As I mentioned, I sat in the House chambers yesterday at the opening session. I listed as Speaker Bill Howell made his acceptance speech and spoke about how we are all Virginians and that the legislators are sent to do the people’s business (or something to that effect). Got all warm and fuzzy.
After the election of the clerk and sergeant-at-arms, the next order of business was taking up the rules. Well, it didn’t take long for that warm and fuzzy feeling to go away. Leading the charge was Majority Leader Morgan Griffith (R-8). House Republicans voted to kill an amendment offered by Del. Ken Plum (D-36) to record subcomittee votes and another amendment by Minority Leader Ward Armstrong (D-10) to broadcast the House sessions. I guess”transparency” is not a Republican value.
At the time I left Richmond, I still hadn’t gotten a copy of the committee assignments, something that I knew was eagerly anticipated, especially by the freshman members. I saw the list on line last night but it wasn’t until this morning that I realized what had happened. It seems that the Republican leadership has decided to retaliate for gains made by the Democrats – 10, soon to be 11, seats since 1991 – and have done so through committee assignments. Some of the changes:
- Democratic Caucus Chair Brian Moran, under whose leadership these gains have been made, has been removed from the Transportation and Health, Welfare and Institutions committees. Instead, he has been assigned to the Finance and Militia, Police and Public Safety committees, moves designed to get Moran to vote on taxes and guns.
- Democratic Caucus Vice-Chair Lionel Spruill, who has been active in campaigns across the Commonwealth but particularly in Hampton Roads, was removed from the Appropriations committee. Spruill, of Chesapeake, had served on this committee for eight years.
- Del. Ken Plum was removed from the Science and Technology committee. Plum has served on this committee for 20 years, including time as chair.
- Del. Jeion Ward was removed from the Education committee. Ward, of Hampton, is an educator and treasurer of the Democratic Caucus.
These are just the ones that jump out. I’m sure there are others.
So much for looking out for the people of Virginia.
UPDATE: The Washington Post blog has more on this.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
and that is why brian moran didn’t look too happy yesterday.
no bipartisanship folks.
the rethugs are in crash and burn mode.
Well, I learn something every day. A quick review of VA’s constitution leads me to think that the Speaker making the committee assignments is a function of the rules adopted by the House, and not the constitution. Am I correct?
I shocked, shocked I say, to acts of politics at the General Assembly.
“Instead, he has been assigned to the Finance and Militia, Police and Public Safety committees, moves designed to get Moran to vote on taxes and guns.”
Why is that a problem?
I’m reversing my support on bipartisan redistricting. I now fully support Democratic-lead, partisan redistricting to ensure a minimum of 60 safe Democratic seats while drawing Speaker Howell out of his district.
Amen to that, anon 4:25! What a __(filll in the blank)__!
Mosue – they will set him up to vote on things and then use it against him in his gubernatorial run.
anon & eileen -I totally disagree.When does it stop? The R’s are doing to the Ds what the Ds did to them for years. Two wrongs don’t make a right. Someone has to get off this merry-go-round and do what is right by the voters.
What Howell has done is despicable. He’s been roundly criticized for it. His actions have deprived the voters of Virginia of having the most experienced people directing our policies. We don’t need that kind of stuff happening in Virginia, regardless of who is in charge.
In many other states the Speaker gives the minority leader as number of spots on each committee and they hand out the assignment to there Caucus members. This keeps things fair and ballanced, but we can’t have that in Virginia Government, can we?
“Mouse – they will set him up to vote on things and then use it against him in his gubernatorial run.”
I do not understand. If he intends to run for governor, he should not be ashamed of his views or be afraid to have his vote recorded on any issue.
Anon E. Mouse has never voted against raping children. Is it because Anon E. Mouse is a child rapist herself? Vote anonymous, the only psuedonymed candidate who isn’t accused of being a lecherous child rapist!
It’s way too easy to mischaracterize a voting record. All they’re looking for is fodder and statistics they can spin.
By the way, stop molesting children.
Vivian, when does it stop? Apparently when Democrats roll over and Republicans get their way on everything AGAIN in spite of the fact that they keep losing elections. That’s the message Howell is sending by punishing Democrats because voters keep throwing Republicans out of office. “My way or the highway; how dare you oppose us?” You think he won’t pull more stunts like this if the Senate doesn’t give in to him this session?
And “roundly criticized…” I have to disagree, Vivian. He’s been criticized on a few blogs. The overwhelming majority of Virginians aren’t going to know this happened, they’re not going to care, they’re not going to punish him because they’ll have forgotten about it in two years, and as a consequence he couldn’t care less what people think. Doing what’s right for the voter is a worthy goal — the most worthy — but no one’s even going to be in a position to do what’s right for Virginians on the issues that matter to them if Bill Howell isn’t brought to heel.
Hopefully it won’t come to using redistricting to force him to do that, but I think we need to be willing to use every tool at our disposal to punish him until he remembers that he’s supposed to be *listening* to voters, not punishing the opposition party when voters dare to disagree. Punishing the House GOP for its vindictive recalcitrance is completely in keeping with the principles of representative government.
Perhaps “roundly criticized” is too harsh but the voters have certainly been given the information in The Virginian Pilot and The Richmond Times, to name a couple of MSM sources.
When does it stop? It stops when the people are put first. I don’t like what the Rs are doing to the Ds but you can bet the Rs didn’t like it when it was being done by the Ds to them. The same arguments you are using against Bill Howell were used against Tom Moss. The pendulum keeps swinging back and forth – and it’s the voters who end up losing.
Sometimes you pick the fight, and sometimes the fight picks you. I agree it’s a shame that the innocent bystanders (the voters) are going to get hurt in the process, but if we stop pushing the pendulum and Bill Howell keeps rolling over regular people with abuser fees because he can’t stand taxes, marriage amendments because he can’t stand gay people, and cuts to education because I don’t even KNOW who or what you have to hate to do that, are Virginians really going to be any better off?
After all, the Democrats were so scrupulously fair and bi-partisan when they held both houses for a hundred years or so.
Umm… I believe Anon 4:25 was being facetious, Viv. 😉