RD409 - Evaluation of the Address Confidentiality Program - December 2012


Executive Summary:
During the 2007 Session of the General Assembly, Senator Patricia Smith Ticer introduced legislation (SB 938) which established an address confidentiality program for victims of domestic violence. A one-year pilot program was created and codified in Virginia Code § 2.2-515.1 and 2.2-515.2. The one-year pilot program was subsequently implemented in Arlington County and an evaluation of the one-year pilot was completed and submitted to the General Assembly in December 2007.

In order to obtain additional information about the effectiveness of the address confidentiality program and its use by victims of domestic violence, the pilot program was expanded. During the 2008 Session of the General Assembly, additional legislation was introduced by Senator Ticer (SB 764) expanding the pilot program to 17 additional localities: the Counties of Albemarle, Augusta, Dickenson, Fairfax, Henry, Lee, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Washington, and Wise, as well as the Cities of Buena Vista, Charlottesville, Lexington, Martinsville, Norfolk, and Roanoke. The expanded pilot program became effective July 1, 2008.

The 2008 legislation also included language conditioning the continuance and statewide expansion of the program on an appropriation from the General Assembly after an evaluation of the pilot program:

"That following the evaluation of the program by the Office of the Attorney General in accordance with the second enactment of this act, the continuation of the address confidentiality program on a statewide basis shall be conditioned upon an appropriation effectuating the purposes of this act passed during the 2011 Session of the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor."

2008 Va. Acts ch. 649.

In 2011, the General Assembly passed legislation to expand the program statewide (HB 1757 (Wilt), SB 1199 (Obenshain)), with a budget amendment to provide for an appropriation to the Office of the Attorney General for the program. The legislation and appropriation, as signed into law by the Governor, became effective July 1, 2011.

The enactment clause of the 2011 legislation specifically provides that:

"[A]n evaluation of the statewide implementation of the program shall be prepared by the Office of the Attorney General and the results forwarded to the members of the Senate Committee on General Laws and the House Committee on General Laws by December 31, 2012."

2011 Va. Acts ch. 97, 172. Pursuant to this mandate, the Office of the Attorney General provides the following evaluation of the statewide implementation of the program.