Virginia Choose Life License Plates Pass next Hurdle With House Panel Backing
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 18, 2009
Richmond, VA (LifeNews.com) — Virginia’s Choose Life License plates have had an interesting turn of events in the state legislation. After the bill allowing them met defeat in a Senate committee, the full Senate allowed an amendment adding them to an omnibus licensee plate bill. Now, a state House subcommittee has moved them further.
On Tuesday morning, a sub-committee of the House Committee on Transportation approved SB 817, the omnibus bill containing the pro-life license plates, on a 4-3 vote.
Victoria Cobb, the president of the Family Foundation, shared the latest news with LifeNews.com.
"This legislation is still steaming ahead, and so far has continued to eek by every obstacle," she said.
"Yesterday morning, that bill narrowly squeaked by again in a sub-committee," Cobb explained. "This is while Planned Parenthood and the ACLU sat in the room surely wondering why they just can’t get this bill to die."
The plates would allow some of the purchase price to go to groups that help women avoid abortions by providing them with adoption and pregnancy help. Of every $40 spent on the plates, $15 will go to pregnancy centers.
Cobb says her group is asking pro-life Virginia residents to contact members of the House Committee on Transportation to urge support for SB 817.
"By making our voices heard we can allow Virginians to publicly show their support for life while providing a greater source of funding for pregnancy resource centers," she said.
Following the vote, Senator Ken Cuccinelli, a pro-life Fairfax Republican who is the main legislator behind the plates, asked the chairman, Delegate Edward Scott, if he should be present for the full House Committee on Transportation hearing of the bill.
Scott said he should attend and talk to members of the panel about the Choose Life plates.
As LifeNews.com reported, Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, the abortion advocate who some claim is pro-life, won’t commit to signing the bill.
Kaine, who President Barack Obama named as the head of the Democratic party, claims he wants to reduce abortions but he won’t pledge to sign the license plate bill.
"When it comes to the governor’s desk, he’ll take a look at it and act accordingly," spokesman Gordon Hickey told the Washington Post.
Senators voted 20-19 for the amendment adding the plates and now the state House needs to approve the bill.
"I figure if I can get this bill out of the Senate, then it shouldn’t be a problem in the House," Cuccinelli said.
The Virginia state House is typically where pro-life bills have a much easier chance of being approved, while the Senate normally has held up such bills because of pro-abortion committee chairmen.
Related web sites:
Family Foundation – https://www.familyfoundation.org
Virginia Legislature – https://legis.state.va.us
Virginia Society for Human Life – https://www.vshl.org
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