Evening star., 1938-02-26
0LD-AGE AID LAW
|SNEAR ADOPTION
IN OLD DOMINION
Differences in Bills Passed
by House and Senate
Are Only Barrier.
CAPITETION TAX CHANGE
Is KILLED IN COMMITTEE
Bill for Redistricting Referred to
Another Group-0ther Lesser
Legislation.
0y the Associated Press.

Dy the Associated Press.
RICHMOND, Va, Feb. 26.-Virginia
was well on the way today to be-
coming the forty-eighth State to
enact an old age assistance law.
DihereAceS in bills passed sepa-
rately by the House and Senate yes
terday remain to be reconciled and
both bodies must approve the measure
to be sent to Gov. Price for his sig
nature, but sponsors of the legislation
expect to work out these details well
in advance Of the March IL adjourn
ment.
The House. despite long session
yesterday following the long night
meeting Thursday at which the bien-
nial budget bill was passed, convened
at 10 am. today to dig into a mass
Of lesser legislation accumulated while
the major appropriation measures
were being approved.
Senate in Recess.
The Senate, congratulated by the
floor leader, Senator H. T. Wickham,
OF its progress this session, was in
recess until noon Monday.
A favorable vote Of IS to Z climaxed
q Observation-Disclosures discussion Of
the relief bill in the House, which
picked and chose among more than
a dozen suggested amendments, some
Of which vary sharply from comparable
sections of the Senate measure.
! The Upper House, after compara-
lively mild arguments on certain pro-
{; visions, cast 37-to-0 vote for its
bill.
At Senator Audrey Weavers re-
quest the Senate incorporated in its
bill two amendments providing that
:, local boards serve without pay, un-
less local governments wanted to pay
them up to 500 year. and that the
maximum monthly payments to needy
J persons at least IS years old should
. not exceed $40 from all sources. The
bill originally specified a $50 maxi
mum.
: Other Changes.
The Senate bill also provided that
the fund for the blind be admins
tered by the State Commission for the
Blind instead of the State Welfare De-
partment. The House bill makes the
Welfare Department administrator of
/ all phases Of the plan.
The House approved Delegate Ben
Chapman's proposal that one member
of the local welfare board be county
supervisor or city councilman.
Neither bill as passed carried the
original section for mandatory trans
fer to the old-age rolls of all eligible
women on the Confederate pension
rolls. Sponsors Of the bills said the
women who could qualify could trans
fer voluntarily and probably would re-
ceive more as old-age recipients.
Poll Tax Liberalization Killed.
At an afternoon meeting the House
Privileges and Elections Committee
killed the Neff, Boschen and Walton
resolutions for liberalizing the capita
ton tax as prerequisite for voting,
and referred the Franklin Daniel bill
for redistricting the House to a COM
mittee Of which A. E. S. Stephens of
Isle of Wight is chairman
Daniel. asking the committee to work
out fair redistricting bill if his was
not acceptable. said the 1882 act sep
arating Danville and Pittsylvania
County was not real redistricting as
required by the constitution. He said
House members represented from
$4,000 people in Isle OF Wight County
to 10000 in the city of Danville.
The Senate Courts of Justice Com
mlttee reported substitute resolution
Tor one introduced by Senator Hunsdon
Cary, to copyright the book, alcohol
in Moderation and Excess" The SUBJ
stituts resolution provided for destruc-
ton OF 1000 copies which have been
printed pursuant to Senate Joint
resolution adopted in 1896.
Destruction Necessary.
Senator r. o. Norris explained after
the committees session that under the
patent laws the copies would have to
be destroyed in order to reserve the
copyright.
The Senate Finance Committee.
after listening to contentious that the
ADVISORY Councils bills for higher pay
ana hberalized retirement plans for
Judges were needed to attract able
oarrlsters to he bench, referred the
measure to subcommittee.