Virginia Politics Blog Archive: Abusive Driver Fees
Senate passes increase in court fees as legislators struggle for funding alternatives
As the General Assembly moves inexorably toward the severe budget cuts that will be necessary to fill Virginia's two-year $4 billion shortfall, there are likely to be a lot more debates like the one that took place on the floor of the senate this afternoon on SB329. On the face of it, the debate was whether Virginia should raise the fees paid when civil court cases are filed, in some cases dramatically, using the revenue generated to fund local sheriff's offices. But really the debate was about nothing less than how to go about funding the basics of government in a recession....
By
Rosalind Helderman
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February 15, 2010; 3:32 PM ET |
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Abusive Driver Fees
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General Assembly 2010
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Rosalind Helderman
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State Senate
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Virginia Notebook: Democrats Stuck in Neutral
Shortly after Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) called a special session to try to tackle transportation funding issues, the governor gave a blunt assessment of what he hoped to accomplish by advocating a tax increase even though he didn't have the support of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates. "It will be very productive to either try to find a solution or make it plain to people who are standing in the way," Kaine said in an interview with The Washington Post in May. "We are going to make something happen or let the public see who is obstructing, and frankly, that is one of the reasons why Democrats have won elections in Virginia." But 10 days into the special session on transportation -- legislators have been on vacation for six of those days -- it remains uncertain whether any solution will be found or whether the governor will score any...
By
Tim Craig
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July 2, 2008; 2:31 PM ET |
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Abusive Driver Fees
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Election 2008/Congress
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Election 2008/Local
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Election 2008/President
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Election 2008/U.S. Senate
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Election 2009
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General Assembly 2008
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Tim Craig
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Timothy M. Kaine
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Transportation
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Virginia Notebook
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Winners and Losers
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Virginia Notebook: Transportation Predictions
So what's going to happen next week during the special session on transportation? Probably not much, but who knows? So we are not even going to try to make a prediction. We'll leave that to others. Here is a sampling of predictions -- as a well as a few partisan shots -- from current and former state legislators and lobbyists....
By
Tim Craig
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June 18, 2008; 1:46 PM ET |
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Abusive Driver Fees
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Election 2007
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Election 2009
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General Assembly 2008
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Ken Cuccinelli
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Tim Craig
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Timothy M. Kaine
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Transportation
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Virginia Notebook
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2009 Election Starts Early for House
For some members of the House of Delegates, the election has already started. Since the legislative session started last month, Democrats have been targeting two Fairfax Republicans, Dels. David B. Albo and Thomas Davis Rust, who are up for re-election in 2009....
By
Anita Kumar
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February 5, 2008; 4:48 PM ET |
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Abusive Driver Fees
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Anita Kumar
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Election 2009
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General Assembly 2008
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Winners & Losers
This week's winners House Speaker William J. Howell -- Despite lots of pressure from delegates, Howell stands firm in opposing an increase in the daily allowance, or per diem, citing the state's budget shortfall. Del. Steve Shannon (D-Fairfax)- Campaign finance reports show that Shannon, a possible Democratic candidate for attorney general next year, has over $202,000 in the bank. Shannon is also speaking more often on the House floor, which may help raise his profile in preparation for a statewide campaign. Del. Lionel Spruill Sr. (D-Chesapeake) -- Spruill earns headlines nationwide over his bill to make it illegal to hang rubber testicles from a vehicle hitch....
By
Tim Craig
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January 18, 2008; 3:18 PM ET |
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Abusive Driver Fees
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Bill Bolling
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Election 2008/Congress
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Election 2009
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General Assembly 2008
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Robert F. McDonnell
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Virginia Tech massacre
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Winners and Losers
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A Rough Road Ahead
Chaos reigned at today's meeting of the Senate Courts of Justice committee, which took the state legislature's first crack at killing the unpopular abusive-driver fees. The panel struggled to combine 10 bills that essentially did the same thing-- repeal the fees. Senators argued along party lines over two issues: should the thousands of motorists who have already been assessed the fees get their money back, and should the committee attach an "emergency clause" to the bill so it takes effect as soon as the governor signs it?...
By
Sandhya Somashekhar
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January 16, 2008; 5:30 PM ET |
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Abusive Driver Fees
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General Assembly 2008
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Sandhya Somashekhar
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