Improving worker training and fighting state and local involvement in immigration enforcement are among the Virginia business lobby's priorities for the upcoming General Assembly session.

Smoking restrictions in restaurants and other public indoor places again should be a big issue as public-health groups plan to lobby for smoking bans.

And although lawmakers might have thought they had put the transportation issue to rest last year, at least some Virginia businesses say the state must do more for transportation. IMMIGRATION REFORM

Keith Cheatham, a lobbyist for the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, says it was Congress' failure to deal with illegal immigration that has prompted some Virginia localities and state lawmakers to fill the breech. But the fact is, Cheatham said, "the federal Constitution prohibits localities from getting involved in immigration."

This year, bills that would have involved local and state police and Virginia businesses in immigration-law enforcement failed, but they are likely to rise again in 2008.

"We are expecting a whole gamut of legislation on illegal immigration and immigration [in general]," said Laurie Aldrich, president of the Virginia Retail Merchants Association.

She said her organization is part of a large coalition that has formed around the immigration issue. Business groups believe illegal immigration is best dealt with by the federal government. They see a patchwork of local and state laws on immigration -- some penalizing businesses who hire illegals -- leading to headaches.

"We don't need employers to become [immigration] agents," said Brett Vassey, president of the Virginia Manufacturers Association.

A study by the General Assembly's Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission found that between 1994 and 2004, immigrants grew to 12 percent of Virginia's work force and accounted for 44 percent of work-force growth.

Immigrants account for nearly one-fifth of the workers in the state's hospitality and construction industries and are important to farming, manufacturing and information-technology businesses. SMOKING RESTRICTIONS

Public-health groups plan to lobby again for smoking restrictions.

Last year, the Senate passed an indoor smoking ban, but the legislation died in a House of Delegates subcommittee.

"We support comprehensive legislation," that would prohibit smoking in all indoor public areas, said Cathleen Smith Grzesiek, director of advocacy for the American Heart Association's Virginia chapter.

A more limited ban on smoking in restaurants seems likely to be revived during the upcoming session.

During the last session, an attempt by Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to prohibit smoking in restaurants by amending a related bill also failed in the House, after opponents argued that Kaine's proposed ban would have included outdoor areas where people buy food, such as festivals.

After the session, Kaine directed state health officials to study possible changes in how the state code defines a restaurant.

The most likely proposal would be to define a restaurant as an indoor area of a building where food is prepared, served and consumed. Outdoor areas where food is served would be defined as "food establishments."

Barrett Hardiman, director of government relations for the Virginia Hospitality and Travel Association, said he expects to see legislation dealing with smoking in restaurants as well as proposals to give localities authority to pass local indoor smoking restrictions.

"Our association has been opposed to a statewide smoking bans, and we are opposed to the regional smoking bans as well," Hardiman said. WORK-FORCE TRAINING

The assembly could take steps in reorganizing the state's fragmented worker-training efforts. The Virginia chamber and the manufacturers group hope so.

Worker training now comes via 28 separate programs in 12 state agencies.

Both Vassey and Virginia chamber President Hugh Keogh say they agree with Kaine's proposal to put worker training under supervision of the community-college system.

The manufacturers group, Vassey said, plan to talk to legislators about the need for skilled workers and their importance for attracting business to the state.

Keogh said worker training needs to be two-tiered, focusing on providing skilled workers to industry and providing those on the lower end of the economic spectrum training to help them improve their lot. TRANSPORTATION

Transportation also is on Keogh's list of issues important to business as the result of a membership survey the chamber conducted. Businesses are either not familiar with the transportation package lawmakers passed last year or didn't like it, he said.

Long-term sustainable funding for transportation appears to be a business concern, said Keogh, who also sees no appetite from the governor or assembly for additional movement on transportation this year.

Nevertheless, lawmakers already have filed bills that would seek to increase funding for transportation.

For instance, a bill from Sen. Linda T. Puller, D-Fairfax, would extend the 4 percent state sales tax and 1 percent local sales tax to cover the purchase of motor fuels.

Michael O'Connor, president of the Virginia Petroleum, Convenience and Grocery Association, said his group opposes any tax on fuel that would vary with the price. Any change in motor-fuels taxation should be based on the quantity of a gallon gas and not on the price, he said. OTHER ISSUES

Here are some other issues of concern to various business groups: