Assemblyman Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber) was honored today by Crime Victims United of California as Legislator of the Year for 2010. The award, which Assemblyman Nielsen was also awarded in 2009, was given for his long-standing support of victim's rights, his vigorous opposition to the early-release of dangerous criminals into our communities, and for authoring Assembly Bill 2673.  AB 2673 would establish that validated gang members would not be eligible for early release from prison and placed on non-revocable parole (NRP). This measure will be heard on Tuesday, April 20th in the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

"I am deeply honored to receive this award once again from Crime Victims United of California (CVU) and am very proud to stand with groups like CVU, who fight day after day for crime victims and their loved ones in our criminal justice system," stated Nielsen.  "With the unfortunate passage of Senate Bill 18 3x last fall, thousand of dangerous felons have been released on to our streets, who have not yet served their full sentence and have not been rehabilitated.  That's not justice, and it jeopardizes the safety of our families and communities."

In addition to being honored today, Assemblyman Nielsen also introduced Assembly Concurrent Resolution 153, which commemorates the week of April 18th through April 24th as "Crime Victims Rights Week".  The resolution promotes awareness of victim issues and acknowledges the combined efforts of citizens, government, and the criminal justice system to improve victims' services throughout California.