THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701130089
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE AND LAURA LAFAY, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: 72 lines
Virginia Beach Del. Leo Wardrup says he has a sure-fire way to promote regional identity for Hampton Roads: Change the name of Norfolk International Airport to Hampton Roads International Airport.
``You would have `Hampton Roads' flashing on a thousand airport terminals, a thousand times a day around the world,'' he said. ``If we are genuinely interested in the concept of regionalism, we have to develop a sense of regionalism.''
Wardrup might seem an unlikely champion for regionalism. He voted against legislation last year setting up a regional authority to build an NHL or NBA sports arena.
Critics say his bill is a stunt - a way to test whether the Norfolk City Council's interest in things regional, like a sports arena or light rail, is serious enough to give up the name of a crown jewel like the airport.
The Virginia Beach Republican says his idea is serious. Plus, he notes, his district includes a portion of Norfolk International Airport.
``It's a small piece,'' he said. ``Over by the control tower.''
Three bills introduced last week by Del. Thelma S. Drake (R-Norfolk) would elevate prostitution to a felony and require anyone convicted of prostitution more than once to serve at least one year in jail.
In addition, Drake's legislation proposes:
Requiring convicted prostitutes to submit to HIV tests.
Harsher penalties for convicted prostitutes who test positive for HIV and are later convicted again.
Classifying as a ``bawdy place'' the car of anyone who picks up a prostitute while driving. This would allow police to charge such customers with frequenting a bawdy place as well as soliciting a prostitute.
``We realize we're not getting anywhere with longer sentences for prostitutes,'' said Drake, who heads a ``prostitution committee'' she formed to work on the problem.
``So we're trying to address it by going after the customer and hopefully reducing demand.''
Drake's district includes East Ocean View and the northeast corridor of Norfolk, as well as some of Virginia Beach near Chesapeake Beach. She introduced similar legislation last year without success.
Virginia Beach Del. Robert F. ``Bob'' McDonnell introduced a bill to double the minimum sentence for rape - from five years in prison to 10 years in prison. Current law provides for a sentence of five years to life.
``I can't think of any circumstance, when someone is convicted of rape, that five years in the penitentiary is enough time,'' McDonnell said last week.
Portsmouth Sen. Louise Lucas, a Democrat, is seeking to make assaulting a police officer a felony. It is a misdemeanor now.
``Can you believe that?'' Lucas asked. ``You would think that would be a felony already, wouldn't you?''
Virginia Beach Del. Harry R. ``Bob'' Purkey wants to change the state constitution so that Virginia's governors can serve two terms instead of just one.
He entered the same bill last year, but it died because the legislature failed to act on it.
Like all constitutional changes, the proposal would have to pass the General Assembly twice and be approved by the voters at a referendum to become law.
Chesapeake Del. Lionell Spruill is proposing that all school buses in Virginia be equipped with seat belts starting in 1998. Another requirement under the bill: Kids riding the bus would have to wear them.
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY