Sexual abuse of animals; penalty. Providesthat any person who knowingly (i) engages in sexual contact withan animal; (ii) causes another person by force, threat, or intimidationto engage in sexual contact with an animal; (iii) advertises, solicits,offers, sells, purchases, or possesses an animal with the intentthat the animal be subject to sexual contact; (iv) permits sexualcontact with an animal to be conducted on any premises under hisownership or control; (v) produces, distributes, publishes, sells,transmits, finances, possesses with the intent to distribute, publish,sell, or transmit, or makes any attempt to produce, distribute, publish,sell, transmit, or finance an obscene item depicting a person engagedin sexual contact with an animal is guilty of a Class 6 felony. Thebill also provides that any person convicted of sexual abuse of ananimal may be prohibited from possessing, owning, or exercising controlover any animal for a period of up to five years and may be orderedto attend an appropriate treatment program or obtain psychiatricor psychological counseling.
Sponsored bills
Retired circuit and district court judges underrecall; evaluation; qualification by the Senate Committee on theJudiciary and the House Committee for Courts of Justice. Requiresthat retired district court judges sitting as substitutes be foundqualified every three years by the Senate Committee on the Judiciaryand House Committee for Courts of Justice instead of authorized bythe Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia. The bill alsorequires the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Courtof Virginia to prepare and distribute an evaluation form for eachcircuit and district court retired judge who has requested to becalled upon to sit in recall during his final year of the three-year period following qualification. The bill further requires that theOffice of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court of Virginiaannually prepare and transmit a report including such evaluationsconducted that year to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary andthe House Committee for Courts of Justice by the first day of thenext regular session of the General Assembly.
Damage to motor vehicles; catalytic converter; penalties. Makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to commit larceny of a catalytic converter from a motor vehicle, regardless of the converter's value, and provides that any person found in possession of a catalytic converter that has been detached from a motor vehicle shall be presumed to have committed larceny of the catalytic converter unless such person (i) is an authorized scrap seller or (ii) has in his possession documentation establishing that such person lawfully possesses the catalytic converter. The bill also makes it a Class 6 felony for a person to willfully break, injure, tamper with, or remove any part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel for the purpose of injuring, defacing, or destroying said vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, or temporarily or permanently preventing its useful operation, or for any purpose against the will or without the consent of the owner, or to in any other manner willfully or maliciously interfere with or prevent the running or operation of such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel, when such violation causes damage to such vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel of $1,000 or more. Current law makes such violation a Class 1 misdemeanor with no limit on the amount of damage. Under the bill, the penalty for damage of less than $1,000 remains a Class 1 misdemeanor. For the purposes of determining whether there is damage of $1,000 or more, the bill provides that the cost of any replacement part or parts of any vehicle, aircraft, boat, or vessel and any additional cost necessary to install such replacement part or parts shall be included in the cost of the damage. The bill also requires a scrap metal purchaser, when purchasing proprietary articles from a person who is not an authorized scrap seller, to (a) make copies of the documentation received from the seller establishing the seller lawfully possesses the proprietary articles and keep such copies with the permanent ledger maintained at the scrap metal purchaser's place of business and (b) after purchasing a proprietary article from a person, submit a report to the local sheriff's department or the chief of police within five business days describing the proprietary article and including a copy of the seller's identifying information and documentation that the seller lawfully possessed such article. The bill also requires the scrap metal purchaser to hold such proprietary article for not less than 15 days following submission of such report.
Charter; City of Norfolk; council; elections.Makes various changes to reflect the City of Norfolk's upcomingshift in municipal elections from May to November.
City of Chesapeake; local government authority to require analysis of water. Adds the City of Chesapeake to the list of localities that may establish reasonable testing requirements to determine compliance with existing federal or state drinking water quality standards and require that such testing be done prior to the issuance of building permits. This bill is identical to SB 53.
Shipping and Logistics Headquarters Grant Program. Updates some provisions of the Shipping and Logistics Headquarters Grant Program to reflect changes in the agreement between the Commonwealth and a qualified company. This bill is identical to HB 324.
Celebrating the life of Eunice M. Wilder.
Ukraine; Russian invasion. Expressing thesense of the General Assembly on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Commending Harry Wason.
Celebrating the life of the Honorable FloraLonette Davis Crittenden.