Over the past year, I have had the privilege of serving as a member of the Governor’s Commission on Sexual Violence and as Chairman of the Commission’s Committee on Treatment and Intervention. Constituted by Governor Kaine, the Commission brought together a diverse group of legislators, civil servants and leading advocates from across the Commonwealth for the purpose of identifying ways to make the administration of justice more supportive of survivors of sexual and domestic violence. Many of the recommendations made by the Commission serve as the basis of Governor Kaine’s robust public safety legislative agenda for the current session of the General Assembly.

The Commission’s work is one of several examples of public safety initiatives taking place in Virginia. Others include the Governor’s efforts to identify innovative ways to reduce recidivism rates among criminal offenders, as well as ongoing efforts to measure and make available to the public the effectiveness of Virginia’s public safety programs through www.vaperforms.virginia.gov.

Efforts such as those of the Governor’s Commission on Sexual Violence offer an important insight as to how to produce quality legislation within the framework of Virginia’s citizen-legislature model of governance, in which the General Assembly meets for about two months each year. Our success largely depends upon having executive and legislative officials identify the public policy areas requiring immediate attention. Then our ability to bring diverse stakeholders together when the General Assembly is not in session is critical. We need these off-season efforts to recommend potential policy solutions, to analyze options and to advise elected officials on how best to further refine these policy recommendations when the Legislature reconvenes.

While each session of the General Assembly carries with it thousands of bills to consider, the most beneficial bills tend to undergo this important vetting process. Quality deliberation, collaboration among stakeholders with diverse views and welcoming input from the general public are hallmarks of good public policy. In contrast, bills most likely to have unintended policy consequences are those that have been shielded, intentionally or not, from this important vetting process.

In the realm of public safety, the focus must always remain on improving upon how we keep our citizens safe. The public’s participation is essential to the policymaking process, particularly with public safety, as further examined in this episode of The View from Virginia.

- Steve Shannon

Episode 5: Marilyn Harris and Clyde Christman, Deputy Secretaries of Public Safety

In this program, Steve Shannon discuss the innovative public safety efforts taking place in Virginia with two leading public safety experts in the Kaine Administration, Deputy Secretaries of Public Safety Marilyn Harris and Clyde Christman. Their discussion provides a context for many of the public safety debates that have started up in Richmond as the Legislature returns for the 2008 Session of the Virginia General Assembly.

The Department of Public Safety is responsible for coordinating fourteen agencies that work to ensure that Virginians have the greatest degree of safety and most secure lives possible. The agency oversees services ranging from emergency service coordination, criminal detention, emergency preparedness and state police law enforcement.

Virginia’s Initiatives in Public Safety

Since the taping of this program, the Governor’s Commission on Sexual Violence has issued its report of findings, which can be downloaded here. As a result, Governor Kaine has requested legislation based on the Commission’s recommendations.

Virginia Performs is a website the defines the major benchmarks for Virginia’s state agencies, then presents statistics related to the achievement levels of their performance of duties. It is a valuable tool for providing transparency into the functions of Commonwealth services and for providing incentive to public employees for better work practices.

Virginia’s Department of Veteran’s Services provides support and services to the heroes from our state that have served in the line of fire.

This legislative session, Delegate Shannon is spearheading a number of public safety initiatives, including:

• House Bill 956: Ensure Virginia’s compliance with the Federal Violence Against Women Act by clarifying that Virginia will pay the cost of personal evidence recovery kits for sexual assault victims.

• House Bill 964: Increase penalties for convicted sexual offenders who fail to register on Virginia’s Sex Offender Registry.

• House Bill 965: Enable stalking victims to apply to the Criminal Injury Fund for resources for services such as relocation assistance.

• House Bill 966: Increase penalties for assault and battery of a law enforcement agent of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverages Control.

• House Bill 969: Increase penalties for hazing a gang initiate by requiring her to engage in sexual acts on gang members for membership.

• House Bill 970: Empower judges to ensure compliance by placing the subject of a permanent protective order on probation.

• House Bill 973: Close a loophole in Virginia’s indecent liberties statute for the protection of children.

• House Bill 974: Require law enforcement to update Virginia’s criminal information network whenever a protective order is issued.

In 1960, Virginia had a population of approximately four million people. Today the Commonwealth has roughly seven and one-half million people, and the number is expected to grow to eight million by 2010. While this population growth is a byproduct of Virginia’s prosperity over the past four decades, it has come at a cost to our natural resources.

The way we use our land impacts environmental conditions. These can be direct, such as the destruction of natural habitats and landscapes, or indirect, such as when increases of traffic lead to more congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gases. Land use planning and management decisions have a critical role in managing the challenges of preserving the quality of life that Virginians want.

At the state level, Governor Kaine has led efforts to preserve, and when necessary, remediate problems facing our natural environment. The Governor’s initiative to acquire 400,000 acres of open space over four years is just one way he is providing a response to growing conservation needs. This land conservation effort will produce significant long-term benefits for Virginia. For instance, when Virginia acquires open space on riparian lands, it improves water quality by creating a natural buffer between runoff debris and our waterways. Likewise, land conservation efforts protect endangered species and plants by preserving critical habitats. Land conservation efforts have an economic component, for example, by contributing to the sustainability of a vibrant forestry industry. Finally, land conservation efforts provide a means of protecting many of Virginia’s historic assets, important for both tourism and for maintaining our cultural identity.

Natural resource preservation requires teamwork at all levels of government. For instance, Virginia recently instituted a nutrient credit trading program that allows different jurisdictions within the same watershed collaboratively to utilize their wastewater treatment facilities in a way that substantively reduces nitrogen levels. Similarly, the Virginia General Assembly granted more authority to local governments to enforce soil and erosion sediment control ordinances, in response to local officials’ concern about the level of storm water runoff from certain development sites.

Ultimately, we are stewards of Virginia’s great natural legacy. Sustaining that legacy is critical to our citizens’ quality of life and for future generations as well. In this episode of “The View from Virginia,” I discuss many of these public policy initiatives with Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources, Preston Bryant.
- Steve Shannon

Episode 4: Preston Bryant, Secretary of Natural Resources

n this week’s show, Steve Shannon interviews Virginia’s Secretary of Natural Resources, Preston Bryant. They review environmental concerns facing the state and the efforts addressing them.

The Secretary of Natural Resources is responsible for the management of the environment, state parks and stewardship of natural resources in Virginia. He heads the the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, the Department of Historic Resources, the Marine Resources Commission, the Virginia Museum of Natural History, the Chippokes Plantation Farm Foundation and the Virginia Council on Indians.

Ongoing State Initiatives in Natural Resources

The Governor is dedicated to preserving 400,000 acres of land by 2010. This includes efforts by using easements and conservation land grants. Information on this effort is found at the DCR Office of Land Conservation’s website.

Virginia’s park system is designed to make access available within 50 miles of any place in the state. Learn more about recreational opportunities at the State Parks website.

The Commonwealth has a large effort to clean up its waterways. Information on Virginia’s water cleanup program can be found here.

Mercury is a dangerous pollutant. A critical initiative is aimed at removing this chemical from Virginia’s waste cycle.

When it comes to business growth and prosperity, Virginia has enjoyed several notable accolades from outside objective parties over the past few years. We are among a handful of states that have the highest bond rating, reaffirming Virginia’s ability to manage its fiscal house while making key investments and keeping regulatory and tax burdens relatively low. Forbes magazine rated Virginia the most pro-business state in the country and we recently were named the best managed state in the country in a study conducted by Governing magazine.

This is not a time to rest on our laurels though. The economic environment is becoming more competitive among other states and with our global competitors. A key component of our continued success must focus on the quality of our economic development efforts.

The term “economic development” has multiple components. It includes how we attract companies to Virginia from other states and from other countries. It encompasses our efforts to promote Virginia products nationally and overseas. It involves setting the right combination of incentives that enable Virginia companies to grow and remain successful. Within the framework of economic development, the public policy decisions we make now will have enormous implications on the economic health of the Commonwealth over the next ten years.

To start with, our public universities and colleges must be able to produce the highly skilled workforce that companies demand. Likewise, public instruction in pre-kindergarten through high school must produce students equipped to handle the rigors of our public universities and colleges.

Our commitment to investing in research and development at Virginia’s premiere institutions serves as a powerful catalyst for attracting companies to invest in Virginia. The ability to commercialize the research that begins at these public institutions can result in high wage jobs that stay in the Commonwealth.

Our proximity to the nation’s capital provides a unique opportunity to attract federal government contractors and partner with federal agencies so long as we strategically cultivate these relationships with an eye towards bringing good jobs to Virginia.

Finally, our regional diversity from an economic perspective creates opportunities to foster the economy throughout the Commonwealth. It is true that prospective companies will locate to those regions of Virginia that meet their demands. Yet it also is true that those companies can yield a better return on investment for certain jobs and departments if they operate in areas of Virginia with a well-trained workforce, a lower cost structure, available land, and other regional assets. This creates tremendous opportunities for building the economies of Southside and Southwest Virginia, so long as we aggressively are working towards identifying these opportunities and making them a reality.

Economic success does not just happen. It requires a long-term strategic vision and collaboration between policymakers and the private sector. In this episode of “The View from Virginia,” I discuss these issues further with Virginia’s Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Patrick Gottschalk.
- Steve Shannon

Episode 3: Patrick Gottschalk, Secretary of Commerce and Trade

In this week’s show, Steve Shannon interviews the Secretary of Commerce and Trade, Patrick Gottschalk. 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 our citizens.

The Secretary of Commerce and Trade supervises the economic, community and workforce development of Virginia.

Ongoing State Initiatives in Commerce and Trade

Governor Kaine’s Economic Strategic Plan defines nine measurable object areas where development efforts are focused and is available online for downloading.

Businesses can seek assistance from the Department of Business Services, which provides supports to all Virginia businesses. It sponsors conferences throughout the year, including a Public Procurement Forum and a IT Workforce Summit.

Efforts to attract businesses to Virginia are coordinated by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.

The Department of Housing and Community Development spearheads the Governor’s policy efforts to promote affordable housing. Information on their upcoming Construction and Grant Management Workshop and notes from past meetings are posted to the Department’s homepage. Direct housing assistance is coordinated by the Virginia Housing Development Authority. Resources Enabling Affordable Community Housing in Virginia (REACH-VA) is an effort to promote effective solutions for homeownership to the Commonwealth’s diverse communities.

I recently hosted a delegation of Virginia legislators from the Tidewater and Petersburg areas to meet with corporate leaders from several of Virginia’s largest technology companies. As we toured the facilities of Micron Technologies, Oracle, AOL and Microsoft, I asked a straightforward question to each of the company representatives: “What caused your company to locate and stay in Virginia?” The answer was straightforward. Virginia’s public universities and colleges are of a caliber that companies can readily tap into a highly skilled labor pool on a continual basis.

The message was not lost on anyone. There is a direct relationship between targeted investments by the public sector and growing our private sector. In particular, the strength of a public education system strongly correlates with the strength of our regional and statewide economies.

Of course, a great system of higher education relies upon students receiving a quality education during the early years. We know empirically the importance of having children reading at an age-appropriate level by the 3rd grade, and we also know the high cost of remediation when students fall behind. Continuity in the quality of our public education structure must exist at all levels in order to continue producing the highly skilled workforce that keeps Virginia’s economy strong.

With this realization, several challenges arise. First, we need to ensure that the measurements for gauging success are both fair and accurate. Second, we need to make sure that we are investing adequate resources towards public instruction and utilizing the resources of the private sector when appropriate. Third, we need to ensure that we are making efficient use of existing resources by minimizing operational expenses and maximizing resources directed towards the classroom.

Public education is a key component of any successful society. In order to compete in a global marketplace, our need constantly to improve Virginia’s educational structure is a necessity. In this episode of “The View from Virginia,” featuring Virginia Secretary of Education Tom Morris, we explore these issues further.

- Steve Shannon

Episode 2: Education with Thomas Morris, Secretary of Education

In this week’s show, Steve Shannon interviews Virginia’s Secretary of Education, Dr. Thomas Morris. They discuss efforts underway to strengthen education programs from early childhood to higher education.

The Secretary of Education manages Virginia’s education policy. He coordinates sixteen colleges and universities, the Virginia Community College System, state education and research centers, the Virginia Department of Education and state-supported museums throughout the Commonwealth.

Ongoing State Initiatives in Education

Early Childhood Education
Under Governor Kaine, the Department of Education has directed several coordinated efforts to establish stronger educational skills at early ages. These include:

The Start Strong Council is charged with expanding access to preschool for Virginia’s 4-year-olds via creative public-private partnerships in communities across the state. They have regularly scheduled meetings and posts reports online to their website.

Smart Beginnings is a partnership effort to enhance opportunities for optimal growth and development from birth to kindergarten. The Smart Beginnings website features a resource center on early childhood research, including presentations given at last summer’s Early Childhood Summit.

Higher Education
Virginia’s Higher Education system consistently performs at the highest international standards. Components of this success include Administrative Autonomy, the leading higher education reform program initiated to-date under Secretary Morris’s term. Through legislation passed in 2005, higher education institutions are now permitted independent decision-making in areas such as capital building projects, procurement and personnel. That autonomy comes with performance objectives and oversight.

There is no question about the significance of the technology sector’s impact on Virginia over the past decade. Technology innovation feeds our economy by creating new jobs with high wages. It provides new tools for learning and it has transformed the way government provides services to its citizens.

We work in a closely connected world—more so than ever before. Our businesses are only a keystroke away from competitors in distant lands and vice-versa. This creates tremendous economic opportunities for Virginia, but it also reinforces the fact that Virginia must compete globally in learning, knowledge generation and the application of information.

From a public policy perspective, our need to stay competitive creates a framework for providing opportunities for our citizens. Competition underscores the importance of investing in internet broadband capabilities in every region of Virginia. Competition gives meaning to the critical relationship between our public universities and colleges and the skilled workforce needed to fuel Virginia’s technology sector. Competition has broad implications on workforce training, particularly for citizens who transition directly from high school to the private sector. Competition causes us to invest in research and development in new ways. Finally, competition allows us to find opportunities to make the operation of government more efficient and the delivery of government services more responsive.

As we look forward, innovation in technology can have an even more profound impact over the next ten years in Virginia than it has during the past ten years. The opportunities for our citizens are boundless so long as we recognize the changing competitive dynamics caused by technology and are able to respond to these challenges in a meaningful way.
- Steve Shannon

Episode 1: Technology with Aneesh Chopra, Secretary of Technology

In this week’s show, Steve Shannon interviews Virginia’s Secretary of Technology, Aneesh Chopra. They review the challenges facing Virginia’s technology sector and how the state is promoting its continued prosperity.

The Secretary of Technology is responsible for the efficient and effective use of information technology to simplify state government operations, and the office works with the private sector to promote and strengthen Virginia’s technology industries. Secretary Chopra oversees two agencies: Virginia’s Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) and the Virginia Information Technologies Agency (VITA).

Ongoing State Initiatives in Technology

The Research and Technology Advisory Commission advises the Governor on appropriate research and technology strategies for the Commonwealth. Meetings are open to the public and the next meeting takes place next Tuesday September 18, 2007 at the Westfields Marriott in Chantilly, VA.

The Productivity Investment Fund is a $3 million appropriation designated by the Council on Virginia’s Future to fund solutions identified by the Enterprise Solutions Group. The Enterprise Solutions Group works with agencies, private firms, academic leaders, and citizens to surface projects fostering a simpler and more effective government.

The Office of Health IT is a collaborative effort between the Secretaries of Health and Human Resources and Technology. It serves as a virtual office combining staff from both the Health and Technology Secretariats and serves as support staff for the Health IT Council awards. The Office also works with the Enterprise Solutions Group to help agencies interested in advancing the Health IT Agenda.

The Office of Telework Promotion and Broadband Assistance works to encourage the development of a family-friendly, business-friendly public policy environment that promotes workplace efficiency, reduces strain on transportation infrastructure and encourages the deployment and adoption of affordable broadband level telecommunication services.