Virginia Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling reasserted Tuesday he can break ties in a split Senate on organizational issues but admitted that power doesn’t extend to the budget.
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That affirms Senate Democrats will at least have some say in what the final budget looks like, putting a number of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s initiatives at risk. Most notably, Democratic Caucus Chairman Don McEachin said earlier this month that McDonnell’s plan to shift a part of the sales tax to fund transportation was “dead on arrival.”
But in a memorandum released Tuesday morning, Bolling reasserted that he has the authority to cast the tie-breaking vote on committee assignments and other organizational issues. Control of the Senate is split 20-20 between both parties, but Bolling’s vote allows the GOP to place a majority of their members on committees — the gatekeepers of legislation — and name Republicans to committee chairmanships.
“The Lieutenant Governor is an integral part of the Senate in that he serves as the ‘President of the Senate’ and is expressly granted the authority to cast a vote ‘in the case of an equal division,’” Bolling said in a letter to the General Assembly. “This is broad reaching authority, and applies to every matter that comes before the Senate unless another provision of the Constitution of Virginia has expressly imposed a limit on the Lieutenant Governor’s authority to cast a vote.”
Included in those limits are votes in which the constitution specifies that only elected members of each chamber may vote, like financial issues, choosing judges and constitutional amendments.
In a statement, Senate Republicans praised Bolling’s direction.
“By specifically detailing the powers of his office, he has brought sound judgment and a balanced, judicious perspective to this situation,” Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City, said. “He has once again set the standard for future lieutenant governors.”
Democrats have yet to comment.
