Today’s If You Read the Paper is again courtesy of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Capital News Service.

Thank those smart, ambitious kids for making your news lean and tasty today.

New Law Targets Cyberbullying

By Matt Birch
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Think before you text – because sending malicious electronic messages with your cell phone soon could be punishable by law.

Under legislation approved by Virginia’s General Assembly, it would be a Class 1 misdemeanor to use a cellular telephone or other wireless device to transmit a text message that contains “profane, threatening, or indecent language.”

It's true.

The bill targets teenagers engaging in “cyberbullying” via wireless communications. It would add “texting” to Virginia’s obscene phone call statute.

On Monday, the Senate unanimously passed House Bill 2059, proposed by Delegate Robert B. Bell, R-Charlottesville. It had cleared the House on a 99-0 vote two weeks ago.

“Cyberbullying is a real problem, and makes it harder for students to learn,” Bell said in a statement. “I am hopeful that the law will protect students from those who would threaten or intimidate them through obscene texts.”

The Cyberbullying Research Center, an information clearinghouse operated by criminal justice professors in Florida and Wisconsin, defines cyberbullying as “when someone repeatedly harasses, mistreats, or makes fun of another person online or while using cell phones or other electronic devices.”

About one in five adolescents will be victimized by cyberbullies, according to the center’s research. In extreme cases, authorities say, cyberbullying has driven young people to commit suicide.

Virginia already has a law that says, “Any person who uses obscene, vulgar, profane, lewd, lascivious, or indecent language, or makes any suggestion or proposal of an obscene nature, or threatens any illegal or immoral act with the intent to coerce, intimidate, or harass any person, over any telephone or citizens band radio, in this Commonwealth, is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.”

But the statute doesn’t say anything about texting. HB 2059 would make it clear that obscene or threatening text messages would be illegal.

“This is an example of changing laws to keep up with changing times,” Bell said. “It was originally brought to my attention by a juvenile prosecutor in Culpeper. I also met with my local middle and high school principals, who made it clear that cyberbullying does cause problems in their schools.”

Bell’s measure states that “over any telephone” would cover “any electronically transmitted communication producing a visual or electronic message that is received or transmitted by cellular telephone or other wireless telecommunications device.”

The Senate’s action now sends the bill to Gov. Bob McDonnell for his approval. If signed into law, the legislation would take effect July 1. A Class 1 misdemeanor is punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine.

“I am hopeful that the law will protect students from those who would threaten or intimidate them through obscene texts,” Bell said.

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On the Web
To read the full text of House Bill 2059, or to track or comment on the legislation, visit www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/hb2059
The website of the Cyberbullying Research Center is http://www.cyberbullying.us

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CNN Anchor Discusses Life, Work, World

By Jillian Quattlebaum
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Nervous about his first job interview for a position as a restaurant waiter in high school, Anderson Cooper asked his mother for advice.

“She thought about it and she said, ‘Wear vertical stripes because they’re slimming,’” Cooper recalled.

The Emmy-winning anchor for CNN spoke to and took questions from a sold-out audience at the Richmond Forum this weekend, discussing his background, career and world events.

After graduating from Yale University in 1989 with a degree in political science, Cooper, who had studied communism during college, said he did not know what to do.

“When the Berlin Wall fell my senior year, I was completely screwed,” Cooper said.

He said that despite reservations, he asked his mother, New York socialite and fashion designer Gloria Vanderbilt, what he should do.

“She thought about it and she said, ‘Follow your bliss,’” Cooper said.

Cooper said he never set out to be an anchor, but he had always been interested in television news and war correspondents during the Vietnam War.

After a trip to Africa during his last semester of college, he said, he wanted to be a war correspondent or foreign correspondent. He tried and failed to get his foot in the door – so he devised a plan.

“I was thinking that if I went to these places that were really dangerous, I would have less competition because not that many people would want to go,” Cooper said.

Cooper. (Pic | Craig ONeal)

Cooper said he got a friend to make him fake press pass. Then he borrowed a video camera and snuck into Burma to meet some student protesters.

From Burma, he traveled to Somalia in 1992 during a famine.

“I may have gone to Yale, but I believe I was really educated in Somalia … and all those other places I traveled those first three years as a foreign correspondent,” Cooper said.

In Somalia, he found his calling.

“I knew that I couldn’t actually stop the starvation. I couldn’t stop the war. I couldn’t save people’s lives,” Cooper said. “But things I could do bear witness to their struggles.”

Later, Cooper said he think good reporters are haunted by the things they see and should take a break when they become desensitized.

“If you’re not willing to be changed yourself – if you’re not willing to have a story keep you up at night – I don’t think you should be out there trying to tell it,” he said.

Cooper added that many things have changed in the world of reporters. He said that reporters have become targets of mob rage and that a reporter’s safety has become a higher priority.

Cooper said he tries to make sure such factors do not affect his work.

“I try never to let fear dictate what I do,” Cooper said.

Even with the evolution in media, Cooper says one thing will stay the same.

“Viewers want facts, information – and along with that, I think they’re smart enough to make up their own minds,” Cooper said.

He also discussed the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina that devastated New Orleans. He said the silence was shocking during the first few days after the storm.

“We all know that government failed in the wake of Katrina, but the important thing is the individuals did not,” Cooper said.
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‘One-Stop’ Licensing for New Businesses

By Lizi Arbogast
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – New businesses would have an easier time getting licenses and completing other paperwork under a bill proposed by Sen. Chap Petersen, D-Fairfax, and passed by the General Assembly.

On unanimous votes, Senate Bill 1226 received final approval last week by the House and Senate. If Gov. Bob McDonnell signs the bill into law, it will take effect July 1.

The measure authorizes local governments to establish “one-stop” licensing programs. That means start-ups could go to one location in a city or county to register for a small-business license and fill out state and local tax forms.

“This system saves time for business owners by consolidating governmental paperwork in one place,” Petersen stated in a press release. “For example, as a small business, you can renew your car’s registration, obtain a business license and register for sales tax at one time.”

A related measure, House Bill 2183, introduced by Delegate Ben Cline, R-Amherst, also has cleared the House and Senate unanimously. It would allow businesses to register for sales tax purposes with their local commissioner of revenue rather than with the state tax commissioner.

The state tax commissioner would establish guidelines for local officials to follow.
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On the Web
• To track Senate Bill 1226, visit www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/sb122
• To track House Bill 2183, visit www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/hb2183
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Lawmakers Tighten Sex Offender Restrictions

By Jillian Quattlebaum
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Adults convicted of sexually violent offenses would be barred from entering school buses and would have to submit a DNA sample under two bills headed toward approval in the General Assembly.

House Bill 2066 “expands the prohibition on entry onto school grounds by any adult convicted of a sexually violent offense to include any school bus.” The measure was approved unanimously by the House on Feb. 8 and by the Senate last week.

The Senate broadened the prohibition to include any public or private property being used for a school-related or school-sponsored activity. That change now must be considered by the House.

The bill’s patron, Delegate Rob Bell, R-Charlottesville, said that people convicted of a sexually violent offense present a threat to children. He said it is important to make sure students are safe on their way to school — especially on a bus where other adults may not be present.

“Every parent of a student puts his boy or girl on the bus and takes a leap of faith that his child will get to school safely,” Bell said. “This is an effort to help keep that faith.”

He said HB 2066 is an extension of a law passed in 2007 that prohibits sexually violent offenders from entering school property.

“I patroned the original law, which was prompted by a sex offender who visited a Central Virginia elementary school dressed as Santa Claus,” Bell said.

Bell said the Virginia State Police suggested expanding the ban to school buses.

Bell also is sponsoring HB 2065. He said it would “require the collection of (deoxyribonucleic acid) DNA samples upon a conviction for additional sex offenses, including sexual battery, ‘peeping,’ and sexual abuse by an adult of a child who is 14 or 15. It would also authorize the taking of DNA samples pursuant to a plea agreement among all the parties.”

HB 2065 also cleared the House and Senate on unanimous votes. The Senate substituted its own version of the bill; on Friday, the House unanimously approved the Senate substitute.

Bell said that currently, the state can collect DNA samples for violators of some sex offenses, but not the ones he has listed in the bill. He said the new law would expand the DNA database because it is adding additional sex offenses to the list.

“DNA in the database can be used to determine if the defendant commits a sex offense in the future,” Bell said. “DNA helps ensure that the guilty person is caught.”

HB 2065 was suggested by the Virginia Department of Forensic Science as a way of improving the DNA database, Bell said.

Bell said that upon conviction, the defendant will be required to provide a DNA sample for inclusion in the database.

“Improving the DNA database will help us catch the perpetrator if he ever re-offends in the future,” Bell said. “DNA helps us catch and punish the guilty just as it helps exonerate the innocent.”
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On the Web
To track or comment on House Bill 2065, visit www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/hb2065
To track or comment on HB 2066, visit www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/hb2066
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Democrats Eat Up Criticism of Republicans

By Jillian Quattlebaum
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – About 1,400 people attended Virginia Democrats’ Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where party stalwarts discussed their core values and criticized the state’s Republican leadership.

At their annual fundraiser Saturday night, Democrats touted their support for education funding and abortion rights.

Delegate Ward Armstrong of Martinsville said he disagreed with Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s budget plans to take some money from the state’s general fund – which supports education, law enforcement and social services – and spend it on transportation projects.

“As important as transportation is, you cannot rob schools, police and the mentally challenged to pay for roads,” said Armstrong, the minority leader in the House of Delegates.

He said it is difficult to be a Democrat in the House, where Republicans hold 58 of the 100 seats.

“There is a war going on in the House of Delegates right now over whether we should take money from schools, police and funds for the mentally challenged and put it into transportation,” Armstrong said.

Another speaker at the dinner was Sen. Richard Saslaw of Springfield. He is the majority leader in the Senate, where the Democrats hold 22 of the 40 seats.

Saslaw said the audience would not believe the number of bills that would strip a woman of her right to have an abortion.

“I can tell you as long as I’m in the majority, those bills will never pass,” Saslaw said.

Speakers riled up the crowd with remarks criticizing Republicans.

U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly said Republicans won the 2010 midterm elections by claiming that the first thing they would do if elected was to create jobs and fix the economy.

“The first thing they did was pass a bill to repeal health care,” Connolly said.

He said Republican budget writers want to cut spending for health care, public television and programs to help seniors and the underprivileged.

“Those Republicans know the cost of everything and the value of nothing,” Connolly said.

Brian Moran, chairman of the Democratic Party of Virginia, said Republican leaders are more concerned with affairs in Washington, D.C., than in Virginia.

“Folks, we have an attorney general who thinks ‘The Flintstones’ was a documentary,” Moran said in a jab at Republican Ken Cuccinelli, who has challenged federal regulations concerning global warning.

Moran said Democrats must get more members elected to the House of Delegates. All of the House seats are up for grabs this year.

Connolly’s speech reflected this sense of urgency.

“I’ll give Republicans 2009 and 2010,” he said. “But 2011 and 2012 is ours.”
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Kaine Mulling Run for Senate Seat

By Jennie Lynn Price and Jillian Quattlebaum
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Tim Kaine needs more time to think.

Virginia’s former governor and the current chairman of the Democratic National Committee spoke Saturday at the Democratic Party of Virginia’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, where he addressed speculation around a possible run for U.S. Senate.

“I thank everyone who has encouraged me to think about running in 2012,” Kaine said. “It’s touching – it’s gratifying – to see so many people who understand that the race is important and who feel like I might be able to serve the commonwealth in this capacity.”

But Kaine did not use the platform to announce whether he would seek the seat being vacated by Democratic U.S. Sen. Jim Webb.

Kaine, who took the stage amid chants of “we want Tim,” said he will make a decision soon, after reflecting with his wife, Anne Holton.

“Whatever decision I make,” Kaine said, “I’m confident that the next senator from Virginia will be a Democrat.”

Kaine has expressed some reluctance toward a Senate bid. He said he loves his job as DNC chairman and had planned to focus his energies on helping the Democrats win the presidential race in 2012.

In his speech, Kaine echoed the “win the future” message that President Barack Obama delivered in his State of the Union address. Kaine urged Virginia Democrats to “focus on the future.”

However, Webb’s surprise retirement announcement earlier this month has cast Kaine as a strong candidate for the seat.

Other Democrats mentioned as potential Senate candidates include U.S. Reps. Gerry Connolly and Bobby Scott and former U.S. Reps. Tom Perriello and Rick Boucher, who were defeated by Republicans in congressional races last fall.

Connolly said with a smile that the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate should meet certain criteria. He said the candidate should have local governing experience, be motivated by Catholic social justice, have spent time as a missionary, proudly support health care reform and not have a moustache.

Those criteria describe Kaine to a T.

“Tim Kaine is a public servant in the truest sense of the word,” said Connolly, who sports a moustache.

U.S. Rep. Jim Moran said he hopes Kaine runs for the U.S. Senate.

“We’re fired up and ready to get you into office,” Moran told Kaine.

On the GOP side, George Allen, who held the U.S. Senate seat from 2001 to 2007 before losing it to Webb, hopes to win back his old job in 2012. And Jamie Radtke, a leader in the Virginia Tea Party Patriots Federation, also plans to run for the seat as a Republican.

The Virginia race has national importance because it may help determine control of the U.S. Senate, where Democrats hold a 53-47 majority.
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Thumbs Up To Sign Language Courses

By Fletcher Babb and Destiny Shelton
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – Virginia students soon may have another choice when selecting a foreign language to pursue.

A bill that would recognize American Sign Language as a foreign language has passed both the House and Senate and awaits Gov. Bob McDonnell’s signature.

House Bill 1435 was introduced by Delegate Dickie Bell, R-Staunton. Staunton is home to the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, which was founded in 1838. According to the school’s website, it is one of the oldest schools in the state and the second of its kind in the world.

Although ASL has been taught at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind for decades, now more students may have the chance to take the language for academic credit.

Bell said his measure “simply provides that American Sign Language be given the same standing as other foreign languages in our public high schools and institutions of higher learning. It’s a practice currently recognized in 35 other states.”

Under Bell’s legislation, “if a local school board offers an elective course in American Sign Language, it must grant academic credit for course completion on the same basis as the successful completion of a foreign language course and count course completion in American Sign Language toward the fulfillment of any foreign language requirement for graduation,” according to an analysis of the bill by the Virginia Department of Planning and Budget.

That part of the bill “codifies a current practice that has been in place for more than 10 years in local school divisions,” the analysis said.

“In addition, this bill would now require any public institution of higher education in Virginia to recognize academic credit received for either successful completion of American Sign Language courses in a secondary school or higher education institution as sufficient to meet the foreign language entrance requirements of such institutions. Currently, the decision is left up to the institution on whether or not to recognize such credits.”

(Virginia Commonwealth University already allows students to present ASL courses to fulfill their foreign language requirement.)

According to Dawn Hitchens, an ASL teacher in Loudon County, the legislation could open doors for both deaf and hearing students, who might have more options when selecting colleges.

“Students right now are discouraged from taking ASL,” Hitchens said. “They are told that many colleges don’t accept it.”

Hitchens is glad legislators adopted HB 1435. “It’s going to have a huge impact,” she said.

The bill passed 95-3 in the House and 34-6 in the Senate.

Sen. George Barker, who voted against the bill, said, “I think the basic objection is that colleges and universities should be able to set their own provisions rather than us dictating from the state level.”

Hitchens said there may be another reason why some people might oppose the bill.

“Some don’t believe that it’s a foreign language because it’s used in the U.S.,” she said. “But maybe that’s just semantics – what does ‘foreign’ mean?”

If the governor signs the bill, it will become law on July 1.
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Facts About American Sign Language
• ASL is a “complete, complex language that employs signs made with the hands and other movements, including facial expressions and postures of the body.”
• It is the primary language used by people who are deaf in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
• It is based on French Sign Language. Because it has unique grammar, punctuation and syntax and has no written form, ASL bears little semblance to English.
• ASL is the fourth most common language in the United States.
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders [www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/asl.asp]
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On the Web
To track or comment on House Bill 1435, visit www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/hb1435
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Fund Would Help Revitalize Richmond

By Catherine Leth
Capital News Service

RICHMOND – The city of Richmond is on a path to give financial assistance to private firms doing work in blighted neighborhoods.

Two proposals headed toward approval in the General Assembly – House Bill 1668 and Senate Bill 799 – would create a “community revitalization fund” that would allow renovators to apply for loans or grants when working in deteriorated residential areas.

Delegate Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, is sponsoring HB 1668. She said most of the funding would go to nonprofit groups, but for-profit companies could apply as well.

“The city is trying to find new ways to combat blight and fix up derelict properties,” McClellan said. “We’ve got buildings up in Northside that have been boarded up for 40 years. So if somebody wants to come and buy it and fix it up, they can apply to the city for a grant or loan to do that.”

Under current state law, localities cannot give money to private entities without express permission from Virginia lawmakers. This is one of many statewide policies that make it harder for Richmond to fix up its neighborhoods, says Chris Hilbert, a member of the Richmond City Council.

“I hope that people can see that and give localities, particularly some of our older cities, these powers to effect change in our jurisdictions,” Hilbert said. “It’s very difficult to speak with folks and give them, from the local perspective, a lot of hope … about what can be done because the state laws really tie up local governments.”

Hilbert, who helped create the legislation, said blighted areas are a haven for prostitution and drug dealing and tend to “drag down” neighborhoods. He showed little concern for property rights supporters who oppose government action targeting owners of blighted houses.

“I was taught early on that my right to swing my fist ended at my neighbor’s nose,” Hilbert said. “I feel like those owners of blighted properties are swinging indiscriminately at property owners around them.”
The proposed revitalization fund could be used in four ways:
• Loans or grants to organizations for the construction, renovation and demolition of residential structures
• Infrastructure improvements
• Acquisition of blighted properties
• Sustainability projects for residential structures

The legislation has met little opposition in the General Assembly.

HB 1668 passed the House, 99-0, on Feb. 8. On Friday, the Senate approved the bill, 36-3. (Three Republican senators voted against it: Stephen Martin of Chesterfield; Mark Obenshain of Harrisonburg; and Ralph Smith of Roanoke.)

The companion measure, SB 799, was introduced by Sen. A. Donald McEachin, D-Richmond. In January, it cleared the Senate, 35-3 (with Martin, Obenshain and Smith dissenting). On Friday, the House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns unanimously endorsed SB 799.

Neighborhoods in Bloom
Supporters hope the proposed revitalization fund will build on the success of programs such as Neighborhoods in Bloom.

The city of Richmond created Neighborhoods in Bloom in 1999 to work with nonprofit groups to repair and sell vacant historic homes. The project involves meeting with community leaders and analyzing crime and poverty statistics to find areas most suitable for renovation.

In 2006, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the program its Opportunity and Empowerment Award for significantly decreasing crime rates in targeted neighborhoods.

A nonprofit group that promotes community revitalization is the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods.

Formed in 1998, ACORN acts as a resource center for homebuyers, promoting the renovation and selling of old or abandoned homes in Richmond.
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On the Web
To track or comment on House Bill 1668, visit www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/hb1668
To track or comment on Senate Bill 799, see www.richmondsunlight.com/bill/2011/sb799
Find more information about Neighborhoods in Bloom at www.richmondgov.com/neighborhoods
The website for the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods is www.richmondneighborhoods.org
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