Evening star., 1952-01-06
Rough Session
For Virginia
Assembly Seen
Redistrieting Tops
Agendo for Meeting
Opening Wednesday,
By The Associated Press

By fhs Assoeiaisd Press
RICHMOND, Jan. 5.-The Vir-
ginia General Assembly embarks
on its 60-day 1852 session here
Wednesday and all the legislative
signals point to a rough trip.
Redistricting tops the list Of q
number of argument-breeding
items already on the assembly
agenda.
One of the redistricting pro-
posals would create a new 10th
district of Arlington and Fairfax
Counties and the cities Of Alexan-
dria and Falls Church from the
present 9th District.
Four Other Top Matters.
But from the time Gov. Battle
outlines the administration pro-
gram in his Estate of the Conn
monwealth" address to a joint
session of the House and Senate
on opening day, the legislature
will be asked to settle such other
matters as;
/. Probably a record-siz gen.
eral appropriations bill, including
such items as higher teacher pay
and more money for mental hos
pitfalls and other health and allied
services.
2. The question of opening the
welfare relief rolls to public in
spection, move already recon-
mended by the State Board Of
Welfare and Institutions over the
objections of the State welfare
officials.
3. Amending the Byrd auto
matte income tax reduction law
as a means Of lifting the ceiling
on the general fund to permit con-
tinuance of the Battle program
of State aid for local school con-
struction.
Sought by Governor.
Gov. Battle announced this
would be one of his legislative
recommendations but did not par
ticulariZe how he wanted the law
amended other than to suggest
that the matter of future tax re-
ductions,' under the Byrd law, be
left to the Governors discretion.
| 4. Passing on the recommends
tions of a legislative study COM
mission that would put more teeth
in the States existing annexation
laws by strengthening the power
of annexation courts.
| Annexation legislation is always
a sure chip on the shoulder for
1.-THE "city boys" and the country
boys" in the assembly. The fric-
Ition developed to such point last
session that members finally voted
a two-year moratorium on new
annexation proceedings while the
study commission was seeing wha0
could be done.
In addition, the assembly haa
received a number of recommen-
dations from the Virginia Advis-
ory Legislative Council. Notable
among them Is a proposal to bear
down on enforcement of highway
safety laws plus a provision to
make jail sentence mandatory
for drunk driving.
College Board Urged.
| A council report recommended
also that an overall board for
Virginia State-supported colleges
be named as a means of reconcil-
ing budget requests of the separate
institutions and for general eff
Cheney and economy reasons.
And it has proposed legislation
that would put State and local
government employees under Fed
.Ieral social security with a new
supplemental State plan replacing
1.-THE present Virginia retirement
system.
Other bills ready for introduce
tion look toward seafood conserva.
ton and greater promotion and
exploitation Of Virginia's port
facilities.
In the political realm, there
appeared a strong possibility that
Virginia may consider falling in
line with other Southern States
and adopting the run-of primary
system in. elections for Governor.
This was seen as a means Of
keeping the dominant Democratic
organization forces from dividing
their support between two or more
candidates and possibly losing the
lGovernorship to an anti-organiza-
ton candidate in the 1858 pri-
mary.