Cuccinelli has made a positive difference

As a state senator, Ken Cuccinelli has made a positive difference in the lives of many Virginians. Sen. Cuccinelli passed a bill to keep Virginia government from unfairly seizing private property.

He toughened our laws to keep violent sexual offenders off our streets. He passed a law allowing the government to fire workers who hire illegal immigrants. He passed laws to crack down on gang violence. He fought consistently against tax increases proposed by our governors. He was the deciding vote to ban partial birth abortions.

Sen. Cuccinelli was perhaps most impressive in solving the recent problem created by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Melendez-Diaz vs. Massachusetts. In that case, the court held that it was a constitutional violation for a prosecutor to submit a drug test report without bringing the lab technician into court for testimony and counter-examination. Since this would have required technicians for DUI and drug cases to spend all their time in court instead of actually working in the lab, Virginia prosecutors announced that they would have to immediately cut back on the number of these cases they prosecuted unless Virginia implemented a quick legislative fix to the problem.

Cuccinelli pressured Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to call a special session of the legislature, which the governor eventually did, even as Cuccinelli’s opponent played politics.

In the special session Cuccinelli led the fight to pass legislation to solve this problem. This legislation allows the prosecution to put the defendant on notice that the prosecution would submit a chemical drug test report without the testimony of the scientist, while giving the defendant sufficient time to raise an objection.

I salute Sen. Cuccinelli for his record. And because of the positive difference he has made, I plan to vote for him on Nov. 3.