House Bill 3202, the transportation legislation, is a massive piece of work. We actually saw the legislation only a few hours before we had to vote. Yes, there had been a press conference, but some of us have the pesky habit of actually reading (or trying to read) the bills.

In that process, a problem with one of the enactment clauses (the one appearing on line 2794 – 2796, if you’re keeping score)  was pointed out to me.
It’s the enactment clause that spells out how all those fees will be used. The bill says they shall be used according to Section 33.1-23.03:10 of the Code ofVirginia.

Just one little problem. Section 33.1-23.03:10 doesn’t actually exist.

So I asked about it. Long silence from the Other Side. Finally, Del. Suit pointed out helpfully that the presence of an additional zero wouldn’t matter since these were decimal numbers.

I asked the Speaker if she would please tell that to my bank and if they would add a few zeroes to my balance. (In any event, the Code isn’t numbered according to the decimal system.)

The code section does not, in fact, exist. It does not appear to be a minor omission that can be fixed in the Enrolling Room.

And it’s just one of the reasons I think this bill needs major surgery.

The call came in several weeks ago from a principal of one of my high schools. Could I judge the Mr. West Potomac contest?

It was scheduled for tonight–and a glance at my Palm Pilot told me I had to be in Richmond by 9 a.m. tomorrow. Frankly, I’d have rather stayed home watching basketball.

But then came the kicker. “The kids really want you,” the principal said. “They think you’re so cool.”

Cool? Me? Not once in my whole life has anyone ever told me I was cool.

In high school? I was in the band and on the debate team.

I was not a cool teacher. I gave assignments on weekends and expected students to use correct spelling and grammar.

I was not a cool mom. Sara had to practice piano, eat vegetables, and do homework.

And now–well, hey, I’m 57. I’m in the minority party. I had pretty much crossed “being cool” off my list of things to worry about.

So yes, I’m going. But as I head out the door tonight, I have to ask myself: Where was this 40 years ago when I really needed it?

Readers of this blog know of my love for the University of North Carolina basketball team (even though I am not an alum). Watching the team this year has been instructive, especially as Coach Roy Williams has tried to put his best team on the floor.

Wes Miller is a senior guard on a team that values senior leadership. Originally a walk-on, Miller earned a scholarship. He is a self-described “gym rat,” and Coach Williams describes him as one of the hardest-working players he has ever coached. Given the chance, Williams would probably adopt Miller.

But he isn’t starting him. This year, Miller lost his starting spot to freshman Ty Lawson. Blessed with blazing speed, Lawson leads a fast break that devastates opponents.

With Miller, Carolina is a good team. With Lawson at the point, they are a Final Four team.

And that is what happened in the Caucus today.

Do you know where your General Assembly is?

On the floor. The last few days of the session are always in and out. Today, we’ve had several stops and starts–we handle a few bills and send them to the Senate. They handle a few and send them back to us.

About 8, the Governor took pity on us and invited the Democrats over for Chinese food. Now Bob is experimenting with his new Palm Treo. I’d show you what boredom on the floor looks like, but the tech people have all gone home. More tomorrow.

Bob and I have always figured our readership was in the mid two figures. Apparently, according to a new survey reported on NLS, more of you are reading than we thought. Thanks.

This afternoon, the House Commerce & Labor Committee reported Sen. Colgan’s minimum wage bill. This was the last minimum wage bill alive for the session. More information as it comes available . . .

UPDATE

The final vote was 12 – 8, with Democrats Ken Plum, Joe Johnson, Johnny Joannou, Ken Melvin, Ken Alexander, Mark Sickles, and Jenn McClellan spearheading the effort. They were joined by Republicans Bob Purkey, Bob Tata, Vince Callahan, and Frank Hargrove in a series of procedural votes that set up the final vote. On the vote to report, Chairman Harvey Morgan also voted yes.

This was a case of Democrats knowing the rules and using them. It’s a real victory for working Virginians.

Third grade is tough. It’s the year that children stop learning to read and start reading to learn.

That’s why it’s so important to ensure that all children read on grade level by third grade. Virginia has had a terrific program to do just that. Studies show that providing struggling readers with just 30 minutes a day more of reading instruction will help them catch up. That’s a smart investment. 

To date, the Commonwealth has paid 100 percent of the cost of providing remediation to all students in kindergarten. But at grades one and two, only half the students were covered.

Yesterday, the House adopted a budget amendment that cut the funding to extend those services to all the little struggling readers. 

The reason? Third grade reading test scores are going up.

Well, yeah. The third grade reading scores are going up because of the early reading program.

Compare the cost of a little prevention with the costs–both human and financial–of a kid repeating a grade. This wasn’t smart public policy.

When last we visited the subject of Virginia’s enormous diversity …

Here’s further proof. The issue was Del. Ed Scott’s HB 2635, which provided “that a person who maliciously removes an electronic radio transmitting collar from a dog is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor; however, if the animal wearing the collar is lost or killed as a result of the collar theft, the person is guilty of a Class 6 felony. ”

Now, I love dogs as much as the next person. But it seemed to me (and to many other suburbanites) that we really shouldn’t create a felony for someone who removes those little collars that keep Fluffy from running into the street.

Well. Turns out those are radio receiving collars. The radio transmitting collars cost tens of thousands of dollars. Sounds like a felony to me.

As Emily Litella said, “Never mind.” The bill passed 92-6

I miss Molly Ivins already.

Here are just a few of my favorite Ivins observations:

“Our very own dreaded Legislature is almost upon us. Jan. 9 and they’ll all be here, leaving many a village without its idiot.”

“If you think his daddy had trouble with ‘the vision thing,’ wait till you meet this one.” (On the Current Occupant of the White House.)

“Unfortunately for us and for the world, the people from the first Bush administration who initially joined this administration were Dick Cheney and Don Rumsfeld. Not exactly the most diplomatic, forward-looking, helpful people to be guiding Dubya.”

It was the damn breast cancer that eventually prevailed. As a surviver of the same disease, I always loved her honest description: “Having breast cancer is massive amounts of no fun. First they mutilate you; then they poison you; then they burn you. I have been on blind dates better than that.”

Reading the newspaper will never again be as much fun.

The statistics are alarming. The younger the voter, the less likely he or she is to vote.

Over the next four days, I will be working with the government teachers in my district to create a “web dialogue”–a town meeting in cyberspace. This discussion, facilitated by teachers, will bring students into contact with key decision-makers here in Richmond.

Our focus: the budget. I believe that a budget is a statement of priorities. Each year legislators are faced with a series of competing budget needs. Each may be worthwhile, but not all can be funded. The first step in creating a budget is to identify needs and to begin to weigh their relative importance.

Over the next two days (scheduled so all government classes can participate), students will identify needs in three key areas: transportation, education, and human services.

A distinguished group of panelists will serve as experts for the students:
Isis Castro, Member, Virginia State Board of Education; Douglas Koelemay, Commonwealth Transportation Board; and Deborah Oswalt, Executive Director, Virginia Health Care Foundation.

Then on Thursday and Friday, they will grapple with the same issues we are facing in Richmond. How can we prioritize? Do we need additional revenue? If so, from where should that revenue come? Should we expand programs? Cut programs?

The second discussion will include Del. Tom Rust, Del. Bob Brink, and other elected officials, all sharing thoughts on how we make those tough decisions.

Thanks to the Equal Footing Foundation for making this dialogue possible. We hope this dialogue will serve as a national model to involve other legislators across the country in bringing the real world of government into government classrooms.