Today is the crossover deadline for the House and the Senate to complete work on their own bills.
Oscar winner Sissy Spacek of Albemarle County will join Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling at the Capitol to promote increased incentives for film production.
Senate approves bill on court costs
A measure that would generate $51 million a year for the cash-short budget by increasing the cost of going to court has cleared the Senate and is headed to the House.
Senate Bill 329, by Republican Richard H. Stuart of Westmoreland County and Democrat W. Roscoe Reynolds of Henry County, passed yesterday, 23-17. Many of the proceeds would go to law enforcement.
The proposal, which drives up filing fees and related costs, is essential to the Senate version of the budget, said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles J. Colgan, D-Prince William.
But Sen. John S. Edwards, D-Roanoke, urged colleagues to vote no, saying the bill would make it difficult for the "average guy to go to court."
Delegate withdraws voter ID proposal
Del. L. Scott Lingamfelter, R-Prince William, pulled a bill that Democratic critics said would stymie voting.
Lingamfelter asked that the bill be re-referred to a House of Delegates committee that is not meeting again until after today's crossover deadline.
Lingamfelter said the bill, which would require voters to show some form of identification before voting, was designed to combat voter fraud. Democrats compared it to civil-rights-era measures to discourage minorities from voting.
Payday-lending issue goes to 2011
Senators are putting off for a year a decision on closing a loophole in Virginia law that allows some payday lenders to get around a 2008 crackdown on high-cost instant loans.
Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, head of the Commerce and Labor Committee, announced a study of the issue, with recommendations to the 2011 assembly.
Arguing that recent restrictions on payday loans are cutting into their business, several lenders are opting to provide open-ended loans that carry higher interest rates.
Bill on car-title lending advances
The Senate and the House may be headed to a showdown over restrictions on car-title lenders that could shield the industry from a crackdown for another year.
Senate Bill 606, by Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw, D-Fairfax, was sent to the floor on a 15-0 vote yesterday by the Commerce and Labor Committee. Saslaw leads the panel.
The House is punting on its own version of limits on car-title loans, choosing to see what comes over from the Senate.
Senate approves fee for convictions
The Senate yesterday voted 39-1 to pass a bill that would add a $10 fee to every felony and misdemeanor conviction.
Revenue generated by Senate Bill 620, sponsored by Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, would go toward the Internet Crimes Against Children Fund.
— From Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Reports
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