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It’s not the fault of Democrats when they pursue bad policies, like infringing rights, increasing taxes, and letting criminals go free early.
Rarely if ever, do last-minute legislative changes bring about anything positive. The majority party changed policy in order to fix serious problems that were not caught during the regular sessions.
One of them, I think, was the decision made at the last minute to “rebate”, or give back to the ratepayers some of the proceeds of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
It wasn’t until 48 hours after the deadline for the Budget Conference Report that the proposal was released. It was even worse because it excluded local electrical co-ops.
The governor’s amendments fixed the problem of co-ops. Customers in Martinsville, for example, are still not eligible for any rebates.
They accidentally overturned existing restrictions in an attempt to curb the carrying of firearms by some people in public, despite warnings issued by Democratic Commonwealth’s Attorneys.
The staff is also researching another possible problem with legislation. This one involves the last-minute attempt to establish a retail marijuana business in Virginia.
The process is complex, but the current marijuana laws are repealed on October 1, 2027.
It appears that the restrictions on selling to children are lifted during this period, making sales legal for children of all ages.
These mistakes are why major changes can take years. When affecting more than 8 million people, thoughtful consideration is required, not partisanship.
Del. Tommy Wright can be reached via email at DelTWright@House.Virginia.gov or (804) 698-1061.
