A Republican senator tried to jumpstart the governor's stalled ABC privatization plans this morning in the Senate Rehabilitation and Social Services Committee, but was halted by the chairwoman.
Sen. Ryan T. McDougle, R-Hanover, asked to bring two bills before the committee, one of them Gov. Bob McDonnell's retail-only privatization plan, arguing that they deserve a hearing.
"I think particularly for the governor's legislation, this committee should at least put it on the docket for us to be able to discuss it, not indicating whether I have reservations or support for it, but I do think it's something that we should take up and discuss, at the minimum as a courtesy but particularly because of the policy implications in the fiscal climate that we're in now," McDougle said.
Committee chairmwoman Sen. Linda T. "Toddy" Puller, D-Fairfax, would not bring up the measures, repeating that she has no intention to consider the bills before the House acts. And, she noted, the chairman of the House committee with jurisdiction over the issue has said he will not take up the legislation.
"I've made it perfectly clear from the very beginning that I would put those bills on the docket for this committee as soon as the House had dealt with the issue," she said.
"It's never going to come up," Puller said. "The committee chair is not docketing it over there. And therefore, I'm not docketing it over here."
McDougle asked for a vote on whether to sustain Puller's ruling, which was upheld 8-6.
Gov. Bob McDonnell's spokesman, Tucker Martin, was critical of the outcome.
"We'd prefer these eight Senate Democrats tell us why they oppose this small-government proposal, rather than just seek excuses to not even discuss it. They weren't sent to Richmond to hide."
(This has been a breaking news update. Check back for more details as they become available. Read more in tomorrow's Richmond Times-Dispatch.)
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement