August 7, 2013

36th District

Reston, Virginia

Cheering on the children at Le Tour des Lacs--Reston's Third Annual Tribute to the Le Tour de France

Delegate Ken Plum's

Virginia e-News

Commentary

Past Time for Reform

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum

The State Integrity Investigation, a project of the Center for Public Integrity, recently gave Virginia an F grade and a rank of 47th among the 50 states in its Corruption Risk Report Card

(www.stateintegrity.org). Ironically, among the 14 categories related to state employee actions in procurement and internal auditing the grades were A because of the tough laws legislators have passed to keep the state workforce honest. In the categories that would most impact legislators themselves, like legislative accountability, political financing, lobbying disclosure, and ethics enforcement, the scores were F. My colleagues and I have put into place comprehensive laws that establish high standards and accountability to prevent corruption by state employees. The same rules have not been applied to elected officials. According to the State Integrity Investigation, Virginia is one of only nine states without a statewide ethics commission, one of four states without campaign finance limits, and one of ten states that do not limit the value of personal gifts provided to elected officials.

Under current Virginia law, elected officials must publicly disclose any gifts with a value of more than $50 with the name of the giver and any political contribution of more than $100 with the name of the contributor. Recent media accounts of the state and federal investigations of Governor McDonnell indicate that he was able to skirt the current disclosure laws by not reporting gifts that went to his wife, daughters, and a business he owns. While he may not have violated the specific letter of the law, he seems to have found ways to violate its spirit. It will be up to the criminal justice system to deal with his situation as well as that of current Attorney General Cuccinelli who also failed to report some gifts.

For those elected officials who disclose gifts on their economic interest forms, the information is publicly available. The nonprofit Virginia Public Access Project (www.vpap.org) provides information online. Disclosure forms are not audited, and the fear of adverse publicity helps ensure that elected officials do file the required forms.

Clearly the laws on gifts and campaign contributions must be changed. I have been part of efforts in the past to strengthen the laws, but the significant bills have been defeated in committee. With the current publicity drawing attention to the lax ethics laws, change may be easier to achieve. Disclosure of gifts to family members must be included as well as loans from non-financial institutions. An ethics commission made up of non-legislative members needs to be established. The concern is not Democratic or Republican. It is a concern of everyone who wants open and honest government. These issues must be on the agenda for the 2014 General Assembly session. It is past time to act!

Virginia Report on Comcast Channel 28

Virginia Report Tune in to Ken's weekly television program, Virginia Report, on Reston Comcast Channel 28 for public service programming. Ken interviews state and local leaders who are making news by making a difference. Watch these upcoming programs:

TONIGHT - Wednesday, August 7 at 10:30 p.m. - Cynthia Sebian-Lander, Every Child Matters, "Strong Kids, Strong Virginia"

Tuesday, August 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, August 14 at 10:30 p.m. - Joseph Plummer, The Three Birds Foundation, "Engaging Students in Renewable Energy"

"Virginia Report" is also available online at www.rctv28.com/virginiareport.html for viewing on your computer or iPad.

Bulletin Board

This week is devoted to raising awareness about the dangers of red-light running during National Stop on Red Week. For more information, visit ncsrsafety.org/stop-on-red.

Reston Interfaith Becomes Cornerstones: After43 years of operating as Reston Interfaith to help individuals and families move toward greater stability and self-sufficiency, the organization has changed its name to Cornerstones. The Board of Directors voted to change the name Reston Interfaith to Cornerstones to be more inclusive of its supporters and donors, both in Reston and throughout northwestern Fairfax County. The name Cornerstones invites new partners to join the ranks of its already committed supporters, to expand the capacity to respond to the growing human need in the community. Information about Cornerstones, including volunteering, advocating and donating, can be found at www.cornerstonesva.org or by calling 571.323.9555.

Chesapeake Bay Restoration Grants: The Chesapeake Bay Restoration Advisory Committee is accepting grant applications to conduct Chesapeake Bay-related education and restoration activities. The grants are funded with monies from the sale of the special Chesapeake Bay license plate "Friend of the Chesapeake." This year $254,000 in grant monies will be awarded to eligible applicants. During this past year, 68 grantees received $366,822 in grant funds. Since 1996, nearly $6.6 million has been awarded as a result of the sale of the "Bay plate." The deadline for submitting a proposal for 2014 support grants is October 1, 2013. Grant funds will be awarded in May-June 2014. For more information and to apply, visit: http://dls.virginia.gov/commissions/cbr.htm?x=fnd.

Immunization Awareness Month in Fairfax County: The diseases that vaccines prevent can be dangerous, or even deadly. Vaccines reduce the risk of infection by working with the body's natural defenses to help it safely develop immunity to disease. Vaccinations are available through your health care provider and the Fairfax County Health Department clinics. Health Department clinics are providing extended hours in August and September for FREE school-required immunizations. More information is at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/hd/immun.

Automatic Restoration of Rights for Non-Violent Offenders: Effective July 15, 2013, the Commonwealth has moved from an application process to an automatic restoration of rights--the right to vote, to run for and hold public office, to serve on juries and to serve as a notary public. More information can be found at Restoration of Rights. The form to complete is here: Contact Form for Non-Violent Felons.

Information on the Virginia Department of Transportation's upcoming schedule of projects for street repair and construction is now on the VDOT website at this link: www.virginiadot.org/projects/ad_schedule.asp.

Calendar of Events

On August 11 at 8:00 a.m. the YMCA Fairfax County Reston and Reston Association will be holding the third annual Reston Kid's Triathlon. All net proceeds from this event will be used for the Y and RA youth scholarship programs. Look for the signs indicating road restrictions during the event. For more information, visit www.restonkidstri.org or contact Larry Butler at lbutler@reston.org.

Sunday, August 11 at 4:30 p.m., Virginia Ballet Company's summer performance "Precedence" will be held at the Ernst Community Cultural Center on the Northern Virginia Community College Annandale Campus, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. All seats are reserved; tickets are $20 plus a $3 processing fee for each ticket and may be purchased online at www.virginiaballetcompany.org. Call 703-249-8227 for further information.

Reston Community Orchestra Summer Reading Session, Monday, August 12, 7:30-10:00 p.m., at Sunset Hills Montessori School, 11180 Ridge Heights Road, Reston. Sign up and information at www.restoncommunityorchestra.org.

Secure Document Shredding, Saturday, August 17, 8:00 a.m. to noon at the North County Human Services Center, 1850 Cameron Glen Drive, Reston.

Works Sunday: Sunday, August 18, 20 faith communities are joining together for the 18th annual Works Sunday. Numerous opportunities are offered to help those in need in our community. For details on how you can help, go to www.workssunday.org.

Sunday, August 18, noon to dusk, 27th Annual Pakistan Independence Day Festival at Bull Run Regional Park, Centreville. The festival showcases Pakistani culture and is a fun-filled day for all ages. Free and open to the public. For details, visit www.pakistanfestivalusa.com.

Electric Sunday, August 18. Recycle your old unwanted electronics (televisions, computers, keyboards, speakers, stereos, etc.) along with unbroken fluorescent lights. Event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the I-66 Transfer Station,

4618 West Ox Rd., Fairfax.

Reston Regional Library Children's Book Sale, August 22-25: Thursday 10:00 a.m.- 8:00 p.m.; Friday 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.; Saturday 10:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.; Sunday 1:00 p.m.- 3:30 p.m., 11925 Bowman Towne Drive, Reston. Visit Event Information

for details.

Plum Family Picnic, Saturday, September 7, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the North Hills Picnic Pavilion in Reston.

Sunday, September 8, 9/11 Unity Walk; Registration begins at 12:00 pm at Washington Hebrew Congregation, 3935 Macomb St. NW at Massachusetts Avenue. For more information, visit 9/11 Unity Walk.

September 20-22: The KORUS Festival aims to bring together Koreans, Americans and other community members in the Washington DC metropolitan area to celebrate Korean culture. Many aspects of Korea's vibrant and unique culture will be on display in the form of music, dance, food and on stage performances. For more information contact Jennifer Oh at daavmedia@gmail.com.

Saturday, September 28, Reston Multicultural Festival, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Lake Anne Plaza, 1609 Washington Plaza, Reston. The festival is a celebration of the diversity and community spirit that is found in Reston. For more information, visit www.restoncommunitycenter.com/MulticulturalFestival.

Saturday, October 19, Reston Home Tour from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. With tickets purchased from Reston Museum, you can get inside five outstanding private homes in Reston's unique neighborhoods. All proceeds benefit Reston Historic Trust which operates Reston Museum. Visit the museum's website at www.restonmuseum.org for more information.

Governor's Transportation Conference, December 4-6, 2013, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center, 403 North Third Street, Richmond. Visit www.vatranscon.com for further information and to sign up to receive conference updates.

In This Issue

Commentary..."Past Time for Reform"

"Virginia Report" on Comcast Channel 28

Bulletin Board

Check Your Calendar

Delegate Kenneth R. "Ken" Plum

Delegate Ken Plum's Virginia E-News

703-758-9733 * kenplum@aol.com * www.kenplum.com

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