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The House Democratic Caucus celebrated the victory of Albert Pollard as the newly elected delegate from House District 99. Following overnight certification of the election results, Pollard will join his House colleagues at the capitol Wednesday morning.

Democrats have gained 11 seats in the House of Delegates since 2001 and are poised to regain the majority in 2009.

“Albert is a true environmental leader and a strong advocate for his community. He brings his unique background and experience to the important issues facing the Commonwealth. I’ll be proud to serve with him once again,” said House Caucus Chairman Brian Moran.

The Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star has more:

Pollard was welcomed with a standing ovation from his fellow delegates, as well as cheers from House Democrats, who are delighted that they now hold 45 of the 100 House seats. Del. Brian Moran, D-Alexandria, came into the House session with a hat to which the number "45" had been taped.

Today's Daily Progress recognizes the vital importance of Alicia's Law, and calls on the Assembly to provide the necessary funding to protect our kids.

Del. Brian Moran has proposed legislation to provide more than $32 million over the next two years to improve law enforcement of crimes against children. That includes not only the initial investigation by police but also the forensic programs that support the investigations. It also would help train and educate prosecutors and parents on the dangers of Internet predators.

Legislators know that money is scarce.

But surely they can find more funding to go after predators who would sexually torture Virginia’s children.

The Virginian-Pilot and WTOP also cover the story.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian Moran and Appropriations Vice-Chairman Phil Hamilton (R-Newport News) today announced success with “Alicia’s Law” that will provide new investments to help law enforcement crack down on online child sex predators. They were joined by Alicia and Mary Kozkeiwicz, actor David Keith, Delegate Bobby Mathieson (D-Virginia Beach), Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown and representatives of the National Association to Protect Children. Together they announced the first significant appropriation of statewide funds to build a strong network of law enforcement officers to investigate, arrest and imprison online child sex predators. The House Appropriations Committee budget included a $1.25 million investment in the Southern and Northern VA Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces (ICAC), which will allow a 100 percent increase in cases investigated and arrests made. The House budget will now go to the Senate of Virginia and be reconciled in conference prior to March 8th.

“This investment will provide a 100 percent increase in arrests made and a significant increase in the number of children saved,” said Delegate Brian Moran. “I thank my Republican and Democratic colleagues on Appropriations for seeing the merit of the program and making this critical investment. As a former prosecutor, I know our law-enforcement officers need the tools and resources required to protect us, and as the father of two young children, I couldn’t be happier that we’ve taken this great first step.”

Read the whole press release.

Brian explains “Alicia’s Law” and the importance of passing this legislation. There’s some discussion at Raising Kaine as well. Also see the latest from the National Association to Protect Children.

Brian was joined by members of law enforcement and children’s protection groups as he briefed members of the House of Delegates on the importance of ‘Alicia’s Law’ recently. New reports show that there is a significant number of children at risk of abuse and exploitation.

The Associated Press reported that,

Law enforcement officials have identified more than 19,000 individual computers with such hard-core child pornography files on them in Virginia, but said they simply do not have the resources to investigate all of the suspected sexual predators.

...

Del. Brian Moran’s bill would provide more than $32 million over the next two years to expand law enforcement and forensic capabilities to investigate crimes against children, and to train and educate prosecutors and parents on the dangers of Internet predators.

“We know the enormity of the problem. We need to apply the necessary resources to get the job done and investigate, arrest and ultimately put these child sexual predators behind bars,” Moran, the House Democratic Caucus Chairman, told reporters at a news conference.

Unfortunately, this vital bill has been stopped because the Appropriations Committee in the House said, “there isn’t enough money in this tight budget year to fund new state programs.”

This came as local law enforcement officials report that the problem in Virginia is serious.

“Tidewater is rivaled only by Northern Virginia,” said Lt. Mike Harmony of the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office. Harmony is part of the Southern Virginia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Officials said they don’t have enough resources to go after all child pornography offenders, even though they know where many of them are.

For more on the pressing need to pass ‘Alicia’s Law’, see this article in the Washington Examiner, and this article in the Richmond-Times Dispatch.

Right now, Virginia has a higher-than-average infant mortality rate. We can do better. That’s why Brian Moran introduced the ‘Infant Mortality Prevention Act’, expanding access to pre-natal care, improving coordination of home visitation programs and strengthening faith-based outreach to ensure a safe first year of life.

“Virginia stands out as a model state in many ways but we should truly be ashamed of our record on reducing infant mortality. As the father of two young children, I know there is nothing more important than providing families with a safe, secure, and healthy environment,” said Brian. “Our nation is first in millionaires and first in billionaires, yet we have fallen to 37th in the world in our infant mortality rate. Our parents deserve our support and these children deserve nothing less than a chance at life.”

The bill has already received vocal support from the Legislative Black Caucus, Voices for Virginia’s Children and the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy.

Read the full press release here

Here's a video of Brian introducing Alicia Kozakiewicz, the inspiration for Alicia's Law, on the floor of the House of Delegates.