General Assembly Roundup: How Brink, Whipple Fared

RICHMOND — Del. Bob Brink and outgoing state Sen. Mary Margaret Whipple democratic legislators were fairly successful during the 2011 General Assembly session. The democratic Arlington legislators can finally get some rest, now that the session is done. 

Brink (D-48th District) has plenty of experience at the General Assembly, as he’s been a member of the House of Delegates since 1998. More than half of Brink’s sponsored legislation passed both houses this year, and his bills addressed many different issues.

He offered up two tax bills, though only the one that transfers the administration and collection of the motor vehicle rental tax from the Department of Motor Vehicles to the Department of Taxation passed both houses. His legislation proposing an extension on the sunset date provision for additonal transient occupancy taxes in Arlington County from Jan. 1, 2012 to Jan. 1, 2012, died in the House Committee on Finance.

These other bills passed both houses:

• Referendum elections: states voter petition requirements for referendum elections.
• Notaries: expands what conduct constitutes a conflict of interest for notaries.
• Special license plates: issues special license plates to certain business entities with fleets of vehicles.

Only three of Brink’s bills, other than the transient occupancy tax bill, failed to pass both houses:

• New position: establishes the position of Inspector General in the Tobacco Indemnification and Community Revitalization Commission;
• Community boards: suspends certain owner rights for rules violations on community boards; and
• Alcoholic beverage control: privatizes government alcoholic beverage stores. Privatization was one of the most controversial issues during the 2011 session.

Brink also sponsored House Joint Resolution 964, commending James E. Bundschuh, former president of Marymount University, and HR 85, commending the Honorable Dorothy H. Clarke. Whipple also passed a commendation for Clarke in the Senate.

After 15 years of service, Whipple (D-31st District) announced she won’t run for re-election to the Virginia Senate. In her final year, she had a 38 percent success rate in getting her bills to pass both houses.

Whipple's successful legislation included:

• State income tax: lets taxpayers to apply for refunds of individual income tax credits that they get for agricultural best management practices.
• Fund: establishing the Voluntary Solar Resource Development Fund.
• Nursing homes: requires, by the Board of Health, nursing homes to send notices and information about family council.
• Land preservation tax credit: requires the Department of Conservation and Recreation to report on land qualifying for credit to protect water quality.
• Endangered and threatened species: allows the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries to adopt regulations regarding endangered and threatened species.
• Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation: deals with common interest communities and powers of certain regulatory boards and programs within the Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation.

These bills did not make it through legislation this year:

• Retail sales and use: makes retail sales and use and transient occupancy taxes on room rentals computed based on total price.
• Weights and measures: imposes a fee for inspecting and testing petroleum dispensing pumps.
• Nursing homes: investigates nursing home complaints by the Virginia Department of Health through in-person interviews of residents.
• FAMIS plan: changes eligibility for the Family Access to Medical Insurance Security Plan.
• Transient occupancy tax: extends the sunset date provision for additional transient occupancy taxes in Arlington County.
• Renewable energy sources: establishes a tax credit for producing energy.
• Medicaid: addresses Medicaid eligibility for legal permanent residents.
• Lawn fertilizers: regulates the application and labeling of lawn fertilizers.
• Rapid re-housing pilot project: requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to establish a rapid re-housing pilot project.

Some of her successful Senate Joint Resolutions included getting the Secretary of Natural Resources to study Chesapeake Bay Watershed Nutrient Credit Exchange Program and the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission to study long-term dedicated funding sources for land conservation.