Barely two weeks into the General Assembly's election-year "short session," local legislators relay the goings-on in Richmond. State Sen. Janet Howell (D-32), Del. Kenneth Plum (D-36) and Del. Thomas Rust (R-86) assess the ever-changing political and legislative landscape in the commonwealth.
<b>Q</b>. What's your initial assessment of the short session, so far?
<b>Plum</b>: A lot of time has been spent on issues that I don't see as being top priorities. The continued haranguing about the DMV closings is, as much as I can tell, unnecessary considering the governor's actions last week. We have also spent entirely too much time on bills like those for special license plates when there is much more important work to be done. As I feared, there has also been a great volume of right-wing bills. I have heard that there are as many as 25 bills that would limit a woman's right to choose. We need to get our priorities in order.
<b>Rust</b>: It's been a lot more hectic and there seems to be a lot more work this go around. Obviously, we are working in a much more compressed time frame. From 7 a.m. breakfasts to 7 p.m. meetings, it has been very hectic. It is clearly a result of the budget constraints. The budget is on all of our minds. There have been a lot of bills come to the floor that patrons evidently think are important.
<b>Howell</b>: Hectic, frenetic, and occasionally ugly. I think that is a fair description. The Senate is holding as a moderate force in the legislature. The House side is certainly more overtly political, it seems.
<b>Q</b>. After two weeks, what has surprised you the most?
<b>Plum</b>: No surprises, really.
<b>Rust</b>: I was surprised at the action that sent the 'red-light camera' [HB 1696] bill back to committee. I was looking forward to a full debate on the floor. There are a number of legislators that are very hesitant to further expand the camera systems.
<b>Howell</b>: No, nothing really surprises me down here anymore.
<b>Q</b>. What has been your biggest victory, if you have had one?
<b>Plum</b>: It's too early to say.
<b>Rust</b>: Everything is preliminary at this stage, but I've had five bills make it out of committee. While my transportation allocation bill was not sent to the floor, it was sent to a study group. I was very pleased with the message that accompanied it. I think people are beginning to understand that time has come to study this important issue.
<b>Howell</b>: All of my bills are still alive and moving forward. I am very hopeful that my bill requiring all clergy to report suspected child abuse will succeed.
<b>Q</b>. And your biggest disappointment?
<b>Plum</b>: I am disappointed that the budget we have is not more aggressive on issues like public education and transportation. The feeling seems to be that we just need to "hold on," while I would prefer we take a more proactive and aggressive approach to these vital long-term problems. I would have liked the Governor to have been more aggressive, but we all share part of the blame. The House, Senate and Governor all have to accept responsibility.
<b>Rust</b>: I was disappointed that one of my two bills to improve operations at the DMV did not pass.
<b>Howell</b>: That we are not giving any attention to restructuring the tax system. It is vitally important and in the Finance Committee we are "studying" the issue. We need to act.
<b>Q</b>. Not even half-way through the session, give the General Assembly a mid-term grade.
<b>Plum</b>: The interim grade would have to be 'disappointing.'
<b>Rust</b>: The performance grade up to this point would have to be 'average,' but I would commend the assembly's effort and hard work. We are all working very hard, long hours.
<b>Howell</b>: I give us a C+. We are acting responsibly and business-like, in general. Unfortunately, because it is an election year, there have been some politically-motivated flare-ups. And, like I said, there is just an incredible reluctance to tackle the restructuring of the tax code. I am also disturbed and disappointed that all the tobacco tax bills in the house are getting killed. They haven't come up in the Senate, but it doesn't bode well for bills like mine. It's an election year.
<b>Q</b>. Finally, what are some things to look for in the next couple of weeks?
<b>Plum</b>: Today, I will be presenting a bill to help cover the more than 203,000 seniors who cannot afford to buy their prescription drugs. These are senior citizens who are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid but are at or below 150 percent of the poverty level. This bill would send money from the proposed cigarette tax to help pay seniors who presently have to choose between buying drugs and groceries. It's a disgrace that we are the 12th wealthiest state and we have seniors who can't afford the drugs that their doctors have prescribed for them. Next week, things will really begin coming to a head and we will have to begin making some very tough decisions, but that is why we are down here.
<b>Rust</b>: The biggest budget amendments will get to us on Feb. 4 or 5. These amendments are clearly driving everything we do. It will be interesting to see what Appropriations does.
<b>Howell</b>: Keep an eye on Finance and Appropriations. We are working incredibly long hours. We are sifting through the various proposals. We have some very difficult positions ahead of us because these cuts are impacting real people everyday.