Delegate Steve Shannon Joins Governor Kaine on Initiative to Protect Homeownership

2/28/08

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.

Promoting Virginia’s Higher Education Bond Initiative1/27/2008Last fall, I invited a delegation of state legislators to tour several of Northern Virginia’s major technology companies. At each site, company representatives impressed upon this delegation the importance of having a quality system of higher education in Virginia from the perspective of attracting companies to Virginia. The ability to equip our students with marketable skills is a major component of how we can continue to grow Virginia’s economy and bring high paying jobs to Virginia.

Virginia finds itself in a more competitive environment than ever before. Our competitors are international as well as domestic. While Virginia is recognized for its fiscal health in terms of maintaining a AAA rating, having a business friendly regulatory environment, and passing fiscally responsible budgets, Virginia cannot afford to remain complacent from an economic perspective.

This year the Virginia General Assembly is considering a $1.5 billion bond package for capital projects at our public universities and colleges. This bond package would need to be approved by the voters. Many of the capital projects focus on building or renovating educational facilities that focus on instruction in the sciences, technology development and engineering, as well as research and development in these fields.

As a member of the Higher Education Subcommittee on the House Committee on Appropriations, I have spent the past week meeting with Virginia’s public university and college presidents to discuss the bond referendum package. I have observed three consistent themes in these discussions.

First, our higher education institutions are making significant efforts to expand student enrollment and are engaging in innovating ways to create more capacity. Our public institutions are developing articulation agreements with one another so that students who graduate from a two-year college with a solid grade point average can matriculate to our four-year institutions. Likewise, our schools are developing innovative ways to instruct students through long-distance learning to eliminate geography as a barrier to equipping our students with necessary skills.

Second, Virginia recently has experienced significant success in attracting companies to Virginia because of our schools. For example, Rolls Royce relocated a major facility to Virginia after entering into an agreement with the engineering programs at the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech to provide the company with a steady stream of engineers. Likewise, we were able to attract SRI to relocate to Virginia based on a research-based agreement with James Madison University. It is important to realize that when major companies relocate to Virginia, their suppliers often do as well, thus further strengthening our economy.

Third, other competitor states also recognize the need to invest in higher education for purposes of growing their economies. North Carolina recently passed a $3 billion bond package for higher education, and North Carolina, Maryland and Georgia, by way of example, make a relatively large investment in research and development at their public institutions.

The bond referendum package is one of the most important initiatives Virginia will consider this year. As we deliberate upon how best to make this capital investment, we must recognize that this investment is vital to sustaining and growing Virginia’s economy.

Delegate Steve Shannon Launches Aggressive Public Safety Agenda for the 2008 Legislative Session

1/10/2008

Richmond, 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 joins Governor Kaine to Announce 2008 Legislative Initiatives to Combat Sexual and Domestic Violence in Virginia

1/2/2008

Richmond, VA 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 Discusses Conservation Policy with Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Preston Bryant

11/09/2007

Fairfax, VA On the fourth episode of “The View from Virginia,” Delegate Steve Shannon interviews Preston Bryant, Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources. They review Virginia’s efforts towards land conservation, cleaning up contaminated waterways, promoting Virginia’s parks, and responsibly addressing land use and transportation planning.

The next showing of this episode on Fairfax Public Access Channel 10 with occur at 8:30 pm on November 12. It is also available online at iTunes and at The View from Virginia website.

Delegate Steve Shannon Discusses Economic Policy with Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Trade Patrick Gottschalk

10/19/2007

Fairfax, VA On the third episode of “The View from Virginia,” Delegate Steve Shannon interviews Patrick Gottschalk, Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade. They review efforts to promote the Virginia’s economy, foster public-private partnerships and address the challenges facing Virginia in a way that provides opportunity for all citizens of the Commonwealth.

The show will be shown on October 19, 29, 30, and 31 on Fairfax Public Access Channel 10. It is also available online at iTunes and at The View from Virginia website

Delegate Steve Shannon Discusses Education Policy with Virginia Secretary of Education Tom Morris

10/03/2007

Fairfax, VA On the second episode of “The View from Virginia,” Delegate Steve Shannon interviews Dr. Thomas Morris, Virginia’s Secretary of Education. The show focuses on a range of policy issues dealing with pre-K through higher education, including ongoing efforts to make public instruction in Virginia more effective and cost efficient.

The show will be shown in early October on Fairfax Public Access Channel 10. It is also available online at iTunes and at The View from Virginia website.

Delegate Steve Shannon Discusses Technology Policy with Virginia Secretary of Technology Aneesh Chopra

09/18/2007

Fairfax, VA - On the first episode of “The View from Virginia,” Delegate Steve Shannon interviews Aneesh Chopra, Virginia’s Secretary of Technology. The show outlines the state of Virginia’s efforts to be a leader in innovation, identifies the global challenges facing Virginia, and offers a blueprint for where Virginia should focus its efforts and resources.

The show will be shown in September on Fairfax Public Access Channel 10. It is also available online at iTunes and at The View from Virginia website.