"For Delegate Albo's Veterans"

Dear Constituent,

Over the years of representing our neighborhood in the House of Delegates, my records indicate that your household has shown an interest in Veterans Affairs. As the son of an Air Force officer, I know the sacrifices made by the members of our military and their families are great. Virginia has one of the largest numbers of veterans of any state in America, and I know that issues relating to veterans are of great importance in this area.

I am proud to share with you the story of one of our young neighbors, Corey MacRae. For his Eagle Scout Leadership Service Project, he has chosen to honor West Springfield High School alumni who died while on active military duty in conflicts after Vietnam. He has created a memorial garden on the school grounds with a memorial stone honoring our fallen heroes. I was honored to be asked to be a part of the dedication ceremony, and last week I presented Virginia flags to each family. I had each flag flown over Thomas Jefferson’s Capitol building in Richmond in honor of each fallen hero.

In other news, I was shocked to read an April 5, 2009 story on the front page of the Washington Post exposing disturbing activities at National Funeral Home in Falls Church, which embalms bodies for Demaine Funeral Home in Springfield and Alexandria. As you know, many of our neighbors (a large portion of which are veterans) have utilized the services of Demaine. Not only am I disgusted with the neglect the entity has for our country’s heroes, but I am also appalled that National Funeral Home was neither monitored nor regulated. Because of all of this, I contacted the Virginia Board of Funeral Directors and Embalmers to find out how such a situation could have occurred and to make sure it never ever happens again. If it requires a legislative fix, I am committed to seeing it done. For your information, I am including the letter I sent regarding this issue.

With the invaluable support and hard work of the American Legion and VFW, I am proud to report to you that the General Assembly passed several important veteran-related bills during the 2009 Legislative Session. To help you with some of the legal changes we passed this year, I have attached summaries of the legislation.

Governor Tim Kaine has reviewed the bills that passed the General Assembly, and each of the bills that he signed into law will take effect on July 1, 2009. You can see the full text of these and other bills by logging onto my website, http://www.davealbo.com/. Simply click the “Track Legislation” link. It is an honor to represent you in the Virginia House of Delegates. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can be of any future assistance.

Yours for good government,

David B. Albo