Brian Moran's initiatives to keep Virginia kids' toys safe made more news over the holiday. Here's some of the Richmond Times Dispatch piece:

Del. Brian J. Moran, D-Alexandria, has proposed a Virginia Toy Safety Act to keep dangerous toys off store shelves.

The prospective Democratic candidate for governor in 2009 said the act is needed because the federal government has failed to provide protection for children.

"No parent should worry about their child going to the emergency room because of a toy they received Christmas morning," he said.

If the General Assembly approves the proposed safety law, it would go into effect July 1, in time for the next Christmas season.

The proposed measure would create a new civil penalty for merchants that knowingly resell recalled toys and mandate new regulations for the Child Daycare Council to keep high lead-based toys away from children in child-care centers.

It also would direct the attorney general and the Department of Health to remove recalled toys from shelves in Virginia and to develop standards for toys sold in the state.

...

Moran said millions of toys are under recall worldwide. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission has just one toy tester and 15 inspectors to check imported toys, he added.

Reached by phone yesterday, Jesse Ferguson, an aide to Moran, acknowledged that parents have a responsibility to keep unsafe toys away from their children. But it is hard for parents to keep up with all the recalls and parents can't do their own testing, he said.

High levels of lead paint found in toys made in China have caused most of the recent problems. Excess lead exposure in children can cause brain and nervous-system damage.

Here's a report from the Washington Examiner:

A prominent Virginia Democrat announced legislation Friday that would fine merchants who knowingly sell defective, recalled toys and would ban their use in day care facilities next year. Del. Brian Moran’s Toy Safety Act also would direct the commonwealth to develop standards for toys sold in Virginia stores. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission is understaffed, forcing the state to take on a broader role in what should be a federal responsibility, said Moran, the House Democratic Caucus chairman who represents Alexandria and Fairfax County.

“No parent should worry about their child going to the emergency room because of a toy they received Christmas morning,” Moran said. “The federal government has failed to provide needed protection to our families.”

Lots of coverage of yesterday's news conference where Brian and Delegate Shannon Valentine issued a strong call for safety. Here's from WDJB-TV Roanoke:

As parents crowd the aisles during the Christmas rush, Virginia lawmakers are calling for a Toy Safety Act. Friday in Richmond, patrons of the bill said it will keep dangerous toys off store shelves and out of day care facilities.

They are proposing a new civil penalty for retailers who knowingly resell toys that have been recalled.

"It demonstrates a commitment and an accountability to make sure that toys that are known, identified and recalled because they are toxic or dangerous are actually removed from store shelves and from our child day-care system," says Lynchburg delegate Shannon Valentine. "It's that simple."

More coverage from WVIR-TV Charlottesville, and Raising Kaine.

Brian announced a new legislative initiative to crack down on dangerous toys this morning at the General Assembly Building in Richmond. He was joined by Delegate Shannon Valentine from Lynchburg who is working with Brian on the legislation.

“As the father of two young children I know how important safe toys are to our families during this holiday season,” said Brian. “No parent should worry about their child going to the Emergency Room because of a toy they received Christmas morning.”

The new “Toy Safety Act” provides new protections from dangerous toys by directing the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Health to remove recalled toys from the shelves in Virginia and to consider the development of standards for toys here in the Commonwealth, mandates new regulations for our Child Daycare Council to keep dangerous toys away from kids, and creates a new civil penalty for stores that knowingly sell recalled toys in Virginia.

Click here to learn more, and to sign-on as a Citizen Co-Sponsor.

This week, Brian keynoted the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy 25th Annual Meeting at the Imani Center in Richmond. Brian spoke about the role faith and values play in forming public policy and about the challenges facing a compassionate community. He discussed key priorities for 2008 of early childhood education, children’s healthcare, and environmental protection. Here's a video excerpt of the speech.

You can read the full text of the speech here.

Lowell on Raising Kaine had some interesting commentary on the speech.

Today Brian Moran announced legislation calling for repeal of Abusive Driver Fees:

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran announced legislation to repeal the Abusive Driver Fee’s in this session of the General Assembly. Brian has consistently opposed the abuser fees since their first introduction several years ago. Yesterday’s release of a report from the Joint Legislative Audit Review Commission confirmed that the fees have been ineffective and today Brian announced his legislation to repeal the fees and refund those drivers unfairly taxed. Last summer over 180,000 Virginians signed petitions in opposition to these fees.

“We have said all along that these fee’s are a Washington-style gimmick that wouldn’t stand the test of time. They don’t make our roads safer, fail to generate real money for transportation, and turn our police officers in to tax collectors,” said House Democratic Caucus Chairman Brian J. Moran “It’s time for their repeal. I hope my Republican colleagues will join my efforts in opposition to these fees.”

The Washington Post has more on the study:

Virginia may have to issue more than 300,000 license suspensions to drivers over the next two years for failure to pay the state’s abusive-driving fees, according to a government report that may hasten calls for the General Assembly and Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) to eliminate them.

In the first broad review of the fees since they took effect July 1, state auditors found that they have not affected traffic safety and might not raise as much money as expected. The report describes confusion over which offenses can trigger the fees and indicates that some police officers are choosing not to write tickets for violations that carry the fees.

Read the full press release here.

UPDATE: Raising Kaine and the Richmond Times-Dispatch have more.

It is with great honor and humble thanks that I present my 2007 Campaign Report to you. We stand on the threshold of a new day for Virginia - a night that changed Richmond! Thanks to your support, I can proudly report the greatest Democratic gains since 1975.

Thanks to Governor Kaine, Governor Warner, Senator Webb, and all of the other leaders who pushed our team to victory. And special congratulations to my partners in the Senate, Majority Leader Saslaw and Caucus Chair Whipple.

More importantly, though, I must thank you - you volunteered, canvassed, phonebanked and worked the polls. Your work made election night a victory for Virginia. You are the heart of the party - I am indebted to you.I look forward to working with you in the future as we build a stronger, better Virginia.

Yours,

Brian Moran

Click here to read the full report card.

Senator Jim Webb was on Meet the Press this past weekend talking about our big wins in 2007. Take a look: