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ASSEMBLY OKs BOND BILL

Legislature finishes veto session

By Chelyen Davis

Date published: 4/24/2008

RICHMOND

They also finally appointed a group of new judges, appointments that got tied up in the regular session over disagreement between Republicans and Democrats over just a few of the selections. The judges include two new circuit judges in the Fredericksburg area, and new General District and Juvenile and Domestic Relations judges to replace them.

The session is always held six weeks after the adjournment of the regular session for lawmakers to deal with any bills the governor vetoed or amended, including amendments to the state budget.

Legislators rejected seven of Kaine's 41 budget amendments, and Kaine withdrew another one, a controversial amendment that would have required Medicaid providers to prescribe generic psychotropic medications to mentally ill patients, rather than brand-name drugs, by putting behavioral medications into a system that limits which drugs doctors can prescribe.

Sen. Edd Houck, D-Spotsylvania, had opposed the amendment, along with mental health groups and other legislators in both houses.

Houck also led opposition to a budget amendment of Kaine's that took $5 million from substance abuse services and gave it to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for ambulance drivers.

The House approved that amendment, but the Senate killed it.

Houck said that while ambulance drivers need the proper reimbursement, it shouldn't come at the expense of substance abuse services, for which he and other lawmakers have been fighting for years. He said $5.1 million had already been taken away from substance abuse programs.

Other senators agreed.

"It would be penny-wise and pound-foolish for us to take the money from substance abuse services," said Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Augusta.

Kaine also sought to withdraw a potentially controversial amendment to an electricity deregulation bill that opponents said would allow more power lines to be built with possibly less public input.

An amended bill that would have allowed judges to temporarily suspend a constitutional officer from his or her elected office if that officer is indicted for a crime generated a lot of discussion in the Senate, and was ultimately rejected.

One senator said it would protect citizens from an indicted official who might return to their office to destroy evidence. But other senators said allowing judges to remove an elected official from office before they've been convicted of a crime raised serious constitutional questions.

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Date published: 4/24/2008