You scratch my back, I'll...

After reading the letter to the editor about Bob Marshall and noticing Marshall's Web site "Help" page had been updated since the letter was written, I was curious to learn more about the four interesting cases cited in the "Claims Bills Passed Into Law" section of the page.  (Thanks for helping us with oppo research, Marshall Web team!)

I've lived here for more than a decade and I never knew (until I started reading bills with our volunteer Legislative Sentry project) that corporations and ordinary people could have a member of the General Assembly write a bill asking for direct compensation from the Commonwealth for things like flooded basements or claims that have been rejected in state courts. 

One of the claims that Marshall successfully patroned is from Summit Roofing Contractors.  That name rang a bell because they are Marshall's single largest contributor this year and I've wondered for a few months what Marshall's connection was with the company.

Interestingly, since Marshall successfully secured their claim of $8,588 from the Commonwealth in 1995, Summit Roofing Contractors, Inc. has made 8 contributions to Marshall's campaign fund, totaling $9,450.  In fact, Summit Roofing is Marshall's second largest contributor overall since 1996.  (VPAP does not report contributions before 1996.  The Virginia Board of Elections online database only goes back as far as 1999, so I'm not sure if Summit Roofing contributed to Marshall in 1995 or earlier.) 

Not that there's anything illegal about a company making big contributions to Marshall after he helps the company win money from the Commonwealth...there's nothing illegal about it at all.  Virginia campaign finance laws allow for unlimited contributions from corporations, individuals, and PAC's, as long as they're disclosed.  Yee-hah!  It's the wild, wild West, new and improved with detailed monthly reporting!

Comments

[KathyinBlacksburg]

WOW. What great reporting!

[Elaine in Roanoke]

Great post, Maura. Of course, Virginia has the putrid campaign finance "laws" that it does because the average voter evidently doesn't care a whit about "following the money." There's a real job in education that needs to be done.

[Rick Howell]

I hope you guys and many others continue to keep your eyes on Bob Marshall. To get rid of him would be a real step forward for this Commonwealth. He's such a primitive and such an embarrassment. By the way, great blog....and I invite you to check out RickHowellSpeaks at http://RickHowellSpeaks.blogpot.com I'm Amherst County Democratic chair....and I post a lot on Virginia politics....

[Elaine in Roanoke]

Hey Rick,
Keep up the good work. I remember the fun of demonstrating against Karl Rove at Liberty University. Thanks again for setting that up! Keep things hopping in Amherst County. It was my home for twenty years. Still love the place.

[Special Touch]

Virginia Partisans has unveiled a new website specifically opposed to Delegate Bob Marshall. It's called Bob Must Go. Check it out! Love the site!

[blah]

Crime Commission Chair Soft on Child Sexual Abuse
Del. Albo Introduces Bill Gutting Protections for Children

RICHMOND, VA -- January 14, 2004 -- Virginia state delegate David Albo (Springfield) proposed legislation yesterday to drastically reduce penalties for sexually abusing children in the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Albo, as chairman of Virginia’s Crime Commission, proposed legislation to lower penalties for engaging in “sexual intercourse, sodomy, or fondling” a child. Penalties for these crimes would be reduced to the equivalent of tampering with cable television service (18.2-165.1, class 6 felony) and would be classified as a lesser offense than stealing chickens (18.2-97, class 5 felony).

Albo’s bill includes the following provisions:

* Sexual intercourse with a child age 0-18 would become a Class 6 felony, punishable by a fine or a maximum of 5 years in prison. It is currently punishable as Rape (unclassified felony, 5 years-Life), Incest (Class 3 felony, 5-20 years) or as Carnal knowledge (Class 4 felony, 2-10 years).

* Sodomizing a child age 0-18 would become a Class 6 felony, punishable by a fine to five years (see 18.2-10 of the Virginia Code for sentencing ranges). It is currently classified under Crimes against nature (18.2-361) as a Class 3 felony, punishable by from 5 to 20 years.

* Having sexual intercourse with a minor who is being held in a local or state correctional or juvenile detention facility would be made a Class 1 misdemeanor (Albo bill, 18.2-387.1).

What Possible Reason?

What possible reason could Delegate Albo have for attempting such a sweeping rollback of legal protections for children? According to Grier Weeks, executive director of the National Association to PROTECT Children (PROTECT), Albo's legislation is typical of elected officials who view child sexual abuse as “a social disease, not a crime.”

“If you look at the bill carefully, you'll see that these get out of jail free passes are not being offered to all criminals,” says Weeks. “This bill says that if a child molester simply proposes sex with a neighbor’s child, that’s a crime and it should be 1-10 years. But if that same criminal actually rapes or sodomizes his own niece or his student or a player on his ballteam, that’s a social problem and it's okay to punish it with a fine.”

In Virginia, over 90% of all sex crimes committed against children are perpetrated by adults the child knows, according to data published by the Virginia Department of State Police (“Crime in Virginia”, Jan.-Dec. 2002)

PROTECT was in Richmond Monday and Tuesday to seek support in the legislature for tougher penalties for criminals who betray a child's or a family’s trust to molest children. PROTECT is seeking enhanced penalties for child molesters who abuse their position of trust or authority-including parents, step-parents, clergy, teachers and coaches. Current law rewards these perpetrators and Albo's bill would make it far worse.

“Albo took the weakest law protecting kids, Indecent liberties, and used it as a trash can to dump every rotten thing you can do to a kid into. If he wants to use the Crime Commission to do this kind of thing, he should pick on someone his own size and leave child crime victims alone.”

Leadership says it will fix bill, Chairman Albo stands behind it

PROTECT spoke Tuesday with members of the House and Senate Courts leadership who acknowledged serious problems with Albo's bill and pledged to remove preferential treatment for adults who abuse positions of trust and authority in committee. Commission Chair Albo, however, refused to meet with PROTECT outside the Commission meeting and said he stood by the new reduced penalties. Albo claimed that since tougher penalties for the same crimes are still on the books (Rape, Incest, Carnal Knowledge) elsewhere, his bill would simply give prosecutors more options.

“Using that logic, we're waiting to see if Mr. Albo is going to introduce a Class 6 Felony homicide law or a misdemeanor drug dealing law next,” said Weeks.

PROTECT is a national membership association with members in 48 states and 6 countrie

[Not Larry Sabato]

Maura, I miss your updates on here.

NLS

PS- Nice potshot at me on Daily Kos on election night....

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