At the halfway point of the General Assembly session, Virginia Republicans say they're focused on the core services of government, not conservative social issues.
General Assembly Democrats have a different opinion.
Wednesday brought duelling news conferences in Richmond as lawmakers put their spin on legislative victories and defeats.
Republicans displayed pie charts, saying that social issues are just a small part of their agenda.
Delegate William Howell (R) Fredericksburg is the Speaker of the House. "I think the proof in the pudding is this graph over here, this pie chart that shows less than 2 1/2 percent of the bill that passed the House dealt with social issues," Howell told reporters. "Almost 50 percent of the bills that passed dealt with core repsonsibilities. I think that answers the question."
Later, during a news conference by the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Delegate Charniele Herring (D) Alexandria disagreed. "So while these bills may be small in percentage, the magnitude of what they're doing is profound, because we are talking about fundamental civil rights."
Members of the Legislative Black Caucus said the session has been dominated by a social agenda, at the expense of education, health care, transportation and public safety.
