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WITH A STROKE OF THE PEN LAST week, Republican Governor Jim Gilmore
added one more to the burgeoning entries on Harris resume. By issuing Executive
Order 58 (99), Gilmore essentially resurrected a Harris-sponsored
bill that had failed to pass the Assembly last year. Based on [Paul]
Harris' first
piece of legislation, the Order requires each state agency to draft
a 'family impact' statement (much like an environmental impact statement)
for every new Virginia policy. Effective through the end of Gilmore's term,
the quasi-law mandates that each agency shall 'analyze and assess any new
regulation's impact on the institution of the family and family stability,
including the rights of parents in the education, nurturing, and supervision
of their children; impact on marital commitment, and effect on disposable
family income,' according to a statement from the Governor's office. At
the end of the release, credit goes to Hams.
Political window-dressing, the Order isn't likely to have any
significant impact. But it's another example of Harris' ubiquity. Just weeks
before election day, the Order seals Harris' conservative voting record.
So far, Harris has co-sponsored a bill that would have brought so-called
covenant marriage to Virginia. During the last session, he supported a measure
aimed at tightening the licensing requirements for state abortion clinics.
He supports the hiring of additional school safety officers, but voted against
a bill to hire additional high school guidance counselors. He has voted
to allow schools to discontinue the family life education program, formerly
known as 'sex ed'.).
Harris has shown his pro-business colors, too. Recently, the
Virginia Foundation for Research and Economic
Education Inc. awarded him the fifth highest mark of any state official.
During the last session, he opposed a bill to tighten development guidelines.
He voted against a Democrat-proposed bill that would have granted patients
the right
to sue HMOs. In trademark Harris style, he offers an explanation that
sounds equally friendly to corporations and the working class: 'The last
thing we need is more lawsuits to drive up the cost of health care.' He
rejects the claim that he was siding with business over families, and points
to his support for other patients' rights measures, such as the establishment
of an external review panel to rule on denied claims (Eric Hoover,
C-Ville Weekly, November 1, 1999).
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