Virginians at the Capitol

Richmond Times Dispatch

Fort Monroe: Rep. Thelma Drake, R-2nd, released a study of historic Fort Monroe on Tuesday, the first step in determining whether the 17th-century Hampton fort should become a national park.

The Army is to vacate the base in 2011 and the property will revert to state ownership. The Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority is seeking ways to reuse the site at the tip of the Peninsula.

"Fort Monroe is a local and national treasure, and we should all work together to see that it is preserved for generations to come," Drake said in a statement.

The report by the National Park Service found that the 570-acre property may warrant further study but not before the development authority completes its preservation plans and determines how it would pay for managing and operating the fort.

Farm animals: Rep. James P. Moran, D-8th, introduced a bill Thursday to protect farm animals from abuse.

The Farm Animal Cruelty Act would make it a federal offense to, without justification, kill, mutilate, disfigure, torture or intentionally inflict pain or suffering upon an animal raised for food.

Penalties would range from fines of $500 to $100,000 to up to a year in prison.

The bill also would impose penalties on farmers who fail to provide food, water and shelter for animals.

Shield law: Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., co-sponsored a reporter shield bill Tuesday to protect journalists and their sources.

The Free Flow of Information Act aims to protect journalists from revealing their sources and information. Under the bill, civil litigants or prosecutors in federal court would have to show they exhausted other means to get information essential to a case before a court could subpoena information from a journalist.

The bill would permit courts to compel testimony from reporters only when disclosure would prevent imminent and actual harm to national security. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-9th, is the chief sponsor of the same bill in the House. -- Neil Simon Media General News Service