Virginia's New Laws

Okay, the Virginia General Assembly has had its two sessions and passed a bunch of laws which have been signed by the Governor. I went through and tried to get all the laws which are criminal law in nature and you can go read them all at Virginia Criminal Law & Cases (clickthru is in the right column). Here are some of the more interesting.

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19.2-130.1 is being changed so that if a judge issues a capias and orders the defendant held without bond the magistrate cannot give that defendant a bond when he is arrested.

18.2-472.1(G)(2) is being changed so that the certificate of analysis only has to "provided with" the notice of right to demand the analyst's presence instead "attached to" it.
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COMMENT: Yes, someone must have actually stood in court and argued, "Why yes, Judge, the Commonwealth gave me timely notice and gave me both pieces of paper. However, they didn't staple the papers together and therefore they can't introduce the analysis."
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19.2-386.16(B) is being changed so that if you abduct someone or pander a juvenile prostitute you lose your car.
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COMMENT: Cuz that'll keep'em from doing that.
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9.1-903(J): If a sex offender doesn't have a legal residence he has to register the location of his cardboard box.

54.1-3420.1: Pharmacists have to keep track of who is getting schedule II drugs and keep it for a year.

18.2-308: You can now take your concealed weapon into the bar with you, but if you drink alcohol it is a class 2 misdemeanor. HOWEVER, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers are not subject to this law (because officers are all immune to alcohol).

18.2-308: It is not illegal to have a concealed firearm in a car if it is locked in a compartment or a container.
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COMMENT: Think goodness. No more weapon concealed in the locked glove compartment charges.
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46.2-857: It is reckless driving for two motorcycles to ride side by side in one lane, UNLESS the drivers are two officers on duty.

46.2-857: It is okay for cars in separate lanes to be side by side when one is passing the other.
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COMMENT: You've got to be kidding me. It's currently illegal to drive side by side while passing right now (law in effect 01 July 10)? What court is buying that argument?
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46.2-301.1: If you know someone has no license and that he has previously been convicted of driving without a license and you allow him to drive your car, you have committed a class 1 misdemeanor.

19.2-73(B): An officer with probable cause that a driver has driven under the influence within three hours can legally arrest the driver even if he did not see the driving (the law used to require the arresting officer to have seen it).

46.2-341.18(E): If someone with a commercial driver's license commits manslaughter in a commercial vehicle he cannot have a commercial license for 5 years.
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COMMENT: Really? Do we want someone who has committed manslaughter in a commercial vehicle to be back out there in another one?
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4.1-309.1: It is no longer legal to drive a school bus filled with kids while possessing or drinking alcohol.
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COMMENT: Sadly, this has to be in reaction to specific facts which occurred somewhere.
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29.1-521.1: If you bait an area to keep hunters from being able to hunt there legally, it is a class 3 misdemeanor.
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COMMENT: Hmmm . . . If you are interfering with hunters around these parts your worries probably shouldn't center around whether or not you are going to get a class 3 misdemeanor.
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