Call to Democratic Party Caucus
Virginia 67th House of Delegates District

1. Call. Pursuant to the Democratic Party Plan of Virginia (“the Party Plan”), the 67th
House District Nominating Committee (“the Committee”) hereby calls an Unassembled
Caucus for the sole purpose of choosing a Democratic nominee for the 67th House of
Delegates District (“the 67th District”).

2. Caucus Rules, Forms, and Information. Caucus Rules will be posted, along with other
pertinent forms and information about the nominating process, at Fairfax County
Democratic Committee Website. Any changes to the Caucus Rules will be updated on that site.

3. General Participation Requirements. Each participant in the Caucus must be a
qualified voter in the 67th District at the time of their participation. No participant in the Caucus may intend to support any candidate who is opposed to the Democratic nominee in that Special Election.

4. Voting Opportunities. Participants in the Caucus may vote only in person and at the
following time and location (Note: Each voter may arrive during any time listed below, cast his or her vote, and leave.):

Sully Governmental Center
4900 Stonecroft Blvd.
Chantilly, VA 20151
3:30pm to 7:30pm

5. Candidate Requirements. Each candidate for nomination must meet all applicable
requirements of state law, the Party Plan, and the Caucus Rules. Each candidate for
nomination must submit a completed Declaration of Candidacy form to the Chair of the
Committee no later than Friday, May 31, 2013 at 5 p.m. ET. Each form must bear the
original signature of the candidate, and must be accompanied by a filing fee of $200.00 made payable to the Fairfax County Democratic Committee.

If only one qualified candidate files by the deadline, that person will be the nominee of the Democratic Party and the Caucus will be cancelled.

For questions about the Caucus, to request any accommodation necessary to ensure full participation, or to file a Declaration of Candidacy, please contact Patsy Brown, Chair of the Committee, any time at (pebrown1@cox.net) or 703-830-4277.

RULES FOR THE UNASSEMBLED CAUCUS TO BE HELD JUNE 8, 2013
TO DETERMINE THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE IN THE
Virginia 67th House of Delegates District
(FIREHOUSE PRIMARY)
1. All times shall be read from the official clock located above the check-in area.

2. The doors of the caucus room will open and the certification process will begin at
3:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, 2013.

3. The doors to the caucus meeting room will be closed promptly at 7:30pm. Persons
standing in line to complete a certification form at the time the doors close will be
allowed to complete their forms and participate in the caucus. Participants will have
their voter registration verified at the Registration table prior to voting in the caucus.

4. Every person who participates in the caucus must complete a certification form and sign a statement that says they are a registered voter, a Democrat, and that they do not intend to support a candidate opposed to the Democratic nominee in the next ensuing election.

5. The chair of the Legislative District Nominating Committee shall act as the permanent chair of the caucus.

6. The recording secretary of the Legislative District Nominating Committee shall act as the permanent chair of the caucus.

7. Caucuses shall be conducted in accordance with the Virginia Democratic Party Plan and the Call to Caucus.

8. The permanent chair shall appoint a tellers committee.

9. Ballots will be prepared listing the first name, middle initial and last name of the
candidate(s).

10. Caucus participants may vote for a candidate(s) by placing an “X” beside the appropriate name.

11. The tellers committee shall count the ballots.

12. There shall be no campaigning inside the caucus room or check in area. While buttons or lapel stickers may be worn, no candidate material may be distributed. Any material must be distributed outside the building in which the caucus is held.

13. There will be no Press or Observers permitted in the room in which the balloting takes place. ONE designated representative from each candidate’s campaign may be allowed to observe all processes during the caucus, provided that they have a signed letter from the candidate designating that person as their Authorized Representative.

14. Tie votes will be decided by the flip of a coin.

DECLARATION OF CANDIDACY FOR DEMOCRATIC NOMINATION
67th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT DEMOCRATIC NOMINATING COMMITTEE

I, ________________________________, declare myself a candidate for the

Democratic Nomination as a candidate for election to the office of Member, Virginia
House of Delegates, 67th District in the General Election to be held Tuesday,
November 5th, 2013. In making this declaration, I certify as follows:

I will not support any candidate who is opposed to a Democratic nominee in the
next ensuing general election;

I am a Democrat;

I am a registered voter in the district in which I am declaring my candidacy;

I am a resident
of_________________________________________________________________

My permanent address is:
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________

My Mailing address is:
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

My telephone numbers are:
(H)________________________________(W) _______________________________
(c) _______________________________

My e-mail address is:
________________________________________________________________

SIGNATURE_________________________________________DATE___________

Declaration and filing fee of $200.00 received by:

Chair_______________________________________Date______________________

Authorized by the 67th Legislative District Nominating Committee and
Paid for by the Fairfax County Democratic Committee

Virginian-Pilot Editorial: Naked FOIA dodge from the AG’s office

To truly appreciate the absurdity of the legal argument, consider this: The public-records law that staff members in Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s office said did not apply to the attorney general specifically mentions the office four times….

Cuccinelli’s staff members have said they based their refusal to release documents on a 2011 state Supreme Court decision instead of the law as it was written.

That explanation is ludicrous, its reasoning so twisted that it can only be understood through its ultimate goal: To deny requests made by this paper’s sister publication, The Roanoke Times, and others for office records and correspondence involving a company entangled in a federal investigation and multiple lawsuits, including one against the state.

The company, Star Scientific, and its chief executive, Jonnie Williams, have showered thousands of dollars worth of donations and gifts on Cuccinelli and Gov. Bob McDonnell in recent years. Under public pressure last month, Cuccinelli recused his office from defending the state against the company’s lawsuit over a disputed tax assessment.

Cuccinelli’s office claimed its exemption from FOIA under a 2011 state Supreme Court ruling that declared the State Corporation Commission wasn’t subject to the law’s provisions.

But the SCC is in a class of its own, a unique constitutional construct that must abide by its own specific set of laws governing records and access. The decision notes as much, and lawmakers closed a loophole in the ruling for constitutional officers in the subsequent legislative session.

On Tuesday, Cuccinelli issued a statement explaining his office would comply with FOIA, and that his staff members had simply tried to preserve a legal argument based on that 2011 ruling.

The legal argument, however, was never there, which is why no one in or out of state government could offer any defense for it.

“It’s news to me,” said Maria J.K. Everett, executive director of the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

Roanoke Times Editorial: Cuccinelli’s  FOIA turkey

The attorney general and gubernatorial candidate  is covered by the state sunshine law whether he thinks so or not.

Virginia’s top lawyer is not above the law. Nor is Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli just doing his constituents a favor when he responds to requests for public records.

Cuccinelli’s startling epiphany that he is exempt from the Freedom of Information Act came at a convenient moment. He is running for governor while being pelted with questions about his relationship with a businessman who has a pending dispute over state taxes.

It was tempting for Cuccinelli to slather himself in a potent Scandal Proof Formula to shield himself from the state sunshine law. But the arrogance of the proclamation, not to mention its nonsensical legal justification, forced him to back down this week.

The Republican issued a statement Monday saying he has asked attorneys in his office to stop claiming in FOIA responses that the office is exempt. Notice he did not affirm that he is subject to the law. He merely promises not to keep saying that he’s immune or, at least, he won’t keep putting the outrageous claim in writing to avoid “confusion.” Cuccinelli’s staff have continued to respond to information requests while clarifying that they are doing so “as a courtesy.”

If Cuccinelli was attempting to tamp down suspicions about his involvement with Star Scientific CEO Jonnie Williams Sr., he has failed. Instead, he is acting like a man who has something to hide.

So far, Cuccinelli has admitted that he forgot to report two free vacation stays at Williams’ Smith Mountain Lake home, one of which included a catered Thanksgiving dinner. He also was late to disclose stock holdings in Star Scientific because he failed to notice that its value had topped $10,000, triggering reporting laws. This week, he acknowledged that Williams complained to him about a state tax bill before filing the lawsuit that has now been languishing in court for two years.

When will the next turkey drumstick drop? Never, Cuccinelli says. He told Roanoke Times reporter David Ress he took no action on Williams’ behalf, end of story. If so, he should be eager to put lingering questions to rest by fully disclosing all communications he and his staff have had with Williams, as well as any contacts with Gov. Bob McDonnell on the tax suit.

Instead, his office said Tuesday no such records exist and documents related to Cuccinelli’s stock and vacations were personal, not public.

After notifying Ress that the office charges $53.65 per hour to process documents, the fee was waived. As a courtesy, we assume.

Richmond Times Dispatch Editorial: Count the ways

File this one under I, for Irony: Until the claim backfired, Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli tried to insist his office is not subject to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act.

The AG responds to FOIA requests as a courtesy, his spokesman said the other day — but has no legal obligation to do so. Why? Because the office is a constitutional one and therefore not a public body.

Cuccinelli arrived at this conclusion on the basis of a 2011 court ruling about the State Corporation Commission.

Yet as Roanoke Times’ reporter David Ress, who broke the story, notes, Virginia law explicitly states that “constitutional officers shall be considered public bodies and, except as otherwise expressly provided by law, shall have the same obligations to disclose public records as other custodians of public records.

So how did the attorney general’s position seem ironic? Let us count the ways:

A believer in original intent is ignoring the plain meaning of the law.

To do so, he rests his case on an appeal to judicial authority that he shows little regard for in other cases — such as Roe, Kelo, or the Supreme Court’s 2012 ruling upholding Obamacare.

He thereby seems to suggest a state agency with a staff of dozens and a budget of $36 million has to disclose less than, say, a researcher at the University of Virginia whose work has been questioned by right-wing activists. Cuccinelli spent two years and untold sums trying to pry loose the private correspondence of climatologist Michael Mann. Poor Mann — if only he had had the presence of mind to claim he was, like the AG’s office, not a “public body.”

Cuccinelli was wise enough to reverse that stance within the span of a news cycle. If only he had been wise enough not to make it in the first place.

The Democratic Party of Virginia and concerned Virginians from all political points of view spent the last week informing voters about Ken Cuccinelli’s dangerous and extreme “personhood” agenda to ban birth control and roll back women’s rights. As the memo below demonstrates, E.W. Jackson and Mark Obenshain are the two most perfect candidates Tea Party Republicans could have nominated to walk in lockstep with Cuccinelli’s dangerous crusades.

E.W. Jackson: “Planned Parenthood Has Been Far More Lethal To Black Lives Than The KKK Ever Was.” In September 2012, E.W. Jackson posted a video in which he called on the black community to end their “slavish devotion” to the Democratic Party. In the video, he said: “The Democrat Party has created an unholy alliance between certain so-called civil rights leaders and Planned Parenthood, which has killed unborn black babies by the tens of millions. Planned Parenthood has been far more lethal to black lives than the KKK ever was.” [Bishop E.W. Jackson Message to Black Christians, 9/8/12]

 E.W. Jackson Would “Permanently Defund Planned Parenthood.”According to his website, E.W. Jackson said he sought to “permanently defund Planned Parenthood,” saying: “It is an act of grave injustice to force citizens to pay for the destruction of unborn babies, whether through state or federal taxes. All funding for abortion and the organizations that provide them must be halted.” [Jackson for Lieutenant Governor, accessed 5/18/13]

E.W. Jackson: Gay People Are “Perverted” And “Very Sick.” In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson’s appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said about gays and lesbians: “Their minds are perverted, they’re frankly very sick people psychologically, mentally and emotionally and they see everything through the lens of homosexuality. When they talk about love they’re not talking about love, they’re talking about homosexual sex. So they can’t see clearly.” [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality “Destroys Families, It Destroys Societies; It Brings The Judgment Of God.” In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson’s appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said: “Homosexuality is a horrible sin, it poisons culture, it destroys families, it destroys societies; it brings the judgment of God unlike very few things that we can think of.” [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

E.W. Jackson: Homosexuality Tries To “Poison” And “Sexualize” Children. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson’s appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: “Look, it also attempts to poison our children, divide them from their parents and the teaching of the church and basically turn them into pawns for that movement so that they can sexualize them at the earliest possible age. It really is insidious and I agree with you, it is a super sin.” [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

E.W. Jackson: Gays And Lesbians “Want To Destroy” Culture; Said They Were Forcing Christians To Change Their Beliefs. In October 2012, Right Wing Watch reported about E.W. Jackson’s appearance on a radio show with Peter LaBarbera and John Kirkwood. Jackson said of homosexuality: “They’ve got to transform the culture in order to make their lifestyles fully acceptable to everyone. I used two words to describe what they’re trying to do: authoritarian and totalitarian, and I believe that. I believe that they are of a mindset that says we want to destroy in any way we need to anyone who dares oppose this agenda, that’s a very, very dangerous approach. They don’t just say tolerate us and you may think we’re wrong and that’s okay; no, it’s not okay for you to even think that or to believe that even if you do so because of sincerely held religious beliefs, you better either change your beliefs or prepare to suffer persecution and that’s just where they’re coming from. They are using every tool in the culture in order to get it done, every business that will go along with it, every TV show, they got plenty of support from Hollywood, they’re using literature, magazines, you name it, they are continuously telling us this is good, this is right, this is okay.” [Right Wing Watch, 10/25/12]

Jackson: Democratic Party Represented “Godlessness” And “Anti-Christian Bigotry.” In October 2010, Right Wing Watch reported: “All four speakers criticized the Democrats while praising the Tea Party. Bishop Jackson maintained that the Democratic Party represents ‘godlessness,’ and stands for ‘fiscal irresponsibility, moral relativism or amorality, anti-Christian bigotry, and a foreign policy of surrender and appeasement.’” [Right Wing Watch, 10/4/10]

Jackson Said That Gay Marriage Is Like “Spitting In The Face Of Every Bible-Believing Christian In America.” In August 2012, Charisma News reported: “Later this month when Democrats make same-sex marriage part of their official Party Platform, the former practicing attorney says they will be spitting in the face of every Bible-believing Christian in America: ‘They will be saying, “We don’t care what you think, what you believe, or what the Bible or the God of the Bible says. We know better than God.”’ [Charisma News,8/8/12]

Obenshain Co-Patroned “Personhood” Bill With Cuccinelli. Obenshain has repeatedly supported “personhood” legislation that would outlaw all abortion and many common forms of birth control. [HB2797, 2007; HB1,2/23/12]

Obenshain Introduced A Bill That Would Require Women To Report Miscarriages To Police. “Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, made himself a lightning rod for criticism by introducing a bill that would require a woman to report her miscarriage to police with 24 hours.” [SB 962, 2009; Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 1/28/09]

In 2009, Sen. Mark Obenshain introduced legislation that would require women to report miscarriages to the police within 24 hours or face a Class 1 misdemeanor. According to the Virginia Legislative Information System, the bill “Requires that when a fetal death occurs without medical attendance upon the mother at or after the delivery or abortion, the mother or someone acting on her behalf, within 24 hours, report the fetal death, location of the remains, and identity of the mother to the local or state police or sheriff’s department of the city or county where the fetal death occurred. The bill also specifies that no one shall remove, destroy, or otherwise dispose of any remains without the express authorization of law-enforcement officials or the medical examiner, and that a violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.” [SB 962, 2009]

HEADLINE: Bill would require police report of miscarriage in Virginia [Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 1/26/09]

Virginia Lawyers Weekly: Obenshain Bill Would Require Women to Report Miscarriage to Police within 24 Hours 

In January 2009, Virginia Lawyers Weekly reported, “Sen. Mark D. Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, made himself a lightning rod for criticism by introducing a bill that would require a woman to report her miscarriage to police with 24 hours.” [Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 1/26/09]

Obenshain Opposed Bipartisan Transportation Bill. Obenshain voted against Bob McDonnell’s bipartisan transportation funding package. [HB2313,2/23/13, 4/3/13]

Obenshain voted against of adding sexual orientation to Virginia’s non-discrimination policy. [SB66, 3/9/10]

Obenshain Sponsored Bill To Outlaw Abortions After Twenty Weeks. In February 2012, the Daily Press reported: “Sen. Harry Blevins, R-Chesapeake, abstained Thursday, thereby killing a measure before the Senate Education and Health Committee that would have outlawed elective abortions in Virginia after 20 weeks. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg, would have made elective abortions after 20 weeks because he said there is medical evidence that a fetus can feel pain at that point in its gestation. The measure would have allowed abortions after that point if the mother’s life or health is threatened.” [Daily Press, 2/2/12]

JMU Board Of Visitors Member Obenshain Supported JMU’s Decision To Stop Providing Emergency Contraception To Students, Said That “We Don’t Provide A Full Range Of Abortion Services”

In April 2003, the AP reported: “In response to a complaint from a state legislator, James Madison University will stop providing “morning after” birth-control pills at its campus health center. The state-supported college’s board of visitors voted Friday to stop dispensing the emergency contraception pill after receiving a letter from Del. Robert Marshall, R-Manassas, criticizing the practice. Board member Mark Obenshain, who is running for the state Senate in the 26th District, characterized the pill as a type of abortion. ‘We don’t provide a full range of abortion services,’ he said. He said students who want the pill can still get it from off-campus sources.” [AP, 4/19/03] 

Obenshain Said Emergency Contraception Was A Form Of Abortion, Moved For JMU To Stop Selling It. In April 2003, the Richmond Times Dispatch reported: “At the meeting, board member Mark D. Obenshain moved that JMU cease selling levonorgestrel, according to school spokesman Fred Hilton. Hilton said a clear majority of the board approved the motion but an exact vote count was not taken. Obenshain said yesterday that causing the discharge of a fertilized egg constitutes a type of abortion. A public university should not support the use of such a drug through mandatory student fees, he said. ‘One of the effects of the pill is to cause the destruction of a fertilized egg,’ he said. ‘Do people categorize that as having an abortion effect? Yes. Do I? Yes.’” [Richmond Times Dispatch, 4/22/03]

Obenshain Moved For JMU To Stop Providing Emergency Contraception After Bob Marshal Petitioned Him. In April 2003, the Washington Post reported: “But according to JMU board member Mark Obenshain, now leading the charge against the eight-year practice, the board had no idea the pills were available until Del. Robert Marshall, a Manassas Republican and abortion opponent, sent a strongly worded letter of complaint to JMU President Linwood Rose. Marshall also contacted Obenshain, a Republican lawyer and abortion opponent from Harrisonburg seeking election to the Virginia Senate. Marshall has since raised similar objections at other state schools.” [Washington Post, 4/24/03]

Obenshain On Emergency Contraception: “No One Can, With A Straight Face, Suggest That This Pill Is Not An Abortion Agent.” In May 2003, the James Madison University Breeze quoted Mark Obenshain talking about emergency contraception: “No one can, with a straight face, suggest that this pill is not an abortion agent.” [James Madison University Breeze, 5/8/03]

Obenshain: JMU Board Was “Absolutely Right In Voting To Discontinue The Irresponsible Distribution Of The Morning-After Pill.” In May 2003, the James Madison University Breeze reported: “Obenshain said he ‘appreciated the opportunity to talk with two very well-spoken students today about the distribution of the morning-after pill and my vote to stop the Health Center’s distribution of this drug.’ Obenshain said the board was ‘absolutely right in voting to discontinue the irresponsible distribution of the morning-after pill, and I continue to stand by that decision.’” [James Madison University Breeze, 5/8/03]

2. Loudoun’s Jefferson Jackson Dinner is only two weeks away! We expect a strong turnout, in large part due to our powerful lineup of guests and speakers. All five of the 2013 statewide candidates — Terry McAuliffe, Aneesh Chopra, Sen. Ralph Northam, Justin Fairfax, and Sen. Mark Herring — will be speaking, and many other candidates and electeds will be there. Still need tickets? Buy them now! https://secure.actblue.com/page/jjdinnerloudoun2013

3. The Democratic Primary is June 11, and the deadline to register to vote in that election (if you’re not already a registered voter) is this coming Monday, May 20. Also, absentee voting is already available. Learn more about both of these at http://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=2878

The LCDC has links to each of the candidates’ websites and Facebook pages on the 2013 Elections page here.

Absentee voting for the primary — by mail or in person — has already begun. Learn more about absentee voting here.

Senator Favola noted, “Virginians agree that contraception is a good thing and here to stay. But Republicans tried again to limit access to women’s most basic medical needs. This time, Democrats were able to defeat bills that would have banned contraception from health insurance policies — or would have let employers choose whether to let their employees have access to contraception. I find it amazing that the Republicans purport to be the Party of limited government yet they are very willing to force government into women’s private health care decisions.”

Prior to the passage of the Federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Virginia women spent on average $500 per year to purchase contraceptive health care that was not covered by insurance plans in the Commonwealth; Viagra, however, has always been covered.

“Hard working Virginians who struggle to afford healthcare had a big victory today with the General Assembly taking steps to expand Medicaid. Expanding Medicaid is the right thing to do for Virginia’s families and I am pleased to have supported taking this meaningful and historic step forward.

“Virginia currently ranks 47th in the nation in Medicaid coverage and we needed to do better for our citizens. The expansion will cover over 300,000 uninsured Virginians and infuse tens of billions of dollars into our state’s economy. Expanding Medicaid will also create up to 30,000 new jobs and have almost no impact on our state budget.

“There’s more work to be done, but today we voted to move in the right direction toward improving healthcare in our Commonwealth.”

In the wake of today’s news that Ms. Stamos is presenting evidence to a Loudoun grand jury, LCDC Chair Evan Macbeth issued the following statement:

“I am heartened to learn about Ms. Stamos’ work with the grand jury. I have long thought that Supervisor Delgaudio’s actions were worse than improper – probably illegal – despite Chairman York’s statements to the contrary. I am glad to see that Ms. Stamos is taking the matter seriously and using all the tools at her disposal to fully investigate the matter. I trust that she will pursue this matter wherever it leads, including investigation of any possible cover-up by Chairman York and then-Vice-Chair Clarke, and criminal prosecution of Mr. Delgaudio, if warranted.

As to the people of Sterling, who have been deprived of effective representation on the Board for the past few months, I can only hope that Supervisor Delgaudio will recognize that this grand jury investigation and the allegations against him make it impossible for him to fulfill his duties and responsibilities, and he will resign. Failing that, the LCDC remains committed to working with all like-minded residents of Sterling and Loudoun to ensure that the people of Sterling have responsive, honest and effective representation on the Board of Supervisors.”

“Senator Obenshain once again put extremist politics first today by voting against a bipartisan budget that works on the challenges facing Virginia families,” Democratic candidate for Attorney General State Senator Mark Herring (Loudoun & Fairfax) stated. “Senator Obenshain sided with those in his own caucus who are the most out of touch with mainstream Virginia, voting down funding for education, public safety and transportation.  Adding insult to injury, Senator Obenshain opposed a bipartisan amendment to expand Medicaid and pave the way for healthcare coverage to 300,000 uninsured Virginians.

“Mark Obenshain’s vote against budget was a vote to put partisan politics ahead of solutions,” Herring stated.

Two public safety amendments offered by Senator Herring were included in the budget that Obenshain opposed.

The first amendment, conceived in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, CT, will address gaps in Virginia’s mental health infrastructure.

“The senseless violence that occurred at Sandy Hook Elementary School this past December was, and continues to be, difficult to understand. Tragedies like these have become all too common in our society in recent years and as legislators, we need to do what we can to keep our children and Virginia citizens safe. We need to enact common sense solutions to solve the deficiencies we have in our mental health system.  While we still have a lot of work to do, today I feel like we are taking a step in the right direction,” Herring said.

Since the 2007 shooting at Virginia Tech, Virginia’s mental health system has seen many reforms, however, the availability of school-based mental health services remains inconsistent.

The amendment requires the Secretary of Health and Human Resources and Secretary of Education to collaborate on a review of the relationship between the Commonwealth’s community-based mental health services system and Virginia’s public schools.

“We need to make sure that those who need help or those who may be dangerous don’t slip through the cracks,” Herring stated. “This is about keeping the public safe and making sure parents all across the Commonwealth don’t have to be nervous to send their kids to school.”

The second amendment offered by Herring directs the Department of Criminal Justice Services to study the costs and benefits of establishing a lethality assessment program in Virginia.

Lethality assessment programs feature evidence-base screening tools to determine whether victims of domestic violence are at risk of greater violence, enhancing their chances of survival.

“Reports of domestic violence are on the rise in Virginia and we need to take action to protect victims,” Herring stated.  “Lethality assessment programs are working well in several states, including in certain localities in Virginia, and we should give law enforcement and first responders across the Commonwealth the tools they need to help save lives in domestic violence situations.”