[UPDATE]
During our annual trip to Richmond for the 4th Annual Bloggers Day, Senator McDougle informed us while Delegate Janis was speaking to the group about this very bill that it died in sub-committee today. Thankfully. Mini-crisis averted!!
[Original Post]
In the latest embarrassing example of a bill destined to be deemed unconstitutional and repealed, the Virginia House of Delegates passed a bill making a red light, stop sign or yield sign violation RECKLESS DRIVING.
A class one misdemeanor, six points on your driving record, up to a year in jail and six months suspended license.
Equivalent to speeding twenty miles over the speed limit.
Does this make sense to anyone?!
Early last month a bill introduced by Delegate Bill Janis making a rolling through a red light or running a red light causing bodily harm and/or death a reckless driving offense. No harm there, actually makes a lot of sense, if you hit someone, reckless driving is the least of your concerns but sure, reckless driving is applicable.
Then the Committee for Courts of Justice got their hands on the bill.
The Committee removed the clause regarding bodily harm, removing the clause about injury, removed the clause protecting our civil liberties preventing us from being prosecuted via red light camera. In doing so, the Committee left the bill with one line:
Any person who drives a motor vehicle in violation of § 46.2-833 (author’s note: red light, stop sign, yield sign violation) is guilty of reckless driving
The bill then went back to the House floor, where it bafflingly passed 67-31. Turned to the Senate, it passed the Transportation Committeewas referred to the Transportation Committee 12-0 (author’s note, incorrectly stated it had been voted on in Transportation, it was simply referred to transportation, then re-referred) and is now assigned to Courts subcommittee Criminal waiting vote before going to the Senate floor.
Does this seem like deja vu?
This same legislative body that attempted to add an exorbitant fee in 2007 to speeding tickets, buried in Tim Kaine’s infamous transportation bill. Applying only to Virginia residents, they’d be taxed up to $3000 for speeding tickets and other nominal offenses. How’d that one turn out for this august body?
After numerous courts ruled the bill unconstitutional, then an too-little-too-late change to band-aid the bill by adding charges for out of state drivers, this bill was repealed a swift six months later with only four dissenting votes.
Contact your State Senators and encourage them vote against this ridiculous bill; otherwise we’ll have six months of news reports ridiculing Virginia, have numerous courts rule the bill unconstitutional then get the bill repealed a year later.
