Is this what it looks like? If so, not sure I want to see it.

only "bi partianship" I see is so called Dems crossing over to vote with the rethugs.
I recall so long ago-January-when the dems were touting the great bi partianship that would be shown this year.

uh-how's that working out for everyone? Most of the good bills put forth by the dems and Kaine were killed by the thugs.

It's all just ridiculous.

Hey, wait a minute. What about Dan Bowling's vote in sub-committee to kill all smoking ban bills and then saying the Republican Caucus made him do it, although Dan is a Democrat?  When making up this wild tale, Dan must have forgotten about the new fangled inventions such as the telegraph machine and telephone, he got busted.  Scapegoats are plentiful in Richmond, courage is in short supply.

n/t

everyone's missing the biggest of them all -- Guns in Bars. This used to die in the Republican Senate but in a Democratic Senate it PASSED. And it PASSED the House.

The Dems that voted yes were: Colgan, Deeds, Edwards, Houck, Petersen, Puckett and Reynolds.

Guns in Bars! Guns with Alchohol.  

a small thought. After the nightmare at Va Tech I would think our legislators would be trying to tamp down the gun thing. But noooooooooooooooooo we've got to make it EASIER-now drunks can have a firearm.

WhatEVER. Wait til some innocents get shot in a bar. Then you'll see them all screeching and whining.

what's with Deeds? Trying to look all tough for his governor's race? To get all the gun freaks and NRA to not be mean to him?
Please.

This is really disturbing. These lenders have cropped up all over SWVA in the past few years. They practice usury in offices adjacent to grocery stores to the tune of up to 350% API.

When did taking advantage of the poor and desperate become a Democratic platform plank?

Saslaw takes $40,000 in campaign contributions from the sharks. Does everything he can to block good legislation from the House (HB-12). Makes sure the Senate bill (SB-588) is right in line with what the loan sharks want--the industry backs it. Now he's thrown down the gauntlet to the House, saying if you don't pass my bill, I won't appoint conferees. MAN, what gall.

Maybe that applies to his district, which only has ONE, while other parts of the state are covered like a rash!  Hampton Roads has well over 200, Richmond I can only speculate, Roanoke and Lynchburg have well over 20 each within their city limits and the City of Radford with about 25,000 residents (RU Students included) has FOUR.  Democratic Majority Leader Senator Dick Saslaw also feels that those opposed to Payday Lending are trying to help people that don't want or have not asked for help with Predatory Payday Lending.  Here is a suggestion for the Honorable Dick Saslaw, pull you head out of your butt and listen to victims of Payday Lending rather than feeding out of the Consumer Finance Industry trough!  

I certainly understand the opinions of those who say we shouldn't be telling people, grown adults, what to do with their money and that they are responsible adults and deserve what they get.  But answer me this question, who is more responsible, the person who uses and abuses a substance or product or the person or business that supplies it and structures their business to suck hard working people into a virtually unescapable system that sets you up for dependency or failure?  I agree, there is personal responsibility as it applies to use of Payday Lending but if you use it only for an emergency, the Payday Lending product is pretty much designed to get you to use once so that you keep coming back.  It is a debt trap.  Shame on you Senator Saslaw.  When did the principles of social and economic justice get erased from your Democratic foundation?   Please call Senator Saslaw, Democratic Majority Leader, and tell him that the State Senate needs to vote for HB 12, which is a bill that actually helps people break the cycle of debt.  804-698-7535.  Saslaw, stop acting like a REPUBLICAN.  

he killed reform last year also.

I do want to say a quick word about the issue of freedom and telling responsible adults how to act. Reform is not aimed that.

What makes these loans predatory is not only their terms, but the unequal negotiating positions of the borrower and lender that preclude a fair deal from being struck. On the one hand, borrowers are very knowledgeable and can set their own terms. Their borrowers, however, are desperate, and not being in the business often lack the sophistication to fully understand the implications of the transaction into which they are entering.

Also, note that HB 12 is already the product of compromise.

The availability of credit for the working poor is a legitimate issue, but it is a separate issue from predatory lending. The current system does not help the vast majority of people who have difficulty obtaining credit -- it makes their situations worse.

Finally, your point as to the distribution of the problem hits on a feature of payday lending (and its kissing cousin, car title loans) that might seem counter-intuitive. On a per capita basis, they are a much bigger problem in rural and small-town areas than in urban areas.

That's one for every thousand people.

From the Abingdon phone book: (Abingdon only, not including other Washington County locations)
Advance America Cash Advance
Approved Cash Advance
Cash Today
Check N Go of Virginia
Equity One
1st Choice Cash Advance
Payday USA of Virginia
Quick Check Cash Advance

We don't let banks charge exhorbitant interest rates. They're called anti-usury laws.

I can't quote anything better than chspkheel in the above comment: "Please call Senator Saslaw, Democratic Majority Leader, and tell him that the State Senate needs to vote for HB 12, which is a bill that actually helps people break the cycle of debt.  804-698-7535.  Saslaw, stop acting like a REPUBLICAN."  

Earlier this week, the State Senate considered Delegate Cathy Byron's HB 1514, a bill to give a major corporate tax cut that would have given an unfair competative advantage to large Manufacturers over smaller manufacturing firms.  This bill passed the House of Delegates with no opposition.  Take a look at the Democratic Co-Sponsors of this bill:  

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bi...

To learn more about how bad this bill was, please go to the Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis who sounded the alarm on this irresponsible piece of legislation and the explination of "Single-Sales Factor":  

http://www.thecommonwealthinst...

This bill was tabled to study it in more detail, thanks to the Commonwealth Institute, the Virginia AFL-CIO, and the Virginia Organzing Project acting so quickly, but as you see from the Commonwealth Institute brief and even the Impact Statement attached to HB 1514, it would cost the Commonwealth of Virginia aobut $36 million annually.  

Here is the Lynchburg News Advance article on how things went down in the Senate Finance Committee meeting on HB 1514:  

http://www.newsadvance.com/ser...  

Thankfully, there was some common sense on the committee despite Senator Colgan and even Senator Saslaw voted right.  Just another example of Democrats acting like Republicans.  Tax Cuts to corporations who don't need them, that makes Virginia's Tax Code more regresive than what it already is.  Give me a break!  If you are going to act like Republicans and push Virginia off a financial cliff, then maybe we need to get a better crop of Democrats.  I expect this from Republicans because they are paid for by the Business Lobby.  Pull you heads out of the trough to see what you are voting on and what you are doing.