Thursday, the Appropriations Committee, a joint committee of the General Assembly, convened several regional hearings on Governor Mark Warner?s proposed budget. I attended the session at Northern Virginia Community College, where about 70 people gathered to give short presentations on issues of concern. This kind of session gives special interest groups a chance to ensure that their concerns are aired publicly and noted by the political process. The hearings tended to focus on social issues, perhaps foreshadowing some of the topics that will emerge as headlines in the next Assembly session.The heaviest emphasis focused on mental disabilities, with families, friends and care givers emphasizing that they would like to see the Governor's plan for building new hospitals and training centers expanded, not diminished. Warner?s current expenditure would restrict facilities to 300 beds, something they contend would meet current need and no more. However, there is fear that Republican opposition to the Training Centers will lead to the devolvement of intensely mentally disabled patients to smaller independent life facilities and nursing homes. Advocates cited that slots in training centers generate net funds. The day was filled with wrenching stories from elderly parents and siblings, worried that their loved ones would suffer ill care after the death of remaining family members.
Several advocates spoke on behalf of services for people with brain injuries, as well as for people suffering from mental illness. Each lauded the Governor?s allocations, but asked for sustained financing.
There also was a large contingent of activists for the physically disabled. While happy with their budget allocation, they did ask for greater benefits to service providers, including increased Medicare waiver reimbursements, pay differentials for Northern Virginia and increased funding for home care
Several groups came to present remarks calling for more funding for sexual/domestic violence/at risk families/abused children. They indicated that while the funds for violence remain constant, demand is going up. Requests varied from specific intervention program funding concerns to increasing ad litem and legal representation services.
A number of educational interests appeared. Each indicated concern that the state lags behind in average teacher salaries and that the 3% pay raise will not match inflation.
A representative of Virginians for Fair Taxes got a cold response from the committee when he demanded that attending legislators raise their hands if they had voted two years ago for an increase of taxes when there was a surplus. Senator Saslaw (D-36th District) responded that before the increase of taxes there was a deficit and that the noted surplus only resulted from getting rid of the deficit spending. Finally, Saslaw asked the anti-taxer a pointed question--just which worthy cause in the room would he suggest should stop serving the community? The anti-tax advocate failed to respond, other than to contentiously attack Saslaw. However, Saslaw's remarks brought the entire hearing room into applause.
Overall, speakers who attended learned about the hearing by word of mouth. The rationale could be that publicity was limited in order to keep the session to a more manageable length, but that could have more easily attained by establishing a pre-registration policy. My impression was that the legislators controlling the session may not have wanted the event to draw in too many special interest groups. Sadly, the result was that many important special interests areas were not represented. In my opinion, it is a critical aspect of keeping our government democratic that special interest groups get a chance to petition for consideration in the budget process.
However, I did learn that one last regional budget hearing remains. It will take place on Wednesday, January 18, 2006 at 1:00 p.m. in House Room D, General Assembly Building. Do you know of a special interest that needs to be heard? Study what is involved in the Governor's budget, then prepare remarks of under three minutes?and let Virginia know just what you feel a week from Wednesday in Richmond!