Evening star., 1945-03-22
Quick Approval
Seen for School
Bill in Virginia
House Committee
Expected to Act
On Program Today
Ry the A sociated Press.

BY the A sociated Press.
RICHMOND, Va, Mar. 22.-The
S4,227 400 omnibus bill for schoo
Improvements was expected to wir
quick approval today from the
House Appropriations Committee
after the Senate Finance Commit
tee gave its approval to the meas.
ure yesterday.
The House committee withheld
action until today after consider
able discussion of an amendment
to eliminate section requiring
counties and cities to put up part
of the money for visual education
aids.
Other bills carrying appropria-
tions for parts of the educational
program went on the calendars o1
the Senate and House today after
being reported favorably by both
committees.
The school improvement bill was
explained and discussed at a joint
hearing of the committees in the
hall of the House About two
thirds of the members of both
houses were present.
Seek Saturday Adjournment.
Legislators, talking of adjourn
ment by Saturday night, were ap-
parently eager to expedite the busi-
ness of the special session as much
as possible. The Senate Privileges
and Elections Committee has al
ready reported out the convention
bill, with amendments setting April
"a as the date for the election of
delegates and April 80 as the date
for the constitutional convention
itself, and the bill provides for war
voting by the service personnel. Both
measures were referred to the Sen
ate Finance Committee because of
appropriations involved.
The committee reported no action
on resolutions calling for outright
repeal of the poll tax as prerequi-
site to voting, but did report out the
Vaden Senate Joint Resolution
calling for commission study of
the poll tax in line with a recon-
mendation by Gov. Darden.
This action was taken shortly
after the first skirmishing on the
poll tax issue took place before
joint hearing by the Senate and
House Privileges and Elections
Committees.
Tax Repeal Action Urged.
Proponents of repeal now argued
for immediate steps to start the leg
islative process of submitting the
question to the people by 1916. Del
gate Stuart Campbell, Wythe, urged
the commission study in order to
have a considered" report for the
next regular session in 1916.
The House Appropriations Com
mittee approved bill by Delegate
Robert Whitehead, Nelson, to repeal
an act which for 10 years has taken
Is per cent of the localities one
third share of State capitation taxes.
Present law provides that 81 of the
S1.50 capitation or poll tax be given
to schools, and per cent for ad-
is taken from the so
cents going to the localities.
This Is per cent in the 10-year
period totals s437 ,901 AS, Mr.. White
head said. He told the committee
that the controllers Office could alb
sorb the amount for administration
in the future without additional ap-
preparation to the office by the
Assembly.
Visual Aid Fund Hit.
consideration of the school i'm
provement bill before the House
committee ran into a snag in the
form of provision to require locali-
ties to put up 81 per school child for
visual education aids in order to get
the State appropriation of 81 per
child.
An amendment to strike out this
requirement and to have the State
allocate the S1,112,5O0 of State
money for visual aids equitably to
the localities was offered by Dele
gate F. B. Whitescarver, Roanoke
County.
The Roanoke County delegate con-
tended that local budgets for the
year had been made up. He said
audio-visual education was consid-
cred valuable by the State, but might
not be adopted by the localities if
they were required to raise money
for it.
A joint meeting of the Courts of
Justices Committees was arranged
for today to give counsel for Judge
A. B. Carney an opportunity to be
heard on a joint subcommittee re-
port recommending the removal of
the judge from office.
The subcommittee recommended
the judges removal by joint resolu-
ton because of his agreement to
pay q part of his salary to Judge
Coleman as the consideration for
Judge Coleman's retirement from,
and his own election to, that posi-
tion."