Abuser fees gone

Seems everyone wants to claim credit for this one. I got an email Saturday from the Senate Democratic Caucus. And then Sunday, I got one two from Del. Tim Hugo.

Regardless of who claims it, the real credit belongs to the originator of the online petition, Bryan Ault, and the 177,944 people who signed it. Once the petition was announced, the media followed. And we know what happens when the media gets hold of something.

In case you haven’t seen these, both emails are on the flip.

DEMOCRATIC SENATE MAJORITY SUCCESSFULLY REPEALS ABUSIVE DRIVER FEES

Caucus Makes Good on Its Pledge to Repeal and Refund Abusive Driver Fees

(Richmond, Va.) – Senate Democrats successfully passed Senate Bill 1 30-10, sponsored by Sen. Edd Houck, (D-Spotsylvania). It earlier passed the House of Delegates 98-1.

In July, House Speaker Bill Howell was flanked by then Senate Majority leader Walter Stosch declaring their desire not to repeal the civil remedial fees but to “fix” them.

Meanwhile, Democratic Senators were mounting efforts to repeal the legislation.

Senator Edward Houck (D-Spotsylvania) began working on the repeal in July, composing an official letter stating his plan to repeal the abusive driver fees and later contacting the Senate Clerk’s office to begin drafting Senate Bill 1, which repeals the abusive driver fees.

“Today completes our efforts to repeal one of the biggest mistakes I have seen this General Assembly make,” Senator Houck said. ‘These fees are not the right way to go.’ The repeal is now on its way to the Governor’s desk.”

In addition to repealing the fees, the bill also includes a mechanism to refund those already assessed an abusive driver fee.

Senator Roscoe Reynolds (D-Henry) deputy floor leader and member of the conference committee which reported Senate Bill 1, noted that repealing the abusive driver fees was a legislative priority for the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus.

“We came into this session with clear goals and priorities which included repealing the abusive driver fees. These fees originally passed because legislators where looking for a quick fix on transportation. They wanted to try and hide fees and assess them on people who wouldn’t notice. This was a bad piece of legislation and I’m glad we were able to correct this problem and repeal the abusive driver fees,” Reynolds said.

Newly elected Senator Chap Petersen (D-Fairfax City) was also a member of the conference committee between the Senate and the House.

“This is a clean repeal and sets up a streamlined process to refund these fees,” Petersen said. “We worked together as a team to get this thing done, and now we look forward to working on a real plan to fix our transportation problems.”

Hugo Says Goodbye to Abusive Driver Fees   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2008   Richmond, VA (March 9, 2008) A bill sponsored by Delegate Tim Hugo to totally repeal Virginia’s abusive driver fees is on its way to the Governor’s desk.   HB1243 is the only piece of legislation that would totally repeal the abusive driver fees and go into effect immediately upon receiving the Governor’s signature. The new legislative substitute will provide a refund for motorists who have already paid the fees, and will also forgive any remaining fines.   “The people of Virginia have spoken, and their elected officials have responded appropriately,” declared Delegate Hugo. “I urge the Governor to sign this bill so that we can put an end to this driver nightmare.”   HB1243 was referred to a bipartisan conference committee this week, in which Delegate Hugo was selected to be a conferee. After the committee agreed on the appropriate language for the substitute, HB1243 was accepted by the House and Senate and sent to the Governor for his signature.   You can track the progress of this bill at http://leg1.state.va.us. ###