Anyone else smelling a conference committee in the offing?
Measures by two local legislators relating to improperly parking in spaces reserved for electric-vehicle charging have been approved in their respective houses of the General Assembly, but with a seminal – though not insurmountable – difference.
The bill by Del. Elizabeth Bennett-Parker (D-Alexandria-Arlington-Fairfax) cleared the House of Delegates on a 73-24 vote – a notable win for a freshman Democratic delegate in a body now in control of Republicans – while a bill by state Sen. Adam Ebbin (D-Alexandria-Arlington-Fairfax) passed 28-12 in the Senate, which is narrowly controlled by Democrats.
The difference? While both bills initially provided for civil penalties of between $100 and $250 for those found to be improperly parking in spaces reserved for electric-vehicle-charging stations, the House of Delegates knocked down the maximum penalty to $50. The Senate version maintained the up-to-$250 fine.
If the two bills subsequently pass the opposite houses in their current form, a joint House-Senate conference committee could be set up to arrive at a compromise figure, subject to final approval by each of the bodies.
The bills are SB 278 and HB 450.