The General Assembly kicks off its session tomorrow. Of the hundreds of bills, I arbitrarily picked a few and most likely missed some gems (and turds) of legislation. I didn’t insert anything pertaining to an increase in the minimum wage (I expect Speaker Pelosi to get cracking), or on transportation (special post on that later).
750 Volts presents…
The Best Bills of 2007
Ideas I like.
HB1733: Campaign signs; right of residential tenant to display. (Fralin)
I’m a big fan of free speech, if you couldn’t imagine. It saddens me folks like the Montclair Property Owners Association ban yard signs (FreeMontclair.us).
HB1827: Human Anti-Trafficking Act; created, report. (Suit)
It’s an idea which is long overdue.
SB878: Elections; recount procedures. (Deeds)
Why SHOULDN’T you count every ballot in a recount?
HJ579: Constitutional amendment; prohibits taking of private property by eminent domain powers. (Peace)
Virginia finally responds to Kelo. About time.
HB1835: Registered voter; knowingly communicating false information thereto. (Amundson)
A republic based on lies is no republic at all. No one should get away with lying to voters.
HB2070: Redistricting process. (Brink)
Lying to a voter doesn’t actually matter if the district they’re in is so horrifically gerrymandered there’s no real race. We need to rethink redistricting.
HB1768: Stem cell research; authorizes research involving derivation & use of human embryonic cells, etc. (Shuler)
Virginia has an oppurtunity to catapult itself to the forefront of stem cell research. We should offer hope, encourage science, and show that Virginia isn’t a bunch of backwoods racist hicks.
The Worst Bills of 2007
Bills that are stupid or dangerous.
HJ585: Constitutional amendment; General Assembly meeting with single unicameral legislature.
I would much rather see bicameral action.
HJ580: Constitutional amendment; bills raising revenue must originate in House (first reference). (Lingamfelter)
As covered previously, there’s no logical reason for this.
HB1934: Overtaking & passing vehicles on certain highways; prohibits travel in left-most lane of highway.
That’s just stupid. Imagine a solid line of cars and trucks up and down I-81’s right lanes.
HB1918: Illegal aliens; presence unlawful in State, penalty (Cole). (Albo Edition)
This would make being an illegal immigrant in Virginia…illegal. Thoroughly redundant election-year posturing. Imagine prosecuting immigrants on the federal level then clogging state courts with the exact same case.
HB1706: Real estate tax; limitation on tax rate by localities. (Lingamfelter)
Localities are smart enough to devise their own tax rates without an edict from Richmond–if the state doesn’t step in on education and transportation, Lingamfelter wants to cut off other options. Arbitrary caps on property taxes could cripple public schools. Hint to Del. Lingamfelter: the localities know more than you.
The Utterly Shocking
This is the category for bills I am intrigued by, but don’t have a real opinion either way (or aren’t big enough to make it into the above lists), or are just too weirded out by to be comprehensible. It’s not a bad thing to be on this list.
HB1728: Novelty cigarette lighters; sale or purchase by persons under age 18 years of age, penalty. (Lohr)
Yeah, I didn’t know kids purchasing souvenir cigarette lighters was such a big deal, but whatever floats your boat.
HB1837: Ginger Gold Apple; designating as official state fruit. (Amundson)
Mmmmm, delicious.
HB2104: Standards of Quality; Standard 1; gifted education programs. (Ware, L)
I’m honestly undecided on mandating everyone look for “gifted kids”. I just don’t know.
HB1798: Martial Arts Advisory Board; created. (Cosgrove)
Are you serious?
SB898: Toy vehicles. (Deeds)
Wait, this actually happened?!!
HJ621: Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport; joint subcommittee to study development and utilization thereof. (Kilgore)
That’s actually kind of cool.
HB2635: Larceny of a dog collar; penalty. (Scott, E)
Stealing dog collars = not nice. Getting dog killed because he didn’t have his collar = you’re probably going to hell, and this bill would slap you with a Class 5 felony.
Ethnic American Days (Koreans and Indians)
Is this Northern Virginia Republicans trying to disassociate themselves from Virgil Goode and George Allen? And when do we Chinese-Americans get a shot?
SB809: Abraham Lincoln, Commission on Bicentennial of; created, report. (Marsh)
I hope everyone’s gotten over the Civil War.
HB 1661 Adultery; definition. (Marshall)
Our friend Bob Marshall just cares way, way too much about sex. Previous rant on bill.
Now what is your list?
[UPDATE: VA Progressive has theirs.]
8 Comments
OK, I guess I will have to do my own post on the Ginger Gold apple. It’s a bill that fourth graders (who actually have to study how a bill becomes a law) proposed to us. They are going to follow it as it moves through the General Assembly. And hey, we don’t HAVE a state fruit, and we DO have a state bat and the Ginger Gold is native to Virginia.
Kris (or Kris.org, which seems to be your new name. I like it.
): Ok, good to know. Because, honestly, other things pop into my mind when I think of our state “fruit.”
Most notably Bob Marshall.
This is one of the reasons why I can’t ever run for office.
Oh, who KNOWS where that Kris.org thing came from. (More of my tech skills, I am sure.) And while your other comment is truly hilarious … yes, it would probably DQ you from a run for office! The ability to bite one’s tongue is highly under-reported by those who discuss what it takes to get elected.
That’s advice I probably ought to pay attention to…
Kenton, is your site accepting pings from other sites? I should have left some pings on several of your posts lately.
I desperately want to serve on the Martial Arts Advisory Board if one is created.
the development of a spaceport does have good logic considering the advancements in commercial space flight in recent years. i find it amazing that a Kilgore would have the foresight to come up with this.
Get out of the left lane unless your passing! Excellent, excellent, excellent!