Richmond passes Central Virginia transit authority

The General Assembly has approved a measure allowing Charlottesville and Albemarle County to form a regional transit authority that would oversee an expansion of the local bus system.
Del. David J. Toscano’s bill, HB 2158, won the approval of the Senate on Tuesday in a 38-1 vote. It had previously cleared the House of Delegates in a 95-4 vote.
A separate — but related — bill previously was killed that would have allowed Charlottesville and Albemarle to hold a voter referendum to raise the local sales tax to pay for transit and transportation projects.
The regional transit authority would have been the lead agency for distributing the funds to transportation projects. Without the ability to raise new revenue, some local officials are questioning the wisdom of creating the transit authority.
Toscano is a Democrat from Charlottesville.

Bridge to honor soldiers

Lawmakers also endorsed a measure introduced by Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle County, that would re-name a bridge in honor of two local soldiers killed in Iraq.
Bell’s bill, 2401, would designate the U.S. 29 bridge over the Rapidan River between Greene and Madison counties as the “Fallen Heroes Memorial Bridge in honor of Corporal Adam J. Fargo and Private First Class Edwin A. Andino.”
Fargo and Andino died in 2006. Fargo was a resident of Greene County and a graduate of William Monroe High School. Andino was a Culpeper resident and a graduate of Madison County High School.
The bill to re-name the bridge cleared the Senate in a unanimous vote on Tuesday. The House of Delegates also passed it unanimously earlier this month.

Whiskey a go

Sen. R. Creigh Deeds’ bill to allow a soon-to-open whiskey distillery in Nelson County to sell its products was also approved Tuesday.
The House of Delegates approved the measure in a 90-7 vote. It had previously passed the Senate.
Deeds, a Democrat from Bath County, said he introduced the bill because it will promote economic growth and create jobs in Nelson.
The bill would let the Virginia Distillery Co. sell its locally produced Eades whiskey once the facility opens later this year.

Secret hearings bill dies

A Senate bill that would have allowed indigent defendants facing capital crimes to ask for expert assistance without a prosecutor present was killed in a House subcommittee.
On Tuesday, the criminal subcommittee of the House Committee for Courts of Justice left behind SB 939, which was sponsored by Sen. John C. Watkins, R-Chesterfield. Recently, the bill was revised to require the defense and prosecution to share information about expert testimony, as well as notify the prosecutor when the defense asks for funding behind closed doors.