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Governor Kaine Announces Action on Additional Legislation

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today announced action on several bills.  The Governor is required under the Virginia Constitution to complete action by midnight tonight on the 958 bills passed by the 2006 General Assembly.

Schools for the Deaf and Blind

SB 676 (Sen. Hanger) and HB 350 (Del. Hamilton)

The Governor will offer a substitute for SB 676 and HB 350, which provides for renovation of the buildings and continued funding for the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind at Staunton, and proposes the creation of a regional program to serve deaf and blind individuals in the Hampton Roads area.  The Governor’s substitute does not name any specific non-profit organization to operate the regional program in Hampton Roads.

 “There is no consensus yet on what type of program should be offered in the Hampton Roads region,” Governor Kaine said. “This amendment will give state and regional officials flexibility in developing the program.”

Marriage Amendment

SB 526 (Sen. Newman)

SB 526 places the proposed constitutional amendment regarding marriage, adopted by consecutive sessions of the General Assembly, on this November’s ballot.  The Governor does not have the authority to veto or amend the language of the marriage amendment itself; this measure simply places it on the ballot.

The Governor will allow this bill to take effect without his signature.

“I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman, and current Virginia law makes that abundantly clear,” Governor Kaine said. “But I am concerned that the broad wording of the proposed constitutional amendment goes much further than that, threatening the constitutional rights of individuals to enter into private contracts, and also threatening the discretion of employers to extend certain benefits, such as health care coverage, to unmarried couples.”

“For those reasons, I will vote against the marriage amendment in November, and I urge other Virginians to vote against it as well,” Governor Kaine said. 

Disrupting funerals

HB 372 (Del. Carrico)

Governor Kaine has signed HB 372, which makes it a misdemeanor crime to disrupt a funeral or memorial service.  “It is unfortunate that the rising numbers of protests at the funerals of military servicemen and women has made it necessary to legislate what common decency already requires,” Governor Kaine said.

Child abuse reporting

SB 253 (Sen. Howell)

The Governor has signed SB 253, which improves detection of child abuse by requiring any adult who has received appropriate training to report suspected child abuse and neglect to a local Department of Social Services, or the Virginia Department of Social Services' toll-free hotline.  The bill includes an exception for confidential conversations with clergy.

Tax and fiscal reforms

Governor Kaine signed several bills providing tax relief, including HB 532 and SB 571, which provide a sales tax holiday for certain school supplies on the first weekend in August. The measure is similar to sales tax holidays enacted by 14 states and the District of Columbia.

“The back-to-school sales tax holiday is relatively modest in its fiscal impact, but it will make a huge difference for working families with school-aged children,” Governor Kaine said.

• The Governor also signed SB 110, which extends the sales tax exemption on prescription drugs to those drugs bought by nursing homes.
• The Governor has signed tax cuts to encourage energy development, in HB 1043, SB 714, and HB 1539, and a tax cut to help attract semiconductor manufacturers to Virginia, in HB 530, SB 601, and SB 475.
• The Governor signed SB 731, which provides homeowners with more information for understanding their real property tax assessment notices and for participating in local government meetings on real estate tax changes. 
• Governor Kaine also signed HB 1283, to prevent the penalty for nonpayment of any local tax from exceeding the amount of the tax itself.
• The Governor signed SB 203, which expedites the return of over $13.7 million of debt service savings achieved through refinancing to 44 localities that borrowed money for capital school projects through the Virginia Public School Authority.

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