Governor Rejects Death Penalty Expansions,
Approves School Bus Bill

Special to the HERALD
(From the Issue of 3/29/07)

On behalf of Virginia’s Catholic bishops, Virginia Catholic Conference Director Jeff Caruso expressed gratitude to Virginia Governor Tim Kaine for vetoing five bills that would have expanded the Commonwealth’s death penalty.
Caruso called the vetoes “a desperately needed first step toward slowing down a system of punishment that has sped out of control in our Commonwealth for a long time.” Since 1976, Virginia has carried out 98 executions, more than any state except Texas.
Earlier this year, the General Assembly enacted a package of five bills that, together, sought to add accomplices to a murder (i.e., those other than the “triggerman”), those who murder a judge, and those who murder a subpoenaed crime witness to the list of individuals who could receive a death sentence in Virginia.
The VCC, the public-policy arm of Virginia’s two Catholic dioceses, opposed those measures during the legislative session and will now renew its advocacy efforts by urging the legislature to sustain the governor’s vetoes during the one-day reconvened session on April 4.
Caruso said that Richmond Bishop Francis DiLorenzo and Arlington Bishop Paul Loverde oppose the use of the death penalty in Virginia because “it is never necessary to ensure public safety here, especially given the availability of a life-without-parole sentence.” He expressed hope that the governor’s vetoes “will encourage legislators to begin looking for ways to curb use of the death penalty rather than expand it.”
Kaine also signed landmark legislation with the potential to benefit many nonpublic-school families. The bill, commonly known as “share the ride” and favored by two-thirds of the General Assembly members who cast a vote on it, will give school boards a local option to provide busing for nonpublic-school students. Advocacy in favor of the initiative was spearheaded by the VCC. The Dioceses of Richmond and Arlington operate 75 schools.
Caruso expressed gratitude to the governor and many General Assembly members for their endorsement of “watershed legislation that will hopefully usher in a new era of collaboration between public and nonpublic schools.” He called the new law “an attractive tool for localities that want to reduce traffic congestion and provide more children a particularly safe form of transportation in a way that would benefit everyone involved.”

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