Spring Break
General Assembly wrap up
Senate panel OKs telecommuting legislation
Three bills promoting telecommuting - the practice of working from home by using a computer link to the office - have won unanimous approval from the Senate's technology committee.
The measures are:
-House Bill 1018, which would define telecommuting as a work arrangement in which supervisors allow employees to conduct their normal job duties away from their workplace at least one day a week.
-House Bill 1017, which would ensure that the Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance, established by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine in 2006, will continue to exist after the governor's term ends.
-House Bill 1021, which would establish a goal for 20 percent of all eligible Virginia state employees to telecommute by 2010.
"We think this (the goal) is something the state can do and should do," said Delegate Timothy D. Hugo, R-Centreville, who sponsored all three bills. "It has been a monumental thing to try and push the state forward on this."
Many commonwealth employees, such as receptionists and doctors, are ineligible for telecommuting because of the nature of their jobs. HB 1021 also makes an exemption for members of the Virginia State Police.
The three bills were passed unanimously by the House two weeks ago. Last Wednesday, the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee voted 15-0 in favor of the telecommuting legislation.
Brief by Alex Bahr
Physical exam requirement for preschoolers fails in assembly
A bill requiring comprehensive physical examinations for children entering preschool for the first time failed Thursday in the Senate Health and Education Committee.
Virginia law currently requires a physical exam prior to enrollment in kindergarten and elementary-school classes. The failed legislation, House Bill 896, was sponsored by Delegate Matthew J. Lohr, R-Harrisonburg, who said local schools want to reduce medical costs for disadvantaged families without insurance or yearly access to free physical exams.
"The school divisions feel like this is an extra burden for low-income families to have to spend the money to get physicals so close together," Lohr said. "So, they requested that we change the code to basically say that you have to get a physical before you enter pre-K or kindergarten, instead of both."
Dr. Colleen Kraft, president of the Virginia chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said physical examinations are necessary before entering each school level because of the differences among developing children.
"There are certain screening tests that we can do on 5-year-olds that we can't do on a 3-and-a-half- to 4-year-old," Kraft said. "All of the insurances, including Medicaid, pay for yearly physicals for these kids. We need to be able to look at their physical exams and their screening skills in order to have them ready for kindergarten. So, we oppose this bill."
A similar bill presented by Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, previously failed in committee. Brief by M.K. Luther
Credit-report control in Virginians' futures
Virginians soon would be allowed to freeze access to their credit reports, if legislation passes in the General Assembly.
House Bill 1311, sponsored by Delegate Kathy J. Byron, R-Lynchburg, and Senate Bill 576, sponsored by Sen. Richard L. Saslaw, D-Springfield, would prevent consumer-reporting agencies from releasing credit reports without the Virginia consumer's permission.
"Everyone is aware of the importance of protecting our personal information, and almost all of us know someone who has been the victim of identity theft or credit-card fraud," Gov. Timothy M. Kaine stated in a press release.
Earlier this year, the governor announced legislative initiatives to protect consumers from identity theft and credit fraud at Richmond's AARP headquarters.
A 26-member group, including assembly members, business leaders and consumer advocates, helped recommend consumer-protection legislation for the governor. Madge Bush, a Virginia director of advocacy for AARP, was part of the advisory group.
"Our members are very concerned about identity theft and wanted to have this protection available in our state," Bush said.
Bush also said the kind of bipartisan support received by the legislature is positive and shows the legislature "clearly can break the gridlock" and respond to the real needs of the commonwealth's consumers.
"While there is no single solution to the many challenges we face in this area, I believe these proposals strike a reasonable balance between the interests of the commonwealth's citizens and the legitimate interests of the business community," Kaine said.
Brief by Michelle Antogiovanni
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