Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1950-03-10
Virginia Senate
Debates Budget
Measure Today
Action Also Awaited
On Poll Tax Repeal
Approved by House
BY the Associated Press


RICHMOND, Mar. 1O.-A gen
eral appropriations bill, laced will
committee amendments that pu
it beyond the $500 million mark
comes up for floor action in tn,
Virginia Senate today.
And awaiting action after tn
budget was a poll tax repeal reso
luton passed by the House, II tt
20. in a session last night. If ap
proved by the Senate and by tn,
Assembly Of 1852, it would b
voted on by the people in 1852.
The Senate Finance Committee
while clipping out a million dol
lars in extra teacher pay that tn,
House-approved version of the bill
included, nevertheless added item
Of it's own in 80 amendments tina
put the overall total about ST..
million higher.
An administration leaders, de
parting from previous contentious
called the budget balanced" al
though they had looked askanc,
at the House version even befor,
the Senate committee made tn,
additions.
House to Act on Tax Cuts.
Senate committee members con
coded, however, that they had in.
cluded in their estimates of reve.
nue. about 81 million in rever.
sions-unexpended appropriation
that go back to the treasury. Del.
egate Robert Whitehead of Mel.
son cried loudly for consideration
of these funds when the bill wa,
on its stormy voyage through thu
House.
With the budget set for a spe.
cial order of business in thu
Senate, the House, after its latt
night session. braced itself for thu
stormy session anticipated on thu
Byrd Senate bill on provisional
income tax cuts.
The lower chamber passed BY
the Byrd bill yesterday to taxi
care Of the pressing poll tax mat.
ter that finally emerged from tn,
House Privileges and Elections
Committee.
Only one major floor amend.
rnent survived the poll tax debats
last night: That making compile.
ton Of the seventh grade il
school evidence of ability to reae
and write. The original com.
mittee plan made it eighth
grade
Amendment Is Beaten.
Delegate Whitehead made ar
attempt to keep the $3.50 head
tax, unrelated to voting, as is
and defeat the proposal lifting
the permissive maximum to So
But his amendment died, SO to 40.
AS the House-passed proposed
amendments now stand, they
would:
1. Repeal the poll tax as a pre-.
requisite to vote.
2. Retain the present perman.
ent system of registration.
8. In effect, set February / a.
the deadline for registration fol
all elections during the year
Excepting persons becoming O.
age after February /. or person.
just moving into the State, whit
could register after the deadlin,
date as now provided.
4. Retain the present registra
ton requirements. with these ad
ditions: that the application In
clude certificate showing abilit,
to read and write English, issue,
by a division school superintend
ent. This certificate would be is
sued automatically if the appli
cant has passed the seventh
grade. If not. it would be issue,
If the applicant passes uniform
reasonable test prescribed by til
State Department of Education.
Head Tax Maximum Set.
5. Prescribe that the Genera
Assembly shall levy" head taz
not related to voting or registra
ton, of $3.50 but not more tina,
So annually.
6. If passed, would go befor,
the 1852 Assembly; if passed then
90 before the people and, if ap.
proved, be specifically effectiv,
January /. 1852.
ALI persons registered under thu
present system prior to January
l, 1858, would be automatically
registered without reference to tn,
new provisions.
The opposition to the amend.
ments last night was led by Dele.
gate Paul Crockett of York ane
John B. Boatwright of Bucking.
ham, 1t was favored by Dele,
gates w. Tayloe Murphy of War,
saw, Walter A. Page, Norfolk: E
Griffith Dodson, jr.. Roanoke, ant
George Cochran, Staunton.
Delegate Whitehead praised tn,
subcommittee led by Delegat,
w. r. Broaddus of Henry, who ri
loted the resolution through. MI
Broaddus said the Assembly, ant
the rest of the State, had show,
definitely its wish to vote on a,
uncomplicated' poll tax repea
plan.
Victory for Repeal Bloc.
The House action was a dis
tinct victory for the poll tax re
peal bloc led by Delegate Pag,
and other young Organization
legislators in the House.
In addition to the Byrd bill
which links conditional 10-l5-2
per cent income tax cuts to tn
-