Governor Mark R. Warner released yesterday a second round of recommendations from the Secure Virginia Panel that could impact the structure and depth of state security and emergency readiness plans.
The recommendations also endorse more efficient funding for homeland security research at higher education institutions.
"This is a second group of recommendations from a panel that continues to meet and issue proposals," Warner spokesman Kevin Hall said.
The panel was formed in January of this year by an executive order from Warner. The group includes representatives from the legislature, state offices and private business.
Warner appointed the group members to suggest ways to improve Virginia's response to disasters of all kinds, including possible terrorist attacks.
Yesterday Warner approved 33 proposals from the panel. The proposals cover improving government building security, improving emergency response mechanisms, providing disaster relief, and funding homeland security research at state universities.
One recommendation calls for a constitutional amendment for expanding the line of succession for the governor beyond the lieutenant governor, speaker of the house and attorney general.
The panel report recommends that individuals in the line of succession not travel together.
Hall said the state commonwealth speech last January is an example of an occasion when Warner and the entire constitutional line of succession were together in one place.
"You had all three office holders in the same place at the same time without any thought to, 'What if the unthinkable happens?'" he added.
Such an amendment would not go into effect any sooner than 2005 because of legislative restrictions.
University Politics Prof. Larry J. Sabato said that Warner's approval of these recommendations doesn't necessarily mean the measures will be put into immediate effect by legislation or executive order.
Warner "could always veto the bill," Sabato said. "He's basically just saying 'I will sign this if it's approved'" by the legislature.
Hall said the deadlines for the council's many proposals vary, and that some programs cannot be planned with concrete deadlines.
"Some are December 15 of this year, some are legislative deadlines which would mean at least not until next year," Hall said. "Where practical, they have put in a deadline for the designated agencies to take steps."
The governor's office is confident that the proposal will have a positive impact on Virginia security without affecting the state budget.
"The proposals that the governor accepted today have little, if any, expense to the state," Hall said.
For programs "that might entail spending, we are confident that most of it will come from federal sources," Hall added.
One of the 33 recommendations calls for a consortium of state universities to coordinate homeland security research and development.
The goal of such a consortium would be "to share expertise" among the state's leading academic authorities on homeland security issues, Hall said.
Hall sees the research reputations of Virginia schools as a potential obstacle to forming the consortium.
"That may be the hard nut to crack, because universities peg their reputations on the stature of their own researchers," Hall said. "It could involve breaking down some walls."
Sabato said University professors would likely be interested in such a project, but that participation would greatly depend on funding.
"I would say that the faculty almost unanimously would insist that the state provide the extra funding," Sabato said.
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