Dear Friends:

MORNING HOUR

Our days usually start with several hours of subcommittee and committee meetings (some convening as early as 7:00 am). Sessions of the full House customarily open at high noon (on Fridays, when we’re all anxious to get out of Dodge and on the road for the weekend, we often go into session a bit earlier). After a prayer offered by a visiting religious figure, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the roll call, we go into “Morning Hour” (since it’s 12:10 or so by that point, why it’s called “Morning Hour” is an unsolved mystery).

WORDS

Morning Hour consists of procedural motions affecting pieces of legislation that are on the calendar, announcements by Members that his or her seatmate is absent that day due to “pressing personal business,” introductions of constituent groups that are visiting the Capitol, and “Points of Personal Privilege,” which often take the form of brief speeches commemorating notable events or people.

On Monday, the House observed Martin Luther King Day with an eloquent tribute delivered by Richmond Delegate Jennifer L. McClellan. Noting that Dr. King was much more than a great civil rights leader, she praised him as “a noted scholar, prolific writer, peacemaker, humanitarian, consummate pulpiteer, theologian, philosopher, and servant who decided early to give his life to something eternal and absolute.” Delegate McClellan went on to quote Dr. John Kenney, Dean of the School of Theology at Virginia Commonwealth University, who was the principal speaker at an earlier breakfast.

After discussing Dr. King’s dream, Dr. Kenney repeatedly asked the question “Are we there yet?” – “Have we arrived at Dr. King’s destination – the fulfillment of the ‘Beloved Community,’ where people are judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin?” Most of us felt we had come a long way, but the echo of “Are we there yet?” stayed with us.

As of Tuesday, the answer to that question seemed to be, “Umm . . . not quite yet.” Responding to a reporter seeking his views on the advisability of passing a resolution apologizing for the institution of slavery in Virginia, one of my colleagues objected and pointed out that no living person in Virginia was involved in slavery. He suggested therefore that “our black citizens should get over it,” and then compounded the folly by asking, “Are we going to force the Jews to apologize for killing Christ?”

The two events at the beginning of the week – the invocation of Dr. King and the furor over my colleague’s remarks – show the positive and negative power of a public figure’s words. Decades later, Dr. King’s 1963 speech still carries the moral force that moved our nation in a better direction. More recent utterances have demonstrated careless words’ destructive power – damaging the speaker’s reputation and sometimes his career, and casting those he represents in an unfair shadow.

This is the third time in six months that a Virginia politician’s thoughtless comments have put the Commonwealth on the map, on the front pages of newspapers across the nation, and on 24-hour cable networks. Those remarks feed the stereotype of Virginia as just another insular southern backwater and undermine those who believe in a 21st Century Virginia that recognizes, accepts, and embraces its newfound diversity. We’re not there yet.

NOT READY FOR REFORM YET, EITHER
Another procedure of Morning Hour involves reading proposed changes to the Rules of the House for five consecutive days. Last week, I wrote about Delegate Ken Plum’s attempt to add a little sunshine to the legislative process by requiring that bills receive a recorded vote at subcommittee meetings. The majority leadership argued that killing bills in subcommittee has made the process more efficient, winnowing out frivolous bills before they reach the full committee. Delegate Plum pointed out that 615 bills, roughly 30% of last year’s total, were killed without being given much of an audience, and without any recorded votes. Among those were ones that banned smoking in most public buildings and reinstated the use of cameras to catch drivers who run red lights. I guess “frivolous” is in the mind of the beholder. Many citizen groups and newspaper editorial boards around the state supported Ken’s reform proposal, but on Friday the rules change went down by a 39-59 vote.

THERE TO HERE
Several folks (including Arlingtonian Bob Atkins) have asked the most direct way to get to our Richmond office from Arlington. The first part is easy: just get on Shirley Highway and stay on I-95 for about 100 miles (after nine years, every mile marker is engraved in my memory). Once into Richmond, you exit onto Broad Street (Exit 74-C), literally 4 blocks from the General Assembly Building which is on the south-east corner of 9^th Street and Broad. To park, you get in the left lane, overshoot the GAB which is on your left, pass the Library of Virginia which is on your right, and go left on 8^th Street (there is a left turn light) where in the second block you will find several parking garages.

Walk east one block to Capitol Square, and enter the GAB at the doors facing the Square near the ornamental clock. Unless you have the misfortune to arrive at the same time as huge busloads of visitors, security at the door is very efficient – and the Capitol Police are always friendly. Take the elevator up to the seventh floor, and welcome to 7-West. Jean and Sean will greet you at 712-A. We look forward to seeing you!

Until next week –

How to Reach Me:

Voice: 804-698-1048
FAX: 804-643-0976
Session E-Mail: delrbrink@house.state.va.us