Virginia Republicans push slew of conservative bills

RICHMOND — Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell warned his Republican brethren to take it slow this month as they took control of the state Senate.

“Don’t be arrogant, don’t overreach, don’t fight,” he told them.

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If the flurry of legislation they’ve introduced is any indication, Virginia’s most conservative Republicans aren’t holding back.

They are pushing legislation to: wipe out corporate income taxes; mandate drug testing of welfare recipients; crack down on illegal immigrants; beef up gun rights, property rights, parental rights and fetal rights; roll back gay rights; and free the commonwealth from federal laws it doesn’t like.

Those are the highlights of an 80-bill agenda that the Virginia Conservative Caucus unveiled last week in Richmond. It’s an ambitious lineup, with twice the number of bills the group backed last year.

Many of those bills have come and gone before, sailing through the Republican-dominated House but dying in the Senate, where Democrats ruled for the past four years and moderate Republicans held sway before that. With the GOP now in control of the evenly split Senate, there’s hope among conservatives — and dread among liberals — that some of those measures will become law.

“It’s an optimistic time right now,” said Del. Ben L. Cline (R-Rockbridge), co-chairman of the conservative caucus. “We’ve got a conservative governor, a conservative House and a Senate with more conservatives in it. . . . I think on issues from taxes to social issues to immigration to public safety, conservatives are hoping to move the ball forward.”

Even as they seem to disregard McDonnell’s advice, Virginia’s most conservative legislators don’t expect to get everything on their wish list in this General Assembly session.

Democrats are still in a position to block them in certain areas — the budget, tax bills, constitutional amendments and judicial appointments — because Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling (R) lacks the authority to break tie votes on those matters. And on social issues such as guns and abortion, moderate Republicans could very well stand in their way.

McDonnell, who prides himself on working well with Republicans and Democrats alike, had hard-nosed political reasons for discouraging a pedal-to-the-metal, hard-right agenda. If conservatives go too far too quickly for voters in this swing state, there could be a backlash in this year’s U.S. Senate and presidential races in November, political observers say. It also could hurt McDonnell’s chances to wind up as somebody’s No. 2 on the Republican presidential ticket.

But for many conservatives who have been stymied for years by Democrats and moderate Republicans, there’s little inclination to wait.

“Legislation’s a lot like a football game; you move the ball down the field,” said Del. James P. Massie III (R-Henrico), who has a bill this year to provide tax credits to corporations that provide scholarships for poor students to attend private schools. “And I think we’re inside the five-yard line this year. And with the help of a couple more good Republicans like Dick Black over in the Senate. . . we’ll punch this thing across the goal.”