Virginia Public Radio

This year, average health insurance premiums grew three times faster than last year, with group coverage for families rising 9% and individual premiums up 8%.  But at one Virginia university, something surprising happened. Insurance rates actually went down. Sandy Hausman explains how Washington & Lee University was able to defy the national trend.

Now that he has confirmed that he is running for Governor in 2013, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli says he will have a full agenda next year. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports in this conclusion of a series on the state’s top three offices, the A-G believes that there’s much work from 2011 that must be completed in that role before he can switch into campaign mode.

As Lt. Governor Bill Bolling wraps up his second year in his second term in that position, in part two of our retrospective series on the state’s leaders, he reflects on how 2011 was slightly different than the previous year. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, it was the latter part of 2011 that began shaping how 2012 and the rest of Bolling’s political future will unfold. As Lt. Governor Bill Bolling wraps up his second year in his second term in that position, in part two of our retrospective series on the state’s leaders, he reflects on how 2011 was slightly different than the previous year. But as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, it was the latter part of 2011 that began shaping how 2012 and the rest of Bolling’s political future will unfold.

Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell says 2011 was indeed an interesting and challenging year for the Commonwealth, but there are many issues on his legislative agenda that he believes will help Virginia rise above the economic challenges it faces in 2012, but as Virginia Public Radio’s Tommie McNeil reports, it’s his appointment this year as head of the Republican Governor’s Association, that may put an additional spotlight on what happens here.

Bills to allow absentee balloting for any reason and to provide more voting options for deployed military personnel and are just some of the measures that have already been filed for next month’s General Assembly session.  State Board of Elections Secretary Donald Palmer says lawmakers have several reasons–in addition to passing any needed reforms–to work expeditiously.

“2012 is going to have a number of elections–the Presidential preference primary including the primary for Congressional seats. Obviously, redistricting we’ll be facing again–it appears with the Congressional seats. And then the 2012 General election. And so, 2012 General election will be a test. It always is—it really tests the system because we have a larger turnout than normal and part of what we do is just prepare for that,” said Palmer.

Analysts believe Virginia could again play a pivotal role as a swing state in deciding who’s in the White House. Palmer says that’s even more incentive to make sure that everything runs smoothly, and that voters are educated about candidates, polling places, and alternatives—especially if turnout is close to 2008’s record-breaking numbers.

–Tommie McNeil

‘Assisted living’ was a relatively new concept 25 years ago but is now the most preferred long-term care option for the growing population of seniors.  However, costs and restrictions often limit access to many.

Assisted living communities provide 24-hour supervision and limited health care to thousands of seniors and disabled Virginians.  To live there, many residents must use federal benefits and Medicaid, and some also receive a small state auxiliary grant.  The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission’s Walt Smiley told lawmakers that if community groups or families want to help financially, that could jeopardize eligibility for benefits.

“Payments from third parties cannot be used for food or shelter. These are the federal rules. And to use money from third parties for a private room or to provide better food, for example, would likely disqualify the individual from continuing to receive those benefits and maybe from Medicaid as well,” said Smiley.

But he said third-party payments for services such as medicines, eyeglasses, or dental care, would not hurt eligibility and could be helpful.

“The recipients have a significant problem paying for dental services.  Many Auxiliary Grant residents get their teeth pulled instead of fixed because it’s all they can afford,” he said.

JLARC’s report proposed state legislation to clarify that third-party funds can be used—but not for room and board.

–Anne Marie Morgan

Governor McDonnell has unveiled a proposed $85-billion state budget for the 2013-2014 biennium.  As promised, it plows an additional $100-million per year into higher education and $2.2-billion into the Virginia Retirement System.

To prepare for federal budget cuts and preserve the state’s high credit rating, the Governor adds dollars to a new contingency fund.  His plan also requires school divisions to report how much money is spent in the classroom.

“This budget includes $438 million in total new state spending for public education during the biennium,” said Gov. McDonnell.

That total includes state pension funds.  He also invests more in economic development and job creation, which Democratic Senator Janet Howell supports along with the higher ed and pension funding–but Democrats oppose the Governor’s phasing in a larger share of the sales tax for transportation maintenance.

“We do not and will not support transferring General Fund monies to transportation. And, I would point out that the Lieutenant Governor is not allowed to vote on the budget,” said Howell.

McDonnell increases funds for Medicaid, which now consumes one-fifth of the General Fund, but does not fund the inflation rate for providers. The plan calls for some higher DMV fees but has no tax increases.

— Anne Marie Morgan

In the age of blogs, Twitter and Facebook, Americans seemingly have endless options to express their views. But that doesn’t mean those opinions are welcomed. the burning of Richmond Free Press newspapers this fall didn’t just damage private property— it also infringed on the paper’s rights to free expression.

Publisher Ray Boone says efforts to stifle the paper’s progressive views have occurred for 20 years. His newspaper boxes have been run over and papers shredded. Businesses have refused to allow his boxes outside their doors. No single person or group appears to be responsible. But Boone says historically, black papers have been banned and the community has been deprived of access to information, and that battle is still not won.

“ A major test of a nation’s freedom is the degree of liberty that the people have to speak, write and publish. Based on that premise Richmond does miserably and the national generally flunks,” said Boone.

No one has been charged with burning the papers. The Virginia ACLU’s Rebecca Glenberg said regardless of the motive, the vandal limited the paper’s voice and prevented readers from hearing those views and information.

–Amanda Iacone

Cutting retirement benefits or requiring state employees to make larger pension contributions could jeopardize Virginia’s ability to recruit and retain a skilled workforce.

That’s one conclusion of a Joint Legislative and Audit and Review Commission study, which evaluated the state’s retirement programs and related options.  The watchdog agency also found the state will need to step up to the plate to maintain the long-term health of its pension fund.

Due to declining investment returns, the Virginia Retirement System Board has called for higher contribution rates.

To assess the feasibility of requiring a larger employee share, JLARC compared the value of state salaries and benefits to those of other employers who compete for the same workforce. JLARC Project Leader Tracey Smith said salaries were not competitive.

“The benefits package provided to employees IS competitive.  And its value is higher than the median provided by other employers.  The value of the state’s benefits package helps the state remain marginally competitive despite the low relative salaries.”

The report also found that the state has underfunded its share.

“The report concludes that requiring greater employee contributions before the state has made progress toward paying its portion of the benefits’ costs would be viewed by employees as unreasonable.  And it would have the greatest negative impacts on the state’s recruitment and retention objectives.”  But Smith said some changes, such as lower cost-of-living adjustments, could save money.  However, providing alternatives such as an optional 401-K-type plan may not, since only a small number of workers would choose that option.

–Anne Marie Morgan

A Richmond Circuit Court heard arguments today in a lawsuit filed by State Senate Democrats, who say the GOP Lieutenant Governor does NOT have the right to cast a tie-breaking vote on organizational matters when the General Assembly convenes next month.  The Senate will be evenly divided between the two major parties, and Democrats are asking the court to step in before the decisive legislative votes are cast.

Since Senate Democrats lost two seats in last month’s elections, Republicans have said the Lieutenant Governor’s power to cast tie-breaking votes also applies to rules that include who serves on specific committees. During the hearing, Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling’s attorneys argued that he has sovereign immunity and is an officer of the Senate.  They also said Democrats can’t seek an injunction prior to a tie vote that needs Bolling’s intervention. Democratic Senator Donald McEachin, says his caucus and voters are right to be concerned.

“The rules are likely to be written in such a way, so that is takes a super majority to undo them, and we won’t be able to undo the rules after session. Moreover, there would be legislation that would pass a majority Republican committee that might pass an evenly divided committee and those things are going to effect—the Attorney General’s office is suggesting that the best way to undo that is to have individual litigants start suing  after it happens. That’s a colossal waste of judicial resources,” said McEachin.

Judge Beverly Snukals is expected to rule next week.

–Tommie McNeil

Mothers Against Drunk Driving and police are teaming up now and through December to make the public more aware—and cut down on alcohol-related crashes.

MADD has rolled out a “Tie One on for Safety” campaign asking Virginians to place red ribbons on their cars to raise awareness against drunken driving.

The ribbons are available at ABC stores.  MADD is also asking each Virginian to “give the gift of yourself” as a designated driver… and download a gift coupon from its Website.  Law enforcement agencies will saturate the roads throughout the holidays.
–Tommie McNeil

Governor McDonnell has announced a package of initiatives that would reorganize portions of state government.  The legislation is heading to the General Assembly as part of a continuing effort to shrink the government’s size.

McDonnell rolled out his recommendations Tuesday based on the work of his government reform commission.  He said state spending grew 23% during the past decade—when adjusted for inflation—and that in this economy, Virginians can’t afford a government that grows bigger each year.

The plan would eliminate 19 state boards and commissions and combine as many as 23 others.  It would get rid of the Surface Mining Review Board and the Public Broadcasting Board … as well as de-regulate several professions, including hair-braiders and interior designers.

The Governor also proposes scrapping the National Defense Industrial Authority and the Board of Towing and Recovery Operators, since they duplicate work handled by other state agencies. The changes are estimated to save as much $2-million a year.
–Amanda Iacone

If you’re sending holiday cards or packages to Central or Southeastern Virginia, they might not arrive in time.  Nearly nine months ago, the U.S. Postal Service issued a report finding significant delays for customers served by its distribution center near Richmond, with 54 million pieces of delayed mail in the first quarter of this year.

When the U.S. Postal Service began consolidating operations, officials said they could continue to provide timely delivery, but some customers say that hasn’t happened.  Dan Rosenswieg is executive director of Habitat for Humanity in Charlottesville – a non-profit that mailed its semi-annual newsletter in October.  After two weeks, the group began calling the post office to find out what had happened to those mailings.

“They’re sitting somewhere in that warehouse, but they couldn’t give us any time or any estimate as to when they’re going to go out, and now by the time, even if it does ship tomorrow, the news is going to be pretty late,” said Rosenswieg.

Now, Rosensweig is worried about the annual request for funds.  A similar mailing went out in early December of last year but didn’t arrive until after January first.

“This is the primary time of year when people make charitable gifts.  First of all it’s the spirit of the season, but second of all people are eager to get  their taxable contributions in prior December 31, and when they don’t get their end-of-the-year appeal letter prior to January 1st, we’re likely going to have a lot of people who just choose not to donate.”

The internal postal service probe concluded the Richmond center was understaffed by about 70 clerks and maintenance workers, and six management positions were vacant.  A new plant manager took over in mid-summer, but a spokeswoman for the postal service says  “you don’t turn an ocean liner on a dime.”  Michele Martel added that the center is the size of 12 and a half football fields and processes up to seven million pieces of mail in a 24-hour period.

— Sandy Hausman

Just hours after returning from his trade mission to Israel and India, Governor McDonnell met privately with his Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates.  The group of public and private-sector leaders are helping the Governor gauge the levels of economic activity expected over the next two years and the revenues that the state could expect to reap as a result.

For 19 of the past 20 months, state revenues surpassed those of last year.  Nevertheless, officials are saying they won’t be sufficient for rising costs in public education, Medicaid, and the state pension fund.  Governor McDonnell said other challenges will also have an impact.

“Just returning from an overseas trip, I certainly can tell you that the rest of the world is concerned about the U.S. economy, is concerned about the unpredictability and uncertainty that’s coming out of Washington.  We saw that yet again this week with the failure of the Super Committee to do what it was instructed to do.  There are crises in Europe and other places with debt and deficits that certainly have an impact on the U.S. economy,” said McDonnell.

He said none of the economists consulted had a rosy outlook.

“There were seven of them that recommended the standard forecast, five that chose the ‘standard-minus,’ and two recommended the recession scenario for the U.S. economy.”

Some officials say budget cuts will be needed, but will likely be targeted and not across-the-board.  Agencies have been preparing 2, 4, and 6% reduction plans.  The Governor unveils his budget in December.

–Anne Marie Morgan

Virginia Democrats say they’ll go to court to try and force Republicans to accept a power sharing arrangement in the state senate. The chamber will be evenly divided between the two parties when it convenes in January but Republican Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling will be there to break tie votes. Fred Echols reports.

The Virginia State Crime Commission wants police officers to implement a more uniform approach when using lineups to identify suspects. But even after studies have been performed to help make that happen, only some progress has been made.

A number of factors impact how effective police lineups are for catching and prosecuting criminals. A witness must be able to accurately identify a suspect without manipulation.  Depending on whether it’s a photographic or live lineup, photos must be clear enough for witnesses to distinguish specific characteristics, or the pool of possible perpetrators must be chosen without profiling.  But only 74%  of law enforcement agencies have uniform policies.

“You know we took this course because we didn’t want to invalidate a bunch of prosecutions and the thought would be that law enforcement agencies want to do the right thing and when you show them best practices they would slowly segue into that. This is is moving more slowly than I think we would have thought,” said Crime Commission Vice-Chair, Delegate Rob Bell.

Department of Criminal Justice Division Director Teresa Gooch says one challenge is making sure that new officers know the policies from the outset.

“I think it’s training and our ability–DCJS’s ability to reach out and to actually, work with the training academies because that’s where the foundation of all training starts–is at the academy,” said Gooch.

–Tommie McNeil

Governor McDonnell is now in India as he wraps up the final leg of a trade trip that began in Israel.  He says the discussions there have been very productive and the Governor is lauding the benefits of taking more Virginia products to an emerging nation with more than a billion consumers.

India is a valuable market for Virginia, which exported $293 million in goods to India last year.  McDonnell said 52% of all Indian workers are engaged in Agriculture, and since it’s the largest Virginia industry, it was a major focus of trade discussion. The Governor told reporters on a conference call that he’s already met with 60-major business leaders to explain the advantages of foreign investments in Virginia.

“Since then we’ve met with several of the major Indian businesses that already have offices in Virginia and I talked to them about expansion and job creating opportunities in our state,” said Governor McDonnell.

With him is Secretary of Agriculture Todd Haymore, who discussed what agricultural imports piqued the interests of Indian business leaders.

“We’ve also been meeting with apple importers and process food importers. It’s a very, very strong market for imported apples to India and obviously Virginia. Apples are one of our top commodities. Meeting with a number of importers of soybean oils–oils that are coming from crushed soybeans, obviously which we’re producing a great number of in Virginia,” said Haymore.

The Governor said the trade delegation also advanced the state’s wine, tourism, bio-tech, nanotech, and film industries.

–Tommie McNeil

The Associated Press and the Virginia Capitol Correspondents Association are being sued after some qualifying rules have excluded U.S. Senate candidates from a debate next month at their annual AP Day at the Capitol.  And while similar suits have been filed in the past with little success, the candidate who filed the petition this week says the federal lawsuit brings to light an issue of fairness to voters and whether or not some entities are making a mockery of democracy

Eight Democrats and Republicans are running for the seat of retiring U.S. Senator Jim Webb.  The debate rules state that to participate, a candidate must have achieved 15%  in primary polls, and raise at least 20% as much money as the parties’ front-runners.  Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican George Allen are only ones who have qualified. But, Democrat Julien Modica believes his civil rights have been violated–and the voters’ right to more options and an awareness of ALL issues, even within the parties, is being denied.

“We had the Tea Party, now we’ve got Occupy Wallstreet, you know in light of these two groups that are just outraged by what government has done, why would I just sit around and say ‘Ok, you guys have been here, you both have been governors, one has been a Senator, one was the chairman of the DNC, why would I just sit here and allow you to take over?”‘ said Modica.

Modica says both Allen and Kaine have shown how they will lead and that may not be what voters need now–but the VCCA and AP are essentially deciding for the voters.

As the debate approaches in December, Virginia Public Radio will air in-depth features with each candidate allowing them to introduce themselves to the voters and discuss the issues they believe are most relevant.

–Tommie McNeil