“Add my name to the list,” says retiring Del. Kris Amundson.
We ought to add legislation to compensate Mr. Whitfield to our Calendar for August 19.
And AG candidate Steve Shannon joined the chorus as well. In a press release today:
“Arthur Whitfield spent twenty-two years of his life in prison for crimes he did not commit,” said Shannon. “This upcoming special session is our chance to provide some measure of justice for all that he suffered. I will do whatever I can to see that a bill is passed that helps Mr. Whitfield recover from his terrible experience. His plight is extraordinary enough that we should use this opportunity to do the right thing for him.”
Carpe diem!
Shannon’s complete press release is below the fold.
Shannon: Special Session is the Right Time to Do Right by Whitfield
Delegate Steve Shannon, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General, released the following statement on Wednesday pledging to support legislation to secure compensation for Arthur Whitfield, a Virginia Beach man who was recently released after spending twenty-two years in prison for crimes he did not commit:
“Arthur Whitfield spent twenty-two years of his life in prison for crimes he did not commit,” said Shannon. “This upcoming special session is our chance to provide some measure of justice for all that he suffered. I will do whatever I can to see that a bill is passed that helps Mr. Whitfield recover from his terrible experience. His plight is extraordinary enough that we should use this opportunity to do the right thing for him.
However, I hope my colleagues will remain focused on passing legislation to help Virginia respond to the Melendez-Diaz decision. This complex problem has the potential to seriously impact our public safety. We need to act on short-term legislative fixes quickly, so that we can work with the Governor to make the significant administrative changes that will lead to a long-term solution.”
The General Assembly will meet on August 19th to make changes to Virginia law in order to respond to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Melendez-Diaz v. Massachusetts. Originally the session was intended to be limited to legislation dealing with that specific issue.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Really, then why didn’t Steven Shannon co-sponsor any of the compensation bills?
As best as I can determine, there were 3 bills on the House side, all put in by local legislators. The three billed were rolled into one – Bob Tata’s bill. There were almost no co-patrons of any of the House bills. The Senate had a single bill put in by Ken Stolle and almost everyone co-patroned that bill.
In any event, why does it matter? As long as they vote for it, that’s what counts.
(And why did you have to find 3 week old post to comment about this?)
Vivian, you might want to recheck that. HB5009 had 16 House co-sponsors and one Senate co-sponsors.
(Because I was looking to see what Steve Shannon had to say on the matter since I noted his absence from the list of co-sponsors.)
HB5009 was introduced by local Del. Kenny Alexander, who is chair of the Legislative Black Caucus. Most of those who signed on as co-sponsors are also LBC members, plus the sponsors of the other bills.
Again, I say what’s important is the vote.