Currently, some local jurisdictions are wrongly led by gambling advocates to believe that if any product, no matter how inconsequential, is offered along with an opportunity to gamble, Virginia’s gambling statute has been legally circumvented (for example, selling a 10 cent pencil for $5 and including in the sale a “free” opportunity to gamble on an Internet game). These gambling operations, which seek to characterize themselves as legitimate sweepstakes games, are currently in operation or have operated in the following localities thus far: Warren County, Front Royal, Petersburg, Chesapeake, Danville, Emporia, Hampton, Richmond, Caroline, Spotsylvania, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Chesterfield, and Pittsylvania.

The Newport News Planning Commission recently approved of two internet gambling casinos in the Denbigh section of Newport News. These proposals are currently awaiting action by the Newport News City Council.

“It is my hope that the passage of this bill will provide the Newport News City Council, as well as other municipalities, the tools they need to prevent internet gambling casinos from using a loophole in the law to open gambling casinos in their communities,” said Delegate Oder. “It is my hope that the passage of this bill will prevent the two casinos proposed for the Denbigh area from ever opening.”

Delegate Chris Jones (R-Suffolk), Chairman of House General Laws Committee contributed to the efforts to create and pass this legislation. Delegates Jones and Oder worked on this legislation as a reaction to the migration of internet gambling casinos from other states into Virginia.

“As other states ramped up their restrictions on internet gambling casinos, the operators of these venues decided to challenge Virginia laws by opening these casinos in our communities,” said Delegate Jones. “The passage of this new law makes it clear to our Commonwealth Attorneys that these casinos are illegal and will not be permitted in our state.”

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Currently, some local jurisdictions are wrongly led by gambling advocates to believe that if any product, no matter how inconsequential, is offered along with an opportunity to gamble, Virginia’s gambling statute has been legally circumvented (for example, selling a 10 cent pencil for $5 and including in the sale a “free” opportunity to gamble on an Internet game).  These gambling operations, which seek to characterize themselves as legitimate sweepstakes games, are currently operation or have operated in the following localities thus far: Warren County, Front Royal, Petersburg, Chesapeake, Danville, Emporia, Hampton, Richmond, Caroline, Spotsylvania, Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Chesterfield, and Pittsylvania.

“Recently, North Carolina proposed new laws regarding internet casino gambling.  Unfortunately, these illegal casinos are now moving into Virginia,” said Delegate Oder.  “HB 1584 is designed to make the law clear that these illegal casinos have no place in Virginia.”

The Newport News Planning Commission recently approved of two internet gambling casinos in the Denbigh section of Newport News.  These proposals are currently awaiting action by the Newport News City Council.

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2001.  He represents the 94^th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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“I am very grateful to the JLC for bringing these important legislative initiatives to the General Assembly. As Chairman of the Subcommittee that oversees veteran’s affairs, I will do my best to help pass these proposals,” said Delegate Oder. “Our freedom today was paid for by the service of our veterans and we should do all that we can to help them.”

“The legislative initiatives supported by the JLC will assist veterans across the Commonwealth,” said Colonel Bill Townsley, USAF (Ret.), a member of the JLC. “Delegate Oder continues to be a strong supporter of issues benefiting our veterans and I am grateful for his support.”

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2001. He represents the 94th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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“Throughout the course of this year, I have learned of new victims of Chinese Drywall who have bought homes at reduced prices or entered into rental agreements. These victims were never told that the homes contained toxic drywall,” said Delegate Oder. “We have enough knowledge of the dangers associated with toxic drywall that if a seller or real estate agent is aware of the presence of this product in the home, it must be disclosed. We should not be having new victims associated with this product.”

HB 1610 also provides that if the presence of toxic drywall is confirmed by a building official, the Commissioner of the Revenue or other assessing official may reassess the property accordingly. The bill goes on to provide that local governments may also place the property in a rehabilitation district for purposes of granting the owner a partial real estate tax exemption.

“Victims of toxic Chinese Drywall can no longer live in their homes or take their tainted belongings with them,” Delegate Oder explained. “They need real relief and one way is to provide options for localities to reduce their real estate taxes.”

Delegate Oder worked on this bill throughout the year and received a unanimous recommendation from the Virginia Housing Commission.

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2002. He represents the 94th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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“Shaken Baby Syndrome is a result of a person shaking an innocent baby so violently that it creates severe and irreparable brain damage. I believe if we take better steps to educate citizens on how to cope with the pressures of child care, less babies will be harmed,” said Delegate Oder. “House Joint Resolution 632 is the first step toward bringing state agencies and other stakeholders together to identify the number of shaken baby cases in Virginia and identifying the best practices to prevent future cases of SBS.”

In developing this legislative proposal, Delegate Oder worked with Shaken Baby Syndrome of Virginia, Inc, an organization founded by Steve and Kathy Stowe and dedicated to their grandson, Jared, who was violently shaken at 6 weeks old. In April of 2010, the Stowe’s represented SBS of VA and trained over 5,000 soldiers about the devastating effects of SBS. They were awarded The Coin of Excellence and a Certificate of Appreciation for their efforts by Colonel G.K. Grothe, Commander, United States Army.

HJ 632 is a continuation of the efforts begun in 2010 with HB 411 where the General Assembly passed legislation requiring childcare providers in Virginia to be trained about the dangers of shaking a baby. HJ 632 begins the process of determining the best way to educate new parents on the fragile nature of a baby’s brain and the dangers of shaking a baby.

“As co-founders of Shaken Baby Syndrome of Virginia, we believe HJ 632 will identify the extent of the problem as well as the best ways to insure that new parents are educated about the devastating consequences of shaking a baby,” said Steve Stowe. “We will use our experience as primary care givers to our grandson Jared, as well as our experience from helping other victims from across Virginia, to work with this study group to insure children like Jared never have to needlessly suffer and die because parents do not understand the trauma associated with shaking babies.”

Delegate Oder will be working with hospital and healthcare providers to seek support for the passage of this important child care legislation.

Glenn Oder was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2002. He represents the 94th House District, which includes part of Newport News.

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“During the previous Administration, I became a vocal critic when Virginia was declared “dead last” in spending the federal stimulus money and we were in danger of losing our allocation,” said Delegate Oder.  “However, as a result of the hard work of the VDOT staff, I now understand that Virginia has met the requirement to have its allocation obligated by March 2, 2010 and we are in a position to receive additional dollars from other states who did not meet this requirement.”

Virginia’s allocations included 68 projects obligated by the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) and 54 projects obligated by the metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). Of the 68 CTB projects, $413.7 million in work on 45 projects has already been advertised for bidding, and $287.1 million of work for 40 projects has already been awarded to contractors. Of the 54 MPO projects, $2.8 million has been advertised for two projects, and seven projects with a value of $6.8 million have been awarded.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was signed into law by President Obama on Feb.17, 2009.

• Virginia received a total of $694.5 million in highway stimulus funding.
• Virginia has met every deadline and requirement set forth in the ARRA legislation.
• $117.8 million of this stimulus funding will be for projects selected by the state’s five large urban metropolitan planning organizations.
• $101.6 million is targeted to improve or replace structurally deficient and functionally obsolete bridges and culverts.
• $142.5 million is targeted toward repaving or overlaying roads in Virginia.
• $76.9 million is targeted to fund improvements necessary near expanding military installations supporting 21,400 jobs.
• $37.3 million is targeted to improve Virginia’s rail network and access to the Port of Virginia.
• $20.8 million is targeted to be used for enhancement projects.
• $197.4 million is targeted to advance much-needed congestion-relief projects including building new roadways.

To read about my race please go to this link:  http://www.dailypress.com/news/elections/dp-local_elex-house-94_1104nov04,0,4260014.story

President Victoria Cobb had this to say about Glenn’s work:
“Delegate Oder showed principled leadership and an ability to work with a diverse coalition of organizations and legislators to get results,” said Cobb. “The compromise bill he was able to craft has significantly reduced the number of payday lending stores in Virginia and helped protect families from predatory lenders.”

http://www.dailypress.com/news/opinion/dp-ed_ga1_edit_1025oct25,0,2523824.story

“Today, seeing my friends,colleagues and constituents from the legal and accounting communities coming together to show how much they support me, fills me with extreme joy and confidence. With less than twenty days until the election, the support that we have seen from every community in Newport News has been overwhelming. Together, we will continue to make Virginia and Newport News a better place to live, work and raise a family.” Oder said.

Come by the office at 12434 Warwick Blvd to pick up your yard signs and Oder Gear!