lawmakers try to mend differences
Some Hampton Roads lawmakers are in the thick of quiet efforts by Gov. George F. Allen to mend fences with his Republican allies in the General Assembly.
The strain between Allen and GOP lawmakers was one of the most under-reported stories of last year's session. Some Republicans griped privately that Allen often ignored their advice - while expecting GOP lawmakers to fall on their swords for his budget cuts.
That has all changed this year, since Allen lost in his bid last fall to gain GOP Assembly majorities.
The governor has opened a dialogue with Republican legislators by holding almost daily breakfast meetings at the Executive Mansion. A GOP Joint Policy Committee - which includes Sen. Mark L. Earley, R-Chesapeake, and Del. Robert Tata, R-Virginia Beach - meets with Allen every Monday morning.
``Of course, this is probably two years too late,'' Tata said, referring to the fact that Allen is halfway through his term. ``We probably could have changed the face of Virginia if we had done it sooner.''
Tata said the meetings have helped lawmakers shape the governor's agenda in ways small and large. Tata said he thought the lawmakers helped Allen see the folly of moving ahead with two new lottery games, Powerball and keno.
``He said, `All right,' '' Tata recalled. ``We're working on him to see if he can't find some more money for higher education.'' Local Democrats give Gaston bill a rough ride
A bill that would block the Lake Gaston pipeline is going nowhere fast in the General Assembly, thanks to Democrats from South Hampton Roads.
House Speaker Thomas W. Moss Jr. of Norfolk dispatched the bill to a committee that would look favorably on Virginia Beach's bid to withdraw water from the Roanoke River basin.
The General Laws Committee then assigned the bill to a subcommittee headed by Virginia Beach Del. Glenn R. Croshaw. The panel will take up the bill Tuesday.
``I think they wanted to put it somewhere it would get due deference,'' Croshaw said with a grin. Schrock may find himself at the center of hot issue
This year is Virginia Beach Sen. Edward Schrock's first term, and his signature legislation is a strictly local bill - the kind that usually goes unnoticed.
But the freshman Republican could be at the center of one of the hottest issues before a Senate committee not known for its political fire. Schrock is sponsoring a bill to change the Virginia Beach charter to take away the city School Board's control over its budget.
Typically, local bills aren't opposed as long as the local legislators recommend them. But a lot of legislators have experience on councils or school boards, and thus experience with the wrangling that can take place between the two. Schrock's measure faces a close vote even for committee approval, much less a nod from the full House or Senate.
The Senate Local Government Committee agreed to delay a vote on the bill Tuesday, mostly out of courtesy to School Board members who asked for a chance to study it more. The bill will be considered this Tuesday at the committee's next meeting.
Admittedly perturbed by what he considered a stalling tactic, Schrock said he doubts any compromises will be reached.
``We're not going to withdraw this bill,'' said Schrock. ``Why the School Board members wait until this point to come to the table is an absolute mystery to me.'' Wagner is pushing ahead with his drug testing bill
Del. Frank W. Wagner is back with his voluntary student drug testing bill and two other more far-reaching proposals.
Wagner's basic bill - which passed the House last year before perishing in a Senate committee - would allow parents to sign up their children for random drug screens. The parents would foot the bill, and the results would be confidential.
The Virginia Beach Republican said tests may be just the excuse some kids need to resist peer pressure to experiment with illegal drugs. The proposal is headed to the full House after clearing an education panel on Friday.
His second and more controversial bill would allow schools to require all student athletes to take random drug tests. Some localities such as Norfolk have discussed similar plans, and Wagner said his bill would set up appropriate guidelines.
Wagner's third - and most controversial - plan could lead to drug testing for all public school students. The bill calls for the state Board of Education and state attorney general to devise a policy to let school districts test all students. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
CHRISTOPHER REDDICK/The Virginian-Pilot
Norfolk's Del. Jerrauld C. Jones had to narrow his focus.
BILL TIERNAN/Virginian-Pilot photos
Above: Sen. Joseph V. Gartlan Jr., left, a Democrat from Mason Neck,
talks on the Senate floor with Sen. John H. Chichester, a Republican
from Fredericksburg. With them, in the background, is Sen. Charles
J. Colgan, a Democrat from Manassas. Below: Sen. Mark L. Earley, a
Republican from Chesapeake, reads a bill at his desk on the floor of
the Senate. He and other Republicans meet with Gov. Allen each
Monday.
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY by CNB