By Randal Edgar
Journal State House Bureau

State Rep. Rodney D. Driver, D-Richmond, came close two months ago to convincing the House of Representatives to stop legislative committees holding bills for further study -- a status that is often a death knell for proposed legislation.

His floor amendment to require committees to vote bills up or down failed by a vote of 33 to 30, but Driver was back at it last week, this time with a bill before the House Rules Committee.

Driver, urging passage, told committee members that the bill would end a practice that allows bills to held and ultimately forgotten.

But the committee vote wasn't even close. Members voted 7 to 2 against when asked to vote the bill up or down.

Voting against were Reps. Grace Diaz, J. Russell Jackson, Eileen S. Naughton, J. Patrick O'Neill, Agostinho F. Silva, Raymond J. Sullivan Jr. and Timothy A. Williamson. Voting in favor were Reps. Jan Malik and John A. Savage.

Naughton, the committee's chairwoman, said afterward that holding bills for further study can be helpful to the sponsor, providing more time to get answers and provide information if lawmakers are unsure of how to vote.

Driver's response?

"Same old, same old."