General Assembly 2008

Issues abound in 60-day session; localities urged to stay involved

Legislators got down to the business of the 2008 General Assembly on Wednesday, a scheduled 60-day session that could prove contentious as delegates and senators debate issues ranging from budget shortfalls and public school funding to immigration and taxation.

Local officials, who often find themselves at the center of many of these legislative issues, will need to be in touch with their delegates and senators during the session to ensure that their interests are protected.

First and foremost, the General Assembly will need to amend the current FY08 budget to address a $641 million shortfall; they also must adopt a new budget for 2008-2010. Gov. Tim Kaine presented his version of that budget on Dec. 17 and addressed the General Assembly Wednesday night. Kaine and the General Assembly will have to deal with the continued slowing of growth in state revenues.

Specifically, the General Assembly will take a close look at Kaine’s proposal to expand the availability of pre-kindergarten programs to additional 4-year-olds at risk of educational failure. The updating or rebenchmarking of the costs of providing the current level of public education programs carries a $900 million price tag for the biennium. Some legislators, particularly a handful of members of the House Appropriations Committee, are calling for a revamping of the methodology that would result in decreasing the state’s funding responsibilities.

While money is always big, other issues often make headlines. This year that issue could be illegal immigration. The Virginia Crime Commission is making a series of recommendations for the criminal justice system, including several that affect local jails and police. The General Assembly won’t be the only stage for diverging opinions on this issue. Local governments are divided as well as to the approach that should be taken.

The funding package for transportation adopted in the 2007 session promises to stir up some dust as well, particularly if the Virginia Supreme Court rules that the abusive driver fees included in the legislative package are unconstitutional. The court is expected to hear the case in mid-January.

In the wake of the massacre of 32 people at Virginia Tech April 16 by a mentally ill student, mental health services and funding also are expected to garner much attention, as is funding for the Comprehensive Services Act.

New senators and delegates involved in the process may make reaching consensus even more difficult than usual. Retirements and defeats in both chambers will mean that a number of new legislators – nine new senators and 10 new delegates – will be seen in the halls of the Capitol. Control of the Senate will be in the hands of the Democrats for the first time since 1995, albeit by only a 21-19 split.

Just how rough the legislative road local governments will have to navigate remains to be seen, but it’s a given that many of the major issues the General Assembly will confront will directly involve Virginia’s cities, counties and towns.

Feb 7: VML/VACo Legislative Day

If you haven’t registered for the annual VML/VACo Legislative Day that will be held in Richmond on Feb. 7, do so now. Download the registration form or you can e-mail or call Sherall Dementi (sdementi@vml.org; 804/649-8471) for more information. Registration is $40 per person.

General Assembly schedule

Important dates for the 2008 session are noted below.  These dates are subject to approval by the General Assembly. 

Jan. 9	First day of session; prefiling deadline is 10 a.m.; last day to file charter, local fiscal and correctional impact, sales and property tax exemption, and VRS bills, as well as legislation creating or continuing a study.
Jan. 17	Deadline for submitting House and Senate budget amendments
Jan. 18	Deadline for introduction of legislation
Feb. 7	VML/VACo Legislative Day
Feb. 12	Crossover Day; each house to finish its own legislation, except budget, revenue, debt, VRS bills.
Feb. 21	Each house to complete work on its budget
Feb. 27	Each house to complete work on budget bill of the other house; budget conferees appointed
March 3	Last day for committee action on legislation
March 6	Budget bill conference report to be made available
March 8	Adjournment
April 16	Reconvened session

League lobbying contact information

 The area code for the numbers listed below is 804.

Name	Email	Cell	Office	Areas of responsibility
Mike Amyx	mamyx@vml.org	387-9692	523-8521	overall legislative guidance, general legislative inquiries
Tim Ailsworth	tailsworth@vmlins.org	310-3097	273-0038	insurance and workers' compensation
Janet Areson	jareson@vml.org	400-0556	523-8522	state budget, health and human services
Mary Jo Fields	mfields@vml.org	400-0555	523-8524	directs legislative team; education, elections, retirement and rules
Mark Flynn	mflynn@vml.org	400-1321	523-8525	legal, land use, zoning, technology, immigration, telecommunications (except for taxes), general government
Neal Menkes	nmenkes@vml.org	400-1191	523-8523	taxation and finance, state budget, transportation funding, community and economic development
Kimberly Pollard	kpollard@vml.org	400-1987	523-8528	public safety; immigration, photo-red
Denise Thompson	dthompson@vml.org	640-5615	523-8530	environment, transportation
David Parsons	dparsons@vml.org		523-8527	Communications director
League office	e-mail@vml.org	649-8471	343-3758

Legislative consultants

Name	Email	Office	Areas of responsibility
Randy Cook	wrcook@mmecpc.com	746-3773	courts, criminal law, civil law, eminent domain
Marianne Radcliff	mradcliff@kemperconsult.com	649-7945	transportation
Howard Dobbins	dobbins@wmcd.com	643-1991	general government, Senate Local Government
Roger Wiley	roger.wiley4@verizon.net	780-3143	telecommunications taxes; freedom of information; procurement; general laws

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Report: Libraries key to achieving strategic priorities 

In an era in which local governments are forced to do more with less, a new report published by ICMA highlights the critical role libraries can play in addressing economic, educational and social issues challenging communities.

The ICMA Management Perspective, “Local Government Managers and Libraries: Partners for a Better Community,” which is available free from ICMA at http://icma.org/public_libraries, highlights the value libraries can bring to a community, including:   

• Serving as a civic and economic anchor that attracts businesses and patrons to transitional neighborhoods;
• Providing a cultural center that fosters community and civic engagement and offers services to hard-to-reach populations such as teenagers, immigrants, and senior residents;
• Providing Internet access for those without computers in a world that requires online transactions and communications for jobs, schools, and social services; and
• Offering online databases and supports for start-up businesses and a developing workforce.

ICMA received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in July 2007 to support the development of related tools and resources for local government managers and the establishment of a member-based advisory committee that would build city, town, and county managers’ awareness of the critical role public libraries play in supporting community vitality and sustainability, as well as the important leadership role managers have in supporting libraries. contents

EPA pollution partnership money deadline set

The 2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency CARE Cooperative Agreement Request for Proposals (RFP) is available on-line at: www.epa.gov/air/grants_funding.html#0802.  The application period ends March 17.

The CARE Web site has additional information related to the CARE RFP, including EPA’s upcoming Q&A Web casts, so visit http://www.epa.gov/CARE.

About $3 million will be available in 2008 to support community-based partnerships to reduce pollution at the local level through the Community Action for a Renewed Environment (CARE) program.

EPA anticipates awarding CARE cooperative agreements in two levels.

Level I cooperative agreements range from $75,000 to $100,000 and will help establish community-based partnerships to develop local environmental priorities. Level II awards, ranging from $150,000 to $300,000 each, will support communities that have established broad-based partnerships, have identified the priority toxic risks in the community, and are prepared to measure results, implement risk reduction activities, and become self-sustaining. contents

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