General Assembly Notebook
Edited by Chris Graham
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Petersen pushes expansion to Consumer Protection Act: State Sen. Chap Petersen on Wednesday proposed a substantial expansion to Virginia’s Consumer Protection Act, Senate Bill No. 116, to give the Attorney General the ability to sue individuals and organizations for defrauding churches.
The expansion to the law would close the Consumer Protection Act’s loophole that historically protects only individuals to include protection to churches, an aggregate of individual consumers, and make Virginia’s law consistent with that of Maryland and the District of Columbia.
This issue was first raised earlier last year when over twenty African-American churches throughout the Washington metropolitan area were targeted by a fraudulent marketing scheme that purportedly promised computer kiosks, electronic bulletin boards used for making announcements, that would in the very least, pay for itself through paid advertisements. According to the churches involved, the subpar equipment was often defective and commercial sponsorship opportunities for advertisements never promoted by TVBO, the marketing agency in question.
Leasing agreements signed by the mislead churches for the use of the illusory equipment obligated them to pay tens of thousands of dollars to various companies such as United Leasing of Associates of America of Brookfield, Wis., Balboa Capital of Irvine, Calif., Chesapeake Industrial Leasing of Baltimore, Television Broadcasting Online of D.C., and the Urban Interfaith Network of Oxon Hill, who were all named in the District’s lawsuit against them last year. Following the installation of the kiosks, unauthorized withdrawals and illicit collection transactions further drained the bank accounts of area congregations.
“I will not stand for this and those who prey on our houses of worship must be punished,” said Petersen, who has asked the Attorney General to back his bill.
“Senate Bill 116 is important to guard churches and other religious bodies against misrepresentation and protect resources used to carry out their sacred missions,” testified LaTonya Reed, Policy Analyst for the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, to the Senate Committee.
The Virginia Interfaith Center is the Commonwealth’s oldest faith-based coalition that advocates on behalf of the Virginia’s communities.
Unanimously passed by the Senate General Laws and Technology Committee, Senate Bill No. 116 is now awaiting approval by the full Senate.
Armstrong efficiency bill passes House: House Minority Leader Ward Armstrong’s HB 1153 passed the House of Delegates this week with bipartisan support.
“I’m pleased that my first bill to pass the House in the 2010 legislative session is one that will save taxpayers $2.5 million dollars,” said Armstrong.
The legislation would consolidate the staff operations of several legislative commissions under the Division of Legislative Services; thereby increasing government efficiency, and saving the Commonwealth approximately $2.5 million over the biennium.
“Virginia currently faces a $4 billion shortfall,” said Armstrong. “We must cut our own budget before we ask families, localities, schools, and law enforcement to cut theirs. This bill will increase efficiency within the legislature without any reduction in service.”
HB 1153 must still pass the Senate and be signed by the Governor before it becomes law.
View the text of HB1153 and follow its path through the General Assembly at: http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?101+sum+HB1053.
Bill to ensure medically accurate information at Crisis Pregnancy Centers: Del. David Englin joined Del. Charniele Herring and State Sen. Ralph Northam this week at a Capitol press conference announcing legislation in response to the findings of a year-long undercover investigation of the 52 so-called “crisis pregnancy centers” in Virginia.
The investigation, conducted by NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, reveals a disturbing pattern of how these unregulated centers mislead women about their health-care options, posing a public health threat
“It is vitally important that pregnant women seeking care and counseling receive medically accurate information, especially when the groups presenting that information are funded by money collected by the state,” said Englin, who is chief who-patron of the legislation in House of Delegates, with Herring as chief patron.
