Monday, June 2nd marked Governor Kaine’s signing of HB 965, a measure designed and advocated by Delegate Steve Shannon to extend the resources of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund [CICF] to victims of stalking.

According to its mission statement, the CICF is a completely tax-independent organization dedicated to “treat[ing] every victim and survivor with dignity and respect, recognizing the tremendous impact that violent crime has upon our society.”  Funded through court fees, assessments on offenders, restitution, and a federal Victim of Crime Act Grant, its chief duty lies in providing some measure of financial assistance to victims of crime and their families.  Every year, the Fund allocates approximately $3 million to 1800-2000 claimants for the purpose of helping to meet “medical costs, lost wages, funeral expenses, counseling costs, and other reasonable and necessary expenses that are not covered by any other source.”

Until recently, victims of stalking were not eligible for coverage under the CICF.  Delegate Steve Shannon, the chief patron of the bill that closed this loophole in the system, has long been an advocate for victims’ rights.  “The psychological injury stalkers inflict on their victims is drastic but hard to identify,” he said in a statement.  “It is my hope that the passage of this bill provides stalking victims with the resources they need to get the help they deserve.”

Steve Shannon is a former Fairfax County prosecutor and co-founder of the Metropolitan Washington AMBER Alert program, designed to recover missing and abducted children.  For more information, visit www.delegatesteveshannon.com.

On Friday, Delegate Steve Shannon was the keynote speaker at a Democratic rally on behalf of Democrats running for City Council in Harrisonburg. In attendance were Democrats from City of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.

Governor Kaine and Delegate Steve Shannon traveled to Danville, Virginia, for the bill signing ceremonies for several pieces of consumer protection legislation.

House Bill 1469 requires companies to notify consumers and the office of the Attorney General when personal information is accidentally compromised. House Bill 1311 allows consumers to place a freeze on their credit reports, thus preventing new accounts from being opened in the consumer’s name.

“Identity theft can have terrible consequences on personal finances,” Shannon said. “Virginians now have greater power to protect their own credit.”

The Governor also signed a bill to give a 30-day reprieve to some homeowners facing foreclosure. This new law will help protect homeowners by giving them more time to work out a way to make payments before foreclosure proceedings start.

In Virginia, the foreclosure rate has more than doubled since the first quarter of 2006.

In addition to the bill signing ceremony, Delegate Shannon and Governor Kaine also traveled to Danville for the opening of an IKEA Swedwood furniture manufacturing plant, bringing approximately 750 jobs to the area.

Delegate Steve Shannon joined Governor Timothy M. Kaine and consumer advocates to support legislation designed to protect and preserve homeownership for Virginia’s working families and communities. The legislation is designed to address current foreclosure trends that have been occurring as a result of subprime loans.

In the first quarter of 2006, Virginia’s foreclosure increased over 100%. According to the Office of the Governor, subprime loans made up 28% of mortgages originated in the Commonwealth in 2005 and 30% of new loans in 2006. Because interest rates are now increasing on those loans, there is a significant risk that the foreclosure rate will continue to rise. In the third quarter of 2007, a total of 9,200 homes were foreclosed, 5,900 of which involved subprime loans. Subprime lending was heavily concentrated among minority borrowers. In 2005, 47% of loans to African Americans in Virginia were subprime, as were 38% of loans to Hispanics.

The Governor’s bill would provide homeowners who have subprime loans on their homes with avenues to counseling information prior to receiving an acceleration notice. It would also give them the option of suspending their foreclosure for 30 days while they attempt to work out ways to avoid foreclosure. The bill was drafted with input from the Virginia Foreclosure Prevention Task Force.

Fairfax, VA–On the fifth episode of “The View from Virginia,” Delegate Steve Shannon interviews Deputy Secretaries of Public Safety Marilyn Harris and Clyde Christman. The show focuses on a range of public safety initiative, including efforts to reduce recidivism rates, collaboration efforts with local law enforcement, measuring programmatic successes, and the work of the Governor’s Commission on Sexual Violence.

The show is available online at iTunes and at The View from Virginia website.

Today’s Daily Pilot (Newport News) features a business article about Delegate Steve Shannon and Governor Tim Kaine’s joint effort to close a state tax loophole that could save Virginia at least $6.3 million per year.

The basic tax transaction involves larger retail companies with operations in many states, most notably Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club, essentially paying rent to themselves and writing off the rental payments as business expenses. The “landlords” in these transactions are organized as real estate investment trusts (REITs) owned and controlled by the mother company. This kind of ownership arrangement allows firms to avoid paying income taxes by distributing the rental payments to “shareholders” residing in states that do not require taxes on dividend payments. The “shareholders” are frequently other corporate entities related to the “tenant” and the “landlord.”

If this bill passes, Virginia could attempt to collect back taxes from past offenders. North Carolina recently closed this tax loophole and collected $33.5 million from these two companies in back taxes.

“It is important that Virginians feel that the state tax code is equitable and that corporations pay their fair share,” Shannon said. “The closing of this loophole is essential to both ends.”

Delegate Steve Shannon released his 2008 public safety legislative package this week at the start of the Virginia General Assembly session. Shannon has served on Governor Kaine’s Commission on Sexual Violence over the past year as chairman of the Commission’s Committee on Treatment and Intervention. Among the bills Shannon is spearheading include:

(1) House Bill 964: Increases penalties for a convicted sexual offender who fails to register on Virginia’s Sex Offender Registry

(2) House Bill 966: Increases penalties for an assault and battery of a law enforcement agent of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control

(3) House Bill 969: Increases penalties for hazing a juvenile in to a gang by requiring the juvenile to engage in sexual acts with gang members

(4) House Bill 973: Closes a loophole in Virginia’s indecent liberties statute for the protection of children

(5) House Bill 974: Requires law enforcement to update Virginia’s criminal information network whenever a protective order is issued

(6) House Bill 970: Empowers judges to place the subject of a permanent protective order on probation to ensure compliance with the protective order

(7) House Bill 965: Enables victims of stalkers to apply to the Criminal Injury Compensation Fund for resources for services such as relocation assistance

(8) House Bill 956: Ensures Virginia’s compliance with the federal Violence Against Women Act by clarifying that Virginia shall pay the cost of personal evidence recovery kits for sexual assault victims

“These public safety measures are the result of working with advocates and law enforcement officials from across the Commonwealth. Ultimately, the goal is to improve the administration of justice in Virgina,” stated Delegate Shannon.

Steve Shannon is a former Fairfax County prosecutor and co-founder of the Metropolitan Washington AMBER Alert program, designed to recover missing and abducted children.

Delegate Steve Shannon joined Governor Kaine and statewide advocates to announce the Governor’s legislative initiatives to combat and prevent sexual and domestic violence. The efforts flow from recommendations made by the Governor’s Commission on Sexual Violence. Delegate Shannon served as chair of the Commission’s Treatment and Intervention Committee.

The legislative initiatives include increasing funding for sexual assault crisis centers, eliminating a statutory loophole to the charge of statutory rape, clarifying that government officials shall not require victims to take polygraph examinations as a condition to prosecution and reimbursing victims for the cost of personal evidence recovery kits (PERKs), which are commonly used to collect evidence immediately after a sexual assault has occurred. Many of the recommendations are designed to put Virginia in compliance with the Federal Violence Against Women Act.

“Governor Kaine has made it a priority to address the quality of our response and prevention efforts for victims of sexual and domestic violence,” Delegate Shannon stated. “Through the Commission’s statewide outreach efforts, the Governor has put forth a comprehensive legislative package that will improve the administration of justice in Virginia. I look forward to assisting him in the passage of his 2008 public safety agenda.”

Delegate Shannon was appointed to the Commission after it was formed by Executive Order 38 (2006). Shannon is a former Fairfax County prosecutor and co-founder of the Metropolitan Washington AMBER Alert program, designed to recover missing and abducted children.

Delegate Steve Shannon has been named to “The Legal Elite,” a listing of Virginia’s top lawyers by specialty category. “The Legal Elite” represents those judged by colleagues to have demonstrated exceptional levels of expertise in chosen areas of practice. The “Legal Elite” list was drawn from a peer review survey of over 7,000 lawyers conducted by Virginia Business Magazine.

Delegate Steve Shannon today received the endorsement of The Examiner newspaper of Washington, DC. This joins Shannon’s previous newspaper endorsements from the Times Community Newspapers/Fairfax Times, The Washington Post, The Vienna/Oakton Connection and The Sun Gazette. The newspapers cite a solid record of leadership in the Virginia General Assembly.

The Times Community Newspapers concludes, “In four years representing the 35th House District, Steve Shannon is a proven difference-maker.” The Washington Post writes, “Stephen C. Shannon, a Democrat, is an effective, hard-working legislator with a firm grasp of transportation, education, development and revenue issues.” The Vienna/Oakton Connection states, “Shannon’s intelligence and thoughtfulness have led him to considerable growth in his position.” The Examiner writes, “Voters should re-elect incumbent Steve Shannon … a former Fairfax County prosecutor [who] made his mark defending child victims of sexual abuse.” The Sun Gazette adds, “Shannon is an in-touch-with-his-constituents legislator.”