Terrorism prompts a crackdown
on student visa abuses
The tragic events of Sept.
11 shocked not only a nation but also a few institutes of higher education
when they realized some of the hijackers had obtained visas to enroll
in their schools.
Last week, Delegates John
A. Cosgrove, R-Chesapeake, and Leo C. Wardrup Jr., R-Virginia Beach,
combined their bills and joined forces to ensure that action will
be taken against people who enroll in Virginia schools to obtain a
visa but never attend.
>>> Read the full
story by Olivia Lloyd.
Richmond sheriff prompts
senator to introduce new bill
Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle,
R-Virginia Beach, will introduce a bill today to clarify a law about
the use of jail store profits.
Stolle’s bill is in
response to a Richmond Times-Dispatch article about Richmond Sheriff
Michelle B. Mitchell’s use of money from the jail store.
Mitchell has come under
scrutiny in the last week for using jail store proceeds to buy a $525
PalmPilot, campaign re-election photos and an expensive membership
to the Bull and Bear club.
"Clearly, that is
a violation of the code," Stolle told the Richmond
Times-Dispatch. "I don't know how anyone in their right mind
could allow the funds to be spent on what she spent it on.
"A PalmPilot and stuff
like that . . . just doesn't cut the mustard."
Stolle must receive unanimous
consent from the Senate to introduce the bill because the deadline
for presenting legislation was Jan. 18.
Senate agrees to pay wrongfully
jailed man
Senators offered an apology
Friday to Jeff Cox when they unanimously approved a $750, 000 settlement
to the man convicted of a crime he did not commit.
Cox, from New Kent County,
spent 11 years in Augusta Correctional Center for the murder of a
Richmond woman. He was freed in November after lawyers proved that
evidence had not been introduced at his trial and that a key witness
had lied under oath.
Sen. Richard L. Saslaw,
D-Springfield, apologized to Cox after hearing his story Monday and
endorsed the settlement.
"The state bears absolute,
total responsibility,'' Saslaw told The
Virginian-Pilot. "As a state, we collectively screwed up.''
Black Caucus seeks restoration
of felons’ voting rights
A bill by Delegate Jerrauld
C. Jones, D-Norfolk, would eliminate the time requirement that felons
must wait before having their voting rights restored by the governor.
"A lot of this can
be eliminated through gubernatorial policy, so they can review these
... petitions without waiting five years, so I'm calling on the governor
[to change the policy]," Jones said told The
Washington Times.
Currently, Virginia law
only allows the governor to restore civil rights, including the right
to vote and own and handgun. Though not required to do so, traditionally,
governors have waited at least five years before restoring rights,
seven years if the crime was drug-related.
