Evening star., 1950-03-05
Delegates Work.
Far Into Night 10.
Act on Own Bills.
Must Limit Action
To Senate Measures
Starting Tomorrow
By Alex R. Preston
Stor Stoff Correspondent

most critical log jam in more
than decade as it worked far
into tonight to clear its calendar.
II was the second successive
night SesSion-made necessary
because of time lost with the 5000
million appropriation bill earlier
this week. t[
The delegates, who worked un-
til 10:30 am. today before ad-
journing, were carrying on in
definitely this evening to con-
slider 100 or more bills which
otherwise would be killed because
of deadline. Beginning Mon
day, only legislation originating
in the Senate may be considered
by the House, and vice versa, with
a few exceptions.
Among measures still waiting
action shortly before midnight
was the State rent control law
proposed by Delegate j. Maynard
Magruder, Arlington. 1t would
supplant existing State law, which
never has been invoked, and the
Federal rent regulation which the
Legislature has ordered removed
June 25.
Local Bills Waiting.
Also ahead of the delegates
were many local bills affecting
Arlington, Alexandria and Fair
fax. The House did pass, however,
bill providing for the salaries
for the 18th and 35th Judicial
Circuit Court associate judges al
ready authorized under bill
passed earlier.
New charters for Alexandria
and Falls Church, as we'll as the
towns of Haymarket and Purcell
vile, were passed during the rush.
Extensive amendments to the
Alexandria and Falls Church
charters were not even read.
During this mornings session,
uncontested measures were acted
on at a rate of so bills an hour,
with the aid Of the electric voting
machine. A total of 119 bills
were passed In the first two hours.
When the controversial bills
came up this afternoon, Speaker
E. Blackburn Moore warned that
6 hours work remained If only 4
minutes were devoted to each bill.
The House adopted a rule limiting
debate to 10 minutes on each
measure, not counting replies to
questions. in the attempt to let all
bills be voted on reather than die
automatically.
Budget Faces Senate.
The Senate got rid of all of it's
own bills to meet the deadline, but
failed to pass House measures on
its calendar before adjourning at
2 pm. The Senate has ali of next
week to consider bills originating
in the other branch but it also has
the $500 million appropriation bill
to consider.
If the budget delays proceed
ings in the upper branch as much
as it did in the House, the Senate
will be confronted with a more
serious backlog when the time for
adjournment arrives next Satur-
day More than 300 House bills,
many of which have been before
the legislature for weeks, will ap-
pear on the Senate calendar in
the final six days.
The Senate took the absent
voters law to pieces in an hour of
heated debate today, and then
put it back together in virtually
its original form.
The bill that passed the Senate
was a watered-down version of
the proposal by Senator Harry C..
Stuart of Russell County, who
sought changes he said would
tighten the absent vote law and
make 1t more "fraudproof."
Mail Ballot Provided.
The bill would have required
that mail ballots be sent to the
State Board of Elections in Rich
mond and kept there until the
day before election.
This provision was knocked out
in a substitute bill drafted by the
Senate Privileges and Elections
Committee, which provided that
the voter could send his marked
ballot by registered mail to the
local board in two envelopes.
Senator Robert c. Vaden of
Gretna. chairman of the commit
tee, offered an amendment from
the floor that returned the option
of allowing the voter to receive
his ballot personally and hand it
back to the secretary of a local
board. After long debate, this
amendment was adopted, Is to IA.
You have heard it said often
that the Democrats in the south
west section couldn't elect a can
didate without the absent voting
lawff." Senator Stuart said "I re-
sent this very much. because to
me that means just another way
of saying we can't win in an hon
est election-we can't win without
fraud"
Violations Noted.
He went on to say that he knew
the law had been violated re-
peatedly with respect to absent
voting.
II know what is done-I've done
1t myself" he declared, and AIDED.
IT hope the time has expired in
which I may be prosecuted"
At this point Senator Lloyd M.
Robinette, of Lee County, arose to
say he was satisfied Senator Stu
art spoke "facetiously" and that
the Senate would take the remark
In that vein.
Senator Robinette said new
laws are not needed to deal with
the absent ballot, what Is needed,
he added. is better enforcement of
present statutes.
- H.