Doug Huffman
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070720/METRO/107200073/1001
RICHMOND — A bipartisan coalition led by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and top Republicans in the General Assembly yesterday refused to bow to public pressure to repeal new fees against bad drivers that have drawn statewide criticism.
"All of us standing here have heard folks loud and clear. They have concerns," Mr. Kaine said yesterday during a press conference outside the state capitol.
"The appropriate thing for us to do now is to closely monitor the ways these fees are implemented and continue to work with our partners in the legislative and judicial branches of government to see if there might be ways that we can improve it," Mr. Kaine said.
The fees were tucked into a multibillion-dollar transportation package that Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved earlier this year. The plan has come under fire in recent weeks, with voters and some Republican lawmakers demanding Mr. Kaine call the General Assembly into special session to repeal or amend the law.
Mr. Kaine, with the support of Republican leaders, has refused to call a special session, saying the right thing to do now is watch how the new law pans out over the coming months and consider revisions when the General Assembly convenes in January.
Officials yesterday said they were trying to dispel fears and "mischaracterizations" of the law, saying it only applies to those with a "chronic record of dangerous driving" who should "pay for their reckless behavior."
"This has been a storm that I don't think anybody anticipated," said House Speaker William J. Howell, Stafford County Republican.
"Safe drivers with only minor traffic infractions or occasional speeding tickets have nothing to fear from the abuser fee legislation," Mr. Howell said. "As Governor Kaine has said, the dangerous behavior of unsafe drivers threatens the safety of other drivers and causes accidents that create congestion. Those drivers should be financially accountable for their actions."
Under the plan, drivers who rack up eight demerit points or more are charged annual fines, and those convicted of offenses such as reckless or drunken driving get hit with "civil remedial fees" that range from $700 to $3,000.
Opponents, including James Kadison of the National Motorists Association, say the fees will put low-income drivers into "debtors prisons." In 2004, there were 72,000 reckless-driving convictions, Mr. Kadison said.
Bryan Ault, a 28-year-old software engineer from Alexandria, has collected nearly 140,000 signatures in an online petition protesting the fees, which are expected to raise $65 million annually.
Among the major complaints are the fees apply only to Virginia residents and that some infractions are not for abusive behavior, including a first-time offense for driving over 80 mph on an interstate, which carries a $350 annual fee for three years.
"There might be another way to do it," Mr. Kaine said yesterday.
The event marked the first time a Democratic governor has accepted a Republican invitation to a press conference since the first week of former Gov. Mark Warner's administration in 2001, according to Republicans.
Now it appears the fees could become a defining campaign issue in the Nov. 6 election when all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for grabs.
State Sen. Jeannemarie A. Devolites Davis, Fairfax County Republican, played a major hand in creating the plan. She said this week that the General Assembly should revisit the issue sooner rather than later.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran of Alexandria said yesterday his party is poised to wield the fees against their opponents, despite Mr. Kaine's agreement with Republican leaders.
"As one who is opposed to these abuser fees ever since they were considered, I would encourage my Democratic candidate to oppose them as well," Mr. Moran said.
Mr. Moran supported the transportation package but opposed the fees when they were taken up separately.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Howell and Attorney General Bob McDonnell, a Republican, signed on as plaintiffs in the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's bond-validation suit filed last week in Arlington Circuit Court. The regional authority last week approved seven new taxes and fees expected to raise more than $300 million for regional transportation projects.
The suit asks a judge, who is appointed by the General Assembly, to "consider and affirm the constitutionality of the authority," which the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors plans to challenge.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070720/METRO/107200073/1001
RICHMOND — A bipartisan coalition led by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and top Republicans in the General Assembly yesterday refused to bow to public pressure to repeal new fees against bad drivers that have drawn statewide criticism.
"All of us standing here have heard folks loud and clear. They have concerns," Mr. Kaine said yesterday during a press conference outside the state capitol.
"The appropriate thing for us to do now is to closely monitor the ways these fees are implemented and continue to work with our partners in the legislative and judicial branches of government to see if there might be ways that we can improve it," Mr. Kaine said.
The fees were tucked into a multibillion-dollar transportation package that Mr. Kaine, a Democrat, and the Republican-controlled General Assembly approved earlier this year. The plan has come under fire in recent weeks, with voters and some Republican lawmakers demanding Mr. Kaine call the General Assembly into special session to repeal or amend the law.
Mr. Kaine, with the support of Republican leaders, has refused to call a special session, saying the right thing to do now is watch how the new law pans out over the coming months and consider revisions when the General Assembly convenes in January.
Officials yesterday said they were trying to dispel fears and "mischaracterizations" of the law, saying it only applies to those with a "chronic record of dangerous driving" who should "pay for their reckless behavior."
"This has been a storm that I don't think anybody anticipated," said House Speaker William J. Howell, Stafford County Republican.
"Safe drivers with only minor traffic infractions or occasional speeding tickets have nothing to fear from the abuser fee legislation," Mr. Howell said. "As Governor Kaine has said, the dangerous behavior of unsafe drivers threatens the safety of other drivers and causes accidents that create congestion. Those drivers should be financially accountable for their actions."
Under the plan, drivers who rack up eight demerit points or more are charged annual fines, and those convicted of offenses such as reckless or drunken driving get hit with "civil remedial fees" that range from $700 to $3,000.
Opponents, including James Kadison of the National Motorists Association, say the fees will put low-income drivers into "debtors prisons." In 2004, there were 72,000 reckless-driving convictions, Mr. Kadison said.
Bryan Ault, a 28-year-old software engineer from Alexandria, has collected nearly 140,000 signatures in an online petition protesting the fees, which are expected to raise $65 million annually.
Among the major complaints are the fees apply only to Virginia residents and that some infractions are not for abusive behavior, including a first-time offense for driving over 80 mph on an interstate, which carries a $350 annual fee for three years.
"There might be another way to do it," Mr. Kaine said yesterday.
The event marked the first time a Democratic governor has accepted a Republican invitation to a press conference since the first week of former Gov. Mark Warner's administration in 2001, according to Republicans.
Now it appears the fees could become a defining campaign issue in the Nov. 6 election when all 140 seats in the General Assembly are up for grabs.
State Sen. Jeannemarie A. Devolites Davis, Fairfax County Republican, played a major hand in creating the plan. She said this week that the General Assembly should revisit the issue sooner rather than later.
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran of Alexandria said yesterday his party is poised to wield the fees against their opponents, despite Mr. Kaine's agreement with Republican leaders.
"As one who is opposed to these abuser fees ever since they were considered, I would encourage my Democratic candidate to oppose them as well," Mr. Moran said.
Mr. Moran supported the transportation package but opposed the fees when they were taken up separately.
Meanwhile, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Howell and Attorney General Bob McDonnell, a Republican, signed on as plaintiffs in the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's bond-validation suit filed last week in Arlington Circuit Court. The regional authority last week approved seven new taxes and fees expected to raise more than $300 million for regional transportation projects.
The suit asks a judge, who is appointed by the General Assembly, to "consider and affirm the constitutionality of the authority," which the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors plans to challenge.
