Steve Shannon Supports Virginia Veterans and their Families
In my years as a prosecutor and a public servant, I have made it my mission to protect our families and to make Virginia safer. My wife and I co-founded the AMBER alert system in Northern Virginia to help rescue abducted children. I used my time as a prosecutor to crack down on drunk drivers and sex offenders. But my work cannot compare to the bravery of Virginia’s veterans and service members. Virginia is home to 812,000 veterans, and we have one of the largest military populations in the country, with 156,000 active military personnel, 26,000 reservists, and 10,000 members of the Virginia National Guard.
Virginia has a proud heritage of military service, and as your next Attorney General I will work to ensure that your families are safe on the block while you continue to keep us safe overseas. I want to thank you for your service, from my family to yours.
Keeping Communities Safe
Those who have served our country bravely deserve peace of mind when they come home to be with their family and raise their children. That is why pubic safety must be the primary responsibility of the next Attorney General. As the state’s chief law enforcement officer, Steve Shannon will place a priority on keeping gangs out of our schools and neighborhoods, and he will work with local law enforcement to crack down on drug-related crimes. Steve will also lead an effort to go after online predators who prey on our children. With 20,000 computers in Virginia used to view or traffic child pornography, Steve understands that we need tougher penalties for those who would target the most vulnerable in our society.
Higher Education for Military Families
Steven Shannon has consistently supported legislation to extend higher education benefits to service members and their families. He voted in favor of legislation to extend in-state tuition benefits to families of active duty personnel and mobilized reservists and guard members. Steve also believes that the family members of our servicemen and women should never be denied the opportunity to pursue a higher education simply because they cannot afford it. That is why Steve was the chief sponsor of a bill that would have granted a waiver of tuition, charges and fees for eligible children and spouses who gain admission to any of our public universities.
Stopping Identity Theft of our Veterans
Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in America. The theft of 26 million veterans’ identities from a Department of Veterans Affairs official’s home in 2006 underscored the importance of addressing this problem. When our servicemen and women deploy overseas, they deserve to be confident that their identity will be protected at home. As Attorney General, Steve Shannon will work with law enforcement personnel to develop the methods and technology to track identity theft and capture identity thieves who prey on Virginia’s veterans.
As a legislator, Steve worked to improve the ability of the Attorney General to impose stiff civil penalties against irresponsible companies that fail to protect their customer’s sensitive personal information, and he fought to increase reporting requirements when sensitive data is compromised.