Animal Fighting Bill Advances in Senate

A group that opposes making cockfighting a felony in Virginia has identified nine private clubs in Culpeper, Albemarle County and southern Virginia where the animal fights occur.

The Virginia Gamefowl Breeders Association has sent a letter to the attorney general's office listing the locations for the first time.

State officials say they will crack down on the clubs but would like to do so after the state makes all animal fighting a felony, which is being considered by the General Assembly.

A Senate committee overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to exempt members of the breeders association from the bill yesterday and sent it to the Senate floor for a vote. The association claims 2,000 members statewide.

Under current Virginia law, some forms of cockfighting are misdemeanors.

-- Anita Kumar

Saslaw Seeks Accord On Payday Lending Bills

The chairman of a Senate committee looking at bills to reform the payday-lending industry threatened yesterday to effectively kill the legislation for the year unless both sides can work out an agreement.

Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax), chairman of the Senate Commerce and Labor Committee, said he would refuse to appoint conferees to work out issues between the Senate and House proposals if a compromise can't be reached behind the scenes.

Last year, Saslaw pulled his industry-written bill in the final hours of the session for fear that Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) would put stricter regulations on payday lenders if the bill got to his desk.

The industry favors the Senate version; opponents of payday lending favor the House's bill. The session is scheduled to adjourn March 8.