Legislators Convene Wednesday to Consider Vetoes

By Fletcher Babb, Capital News Service Tuesday, April 05, 2011

RICHMOND – The General Assembly is scheduled to act on Gov. Bob McDonnell’s vetoes and amendments during its “reconvened session” Wednesday.

McDonnell has vetoed five bills (two are identical), amended 134 others and proposed 86 amendments to the state budget.

Among the budget amendments, McDonnell has suggested a series of changes to reduce the $17 billion shortfall in the Virginia Retirement System. He also wants to phase out funding for the state’s public broadcasting stations.

The General Assembly already cut $400,00 from public broadcasting. But a statement from the governor’s office last week said McDonnell “has returned to his original proposal for the elimination of 50 percent of state funding for public broadcasting this fiscal year, and the elimination of the remaining 50 percent in fiscal year 2013.”

This additional cut would strip an additional $4.2 million over two years.

The governor’s proposal comes during a time when public broadcasting is undergoing heated national debate. House Republicans in Washington are threatening to cut all federal funding for National Public Radio.

McDonnell’s other amendments to the budget include adding:
• More than $2.6 million for renovation of the University of Virginia’s historic rotunda
• $3 million to fully fund state trooper overtime pay
• $2 million to revamp an abandoned jail in Nottoway Country to be used as a prison for sexually violent criminals
• $1 million for land conservation
• $1.5 million for the Governor’s Motion Picture Opportunity Fund to lure Hollywood filmmakers to shoot in Virginia

McDonnell’s budget amendments call for $43.8 million in additional spending, which would be offset by $49.9 million in savings.

The governor vetoed:
• A bill that would have required 150 minutes of physical education per week in public elementary and middle schools. McDonnell called the measure an unfunded mandate.
• Legislation that would have raised the maximum award in medical malpractice suits from $2 million to $3 million
• A bill that would have increased civil penalties issued by the Department of Environmental Quality
• A bill that would have imposed a fine for failure to report water withdrawal violations.

Legislators already are in Richmond for a special session to redraw political districts. They will convene at noon Wednesday for the so-called “veto session.”

To override a veto requires a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate. If both houses agree with the way the governor has amended a bill, the amended version becomes law. Or, legislators may reject or change the governor’s amendment and send the bill back to him for approval or veto.