The 2005 General Assembly is now in session

Week 4 Update—February 4, 2005

The House and Senate money committees will release their versions of the amended 2004-2006 budget on Sunday. The “crossover” deadline for considering legislation in the house of origin is Tuesday.

The House Education Committee meets on Mondays at 9:00 a.m. in House Room C and Wednesdays at 8:30 a.m. in the Appropriations Room.  The Senate Education and Health Committee meets on Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. in Senate Room B.  Sub-committees will meet periodically throughout the session. Click here for a schedule of weekly meetings (Meetings)

Budget:

As indicated above, the House and Senate money committees will release their respective amendments to Governor Warner’s introduced budget at separate meetings Sunday afternoon. Information on the budget proposals should be available on-line later that day. Recall that the governor’s introduced budget proposed the state share of funding for a 3% salary increase for school teachers, effective December 1, 2005. The governor’s plan also provided additional lottery profits to school divisions ($35.2 million over the two years) and an additional $20 million from the Literary Fund for the interest rate subsidy program for school construction loans. Funds for a state payment of 5 cents per breakfast for the school breakfast program (this will enable receipt of additional federal funding) also were proposed.

The House Appropriations Committee has approved HB 1523, which increases the health care credit for retired teachers from $2.50 to $4/month for each full year of creditable service. This measure would require an additional $11.5 million in local money, as well as over $7 million more in state dollars. Therefore, it is likely that funding for this measure will be included in the House version of the budget. Recall that until 2002, the state paid for this program entirely, and then shifted about $36 million of the costs to localities.

Click here for additional information about Governor Warner's proposed budget amendments (State Budget

Legislation:

Here’s an update on some of the legislation that has been considered in the final days before the February 8 crossover day of bills:

HB 2602 and SB 1136 direct the Board of Education (BOE) to seek waivers from the U.S. Department of Education related to various provisions of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. They also require the BOE to report the fiscal and other implications of the Commonwealth's withdrawal from participation in NCLB to the General Assembly’s money committees (on the House and Senate floors, respectively).

HB 2613 prohibits school boards from administering questionnaires or surveys to students that seek to disclose political affiliations, social security numbers, sexual behavior and attitudes or critical assessment of family members (on the House floor).

HJ 655 would have directed the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to study the implications of granting fiscal autonomy to elected school boards (defeated in House Rules Committee)

SB 1285 provides that it shall be state policy that the average Virginia teacher salary equal or surpass the national average salary for public school teachers (on the Senate floor).

SJ 338 is a proposed Constitutional amendment that, if approved this year and in the same form next year, would allow the General Assembly to establish in law that a body other than the school board (i.e. fact-finding panel) make the final decision in teacher grievance cases (on the Senate floor).

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