In the House
Privileges and Elections Committee’s Constitutional Amendment Subcommittee, Rob
Bell’s HJ577, which begins the process of placing the question of whether the
Board of Education rather than your local school board should be able to grant
a charter to a charter school was reported on a 5-2 vote.
YEAS--Ramadan, Hugo, Rush, Joannou, Cole--5.
NAYS--Miller, Lindsey--2.
This
resolution will now go to the full committee.
The
companion resolution carried by Senator Obenshain, SJ256, is now up for
consideration by the full Senate.
Delegate
Obenshain’s effort to make VRS coverage optional and waive licensure
requirements for charter school teachers, SB1063, died for lack of a motion in
the Senate Education and Health Subcomitte on Public Education. SWEET!
I mentioned
a smell in the Capitol the other day. It
seems that the head of the fish is pungent, and that something is rotten in
Richmond. You may remember that the
House Committee on Education voted to defeat HB2238 last Wednesday. Things became odiferous when the vote to kill
the bill was never recorded. Then,
today, Delegate Leftwich, having voted on the prevailing side when the bill was killed, moved to reconsider (There is nothing
improper abut such a motion). A substitute
narrowing the bill to establish education savings accounts only for students
with IEPs and 504 plans. The bill was then
reported and re-referred to Appropriations on a 12-10 vote. You'll be hearing more about this one!
YEAS--Landes, Lingamfelter, Cole, Pogge, Massie, Greason, Bell, Richard
P., LeMunyon, Robinson, Farrell, Davis, Leftwich--12.
NAYS--Rust, Yost, Yancey, McClellan, Tyler, Bulova, Keam, Hester,
Preston, Lindsey--10.
If your legislature was functioning in an open and transparent manner Wednesday’s
vote would have been recorded.
Delegate
Hugo’s HB1744, a VEA initiated bill to give school boards the option of
employing a hearing panel rather than a hearing officer to resolve disputed
teacher dismissals was reported by the full House Education Committee and
re-referred on a 15-7 vote to the House Committee on Counties Cities and Towns.
YEAS--Lingamfelter, Rust, Massie, Bell, Richard P., LeMunyon, Robinson,
Yost, Farrell, McClellan, Tyler, Bulova, Keam, Hester, Preston, Lindsey--15.
NAYS--Landes, Cole, Pogge, Greason, Yancey, Davis, Leftwich--7.
HB1328,
Delegate Cole’s bill to require school personnel to determine the citizenship
and immigration status of each student was referred from the House Education
Committee to House Courts of Justice on a 15 to 7 vote.
YEAS--Landes, Lingamfelter, Rust, Pogge, Massie, Greason, Bell, Richard
P., LeMunyon, Robinson, Yost, Yancey, Farrell, Davis, Leftwich, Preston--15.
NAYS--Cole, McClellan, Tyler, Bulova, Keam, Hester, Lindsey--7.
SB1132, Senator Garrett’s bill to allow those with concealed weapons
permits to carry guns on school grounds after school hours was defeated in the
full Senate on a 18-20 vote.
YEAS--Black, Carrico, Chafin, Cosgrove, Garrett, Hanger, Martin,
McDougle, McWaters, Newman, Obenshain, Reeves, Ruff, Smith, Stanley, Stuart,
Vogel, Wagner--18.
NAYS--Alexander, Barker, Colgan, Dance, Deeds, Ebbin, Edwards, Favola,
Howell, Lewis, Locke, Marsden, McEachin, Miller, Norment, Petersen, Saslaw,
Stosch, Watkins, Wexton--20.
NOT VOTING--Lucas, Puller--2.
