YRFV Convention 2008 Spotlight: Senator Ryan McDougle, General Assembly Update Panelist and Convention Sponsor

Ryan McDougle was elected to serve in the Virginia State Senate on January 3, 2006 in a Special Election where he captured 80% of the vote. He now represents Caroline, Essex, Hanover, King William, King and Queen, Middlesex, and Spotsylvania Counties. McDougle previously served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2005. Senator McDougle now sits on the Senate Transportation; Courts of Justice; Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources; and Rehabilitation and Social Services Committees. He also serves on several commissions and councils including the Virginia Council on Indians,  the Attorney General’s Youth Internet Safety Task Force, and the Supreme Court’s Committee on District Courts.   Formerly, he served on the Joint Subcommittee to study the effectiveness and costs of the Guardian ad Litem Program, the Virginia Alcohol Safety Action Program, the Advisory Council on Career and Technical Education, and the Joint Subcommittee to study the Virginia Public Records Act.

As a member of the Virginia General Assembly, Senator McDougle focuses on improving public safety.  He has worked closely with the Attorney General to win passage of landmark legislation to protect children from perpetuators of child pornography by establishing an Anti-Child Pornography Images Registry to use as a cross-reference for investigation and conviction of related offenses. The law also increased penalties for child pornography possession. Last year he sponsored the new law known as the Back to School Sales Tax holiday, which took place for the first time in Virginia this past August. 

McDougle operates his own law practice, the McDougle Law Firm, P.C. He previously served as a prosecutor with the Hanover County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Office where he specialized in prosecuting domestic violence and family abuse offenders. His professional work on behalf of children grew into a personal commitment that resulted in his becoming a founding member of the Hanover County Child Advocate Response Team. McDougle also served on the Hanover Domestic Violence Task Force.

A native of Hanover, McDougle has always been an active member of his community. He served beyond his local community in many ways including his missions outreach work in the Czech Republic through a local Baptist church. McDougle served as a Board Member of the Virginia FFA Foundation. He attends Fraternal Lodge No. 344 A.F. and A.M. and the Hanover Ruritan Club in Mechanicsville.

McDougle graduated from Lee-Davis High School and received his Bachelor of Arts degree from James Madison University in Political Science and History. McDougle earned his Juris Doctorate from the College of William and Mary School of Law.

McDougle is married and lives with his wife Bea, near the historic Cold Harbor Battlefields in Mechanicsville.