Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1914-12-11
FINANCE COMMITTEE MAY
CONVENE ON JANUARY s
Speaker Cox Suggests Advance Meet
ing to Consider Tax
Bills.
WOULD EFFECT TIME SAVING
Plan Would Enable Legislature to
Get Promptly to Work on Tax Re-
form Program of Special Session.
May Take Up Other Business.

Speaker Edwin p. Cox, of the House
of Delegates, yesterday addressed COM
municntions to each of the 100 MEM
bers of the lower house OF the General
Assembly, suggesting that the House
Committee on Finance meet In Rich
mond on January cone week in nd
vance-for the purpose of considering
the bills that will be submitted to 1t
by the State Tax Commission.
The assembling of the Finance Com
mittee In advance of the Legislature
would result in saving of time to
the General Assembly. which would
otherwise have to sit Idle for several
days after 1t is convened awaiting n
derstood that the plan is favored by
n number of the legislators. and that
the suggestion of Mr.. Cox will be ap-
proved.
If enough responses are received sup
porting the suggestion, Speaker Cox
VIII issue n call for the converting of
the Finance Committee, which will i'm
mediately go into consideration of
the tax bills. 1t Will have full power
to hold public hearings BY the time
the Legislature Is convened in special
session on January IS the committee
viii be practically ready to report, and
the wheels of legislation will not be
halted.
PRACTICE FOLLOWED
BY STATE SENATE
The practice of converting the FL
nance Committee several days In adj
vance of the General Assembly has
been followed in alternate sessions OF
the Legislature by the Senate for the
purpose of preparing n draft of the
appropriation bill. The Senate Finance
Committee met for this purpose in
January of this year
Replying yesterday to n letter adj
dressed to him by DR.. S. T. A. Kent,
m nj no
County. asking whether. in the opinion
OF the Speaker. the coming special ses-
sion VIII consider other than tax legis-
lation Mr.. Cox wrote as follows
Il am OF the opinion that, under tho
Constitution, the General Assembly can
act on any and all matters which may
be brought before it, ! think, however,
that it was, and still is, the view of the
majority of the members of the Gen
eral Assembly, that this extra session
shall be devoted primarily to the re-
vision OF the tax laws OF the Com
monwealth."
SPEAKER SENDS LETTER
TO MEMBERS OF HOUSE
The following circular letter was adj
dressed yesterday by Speaker Cox to
the members OF the House of Delegates:
Dear Sir--It would save the House
many days of waiting If the Finance
Committee would meet on January 6
~ SohoipSi the plllS proposed Dy the
Tax Commission. Under the Constitu-
ton. the bills will have to be intro
duced and referred to the committee
but this can be done on the first day
OF the extra session, and the bills,
having been previously considered in
formally. can be formally considered
and reported at once, and the House
can proceed Immediately to the con-
sideration of the matter for which the
extra session was called. There would
he no extra expense for mileage, as
members of the committee would draw
their mileage for the extra session.
The only expense would he the per
diem of 81 allowed legislative commit
tees in vacation by statute. and which
must be paid out of the contingent
fund of the House by resolution to be
agreed to. ] am addressing this let
ter to all the members of the House,
and ] would be glad to have your i'm
mediate reply, for unless I have the
approval of the members | shall not
request the Finance Committee to NEE,
for the purposes stated.
Yours truly,
tSiSned) EDWIN p. cox"