While West Virginia Democratic Legislators Gut Sex Offender Legislation, Their Virginia Counterparts Do the Right Thing

While West Virginia's Ruling Party continues gutting a pair of already weak bills (HB 4039 and SB 205) purporting to protect the citizenry from sex offenders, their counterparts in the Commonwealth of Virginia are on track to unanimously pass multiple bills to provide the children of Virginia airtight protection from sex offenders.

After unanimous passage by the Virginia House of Delegates, HB 846 is on its way to unanimous passage in the Virginia Senate. VA HB 846 establishes a 25-year mandatory minimum sentence for the very first offense of sexual assault of a child younger than 12 years old. Ditto for HB 984, HB 1038, HB 1333, and HB 1359, all of which include provisions defeated in West Virginia's House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

Let me repeat this for my friends in the West Virginia Democratic Party: there is no shame in being tough on child molesters and rapists. Not one member of the Virginia General Assembly has voted against or voted to gut any of these measures in the Old Dominion. Surely, you can find a way of following their lead and maybe--maybe--saving your sorry keister from a shellacking in November.