Top Ten Bills from the Virginia Legislature in 2005

The Virginia state legislature is now hard at work again to make Virginia safer, more beautiful, and generally a more fun place to live. Free Liberal contributor Nathan Larson reviews some notable bills.

You put your weed in there:

“It is unlawful for any person to knowingly manufacture, use or maintain, in a motor vehicle that he owns, leases or routinely drives or uses, a secret compartment designed for the transportation of marijuana or an illegal controlled substance. A violation of this section is a Class 1 misdemeanor.”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1502

Women will get a year in jail for failing to report a miscarriage to
police within 12 hours:

“Report of fetal death by mother; penalty. Provides that when a fetal death occurs without medical attendance, it shall be the woman's responsibility to report the death to the proper law-enforcement agency within 12 hours of the delivery. Violation of this section shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor.”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1677

A lot of people in Manassas won't be able to drive if this one passes:

“Prohibits issuance of driver's licenses and learner's permits to persons incapable of communicating using the English language. The prohibition extends to both original issues and to renewals.”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1625

Little kids will be able to have lemonade stands at the polls:

”Authorizes the electoral board and the person in charge of the facility where a polling place is located to approve a sale of refreshments by a nonprofit, nonpartisan group within the 40-foot prohibited area at the polling place. The sales must be conducted by persons too young to vote.”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1509

Then there's the military veterans' affirmative action bill:

”Requires Virginia's public institutions of higher education to include veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who were honorably discharged or who are currently members in good standing in the active or inactive Reserves or National Guard as a duly recognized group in any affirmative action plan for (i) hiring as faculty or nonfaculty or (ii) admission as students. The measure also requires institutions to file annual reports on hiring and admission of veterans and military personnel.”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1659

Not even the Electoral College will be safe from Congressional District
gerrymandering:

“Provides that the Commonwealth's votes in the Electoral College shall be allocated by the popular vote statewide and in each congressional district. The candidates for President and Vice President who win the popular statewide vote will receive the votes of the two statewide electors and the candidate who wins the popular vote in each congressional district will receive the vote of that district's elector. Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral college votes in this manner.”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1681

Get that camera away from me:

“Harassment with camera. Provides that any person who on more than one occasion uses any type of still or video or motion picture camera to record the image of an individual, who is not a public figure, when he knows or reasonably should know that the individual does not wish to have his image recorded, is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1696

No more stashing video cameras under sewer grates:

"Provides that the creation of a videotape, photograph, film or videographic or still image record created by placing the lens or image-gathering component of a recording device in a position to capture an image of the person's undergarments, genitals, pubic area or buttocks when the undergarments, genitals, pubic area or buttocks would not otherwise be visible is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor."
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1741

Educating jurors about jury nullification will be illegal:

“…a person acts "corruptly" when (a) he knows another person is a juror and (b) in the case of a grand juror, acts outside of the grand jury proceedings to instruct the grand juror about his duties or to present any form of evidence or argument to the grand juror, or (c) in the case of a petit juror, acts outside of the judicial proceeding to instruct the petit juror or to present any form of evidence or argument to the petit juror.”
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+ful+HB1754

Why don't I get a shotgun for MY noteworthy service???

"Award of service pistol and shotgun. Awards Anthony A. Lippa, Junior, a former First Sergeant of the Virginia Department of State Police, his service pistol and shotgun in appreciation for his 24 years and three months of service."
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?051+sum+HB1897