Partisan head-butting — punctuated by sparse cooperation on measures such as mental health reform, payday lending restrictions and the abolition of the hated “abuser fees” — defined this year’s General Assembly session.
The Virginia Senate, especially, saw its tradition of cordiality swept aside as Democrats found themselves in a slim majority for the first time in about a decade, and Republicans, unaccustomed to being the minority, became increasingly combative.
The rift became more apparent when the Senate Finance Committee, which historically introduces its version of the budget with a unanimous vote, instead broke on party lines as its Republican members protested new spending. The ensuing fight on the floor led Sen. Ed Houck, D-Spotsylvania, to say he felt “sucker-punched” by the breakdown.
The policy changes that emerged from the two-month grinder include few definitive victories for either house or party.
Little substantive change to immigration enforcement, a top Republican priority, survived the Senate. And Democratic initiatives on property tax relief, legislative redistricting, a restaurant smoking ban and closing the so-called gun-show “loophole” on background checks were blocked.
“Those are the four areas where I really hoped to get legislation passed and did not,” Kaine said Thursday. “All were tough, all [we] knew, ‘hey this is going to be a heavy lift, but this is the year to give it a try.’ ”
By the session’s end, neither party was able to produce an acceptable transportation funding plan to replace a set of regional taxes struck down by the Supreme Court. Both sides agreed, however, on abolishing the hated “abuser fees” on bad or dangerous drivers.
Kaine hailed the passage of his consumer protection and sexual violence bills, among others, as well as the agreement to pump an additional $1 billion into education funding.
The governor also pointed to the mental health reforms spurred by the April 16 Virginia Tech massacre, when a mentally ill Tech student shot and killed 32 students and faculty. The Republican-led House and Senate had very little public disagreement on the proposed $42 million in new spending and accompanying reforms, which established some new standards for treatment and commitment.
Lawmakers also pushed through an overhaul of the state’s payday lending laws, which were called the most restrictive in the nation.
