McEachin on Redistricting

State Senator Donald McEachin had an article in the Richmond Times Dispatch yesterday entitled "Redistricting is a constitutional protection."

Redistricting, a term that recently seems to have, at a minimum, many controversial connotations, is actually a constitutional protection.

Delineated in the federal Constitution, reapportionment — now more commonly known as redistricting — is the process by which we ensure the extremely critical and essential concept of "one person, one vote," as defined by the courts within very limited variance.

Because of irregular population trends over the commonwealth (and, for that matter, the country) over time legislators may find themselves representing very different numbers of people. The "ideal" number of voters in a Virginia Senate district is determined by dividing the population by 40, the number of Senate districts. The method is the same for the House of Delegates, except divided by 100, the number of House districts.

Read the entire article at the Richmond Times Dispatch.

McEachin challenges Cuccinelli's "guns in churches" opinion

From State Senator Donald McEachin:

Senator McEachin Deplores Attorney General Opinion on Guns in Places of Worship

Richmond – Senator A. Donald McEachin (D-Henrico) today issued this statement about Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s ruling on guns in places of worship. "Once again, the Attorney General governs by fiat and by his opinion rather than by the constitutional process of legislation. This very bill was introduced in the 2010 General Assembly Session, only to be left in committee by members of his own Party, never even to make it to a Floor vote. Republicans in the House of Delegates opposed this legislation and defeated it, but rather than accept the legislative process and therefore, the will of the people, the Attorney General has seen fit, once again, to overrule and ignore the Virginia General Assembly with its duly elected representatives of the people, and simply impose his own will on the Commonwealth."

Senator McEachin continued, "I cannot imagine a need to carry guns in places of worship where people go to seek peace, prayer and solace. Now, thanks to the Attorney General, if a faith community does not wish guns at their services, they will be forced to post signs and expend funds to ensure guns are not present. The assumption will be that guns can be there, even if they are contrary to the spirit of the religious service and the desires of the congregants.

"If this is truly what Virginians want, then the bill needs to be passed by the General Assembly and signed by the governor. Are the Attorney General and his cohorts afraid of a real and honest debate on this issue? Are they afraid that the vote will turn out as it did previously? Is the Attorney General so determined to kowtow to radical gun organizations that he does not want to allow faith leaders to have the opportunity to express their opinions on this subject?

"Next Session, I will put in a bill to not have guns in places of worship and then an honest debate on the merits of this policy can occur, culminating in a vote by all the elected representatives in the General Assembly. This serious decision can then be made by the people, not by a single individual's political grandstanding."

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Virginia Senate honors VCU Mens Basketball Team

You are invited to a cocktail reception with Terry McAuliffe

Please join us for a cocktail reception to support the re-election of

State Senator Donald McEachin

with special guest

Terry McAuliffe

Wednesday, April 13, 2011
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

The home of Allison Weinstein and Ivan Jecklin
640 Walsing Drive
Richmond, Virginia 23229

Host: $5,000
Sponsor: $2,500
Benefactor: $1,000
Patron: $500
Friend: $250
*Special Limited Internet Rate (only 10 tickets available): $100

Host Committee ($1,000 and up):

*Leonard Bennett ($5,000 Host)
Jim Weinberg and Rosann Bocciarelli
Eva Hardy
*Bill Jefferson ($5,000 Host)
Chris Little
Terry McAuliffe
Linda and Steve Nash
Major Reynolds
Dwight Snead
Carole and Marcus Weinstein
Williamson & Lavecchia, L.C.

To RSVP, please contact Steve Hurvitz at (703) 340-4497 or steve@stevehurvitz.com
RSVP on Facebook and invite your friends!

Please make your contribution payable to:

McEachin for State Senate
4719 Nine Mile Road
Richmond, Virginia 23223

Click here to download contribution form.
You may also contribute online at www.donaldmceachin.com

McEachin asks McDonnell to Support LGBT Foster Parents

From State Senator Donald McEachin:

Senator McEachin Sends Letter to the Governor Asking Him
to Support Proposed Foster Children Standards for LGBT Virginians

Richmond –Senator A. Donald McEachin today sent the letter copied below to Governor Robert McDonnell in reference to the proposed standards for LGBT Virginians to serve as a foster parents for children here in the Commonwealth.

The Honorable Robert McDonnell
Post Office Box 1475
Richmond, Virginia 23218

April 5, 2011

Dear Governor McDonnell,

I am writing to ask you to please publish in final form the proposed new standards for licensed private child placing agencies that have been under review for over a year. Over the past year, no real concerns have been raised about these new standards. The February 22, 2011 public hearing lasted for less than half an hour and no objections of any significance were raised.

As I know you appreciate, too many Virginia children languish in the system because of a lack of foster parents. Every child deserves the opportunity to be loved, to have a home and family and to feel needed. We can all agree that for a child to feel loved and appreciated and to have an adult who is invested in him or and wants to ensure that the child becomes everything he or she can be, is our shared goal.

These proposed standards simply ensure that adults who want to love and care for a child will not be rejected just because of who they are and/or what faith they follow. I know that both of us want this for all of Virginia’s children.

Please, Governor McDonnell, approve these standards for the sake of all children in need of a home.

Sincerely,

A. Donald McEachin

Cc: State Board of Social Services