Monday and Tuesday at the GA (when I say these bills might come up, it’s equally likely that the committee will pass by it for the day):
MONDAY
Car Tax: HB1894: Car tax relief; removes cap on overall amount, and creates Personal Property Tax Relief Fund (Albo). The car tax is the one issue that prevents us from forgetting Jim Gilmore. Albo’s effort to continue the phaseout of the car tax doesn’t include a mechanism to, as far as I can tell, pay for it. This bill will likely be considered at House Finance Subcommittee #2 (7-West Conference upon adj. of Finance).
Recess: HB2194: Daily outdoor recess; shall not prohibit from participating as means of discipline to student. (Hull)
After taking heavy criticism for his bill last year to ban youth sports, Delegate Hull has come around to make it up to the children. Remember kids: Delegate Hull is looking out for your recess. I believe 4th graders should line up behind this one too. This bill will likely be considered at House Education (House C, 9 AM).
Birthday: Sen. Louise Lucas (D)
TUESDAY
Stem Cells: HB 2857 (Moran) and HB1768 (Shuler) are identical bills that would allow stem cell research on embryos donated from fertility clinics. These bills will not allow creation of embryos specifically for research. On the docket of House Health, Welfare, and Institutions (House D, 8:30 AM).
Immigration: HB1618 (Frederick). HB1618 is a doozy that would force the Governor to make an agreement with the Federal Government that would allow state troopers to round up illegal immigrants. There is no provision that would make the Feds reimburse us for making up for their lax enforcement. To be considered at House General Laws (House C, 9 AM).
Red Light Cameras: SB781 (Watkins). Hate red-light cameras? Senator Watkins wants to let localities reinstate them. Lobby for your right to drive like a true Northern Virginian (or for safer intersections) at Senate Local Government (Senate B, 2 PM)
State of the Union: Hopefully Jim Webb will make us proud to be Virginians in his SOTU response, and make people forget we live in the state that produced George Allen, Virgil Goode, and Frank Hargrove.
4 Comments
Kenton:
“Car Tax: HB1894: Car tax relief; removes cap on overall amount, and creates Personal Property Tax Relief Fund (Albo). The car tax is the one issue that prevents us from forgetting Jim Gilmore. Albo’s effort to continue the phaseout of the car tax doesn’t include a mechanism to, as far as I can tell, pay for it. This bill will likely be considered at House Finance Subcommittee #2 (7-West Conference upon adj. of Finance).”
Might I suggest using the surplus, which are extra taxes? Republicans are losing because they have lost their ‘guts’ to reconnect and re-establish themselves as the party of low taxes. You guys want to forget Gov. Gilmore, because he ‘wiped up the floor’ with the left of center candidates when he won… That tax decrease still has got to be the largest in VA history, and directly benefited poorer residents of this state who own vehicles… (and find me who doesn’t)
This whole ‘transportation’ crisis has a lot to do with the massive surplus racked up after the last massive tax increase (which was unnecessary). A twenty percent increase in just two years budgeting and it is never enough…. We have no gaurantee of another recession not happening soon.
The infrastructure investment should have been done with cost savings, any surplus dollars, and judicious use of bonds…. I mean come on, if Gov. Warner were such a business man, why didn’t he foresee the increase in housing and demand that the GA address it? His largest request was what $250 Million? Where was foresight & Leadership from that guy?
Wouldn’t You agree?
“We have no gaurantee of another recession not happening soon.”
Guarantee. Guarantee. Actually, why am I getting upset about two letters out of place? It’s a freakin’ double negative! And when has ANYONE predicted a recession? It always catches people off guard.
A surplus is the result of more money coming in than what was appropriated (that’s “spent” for those of you in Falls Church). Usually this occurs when the economy does better than expected.
Unlike STD, I can remember a time when the economy did not perform as well as the budget writers expected - um, 2000-2002. How quickly we forget … in fact, STD uses the same argument from 1997 - “use the surplus.”
I think “car tax relief” was capped at a little under $1 billion just a few years ago. This year’s surplus would not even cover the cost of paying for the tax cut - how are we supposed to use the surplus again?
And STD doesn’t even consider how much redistribution of wealth the car tax involves. Under the old system, localities collected the tax and spent it. Under the new Gilmore/Republican system, the state collects income and other taxes and then sends it to localities to partially compensate them for the lack of funds. Are the counties that pay the most in income taxes receiving the most in car tax compensation? And if we decided to restore the car tax, could we then afford an income tax cut? I think we could …
So instead of the localities (Paul) taking money from citizens (Peter), the state takes money from Peter and gives it to Paul. And this is something Republicans support?
My head hurts.
Your head should hurt Kenton, because you have to explain away a tax cut that clearly benefits everyone…
Republitarian got on me about the Car Tax, and said that “We are getting ripped off by NoVA, they are getting the lion’s share of relief… My reply, is that they also pay a lion’s share of the taxes, and their growth in income fuels the income tax surplus… now also if they are getting disproportionate relief in Car Tax, how about they use some to address their dag gone transportation crisis?
My argument for appropriating more surplus to further keep the car tax relief at the 70/30 level is valid… It is now slipping because we capped it as you state…
You just can’t stand to see any tax relief at all… The freaking budget grew by 20%, but the overall population didn’t? You seem to be producing a plethora of maps, work on that one, divided by cars or something.
And again, if you plan on running some day for office, have at campaigning on eliminating the car tax altogether, and sock it to them dern citizens!!!
My apologies Kenton, I see that was Adam…