The Virginia House of Delegates has given preliminary approval to a measure dubbed the "Brownie Bill," a proposal that would allow youth groups to hold bake sales at polling places on Election Day. Currently, youth groups such as Girls Scouts and Boys and Girls Club can sell refreshments only if they stay at least 40 feet from the polls.
The "Brownie Bill," a reference to selling Girl Scout cookies at the polls on Election Day, would allow local elections boards or supervisors in charge of polling places to approve the sale of refreshments by nonprofit groups that do not endorse or evaluate political candidates. The sales must be conducted by children.
Delegates voted 54 to 40 on Wednesday for HB 1509, sponsored by Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William). Marshall submitted a similar bill last year, but it failed on the House floor.
Some Democrats opposed the bill, saying it would unfairly ban some organizations that do endorse candidates -- such as PTAs -- from selling within the 40-foot perimeter. An amendment by Del. Vivian E. Watts (D-Fairfax) to open the sales to groups that evaluate candidates was rejected.
Other delegates said the bill was not needed because groups can set up their booths or tents outside the 40-foot barrier and still accommodate voters. To become law, the bill would have to pass a final vote in the House, pass in the Senate and be signed by Gov. Mark R. Warner (D).
Malpractice Screening Endorsed
A Senate committee has approved a bill that seeks to weed out frivolous medical malpractice suits.
The bill, approved Wednesday by the Senate's Courts of Justice Committee, would require an expert to certify that a doctor violated standards of care before filing a lawsuit. Virginia already caps malpractice awards at $1.75 million, and lawmakers have signaled that they will study proposals for stricter limits on pain and suffering awards.
The law would also allow for better tracking of settlements from malpractice suits, which lawyers believe could show insurance premiums have been rising out of line with legal awards against doctors. The proposed legislation has been endorsed by the Medical Society of Virginia and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
Rising malpractice insurance costs in Maryland recently led Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to call a special session of the General Assembly. Legislators enacted changes -- over an Ehrlich veto -- that would use a tax on HMOs to pay for doctors' relief from rising insurance premiums.
The Virginia bill is more limited, but Paul Kitchen, executive vice president of the Medical Society of Virginia, said that requiring an expert's authorization would limit malpractice suits that lack evidence.
The bill is sponsored by Sen. Stephen D. Newman (R-Lynchburg) and will go next for a vote before the full Senate, before heading for the House of Delegates.
GOP Backs Anti-Gang Measures
In the first of a series of daily news conferences meant to highlight their election year agenda, House Republicans have endorsed bills targeting gang activity.
GOP leaders said yesterday they will support measures submitted by Del. David B. Albo (R-Fairfax) to authorize the death penalty for gang-related murders and set up "gang-free zones" around public high schools. A third bill, given final passage by the House yesterday, would allow school officials to bar students from wearing clothing associated with gangs on school grounds.
Albo said that his constituents are "afraid to venture out into their neighborhoods" because of gang activity. He said that imposing the death penalty for gang slayings could deter some youths from joining gangs. He said gangs such as MS-13 often force young people who want to join them to commit capital murder.
The General Assembly passed several laws last year that increased penalties for other gang-related crimes.
Staff writer Rosalind S. Helderman contributed to this report.
