HomeNews Virginia Coal Heritage Trail legislation advances
Virginia Coal Heritage Trail legislation advances
Feb 07, 2007
Bristol Herald Courier
Kathy Still
Staff
Writer
A bill
designed to highlight the unique history and colorful heritage of Southwest
Virginia’s coalfields is moving forward in the Virginia General Assembly in Richmond this week.
The House
of Delegates on Monday approved a measure sponsored by Delegate Bud Phillips,
D-Sandy Ridge, that would designate nearly 100 highway segments in the region
as the Virginia Coal Heritage Trail. It would become law if approved by the
Senate and signed by Gov. Tim Kaine.
The
legislation could boost the region’s economy by drawing more visitors to the
coalfields, local tourism officials have said.
Supporters
lobbied for the designation late last year as lawmakers prepared for the 2007
session. Each of the seven coalfield counties and the city of Norton were shaped in different ways by the
coal industry over the last 100 years. Railroads that transported the coal also
had an impact.
Tourism
officials say the time is right to highlight the two industries and their
impact on Southwest Virginia. Several meetings
were held in each county so residents could speak about how coal transformed
the region. The input was used to determine which roadways should be included
in the designation.
Geneva
O’Quinn, director of the Heart of Appalachia Tourism Authority, said the state
designation could lead to national scenic byway designation because neighboring
West Virginia
already has a similar heritage roadway.
The
proposal is a partnership between the Virginia Tourism Corporation and local
tourism officials.
Lawmakers
in Richmond
reached the halfway point today in the short legislative session. Each house
now considers the bills and measures approved by their counterparts.
The Senate
approved a bill sponsored by Sen. William Wampler, R-Bristol, that would allow
Virginia to offer in-state tuition rates for out-of-state students who live
within a 30-mile radius of one of Virginia’s community colleges, as long as the
student’s home state offers a similar plan. The measure now moves to the House.
A bill
written by Sen. Phillip Puckett, D-Lebanon, that would require new coal miners
to take a pre-employment drug test was also approved in the Senate and is now
under House review.
Delegate
Terry Kilgore, R-Gate
City, saw three of his
bills die in committee this week. A measure to allow a sitting judge to reside
in a county that borders his or her judicial district never made it out of
committee.
Kilgore’s
bill that would have allowed Scott
County to impose a
25-cent tax on admission charged to people who visit an off-track horse-racing
facility was also killed.
The
delegate also drafted a bill to keep the Virginia Department of Transportation
from merging several of its maintenance facilities, but it also died in
committee.
