RICHMOND
--State lawmakers rejected an attempt to get more federal money for unemployment yesterday during their one-day veto session.Gov. Tim Kaine had strong words for the legislators.
"There's been an awful lot of people who are hurting," he said. "The message to them seems to be, 'We don't care. We don't care; fend for yourselves.'"
Lawmakers also overrode two of the governor's vetoes: one bill allowing retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol, and one that would allow people to take the course required for a concealed-carry permit online.
Under the federal stimulus bill, Virginia had to expand unemployment eligibility requirements to get another $125 million in federal money for unemployment.
Kaine did that through an amendment to another bill. His amendment would have allowed workers in training programs and those who work only part-time to be eligible for unemployment.
Democrats supported the amendments, saying they would help people in areas with especially high unemployment.
"These are extraordinary times and a lot of people have been hurt," said Sen. Dick Saslaw, D-Fairfax. "When you vote against this, think twice about what you're doing. There are people who simply need help."
Republicans opposed the expansion because they said it would put a burden on businesses to pay for the extra benefits after the federal money runs out, and the expanded benefits would be almost impossible, politically, to scale back once they were passed.
"Once we put this on the books, it's never going to come off," said Sen. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, who said he's laid off 45 employees at his company.
Del. Sam Nixon, R-Chesterfield, said it's a good thing Virginia's unemployment program is more austere than other states.
"We're being asked to make a permanent change with temporary dollars," Nixon said. "The best unemployment program is employment. I think this moves us in the wrong direction."
Del. Kathy Byron, R-Campbell, said "paying people not to work" won't stimulate the economy. She said government shouldn't dictate such a change to businesses, which will be paying the extra money for expanded benefits once the federal money runs out.
"Somebody has to pay for it, folks. Nothing comes free," Byron said. "I believe Virginians prefer a paycheck over an unemployment check."
In the Senate, the issue prompted a lengthy fight over whether senators could separate the two amendments Kaine submitted so that they could approve one expansion--for military spouses--and not the other, for part-time workers.
The Senate had narrowly passed the bill on a 21-19 vote.
"In this instance we've made a big mistake," Kaine said. "Fortunately, it's one that can be corrected."
Virginia has until 2011 to expand benefits to receive the money, meaning that lawmakers who favor it can try again in the 2010 legislative session.
But that means at least a year in which those categories of unemployed workers won't get benefits.
"If we don't accept this money now, we don't get it now," Sen. Don McEachin, D-Richmond, said before the vote. "These provisions must be adopted at some point for us to get this money."
Lawmakers in both houses overrode Kaine's veto of a Senate bill that allows retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons into restaurants that serve alcohol.
But the Senate did not override another bill allowing anyone with a concealed-carry permit to carry concealed in a restaurant. A two-thirds vote is required of both houses to override a veto.
Current law bans having concealed weapons in such restaurants, although carrying guns openly is legal.
Legislators failed to override Kaine's veto of the "triggerman" bill, which allows the death penalty to be applied to accomplices to murder who don't actually pull the trigger.
The House voted to override all of Kaine's vetoes of their bills, including one from Del. Mark Cole, R-Spotsylvania, that would allow localities with gun buyback programs to sell the guns to firearms dealers instead of destroying them, but the Senate did not vote to override the bill.
Chelyen Davis: 540/368-5028
Email: cdavis@freelancestar.com