The 2008 General Assembly is now in session
Week 3 Update—January 25, 2008
The 2008 General Assembly session began Wednesday, January 9, 2008. The session runs 60 days and is scheduled to end on March 8, 2008. “Cross-over day,” the last day for each house to act on its own bills, is February 12. House and Senate versions of the two-year budget for fiscal years 2009 and 2010 will be released on February 17.
The House Education Committee is scheduled to meet 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 will meet on Thursdays at 8:30 a.m. in Senate Room B. Sub-committees will meet periodically throughout the session.
Click here for a schedule of weekly meetings.
New budget to be shaped
Members of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees have just three weeks to craft their versions of the next biennial budget. Governor Kaine has reiterated his stand that a downward revision in the revenue projections contained in his introduced budget. He told business leaders this past week that such revision will be made following a review of January and year-to-date revenue data and presented to legislators just days before they are due to release their budgets on February 17.
Meanwhile, the money committees have received hundreds of budget amendment requests, costing hundreds of millions of dollars, from members of their respective chambers. Among those submitted are ones that would provide funding for additional teacher salary increases and that would “hold harmless” those school divisions projected to receive less state funding in the next biennium than in the current fiscal year due to changes in the local composite index. Several amendments would provide reimbursements to school divisions for school breakfasts and lunches. Also proposed are amendments to increase the English-as-a-Second Language teacher to pupil ratios and to provide additional funding for school nurses. Another proposed amendment would provide funding for a financial literacy education pilot program. Innovative school programs that address the needs of at-risk students through both academic and career/technical education could be eligible to receive grants under another amendment that decreases incentive-based at-risk “add on” dollars to pay for the grants.
Recall that the introduced budget for the next biennium contains more than $1 billion more for public education over the two-year period, much of which ($890 million) is to update state costs of the Standards of Quality (SOQ).
Click here for additional information about Governor Kaine's proposed education budget for 2008-2010.
Education Legislation
The House Education Committee had defeated a bill that would have allowed non-public school students to be play on public school sports teams. After lengthy discussion in a pair of subcommittee meetings and at two meetings of the full committee, HB 375 was defeated on a 12 to 9 vote.
Both chambers are considering legislation that would ensure that elementary teachers have at least three hours of planning time per week (state funding presently is provided for secondary teacher planning time). HB 1216 is in the House Education Committee, with a recommendation to refer it to the Appropriations Committee, while SB 48 is in the Senate Education and Health Committee. A fiscal impact statement puts state costs for these measures at more than $90 million in each of the next two years.
The Senate Rules Committee on Friday reported SJR 55 to establish an 11-member joint subcommittee to examine the teacher shortage. The Senate Education and Health Committee has approved SB 376 to require local school divisions to publish their annual budget on the local school division website
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