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We returned to Richmond on Wednesday, April 8, 2009 for what is called the "veto" or "reconvened" session. This is the day upon which we consider all bills that were either vetoed by the Governor or included his amendments. This year, the Governor vetoed 12 bills and recommended amendments to 107 others, including the budget bill. Not surprisingly, it was a long day. If the Governor vetoes a bill, it requires a two-thirds majority to be overridden or passed independent of the Governor's veto. If the Governor makes amendments to a bill, his changes are accepted upon a majority vote in both houses. Most of the vetoes focused on proposed expansions to capital punishment and various gun bills. I voted to sustain the Governor's veto in every case. The House voted to override the Governor's vetoes of these bills, but the Senate sustained the vetoes, which means these bills will not become law. The changes in capital punishment would only have made it easier for Virginia to execute more persons than we do at present (we are second in the nation in the number of executions carried out since the death penalty was reinstituted in 1976). My position on this issue has been consistent throughout my term in the legislature; I continue to vote against these expansions. The Governor also vetoed a bill that would have permitted persons to carry concealed weapons into bars and restaurants; the Senate sustained the veto, and the bill will not become law. A major debate of the day focused on changes in our state unemployment insurance system. The downturn in the economy and increased unemployment claims are rapidly depleting the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, which may be exhausted by early 2010. The U.S. Congress has made available $125 million to Virginia to help, conditional upon the Commonwealth adopting several basic reforms. The Governor proposed that our system be modernized such that an individual who was employed part-time would be deemed to satisfy requirements for unemployment insurance, so long as he or she was available for work comparable to what he or she was doing prior to a lay-off, and would further extend benefits to a person who was in a qualified job training program if the program was targeted for re-entry into a high demand occupation. The Governor's amendments were defeated on an almost straight party-line vote in the House. I voted with the Governor. Republicans in the House argued that passing the Governor's amendments would destroy our reputation as a business-friendly state because rates for employers that pay into the unemployment insurance trust fund would likely have to rise. Democrats countered that of the 50 states, we are 49th lowest in the rates that we presently pay into the system and that the $125 million in stimulus money would allow us to hold rates down for some period of time. It was estimated that any increase in employer rates would likely not exceed $4.50 per employee per year. It is clear that whatever we did, the trust fund will be insolvent sometime in the next year, and we will likely have to borrow money to make the fund solvent. It seemed only reasonable to use the $125 million that was available from the federal government to supplement the fund, and at the same time, modernize the system. The House did not accept the logic. Unless a Special Session is called, we will not be able to address this issue again until January 2010. Finally, a number of Governor's amendments in the energy area were defeated, again largely on party line votes. Included in these were proposed changes that would increase energy efficiency and provide targets for energy conservation. As always, I appreciate all the comments and input that I received on the Governor's proposed vetoes and amendments. Absent a Special Session, the legislature will not reconvene until January, 2010. In the meantime, I will continue with my various committee assignments, including the Disability Commission, the Math and Science Commission, and the Land Use Tools Commission. The Land Use Commission meets again in June and any comments about various proposals that we ought to consider for changing the powers we provide local governments to regulate land use would be appreciated. You can reach me in Charlottesville at 434-220-1660 or by email at deldtoscano@house.virginia.gov. Please feel free to send this to anyone else you think might be interested and refer them to my website at www.davidtoscano.com for more information and to read various descriptions of what we have been doing in Richmond. Contact Info
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