Northern Virginia officials aren’t pleased with Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed solution to problems they identified with a pension reform bill that could cost local governments millions.
The pension bill would have required public employees to contribute 5 percent of their paychecks to their retirement and localities to give those workers 5 percent raises to make up for the contributions. McDonnell proposed amendments giving local officials the option to phase in the changes over five years, his office said Tuesday.
The pension bill, approved earlier this year by the General Assembly, was one of dozens on which the governor had to act by midnight Monday. In addition to sending 130 proposed amendments back to lawmakers on a number of measures, McDonnell vetoed seven bills, six of which came from Democrats.
Local leaders in Northern Virginia lamented McDonnell’s decision not to kill the pension bill outright. While localities will save money by partially shifting pension costs to employees, the required raises will drive up the costs of payroll and payroll taxes for local governments.
“I appreciate the fact that we have a new schedule to pay something that we shouldn’t have paid in the first place,” said Fairfax County Supervisor Jeff McKay, who was among those who wanted to see the bill killed.
McDonnell said the pension bill is needed to help “ensure that these employees’ retirement is secure.”
Nearly all the bills McDonnell vetoed — including a measure that would have established statewide physical education standards for public schools — overwhelmingly passed the legislature, but that doesn’t guarantee that lawmakers, who return to Richmond next week, have the two-thirds majority needed to overturn his vetoes.
McDonnell drastically altered a voter identification bill that would discount any ballots cast by voters who don’t have a photo ID, unless the voter returned later with an ID card. Voters without ID now just sign an affidavit to have their vote counted. But McDonnell proposed amendments that would save voters without an ID a second trip to the polls by allowing them to sign their provisional ballots. If the signature matches one on file with the State Board of Elections, the ballot would be counted.
“If he was going to make this change, why not simply veto the bill?” asked House Minority Leader David Toscano, D-Charlottesville.
McDonnell also proposed changes to a school voucher-like program. He wants to lift the $175,000 cap on tax credits a company can receive if it provides scholarships to low-income students to attend private schools.
McDonnell signed into law a bill that allows faith-based adoption and foster-care agencies to turn down gay parents.
