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This morning, a House subcommittee defeated a bill that would have required local governments and school divisions over a certain size to post online — on a quarterly basis — their checkbook level data. There was no requirement on the format (Goochland posts this information month using Excel spreadsheets) and it didn’t require posting of information that would be exempt by FOIA or other statute. Arguments against the bill focused on the cost and staff time, that it was an unfunded mandate, that it would divert resources from classroom instruction, that there could be software glitches and that the data could be accessed by hackers (Russians were mentioned). Speaking against the bill were Loudoun and Frederick Counties, the cities of Hampton and Manassas, VML, VACO, the school boards association and the superintendents association. The motion to advance the bill did not receive a second, so it died.
Del. Jason Miyares worked several jobs in college at James Madison University and graduated in 1998 with little debt. Tuition in Virginia has increased 74 percent from 2006 to 2016, and Miyares, R-Virginia Beach, knows the times you could work your way through college are over. Bills to cap tuition increases have all been killed or tabled for “study” in the General Assembly this year. Miyares carried the last bill that advocates thought could help: A requirement that college governing boards provide the public with a chance to comment at a board meeting prior to a vote to raise tuition and fees. The bill, backed by the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, passed the House of Delegates 99-0. It was also supported by a new organization called Partners for College Affordability and Public Trust. In a bad omen for the bill, it was sent to the Finance Committee in the Senate. This is the committee to which bills with a fiscal impact on the state are referred, or bills lawmakers simply want to kill. Since requiring university trustees to hold a public comment period doesn’t cost anything, in the case of Miyares’ bill it apparently was sent to Finance for the latter reason.
Richmond Times-Dispatch
Ten other states require public comment before raising tuition, Miyares said. Dozens of Virginia boards from the milk commission to the board of aviation have public hearings. “But nothing has impact on Virginia families like the decisions of college and universities,” Miyares said. Both representatives for the University of Virginia and the College of William & Mary said they don’t oppose getting input, but said they give plenty of opportunities throughout the year. Betsey Daley, U.Va.’s representative, said the board members, president and other officials’ emails are easily accessible online. The student representative on the Board of Visitors also holds meetings on the issue and is “very aware of the sentiment and mood.”
The Virginian-Pilot
Bringing government further into the digital age, the General Assembly has given final approval to two bills aimed at modernizing how members of city councils, school boards and other public bodies attend and hold meetings using electronic technologies. HB 906 and HB 908 make it easier for public officials and citizens to attend meetings remotely and restrict public officials from texting each other during meetings. Del. Roxann Robinson, R-Chesterfield, introduced both bills.
Southwest Times
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March 16, 2018
“In today’s environment, speech is viewed as a contributor to problems, not a pathway to solutions.”