A laserlike focus by Virginia Republicans on gays, guns and God have defined the first month of the new General Assembly, but there remains a line even some conservatives don’t want to cross just yet.
Since Republicans took full control in Richmond in January, conservative social bills are quickly making their way through the Virginia legislature. The state’s long-standing limit of one handgun purchase per month is on its way out, women will likely have to undergo an ultrasound exam before getting an abortion, and taxpayer dollars could be allocated to faith-based adoption agencies that discriminate against homosexuals.
Those bills stood little chance in a Senate controlled for years by Democrats. But even under Republican stewardship, senators are proving more reluctant than their House counterparts when it comes to pushing the envelope on social issues.
A Senate panel last week killed one bill that would have forced colleges to allow concealed weapons on campus and another that would have abolished background checks for gun buyers. Conservative groups are still waiting to see what the Senate does with a voucherlike school proposal that would provide tax breaks to businesses that pay to send low-income students to private schools, including religious institutions.
