February 17, 2012
From the Delegates Desk
Greetings from Richmond,
It has been a very busy week. We went into session on Monday and spent over ten hours going over our last six hundred bills on the House side. There was heavy debate on controversial issues. Tuesday was Crossover Day, and we had more debate and voted our final house actions. For the rest of this week we have been carrying our bills through Senate committees and hearing their bills in our committees. I have received many e-mails about certain health and social issues, which I will to address in this newsletter.
One major issue this week has been the loss of representation from Southwest Virginia through Roanoke Valley on our Commonwealth Transportation Board in HB 864. This board was set up in 1908 to provide an equal hearing of the State’s transportation needs in all areas, and has worked. However, in this legislation, Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, and Richmond areas will each be granted three representatives, leaving only one person representing Lee County through Roanoke, which are over 24 counties. The bill has already passed the House. If it passes in the Senate, I will put in a bill next year before it goes into effect asking for a larger board to balance Southwest Virginia’s representation on the Board.
As most State workers and teachers know, the House passed HB 576, changing the terms of continuing contracts, which I could not support. The Senate has killed its version of this bill, and must now do something with HB 576.
The Machine and Tool Tax will remain in effect for local use, after HB 512 was voted down. Many of us felt counties use it for economic development and need it for incentive to bring in new jobs. Others use it to help off-set unfunded mandates. Also, Commissioners of Revenue, Treasurers, and County Boards will be happy to know that we killed HB 461 that would take the teeth out of collecting back taxes.
HB 1035 on property rights (eminent domain) has passed the House. If this legislation passes the Senate, it will come before the people as a referendum in November and if that passes it will become a Constitutional Amendment during the next General Assembly session. This process takes a vote during the second year of a biennium. An election must take place and the new General Assembly must vote the bill again. Then, it goes to the people. HB 597, in which I request definition of “lost access” and “lost profits,” has been incorporated into this process.
All bills can be read by visiting this website: http://lis.virginia.gov.
I am a pro-life advocate. I believe that all unborn babies have a right to life. However, I do acknowledge the situations involving rape, incest, and endangerment to a mother’s life are exceptions.
I had a constituent ask me how my husband, Dr. Carl Stark, would have felt about my votes. Like me, he would rather our legislation deal with our core needs including education, transportation, public health and safety, and our environment, instead of social agendas. However, I am sure he would have taken his Hippocratic Oath to save lives seriously and would have voted on the side of life over taking a life. Dr. Scott Garrett, a delegate from Lynchburg, told us that he had operated on babies with malformations. He has successfully saved babies whose intestines were outside of their bodies; he has saved others who had other problems such as Down’s syndrome. Today children can even be operated on in the womb and be saved from crippling diseases. He explained that a doctor’s job is to bring babies into the world and give them a chance of survival. There are heart-wrenching exceptions. As we have cut funding in our budgeting, we have been assured there are funding sources left in place to help these cases.
I have received many letters about the Ultrasound bill, HB 462. There have been many misconceptions and inaccuracies about this bill. The bill requires women to undergo an ultrasound before deciding to have an abortion, and be offered the opportunity to view the ultrasound image. Currently, ultrasounds are used, as well as recommended by The National Abortion Federation’s Clinical Guidelines and Planned Parenthood, before an abortion to locate the child in the womb, ensure that twins or multiples are not being carried, to identify a tubal pregnancy, and identify the gestational age to determine which abortion procedure is appropriate. The legislation does not require the doctor to perform an internal ultrasound, but that the ultrasound be performed in accordance with best medical practices. If the child is not visible using an external ultrasound, an internal ultrasound will be used to visualize the child. It is certainly not as invasive as the abortion itself. What this bill provides is protection and information to the mother and child without restricting a woman’s decision to have an abortion.
We enjoyed visiting with Tim Bess, CEO of Wythe County Community Hospital.
Otey Dudley, Jim Bear, Ann Fleming, Sherman Wallace, Randall Hillman, Stacey Ely, Mark Leonard, Eddie Greene, and Lindy White, CEO of Smyth County Community Hospital, all stopped by with the Mountain States Health Alliance. Alan Hawthorne, Ken McFadyen, and Sally Morgan were visiting from the Virginia Economic Development Authority. I hated to miss Southwest Virginia Community College when they visited.
As always, please feel free to write, e-mail or call with your concerns and questions and keep us in your prayers. My email address is delacrockett-stark@house.virginia.gov.
Delegate Anne B. Crockett-Stark, Sixth District
General Assembly Building – Room 819
P.O. Box 406
Richmond, VA 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1006
