Executive Director’s Notebook

That headline looks like a sports score, but in reality, it’s a tally from the 2024 session of the Virginia General Assembly.

A little background:

The commonwealth has a long list of “official state fill-in-the-blank” designations. You’ll find them all at Va. Code § 1-510. And the official name of this official list of official whatevers is “State Emblems and Designations.”

Every state has such designations, and a number of the items in our Code actually make sense for Virginia: The official bird, for example, is the cardinal. And the official tree (and flower) is the dogwood. The official pony – with a hat tip to Misty – is the Chincoteague pony.

The official television series? That would be “The Waltons,” right? The Depression-era drama set in Virginia ran nine seasons in the 1970s, frequently topping the ratings. It might be the only network series ever set in the commonwealth.

Um, sorry and good night, John-Boy.

“Song of the Mountains,” a PBS show featuring “live bluegrass and old-time music from where it all began,” got the nod of the legislature.

There are about 40 designations on the official list, and each year, there are efforts to add new ones. The 2024 Assembly session was no different.

This year there was plenty of buzz about one bill: House Bill 517, which sought to name the honey bee as the “official state pollinator.”

The bill, a bee-partisan measure patroned by Del. Patrick Hope, D-Arlington, and Del. Hyland F. "Buddy" Fowler Jr., R-Beaverdam, sailed through committees and both houses without a single vote against it. The governor signed it March 8.

Why “pollinator,” you ask? Well, “official state insect” was already taken by the Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly. Don’t butterflies also act as pollinators, you ask? Maybe you shouldn’t ask.

A second effort to add to the “State Emblems and Designations” list this session was unsuccessful.

House Bill 1274 sought to make the domestic shorthair the official cat of the commonwealth.

The bill, patroned by Del. Paul Krizek, D-Alexandria, by request of a constituent, was referred to the Rules Committee. Where it sat and sat and sat, without any action.

The Assembly website says merely that the bill was “left in Rules,” which is essentially saying, was “tossed into the litter box.”

It’s worth noting that, for quite some time, the commonwealth has had an official dog – the American Foxhound.

But no official cat, and that’s not changing.

The emblems and designations list isn’t the only place that dogs and cats lack parity.

Under the criminal statutes, it is a Class 5 felony to steal a dog.

Stealing a cat? That is a mere misdemeanor.

An effort to add cats to the felony list back in 2008 bounced through several different committees and ended up being a catastrophic fail.

Sounds like cats need a better lobbyist.

 

Executive Director’s Notebook is a monthly column written by Paul Fletcher, executive director of The Virginia Bar Association.