Action Alert: Help Shape the Face of Senate Ed and Health (2006 Virginia General Assembly)

The Family Foundation ^ | January 3, 2006 | Victoria Cobb, Executive Director

[Perseverando]

For several years, the Senate Education and Health committee has been a killing ground for pro-life and pro-family legislation. Notorious for disrespecting pro-family advocates testifying before the committee and leading the killing of bills, Chairman Russ Potts (R-27, Winchester) has become the poster child for some Senate Republican's anti-family agenda.

Now, you can have a say in what happens with that committee!

Next week, the Senate leadership will have to make several decisions regarding seats on the Ed and Health committee, including that of Chairman Potts. Many pro-family Senators are demanding that Potts be removed from the committee after having run for governor as an "independent." Senate rules state that members can lose their seats on committees if they leave their political party.

As with anything in politics, however, the devil is in the details. Some Senate leaders are now saying that Potts never actually left his party, or that the rules don't really define what leaving the party means. Regardless, one of the first actions of the Senate will be to make committee assignments, and pro-family Virginians will be watching the decisions of the Senate leadership regarding the status of Senator Potts.

Whatever happens with Potts, at least two other seats on the committee are changing, with a third change possible. Senator Bill Bolling (R-4, Mechanicsville), a "100 percenter" on The Family Foundation Action Report Card, was elected Lt. Governor in November. Citizens in his Senate district are voting today on his replacement, but that person is unlikely to be given Senator Bolling's seat on the committee.

Senator Bill Mims (R-33, Leesburg), a solid pro-life vote, will soon be resigning his seat to join the staff of Attorney General-elect Bob McDonnell. A special election will have to be held for that seat sometime in January.

Also, another member of the committee is being considered by Governor-elect Kaine for a position in his cabinet.

Regardless of what the Senate does concerning Senator Potts, they will have to replace at least two pro-family members of the committee. The question is, will they replace pro-family Senators with other conservatives or place liberal members on the committee to ensure that pro-family legislation dies? Even should they replace Senator Potts with a more conservative chair, if they replace the others with liberals, the changes won't be positive for pro-family Virginians.

Senate President John Chichester (R-28, Fredericksburg), Senate Majority leader Walter Stosch (R-12, Glen Allen) and Chairman of the Committee on Committees William Wampler (R-40, Bristol) will be heavily involved in these decisions. They need to hear from you!

ACTION: Contact Senate leaders and urge them to place pro-family, pro-life conservatives on the Senate Education and Health committee.

Click the link below to log in and send your message: http://votervoice.net/target.asp?id=vaff:%{TargetID}

[Perseverando]

By the way, today, January 16, is Marriage Lobby Day at the General Assembly in Richmond. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. Marriage Lobby Day will be hosted by va4marriage.org, a coalition of organizations , including The Family Foundation and The Family Foundation Action, that will lead the fight to pass the state marriage amendment.

(Be sure and sign up for The Family Foundation E-mail Alerts at their website.)