Last month, the Virginia General Assembly became the first legislative body in the nation to pass legislation requiring that girls receive the HPV vaccine before they enter middle school. The bill included a provision that allowed parents to opt out their child.
But when the bill came to Governor Tim Kaine’s desk, he amended it so that parents won’t have to submit their decision in writing. Instead, they will receive information about the vaccine and can then decide whether they want their child to be vaccinated.
“While I believe that this vaccine shows great promise for preventing cancer, I believe that the decision to administer this vaccine should be made by parents,” the Governor said in a press release. “My amendments further clarify the provision that a girl’s parent or guardian has complete discretion to decide whether their child should be vaccinated.” The Assembly agreed.
Kaine was not so fortunate when it came to the death penalty. The Assembly easily overrode two vetoes the Governor had made to bills that would expand capital punishment in Virginia. A third veto to a bill that would extend execution for accomplices to murder fell just two votes short of the 27 needed in the Senate to overturn it. Had it survived, it would have marked the widest expansion of the death penalty in a state that already ranks behind only Texas in the number of killers put to death since the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976.
Other big news on the legislation front: The General Assembly accepted Kaine’s changes to the transportation bill, marking the first comprehensive road-funding plan since 1986 [see Development News], and shot down a bill Kaine amended that would have banned smoking in all Virginia restaurants [see Retaurantarama].
C-VILLE welcomes news tips from readers. Send them to news@c-ville.com.
