Harold Pyon ICAS Summer 2017 Symposium Paper

Introduction of Tim Hugo

Harold Pyon

Elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2002, Delegate Tim Hugo has worked tirelessly to represent his constituents, especially the Korean American community in his district. Most notably, in 2014, he sponsored HB11, which requires all Virginia textbooks to recognize the body of water between Korea and Japan as the East Sea and the Sea of Japan. Additionally, to commemorate the contributions and heritage of the Korean American community, Delegate Hugo sponsored the resolutions designating January 13th as Korean American Day in Virginia and September 4th as Taekwondo Day in Virginia.

Delegate Hugo understands the fervor of the Korean American community on the importance of a education. He has continuously worked with his colleagues in the General Assembly to create more in-state slots at Virginia’s public colleges and universities, creating more opportunities for in-state students to attend prestigious schools in Virginia.

Delegate Hugo understands that many within the Korean American community are small business owners and the backbone of our communities. In 2011, he introduced HB1905, which allowed afterschool Taekwondo programs to operate without being burdened with unnecessary regulations.

Delegate Hugo is a strong advocate of protecting families and ensuring safe communities. Until 2015, Virginia was one of the last states to enact a standalone statute to combat human trafficking. Delegate Hugo sponsored and led the effort to pass HB1964 to set apart the offense of sex trafficking as a distinct crime and, specifically, criminalizing sex trafficking of a minor. Perpetrators now face a class 3 felony when a minor is the victim of sex trafficking, regardless of whether the child was forced, intimidated or deceived, reflecting the realities of how these criminals prey on the vulnerability and trust of their victims. This law criminalizes the recruitment of minors and adults for commercial sex, conduct that had not been prohibited under Virginia law unless the defendant was a gang member. HB1964 provides legal tools such as multijurisdictional grand juries, the option to seize the assets of suspected traffickers, and sex offender registration requirements that put the community on notice of the threat posed by convicted sex traffickers.

Delegate Hugo currently serves as the House Majority Caucus Chairman, the third ranking member in the Virginia House of Delegates. Additionally, he serves as the Vice Chairman of the House Transportation committee, a member of the Commerce and Labor committee, Finance committee, and Privileges and Elections committee. In 2015 Delegate Hugo was appointed to the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority (NVTA) and was named Chairman of the Joint Commission on Transportation Accountability (JCTA). Both of these position offer him a unique ability to address Northern Virginia's transportation infrastructure.

It is a privilege that this evening I get to introduce my Delegate, and more importantly, my friend, Tim Hugo.

This page last updated August 22, 2017 jdb

The ICAS Lectures