Virginia Politics Notebook
Edited by Chris Graham
freepress2@ntelos.net
News items: Tuesday, March 9
- Richmond: House Democrat leader reacts to block by GOP on antidiscrimination measure
- Richmond: State Senate passes charter-school bill
- D.C. News: Perriello backs bipartisan bill to cut pay for Congress
- Campaign Trail: Eagle Forum endorses Morton in Fifth GOP race
Richmond: House Democrat leader reacts to block by GOP on antidiscrimination measure House Democratic Caucus Chairman Ken Plum released a statement this afternoon on the refusal of the House of Delegates to consider SB 66, State Sen. Donald McEachin’s bill to prohibit discrimination in state employment.
“Sen. McEachin’s SB 66 was an attempt to take an important step in protecting Virginians against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
“I am disappointed that Republicans in the House of Delegates once again refused debate on this important issue and placed in jeopardy Virginia’s status as the ‘Best State for Business.’ By rejecting Senator McEachin’s bill, House Republicans are sending a message to businesses and individuals around the country that Virginia is not welcoming of all people.
“It appears that the only solution we now have is for Governor McDonnell to send down a bill. I hope that he will do so immediately to enable proper debate on this topic.”
Today’s vote comes after Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli sent a letter to Virginia’s colleges and universities asking them to repeal provisions protecting faculty and staff against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Richmond: State Senate passes charter-school bill The Senate of Virginia today passed legislation to change the charter school application process in Virginia but preserve the authority of local school boards to approve or reject charter school applications.
The bill passed today makes no changes to the charter school approval process, and only small changes to the charter school application process. No school board will be compelled to approve new charter schools under this legislation.
Virginia already has charter schools — publicly funded schools that are given more freedom in their curriculum — but this legislation will improve the quality of applications submitted to local school boards and make the process more open to the public. Gov. Bob McDonnell made reform of Virginia’s charter school structure a priority, but his original bill would have given the unelected State Board of Education veto power over the decisions of local school boards.
Under current charter school law in Virginia, applicants can confer with State Board of Education to prepare an application, and then submit their plan to the local school board which either approves or rejects the plan. If enacted, SB737 will allow an applicant to submit their plan to the State Board of Education for a basic evaluation and then submit their plan to the local school board which approves or rejects the plan. Under the new law, if a school board denies an application they will have to state the reasons, then applicants can work with Virginia’s Superintendent of Public Instruction to make technical improvements to their application.
Once the changes are made, an applicant can appeal back to the local board, which then approves or rejects the plan again. The appeal process back to the local school board is the biggest change that SB737 makes to existing charter school law. Localities will not be obligated to approve any new charter schools and will have the final word in whether to approve new charter schools. No outside entity will have more than advisory power in the process.
Senate Democrats raised concerns with Gov. McDonnell’s original charter school reform legislation. The bill, as introduced, included an appeal by rejected applicants to the State Board of Elections, which is comprised of gubernatorial appointees. This arrangement would have given a group of political appointees veto power over local school boards in violation of the Virginia Constitution which says that “the supervision of schools in each school division shall be vested in a school board.”
The arrangement which passed today was introduced in the Senate Education and Health Committee and is the result of many hours of negotiations between legislators, Gov. McDonnell’s office, and education stakeholders.
Education stakeholders, including the Virginia Education Association, opposed plans to take decisionmaking power away from local school boards, as Gov. McDonnell’s original legislation did, but they do not oppose the legislation that passed the Senate today.
McDonnell, for his part, declared the Senate move to be a victory for his efforts in the charter school arena. “I applaud the Republicans and Democrats who came together today to help Virginia school children, especially those who are at-risk and disadvantaged, gain more educational opportunities,” McDonnell said in a statement. “In the modern economy, education is the coin of the realm. Without a world-class education our young people will not be able to compete with their peers in the global marketplace. States that move proactively to bring innovation, competition and reform to their public schools are not only serving their young people well, they are improving their prospects for future economic prosperity and job creation.”
“This positive legislation to reform our public education system and give all Virginia’s young people the tools they need to learn and succeed is the result of real bipartisan cooperation in Richmond. This is a great day for Virginia’s public schools, our public school teachers and students and parents in every community,” said State Sen. Steve Newman, R-Lynchburg.
D.C. News: Perriello backs bipartisan bill to cut pay for Congress Congressman Tom Perriello is backing a bipartisan bill to make members of Congress show a personal commitment to cutting federal spending. He is a cosponsor of H.R. 4720, the Taking Responsibility for Congressional Pay Act, which will cut pay for all senators and representatives by 5 percent starting Jan. 1, 2011. If the bill is passed into law, member salaries will be reduced for the first time since April 1, 1933.
Additionally, recent House expenditure reports show that Congressman Perriello’s office ranks second lowest in personnel compensation for all House members who served an entire year in 2009.
“We need to restore the true meaning of ‘public service’ and part of that is taking personal responsibility for our national fiscal crisis. Working families across Central and Southern Virginia are getting by on less and making personal cuts in the economic downturn, and they are the folks who pay my and my staff’s salary. We’re tightening our own belts just like everybody else,” Perriello said.
Congressman Perriello previously fought successfully to block the automatic pay raise for federal lawmakers in 2010 and 2011 fiscal years. He is also a co-sponsor of H.R. 1597, which would repeal the law that provides automatic pay adjustments for members of Congress. Instead, congressional pay raises would be brought to a simple up-or-down vote.
Campaign Trail: Eagle Forum endorses Morton in Fifth GOP race Eagle Forum PAC, a conservative public policy organization founded by Phyllis Schlafly, is endorsing Feda Morton in the race to represent Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District.
“Feda and I have worked together for many years to elect conservative leaders, to protect life and marriage and to fight out-of-control government spending,” said Virginia Eagle Forum President Helen Blackwell. “She has a proven track record as a hard-working elected official and an uncompromising conservative leader.”
“Feda is exactly the kind of leader we need in Washington,” said Eagle Forum founder and president Phyllis Schlafly. “As a career schoolteacher who has taught at public schools, private schools, homeschooled her children and was elected to serve on the Fluvanna County School Board, Feda knows how badly federal meddling impacts education.”
“Feda knows that from education to the economy, solutions must come from communities, not the federal government,” Schlafly said. “As a lifelong resident of Virginia’s Fifth Congressional district with a distinguished record of service and political involvement, Feda knows the community well, and is in the best position to represent its needs to Congress.”
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